"Slayer that talks?"
"What realm is this?" I asked and some small child runs over with some sort of paper scroll. My tail pat the child and picked up the scroll. I did little poking through the contain, "You can cross eight names here off… here, I do that for you."
My tail takes the pen, then poked the ink well and crosses through the names.
"They aren't coming back, they don't have any baring to whatever laws they supervised broken, this was a ex-convit that paid his debt in full, this one is dusted, that one could be anyone, that is a god (and killing them breaks law) and the last three are your own men. What is wrong with you." The pen throw over to the one in charge, "they don't need to be killed for retirement, idiot." I rolled the scroll back up and hand it back to 'that isn't a child / child', "The rest of them are freaks that need something done about them. Sure excutions fine but what laws and traditions are you lot going to break to make them happen ever."
"The War ended in a truce!" someone brusted open some double doors I just now seen. I shake off the last bit of wet. Walked off the sphere and stomp my way along out of here. Everyone moves out of the way and sort just pretended that didn't happen. As the announcement had meant their hits weren't worth it.
Dancing along deeper around this maze of a realm; full of little small statue places of worship. One out of the blue was a grave or art memorial. A lot of stone ceiling, floor and walls. Smoothed and then natural then what seems unfinish carving areas tunnelled about the place. All sorts of evidence of shady crap or failed attemps at things. Magic gone wrong is what I could be at times be told as.
My ears became aquacted to the dull quite; then deafed by the screaming of someone walking over to my right. I didn't even notice at all really. Rag doll drop onto my back in landing; made me be forced to lean awkwardly to support them.
I creaked my tail, this hadn't worked. I folded about around to get them to shake and shake them awake. Tapping at them in annoying spots… nothing. Alive still, hear beating and breathing normal. Not a heart attack or abnormal inside sounds about them.
I gently sit them down by a wall, laid them into recovery – posed by the wall. I then go to the other wall and camofluged myself, I watched over them and looked for anyone else here looking for this lost living breather.
"Master!" Mmm… they have a servant out the shadow come out to insepct them. This is what a Clothus looks like in this place. The live and breathy and mostly human like in body, "Master!" the voice of the servant had rose the Clothus up. The clothus studied the servant, glares in some sort of choosing thoughts and knifed the servant.
"I thought that fool was killed last week." The knife was about to be wipped clean bt I guess I was caught sight of… not that blade pointed at me, "Slayer!"
"I am not going to kill you or bother you anymore. Now your awake and well. I am leaving." The knife lowered in shock and I coiled out of my waiting. Tap my way onwards towards nothingness… I meant it too. A dead and that had nothing.
"Hey." The clothus followed me in a pant to catch up, "Lord, your fast." I tilt with peering about how that knife was tossed into the floor in front of them, "You helped me… so…" breathy tired and arkward, "You know a way out of here?"
"I have a way out and around here, do you mr Clothus?"
"You a reaper dweller or something?" I spoken the Clothus term in reaper language instead of common, "Ugh, I got lost in here."
"I am not really up for being your servant, pet or toy. I am no demon, so no deals are made. I am no saint or sinner."
"Whatever, I didn't ask or need a servant. I can look after myself. Just want to have directions to get out of this maze of stone."
"Have you tried walking backwards without looking back?"
"What?"
"The realm leaves clues around for those that can use them or read them. The common one around a worshiping temple is to put faith in fate. Walk backwards without looking back." He snarled about that, "Sometimes it's not believing in what your seeing or ignoring common basics."
"What is wrong you?"
"I am god slayer that talks. I trade and have very normal human interactions. I can pretend to be something I am not and fool people in believing I am not what I am really. There's nothing wrong with me; its often those that look at me and judge me… they are whom need to look at themselves."
He tapped about for something and touched it… that was what he needed to disappear. I go back around this place looking at stuff. Finally getting grips with what going on here. I can hear the water I came from behind me… that was the way out it offered me. I don't want to. I happy to stomp about this place.
"Wow!" tripped over me again, "Ouch…"
"Did you forget something, mister?" I tilted with looking at them. He looked at where he came from and stands back up… started running. I sighed and coiled in the way of whatever it was he was running from.
"Slayer!" I study this merry band of cultist again, "You that talking one?"
"Look, meat." My good friend to be my demon on the shoulder, "What?"
"Seriously? Why would I eat them? They have souls." He sighed and removed the souls from them, "Mmm… I don't normally eat things that once had souls I hear. However," I glared about his hand jungling them, "Look how nasty they are and them shell sure… seem hollow."
"Yeah, totally." I tail sweep their head off and sunk them all into storage, "Cool, that all I care about." He jumped off my spin somewhere through the shadow floor. He goes trading things with my mask in there. I listen for the sound of steps circled around back around my right.
"Mr Clothus, you done running around yet?" He sits down around my side and leaned his back to me, "You going to faint again aren't you?" yup totally out of it. I sighed and looked at the mask back out to go check on him, "Second dive in here since I met him. He left and was returned."
"Best that you figure out to take him back home. Their realms not bad for business." I tilt with thinking about it, "His going to be a prince among the clothus; duty bound to run around realms to message carrier or deleiver post. Most times they are mail service for all realms or them weird investgators on living lands."
"It does sound fun." I muttered, "Not up for being a servant."
"I bet you find a way to stick around without that. He doesn't need a servant. He needs a friend."
"I need a pet." I muttered, "Maybe having a clothus pet would fun. My ex-neighbour cat once own a bird – raised it all by themselves. 'Ever so cute.' was what my human said at the time."
"Ummm, I guess you could see it that way." He leaves again, just in time too. The Clothus woke up again.
The slow waking had allowed me a closer look at what he was wearing and the symbols he had on this patch across his left upper arm. I would describe the outfit on the whole as a practical suit with black or grey theme about it. Normal but fitting to the current climates of the afterlifes abnormal weathering.
Clothus look human on the side of the dead, but characters of making them Clothus are still traited about them. The fixed white mask that protects them, the work of shadow damned storage and always having something about a servant.
This prince as a gold thread around the arm band, with poker card symbols on it. Maybe it's something to do with their backwards laws. I tried to read them.
"Mister Clothus, welcome back to being awake again; you really should go home." He got up and dusted. Looking at me with a long curious study, "What? Them folks that you ran form lost you, I think." He looked around confsed ever so more, "Earth to clothus you alright?"
"Earth? You used to be a living thing?"
"Aren't most souls?" I laughed and he hummed about it, "You really should eat something, all that running around must be aching them joints." My claw hand sunk and picked up a safe to eat lunch pack, "Here have this packed lunch, sandwhichs and snacky things from the safe parts of the reaper lands." He takes it and rummaged through it.
He recongized something and goes having a eat of it. He goes trying out some other bits in there. Sits down again. I coiled and shifted into a mimic fashion of something like him. He paused in looking at me. Tapped my shoulder when I sat down next to him. Pushed my head to the side and then offered something towards me.
"No thanks. I told you what I am and you can guess that my diet is raw."
"Raw what?"
"Farmers meat or whatever. Pork, chicken, beef and fish… meat really. with a caught." He stares deeply worried, "As long as I haven't watched them be killed or if they had no soul to begin with… they be good eating. Plus I have morals; can't go around slaughtering folks. It's barbaric." I had managed to what I guess was comfort him. Gave me back the box and I go sinking it to his pocket, "You really should not stay here, Clothus. This isn't some home or hotel."
"Not wrong there." He slowly gets up and leaned backwards, I followed with him – allowed me to join him and stop him from knocking out on the floor again. Hand grabbed before he hit the floor again.
"You really going to get hurt or something, fella." He pulls himself up all decent like. Dusting off again ad looking around again. He backed off with looking at me, and I tilt with trying to understand if he was confused on something about my face, "Back out of that strange stone corridor now." I let him go and pointed to a door, "look a path door."
"Path?" some words in a different language from time to time.
"It means the between." I looked at how more of them Clothus were appearing, "What are you?"
"A thing." I proudly said, "A thing that cares for this one's health. He keeps having naps, really need to not be doing that around here. You have some other freak come along and mug him or something stupid among that."
"And your not a servant."
"Nope. Just a thing."
"Uh…" He thinks about it, "Weren't you the one that told me how to get out?"
"Yes, I told you the realm of stone is werid. Faith in fate or something like that. Not important now. What you going to do?"
"Not go back there."
"Good answer." I take out a watch and study how this one is frozen here. I go take out a living watch and watch it ticking, "Ah, this the living side. Cool. I should leave. Good luck and stop ignoring your health Mister."
"It's sir." A different pointed a blade, "His a soon to be prince."
"mmm… I don't care about politics. I am not you." I snapped the metal of the blade like ice, "What terrible quality of blade you got there? Not even the real stuff. You a assassin by chance?" They backed off, "Ah, cool. You're a assassin that just lost their cover. By me no less. Hahaha. Fool." The ran into the place of stone. Head first into stone and knocked backwards here, "Yep, that one is a knocked out fool."
"Would you eat him?"
"No. He is still breathy and soul contained and stuff. Not even the grim would take interest in that fool." I dropped the bit of blade, "Right. I really should leave." I looked around, "In that direction. Because… well wondering around like a lost dog isn't anything special." More folks with blades, "What? At least you have all own offical weapon and smell like a Clothus."
They all looked at him for any clue and he shrugged. There goes some demon tossing a glove at me, of which I caught it.
"This a duel?"
"Yes."
"I make the it well easy for ya. It can't be to the death, we be here forever. So I say until without the first weapon or wounded."
"You're a fair…"
"Not a demon. No saint or sinner. A thing without a place really."
He draws a sword, it's a god killer blade with slayer posion. Just in the interest of matching weapons, I took out that soul cutter mimick. I have the seal off it, so it may function as a working blade. He could tell instantly and backed off. Dropped the weapon he had. Hands to surrender. I nod in bow and have it sealed back again. Away it went.
"Why did you back off, you had a god killer."
"And he wasn't about to use a weapon but instead something considered a a parasite."
"Yeah, it sure put up a right hiss at me when I beheaded it's host." I pat about looking bout my pockets of darkness for stuff. I got out a demon coin, flicked it over, "here. It were a good show. It's just a generosity with no string attached."
He caught it all glared at it.
"Either your rich or you trade in something."
"Mmm? Does my coinage bother you? Sure I trade and I fix things too. Clocks and pocket watchs mostly."
"You fix god clocks?"
"I could if I wanted." I muttered, "By often it's not the clock that the issue."
"Hey." My shoulder is tapped frm behind me, "You have a thing through…" I looked at my torso and my back in a normal fashion.
"What are you trying to accomplish? You missed all the vital organs in any normal being."
"Just wanted to see if you felt pain."
"Your looking at a illusion." The prince informed them, "the real shape of whatever they are doesn't seem to be affect in the slightest."
As if my body had rejected the metal, it slowly moved out of my torso; caught to my hand as it falls out from where should have been a wound. This blade had been dulled on other weapons, always parry clashing and chipping the what I ingornatly assume steel.
Knowing better then that, this could very much cut flesh and soul like butter and leave a scar that wouldn't heal so easy. It may seem as if I was testing it but repeating to cut my hand in the same spot over and over. The tougher being I was just sharpening it. Put it back in there hand, pat their shoulder. I back off all fine and stuff. I give a last insepecting tilt, backed off with the glare of noting I were still to close for them.
"You hide the shape of you in the shadow."
This were spoken from some elder wiser among this merry band of clothus poking about business with some local deity here. The deity being the one I just sharpened their weapon. My answer of fixing clocks did answer this stranger bother of why I tossed a demon a rare coin like that. Milling about doing background paperworking from the sounds of what this group was needed for.
"Forget the thing and our do it himself prince a moment; the paper work take higher importants."
"Says the one seeking the power over all. Forget puppeteering friend, what can tell…" I stepped around to there side and whisper, "I bet there be a bounty on your head too. I hope your wife and unborn little son would be great without you." He hissed at me with moving away, "Nastly little words says your inner voice. Your more a pest among the… Clothus."
"Are you done insulting me and my family?"
"Oh I wasn't insulting you. I am just stand where the arrow is draw at you, if I move now… the lovely posion will kill." The arrow does fly and in caught by me, "See, bounty on your head. A tasty sum of a criminal… you did worse then what they want from you. You nasty little…" I just started chewing the arrow and moved away in silnce. Moved away from what they think if the edge of my hearing.
"That thing saved my life."
"That thing… isn't native here." the deity glared, "Anyone have a clue about where it came from?"
"Left the Grim lands maybe before then the land of humanity. Could have had time in a minor god realm for a time… that my guess from how much he talks to me."
"He?"
"Mostly a shapeshifter, that has a preference of being a man. A being that has etiquette, skills and standards. Has repear like traits such as being honest and concerned for others in a soul manner then physical."
"How long you been stuck in my maze?"
"Long enough to picked up that hitch hiker and be nearly killed by the local cultist nuts." That a assassin information drop or training ground… but I guess that cult would be right in how they do recruitment, "Apperantly according to them, that are gone. I don't want to question how or why." They all do what the clothus have been imfamous for; the over two conversations at once.
Where their minds are actively talking about things related and their mouths are talking irralevent crap. They pull off the whole creepy middle ground typical dweller vib. In spite of looking nearly human like.
"Hey… how would you feel about being hired?" I am being picked up by a servant or someone mock a puppet for bait. Poking about for infromantion, prying into business. Goes poking my shoulder for any answers, ignoring them isn't possible.
"Depends on what sort of job, and it not costing my soul or life time over. When I say life time, I mean by your laws as clothus." The demon servant puppet blinks at me cluelessly, "They have a very long 4 chapters of law about the servant contract policy as part of there realm rules."
"Oh, I didn't know that. You a lawyer?"
"No, I read all them books to learn how to fit in and keep my trade from being illegal to the realms I trade in."
The prolong stare on me by the majority from over hearing the word trade come from myself. They are confused about why I seems to be speaking, there was the small few trying to look around for whom I were talking to.
"Are you some sort of assassin?"
"If I were, I would be like those or be here. If I was a spy, I would have left already. If there weren't any interesting things around or nice folks like them around; I would have left." I poked them back, "What about you? You an inivisble for a reason or naturally annoying… a dweller in the wrong side of the realms." They slap my hand away, "Say, are you a thing with temptation or are you a nothing?"
"Um… Look I am looking for some folks."
"Cultist assadsins that hang around the stone realms… a little to attached to the sphere stone thing."
"Yes… why do you know?"
"Know about what in that list? All you need to know is I walked by and poked in their business. Crossed off names that didn't need to be there, maybe pissed off some god or something… or something like. I don't really care. I didn't do anything of harm towards them at that time."
"What about if you crossed path with them a second time?"
"Whom knows. Good luck with finding them." I pushed the thing through the door and looked at how they appear in that realm. The clothus looked at them too, peering with soon following a cat hiss about them, "Mmm… must be a dream dweller or horror flick." I stopped staring towards them. Gave folks space away from me, since they would hiss at me when they will come to notice it.
I looked about the floor and picked up a random stone. Tested about the weight on it, had a go with aiming for someone new. Thrown and knocks them to the floor. Sneak around pocket poking, tossing out the crap they had and peeled their invisiblity off. Sit them up on to a wall, slap them awake again. Flicked their nose for good measure.
"What the hell is wrong with you?" is what they said, not even aware of whom or what was going on. Rope tied to there hands, as they slowly become more aware. Now that they were tied, they crawled with backing away from me – freaking out about whom was being aware of them, "Where am I?" I directed to the realm of stone doorway, "Right… who are you?" I backed away and let the proper folks deal with them. I go have a sit down on the floor near the prince clothus, "I will not be slaved!" They went all silence a moment.
"Hey, got a place for another corpse?" I stood back up from hearing that voice, "No soul, you know." I peered about how the Clothus moved away from them.
"No soul you say." I hummed about it, "Sure, I have a spot for that. Toss it over." Their over hand picked up and tossed it ver as asked. I caught the neck and drop it to the shadow, "Mmm… How do you have your meals often?"
"I recommend sothern fried." He walked off. I hummed about that with staring at them as they leave. I looked at how the mask moved around from somewhere behind me… sounds like snickering from his and mine mask. I pout about that.
There was more then just what I was tossed to in my inventory. At least it was being preserved correctly, more trade that easier to bargin around the places with. A lot of crystals moved off to his stuff. Left me interesting new weapons to keep safe – to scare people with then use on them.
"No soul?" that prince one walked around towards me, "You not a soul eater type."
"I would never murder a thing that has a soul within them. I would rather peel my claws and scales out." I muttered in reply, ever so lightly that I knew that he be the only one around me. There is every chance someone within that same distance overheard that and the deitity that owns the place.
"Good to know your not interested in my guts." Yup, deitity heard and muttered in passing me, "Are you a hollows hunter?"
"Yes. Part of how I do trade. I hollow hunt, gather surplus materials from around the home it made and leave without trace. If I wanted to leave a trace, I leave one of three marks. Claw cut in a wall, a business card and on the rarest of times a piece of something tht wouldn't belong there." The god has his own note passed over of things his noticed – as if he been listing strange things going on around his realm.
Out with a modern pen, I wrote the common causes or possible leads linking them all. He hovered behind me to read what I was writing. Finishing with handing it back to him. I read through, hummed about it all and puts it away.
"You a ex-path walker… a recent one that at least knows whats up and its how you got here."
"Indeed. The gods are having a minor scuffle during title change over. The commotion of new faces is having a side effect on some key stone systems. The one I worry about is the change of whom claims to be the new face for Death. A very cranky soul with some sinister soul issues… at a guess. But he isn't the only god like that. The new sets have something all commonly wrong about their soul and must mean it's a omen for a difficult time ahead."
"Soul… You hear souls. It's why you hate eating things with souls."
"They are very scary when they are mad or something goes very terrible wrong to the individual. I would have said avoid them but… you're a deitity with purpose and duty. Daily interactions with them types are just going to happen." He scanned me, "No, I am not a god. Another wondering lost one… I happen to be one the few that speak. Hidden society's among the realms are at a stirring point over the change overs. You may even find them more common the longer this unease takes us all."
"Creepy… your among the soul types that know things. Would I have any ways of contact?"
"Death bird's… they are my friends and I bet they help in contacting me. But I am no one. There a chance you face a someone with a name ever once a while when doing that. They are much higher ranked then me and I hope you have higher courage then fear around them. The good side the easier one to handle."
"I think I know whom you are talking about. I prefer you in future."
"Mmmm. Whatever. I am not them. I am someone else. We get confused often. I fear him… and you would be broken if you didn't too."
"See, that's a comment towards my soul then my head." He picked up and moved away, "You found yourself a damned that is of noble title. I would say it's rare these days but times are changing. Whatever they were meaning; must mean they mean well as a omen warning. Even the damned are protective of living souls and will break their own ways to save souls falling in terrible ways. This one saved you, prince."
"Yes… I thought damned were their own race."
"Everything has a soul type or state and they often should be a race of something from a realm. The few that aren't a race of anything are just shapeshifter that come from no known places. You maybe had this one that like that. A path walker whom is damned. A clever one at that… I say human intelligence about them."
I settled down more and waited around for new things or something that seemed the next interesting thing. They moved on with the new information they took from me, added into what they known all along. They finished their investgations, so it would seem.
"Hey thing, you joining us?" a clothus low rank.
"I am no slave. I am not a pet. I am not interested in eating you. Are we clear, clothus?"
"Why would you say eat us? We have souls."
"It not going to stop someone with reaper training to take your soul from your body and then feed it to him." Ah, good friends around to poke the deitity nerve, "Or stop them from plucking souls out either."
"Mmm… I have enough to last a while. Unless you want some too?" I openly spoke back, "How's speaking to the grims about your soul giving?"
"Nacy seems nice."
"desk 149… she has 3 children and works hard for nothing. I pity her. Use to send cake over during the holidays – cheer them up."
"Aw… that's not werid." Sassy from the Clothus, "Was it laced posion?"
"No. Why would I do that? That a painful way of torture, a cowards way to die or last option. What a terrible way to go? I feel sorrow for those they think it the only way out and wish they could see better ways through it all."
"Wow, you a heart. I didn't see that coming."
This is from someone that heartless enough to force that sort of thing on others to save themselves. Sticking around the group just for this long, their souls had for warned of the insight into what they would do.
"Time you Clothus leave now. Good luck around them." I stand up and froze with having my mask forced on me. Followed with being rune marked of curses and blessings. They are benfitting me and restricting at the same time. In wearing my mask, these seeped into my soul and now I am find pain in strange places. Knocked out from it all, "Sorry for any issue that will cause but you see it helps you. Protects you from them and completes our agreements."
"Another strange victim fall of ours end… what are you planning?"
"Nothing wrong with being helpful." There is checks on me, "This is a hollow hunter… and they are often prone to their own hunt. Now they will be the hunter above even that. They were mostly already. The dragons had named you fittingly, Slayer."
"Slayer?" most backed away but the prince already knew and walked bravely forwards.
"He isn't the type to eat folks randomly… not without cause."
"Yes, it took me a while to convince him that taking some off me." Picked up and shrinking down again, "There… Like anyone of that soul's type. His going remember everything." Passed over, "Sure is a very protective. I don't know which one would believe whoms the pet of the relationship here. Good luck."
The muttering passes along a lot of the time, being held in someone arms was a surprising comfort to feel after so long. Hearing heart beats, breathing and gentle changes in how they walked around. The crumbling of gravel, warmth and screaming would suggest hell or one of them. I still hear souls. Being carried around with care means a lot to me.
"What is that thing in your arms?"
"Not someone to be poking eyes out of."
"May I?"
"I really don't think you would dare want to."
I huffed with being disturbed, looking at another demon god type that grinned and frowns at the same time. I glared at them for a very long length of time, listening to the soul.
"You're not so bad, Mister demon. You play quite a… show." I coiled around the Clothus with being shrunk so small. Checking around the firey landscape as I walked about and gentle with the clothus as a whole.
"Say, I was just here not to long ago. Some other demon I helped out asked to be here. Whatever. It doesn't matter now."
"It's a talking creepy shadow reptile. I see why you warned me…" I peered at his friends around him… folks of nightmare types.
"Hey, ex-neighbour bird. You moved from the banisters." The reptile bird off his shoulder lands on my back some place to peer at me, "Sorry I close shop up. I sort of, well. It's a long story."
"Hunter?"
"Not anymore." I snicker, "Not even a properly named fella now. Just back to my roots of being lost around the place. The new fella of them title of death is a real something, no?"
"The execution order over the entire tower for foreigners and even got new god friends hunting things like us."
"Mmm… yes, I were about to reopen. I sort had for a short time that the pervious was still around for the show. Left soon before that one departer."
The folks around us both are at odds that we could even carry anything of a conversation. Yet here we are talking about things. The deitity sneered at the thought of the nightmare bird turning him.
"I not going to betray you. Sheesh. This were the one I talked about being your court hunter for the previous Death."
"Good times being that facless to court. I do wonder if that Lucifer is treating them a they should. I did at least keep them alive and chained in my care."
"Your that Hunter…" the demon has heard about me, "You still have that false blade?"
"Do you want it eating your soul?" I asked and he backed off, "Most that ask that are unaware that them things will eat almost anything – gods or normal folks."
"For a god eater that refuses to eat people and vocals never in eating souls; the history you bring just seems to help in our favour." The prince huffed, "You would not happen to have a few rings?"
"I have a lot of rings. I trade in rings… found off the dead or hunted." I flicked in the nose and I brushed my own nose for that, "Hey." I pouted, "Yes, I do have rings and often the names of whom last was wearing them. Maybe the few personal items left on them. Pick them damned are for making sure the rings go home. I trade to them that should belong to, you know."
"That sounds like you to do that. You get all your stuff out from the flat?"
"Yes… there is nothing left there for me to fetch. Have it all on me."
"I need a nightmare ring." I looked around for those that are listening and tap my way into my own storage. I picked through all the rings and hook the more fitting ring around the front teeth… eased with the shoulder balanced and coiled to a table they all ended up sitting to. I have a moment pause to listen to the table… the woods creaking.
"Nightmare title ring, which?"
"The keeper informant."
"I have three." I tilt to show them in my front jaw line, "and a god ring of nightmare."
"How did you get that?"
"You know… I think it was a accidentally or something… because it was just a finger laying around. I did meet the god too, missing a finger and kicking about. He wasn't fussed about the ring; according to his souls opinion. Seemed more a fuss for other things. I still have it."
"and that finger?"
"I have that too… locked in a puzzle box." I poked about the shadow, "Puzzle box… mmm. Must be locked in my 4th vault or was it the 1st?"
"Someone could have used that for this shift."
"No… all the recent souls all just cranky fussy children types." I muttered and out with the box, "Box… Ugh.. good luck working out that." They frowned about the puzzle and shake off a feeling. My tail even whipped a from touching any part of me, "You aren't invisible to me, ease off damned." The damned does, "I not going to just hand things over like candy. Bad business and torture for us all."
"Ugh, what?"
"Damned." I poked the one I meant, "Not happy about being so dead now, damned."
They stare at the place or spot I meant. All looked between each other, whispering things towards the Prince as while the prince ignored them. I tapped about the table in a circle and was knocking to listen to the wood more. The fun of someone else knock the table next to me, I peered around for why they did that.
"I want the god ring." I peered them up and down. Soul says new title holder, "Do I have to trade for something that should be owned by me?"
"Are you changing any of the current laws in place on the realm you are the protector of?" This new face studies me, "If you do, I trade back your ring for some time to be allow to study the new law books. Is that ok?"
"That seems fair, Trader of Poaching. You whom was named that once."
"I am still so unless modern times calls on changing names." I am slide over what I consider an old book. To my recollection… I have read these before, "Mmmm… proxy rules." I muttered, "You need a touch up on them soul binding laws when you enforce this."
"You a future teller too?"
"No… Just a abnormal soul." I voiced softer then thought, "Alright… here is ring and box of pervious god finger. You promise not to descrate you late title barrier. He were odd in his ways. A receipt of proof of trade and you permission to have it recored in my logs." He nods slowly and I moved back with taking out a book and logged in the items traded. I did a lot of writing in from when that fella traded without recpeit or trace. Swapped books with fixing the listings of items. Scribles away, tail goes putting stuff away.
"You're literate and educated."
"Mmm…" I fan the ink to drain, "Nothing odd about it. I have always been trading."
"Your first ever trade?"
"With a nomd on the path… something about needing an ice fragment to cool a surfacing… something about it all being in hopes of making life exist on the other side. Something something something."
That was a lot of words in different languages, old ones and one's yet to exist. Being only half understood was something to remember about me; making this comment something that they will look back to.
"My first properly written recording was around when the gods living among there creations and it were a peaceful affair of getting long with all the messy relationship all of them were having. Half folks, quarter and all sorts of strange. No such things as afterlife and living lands." I huffed and get back to being normal, "That is everything in place. Thank you."
"How about the rings that my informants want?"
"Them? Mmm… I have eight versions. Which sets you looking at?"
"Eight?"
"Versions, styles… all the same three rings. They really are three rings. But style setting need to be do optomise for the suited informat, you know?"
"I do know." wave hand for them, "I promise they go to folks that know what they are doing." I looked at the damned and nods. Spat the rings to his hand, "No fuss?"
"You make the folks whom had them before proud. That what matters." I click my way along the table back to where sat the Prince clothus, "Pride they had when they hand such divine being seek them for their skills. They wear them in secret pride, that they did."
"You communicate with nightmares, damned and what else up keep in my network hunting business. Hollows aren't or used to be not my top worries. Nothing carriers that regard of concern to kill anymore. Even hollows are needed sometimes."
"Say, you use to be a court hunter for repears and clearly lived there in some sense." I tilt about them, "Was it nice?"
"I don't know if I should tell you. You seem to… death eger." I get all sorts of looks of mixed emotions, "I care about your well being and you wanting to be there is concerning. No as nice now that the climate of politics has changed. I don't want to go back there and give them any reasons to have me head hunted."
"The place you knew was before the change over?" The nightmare poked in, "Everything has changed in the death realms since the change over." I nod in agreeing.
Settled in a small little bunch of fleshy coil – at the point of drifting focus with everything here. My ear have been tuned into what is going on around everyone. Whom the next face traitor to come to harm over us in what fashion are they going to play it.
The whole do himself things was so that no one took away his title and his power; the prince known to get things down by his own hands. Those he uses are often enslaved then excuted (they were going to be anyways as those folks cause the prince to be out here for something anyways). His own way of procaution when out of his realm doing these tours to get things done. The posy around him are power snatchers, here to watch the show or hopeful to take his head to a dish. Serve it to the highest bidder types or the forced servant service.
"I demand a duel." A blade was point to the prince but the tip was on me and I sit up inspecting them, "Uh… the prince is whom I wanted. I thought you were a pet, reptile." I tilted with that glare on my face, "You are his pet, right?"
"Pet?" I hissed and snapped the blade off me, "You are a pest and I am hitch hiker. You asked for a duel and you pointed at me." I growled, "You better thank your gods that I refuse you kill low lives like you. Money pinching like that cost in blood money. Them lives you took for selfishness."
He backed off and I altered into a standing mimic of a shadow of the damned. Yet the scary part is that I took off my mask, trading it with a katana.
"I should have took that note of protective as a warning." The prince notes with my hand to his shoulder, "This is better then I expected… I am glad not to be on contact with it." I call that his own prayer.
"Stop!" The nightmare god between us, "I ask no fighting."
I have my hand moved from the prince… out with a law book while my mask reads through the terms. My other normal eyes steady on the fools soul.
"Slayer among the damned, I should have known." The demon god moved the nightmare from being in the firing line, "There is a law in place where this duel is accepted and laws are to be kept… even when both sides don't."
"At least his not using that blade that another person said was a parasite." My law book closed and put away as this demon was correct and that the point at me had made me the truth fighter.
"I will set some duel fixes… needed as we both aren't able to be killed in this realm." My valild point backed my opentaint away, "It be until the first is wounded or the drop of weapon."my opentant throw his weapon to the floor, "You have to be the third person to ever duel me… the second one to thrown their weapon." I sheathed the katana away, "I accept you declration of your defeat without blood."
He took out a knife and throws it. My hand put in the way and stab through my real scales. I have a smell of the slayer posion… Look at the fancy dagger. Made of claw. I pull it out and stuck it to one of my claws.
"Mmm… God slayer claw. I wonder if it were one them I killed." I muttered and tuck it all away, "Anyways…" My ears distracted by a noise and had my mask to go investgate that sound… poking at the phone like item in someone pocket. Pinched… Clothus phone tech. Looks like them human things that humans use in what be considered the future.
"Hey reptile… you alright?" I focuses back to my full awareness and tested the hand. Gave it a few licks. Wrapped it up like magic from nothing, "Uh…. Hello?"
"Mmm… Not really worth the time." I commented, "You are a very nosy lot of souls. All panicking over nothing. I say you cared about me… flattering really. Little tots that worry over someone like me. They say 'aww. How sweet' by now." I hummed in thoughts, "It will not matter. I am not interested in retaliation or revenge or anything of that sort. You likey ask me to say something like, I would be forgiving you… something. Something. Something." I hummed, "But I not bothered to feel that being warnted. All you did was poke me. it didn't really hurt. Not dying or anything. I say it were like a playful forgetting kitten. That's what I see this as."
"What hell is wrong with you?" The many folks don't understand.
"Hmm… something." I muttered to myself more and I test for feeling my hand… all fine. No issues, "Say, what is next in the list of things to run around realms to do? I ponder if I should leave or not."
"You free to stick around a while longer… I need someone like you around. Pratical."
"Patical? Mmm… it's funny. A tot calls me practical." I laughed to myself, "There. There. I am not going to leave you alone. I just wanted to point out the length of time you have lingered here." I gestured to the clock, "see, took you about 12 hours their time."
He looked to look at the clock I mean and stares at me oddly.
"I forget that you don't have my sight." I tilt and broken down back to a coiled snake around him, "Clock… like this." I picked up his watch from his pocket and the tail directing about the time I read. A childish manner of teaching how to read time and takes it off me and put the clock away. Stands up from the table, "Ok…" My tail tapped the table, "You have been a good table, whose the good table." Tail taps the surface, "Table want meat?" the whole table altered into a a blob of flesh, limbs and eyes, "Table wants meat." I tossed it a pair of lungs. It caught it and eats in silences. I tap the the prince to direct about the correct door to use, "That is a door, a real door. Not a breathy thing."
"Uh… thanks. Again."
"No issue." Everyone backing out the real door, "hahah… no one read the mimic room door sign. You are a lot of nuts cases. Who walks into a mimc room thinking is all safe."
"That sign wasn't there." Someone minor direted about it, "No one would have gone in there if we had read it."
"Nightmares would have not cared about mimic. Mimics are among their society anyways. We all get along so well too. That what not a table would tell me all about the fools it used to eat when it live in a cleaner storage. The amusement of brooms, mops and buckets eating people."
They all looked at the nightmare god that struggled. They all finished all sort of conversations and walked to the path that they called the between. I eyed out on the other path walkers along the way; they did the hand gesutres of news spreading. Things I have expected and learned of happening now.
"Raven!" The clothus ringed around a living human under a god's protection, "You seen a damned anywhere?"
"Try the god hall, they have that shaded spot behind the chairs." Group filtered away from the feather covered follower.
He whom is the share being the god's he promised eyes and ears on lands of the living. That one has been granted gift of rebirth – soul recycled back from bird to man and man to bird. He only been around since the start of mills. He lived life as a mill apperatince; death by machineary crushing his head. Finding life as a bird in the next life and dedication to the bird god. Odd one that plays bird no matter their looks.
"Snake." He meant me or someone else? I look back to him when people were leaving. He were talking to a path walker that isn't me, "Have you seen the nightmare named poacher?"
"Not in that form." He is told and he misunderstood with walking off from snake with just them words. We, as in this party of clothus, are to far to tell what going on next over there. Turned through a portal of crossing. This were the stage gates to get the clothus lands. Long flight of stairs the split in five ways. The majority stick to the centre, the minor or low life types broke off.
This way was to the clothus courts, so I slide off and coiled to a near pillar. I got left by almost everyone. but the prince realized it. He turned back to see why I had. Here with being this close to the realm he lives in. He took off that protective mask. Such a youthful face; a just turned adult. Doesn't even have wisdom teeth.
"Hey, what's wrong?"
"There could be a execution order on me if I cross over here."
"By whom?"
"By sir Death, the new face hated me. I left the reaper lands since he hated me so much." He lowered to my level and really stares me, "I haven't broken any laws, I left before the new ones were enforced. My premises and lands given back by title; directl over to him. I am aware my citizenship with them is invalid now."
"Hey, How about you stay with me?" I study them and wonder if I was talking to the right person, "What? You didn't do anything wrong to your knowledge, have you?"
"When I heard news about it all, I helped someone whoms not popular among… this may have…"
"Helping someone out isn't a crime; not when you mean well and want to protect something." He sounds different too, "You can't stay here." I coiled tighter to the pillar and peered through them.
This soul isn't him and this thing doesn't mean well. The hand they are hiding has a dagger in it, my mask touching down their back as distraction. They turned to look, nothing there. My mask sunk my through storage, the look at the pillar. The lashed out marking the wood of anger that I became gone. I lingered for a moment of watching the stranger shave the wood more out of fustrations. Eventually being dragged out of here but people.
I went back to splitting the path sections of the entry in and out this realm is, laid a blanket down – sat out some armless thing s to trade. Time has not keeping here, people cam and go. Rare few did really trade with me. Progress got slower and wasn't so chatty with people. Most were terrible at trying to get me to sale anything of my souls service for life at them.
"Hey Stranger, I think there is a letter addressed to a name of Slayer. Or a James Crafter." Letter really being presented does say that in reaper language. I took the letter and study the paper, "Hey."
"Addressed to me." I opened it and have a read through, "My citizenship has been removed off their realm registor, I have no penlity notices or court dates." I read through… Nothing abnormal. It's the item in it that is. A summons gem, I had all the spells contained in it broken which turns it to summon sands. Poured back into the envelope and put away, "I decline any asked services and any trade over my names and soul."
"Great…"
"I pay the delivery charge." I hand over the proper amount to cover cost, "Is that everything?"
"Yes." They leave, staring back towards me awkwardly. I take the letter back out and have it properly read through by my many other sights.
'Upon breaking the summons stone, you are further declared as no longer a trader to the society and that all services you had provided are no longer of trades to anyone of our society.' Skip through a bunch of crap and getting to the point, 'breaking of the stone means you want no part in my favours or deals.'
The ink here had dripped… must have been thinking of it. Didn't even sign it off like he should have… denial clauses. I picked up a reaper coin, this sort of coin that I should have had at all. I tossed it through shadow and knew it landed or hit him. Dust of the letter and a plan white paper tore in half landing behind him. The shadow fades from that place and that were the confirmation of I had nothing to do with that death anymore.
"Excuse me!" I focused with someone across from me, "Are you a threat?"
"Not at the moment, I am not a threat to anyone until tested."
"You got anything the dispels repear magic?"
"Why?" Death tracker… on souls that need to be declared dead or it been misused in this case.I triple checked their names by way of mask to mask associations. Then the told by the damned how mad they are with this new death misusing his ablitites and failing to protect the order.
Being back with this stranger, I have a moment to least to their souls wishes… took their hand and removed the casting… the cost were energy out of them.
"It is removed but it does take some energy out of you for about 1 week. Recover well, stranger." They forced themselves back up and walked away… look back to me.
"Hey… you want into the realm?"
"Offically and legally." I voiced and they waved about me following them. They took the centre path too, "Why would you?"
"If you had something off about that new death fella, you wouldn't be if here that weren't the case. Stranger that nows how to reverse god power, speaks in repear wording and seems outcasted." Looks onwards then at me, "You not the first reaper type to fleed execution. We allowing folks like you safety here. To us, you haven't broken anything of our laws. Why not help out?"
I fade stuff away and dust off. I converted to the reaper look I used to have when I was there. They looked about me, study just how normal I was… how I have looked around fro anyone paying any attention to me. they step to the side of me, pat my shoulder and guides me through.
He wasn't wrong; they are paperwork filing reapers whom are fleeing the order. Some already in worse then me… I just one among this many left. Purdged… I went around helping the wounded. I just did that auto-poilt my way of removing the death cruses. So many folks were helping me do this when they were well enough to. No one here reconginzed me and I knew none of them.
"You be accepted into our international central city and be give a place to stay ntil you can start working out your place among us. You can have classes about our laws and move on from there… maybe language classes. Any weapons are allow on person and you free as you are. Just as long as you wear our marker or have your permits at ready. We have a ask policy at the central and spot check system." This was my moment of being the last person to get entry papers, "Thank you for listening and I hope you do well here. You are officially exmpt from slave laws and subject stay. Citizenship can be request after a certain amount of years stay."
"I understand. Thank you for the papers." I picked up my set and have them filed where my original sets use to be, "Is there anything wrong about trading or request for business at the central?"
"No trading at central. You can apply to step place at the gate cities."
"Subject to those country city laws. Thanks. I understand." I bowed, "You have been of great help, Flora." She has a desk with name plate, "I don't think there was anything else."
"Any laws claimed to be broken out there aren't followed through here. Unless there was any doubts, we have a prince order visit to conduct fair grounded investgations." I nod, "Laws broken here are dealt by our internal courts. You leave here and those laws aren't followed much in the same ways."
"I guess the caught is if you had broken laws of both sides; then there be some long winded issue. I am not looking to break any laws during my stay here and my trade in many things is very well documented. I follow strict practices, subject to what trade is going on. You have no problems with me."
"I am glad you declared what you have." She sighs, "If you looking to do top trade, you should look at heart city. But if trades a little on the danger or grey area of laws; black clubs are across from that city's boraders. You have to ask in city for permits or break down of their laws."
"I see. I hope your day gets better. Thank you."
"Your very welcome…" She paused with looking at a paper, "Are you really a Damned Slayer?"
"I am and I was in the reaper realms too. I am a noble and have the up most meaning when I say; I follow the laws. I will not murder, eat or butcher in where I consider my home. This realm is now my home. If there was murder cases of anything towards my race's doing; I would gladly help undercover."
She writes down some details and I rammaged through with a small stack of business cards.
"Part of my trade… I have only that the pay is fair and the reason of request be explainable." She wrote that down. I waved and left. Caught up with people I staying for temporary doctor skills. Being a slayer that butchered meat for eating; I knew a thing or two about keeping people healthy and alive. Even to doctor's level of guess at what I am doing.