"Their names aren't infected and there isn't any wavering changes to the realms around them. Kyle's spell training." She nods only really to herself, "Not bad but needs work."
He shakes of her comments about Kyle's magic use as he doesn't want this added information. The important thing was the overall state of the living realms.
"How is he sane?" Curiosity struggling to get around in his thoughts. She took the tome out again, shuffling to the right page and shrugs again. Book away and shaking at him.
"A mixture of Omens raven squawking about the place like he owns it. Some the sensitive Ender. My cats. I think my dog Isolde taken a liking too." She was counting these souls with her left hand, "I think there a few dreamers hung about too."
"Dream walkers have something to do with there not being total disentatration of reality?" He questioned.
"Man, you really are the sad half of the soul." She huffed, "Enders are weird." She huffed, "Anyways. Living realm is as normal for mages are concerned. The regular part of the human population are non wiser."
Everyone had take rest here into the throne room. Helping repair limbs. Some just trying to get hands working. Reattached to faint capture among the not. Some are trying reveive and others are being boxed as they exerted themselves to point of shut down. Some are just riding the emotions, staring at empty places. Lost in their minds works. Her shadow keeping the salt vat on watch. Her other half is seated at the side of this trying to think of a new solution. This was only a temporary binding. Her eyes tracing the barrel of souls in worry of them reactive by some energy waves.
"Why aren't you interested on making a deal with me?" Curiosity stood over her with trying to rack his brains of everything. As per always it's like his a blank slate of not knowing her at all.
"Teixeira Trickster." The advisor is doing better now that they removed the daggers that held him to the wall. The rings are back to the King and advisor.
"Four eyes." Her mask grumbles. She referred to the fact the man is always looking like some pale thin secretary with thin wire glasses. She dislikes him for being a Trickster back stabber. This was the point he was making to everyone around, "Don't think I am not aware you're a Trickster too." Sharp glare of both her side shooting death glares. Flexed back as it was not that much reaction of this. So they all know the advisor is. They also aren't fussed she is.
"How is omens?" Curiosity realized she would had to interacted with the god.
"Time stopped like you were. Your only active because me." She huffed, "the fact you managed to Kyle is one of the reasons I am taking action. I know what you were worried about but it's fine." She back to face buried into her legs and just keep all focus of thoughts on the vat through her shadow. She trying to scratch the brain for some smarts to lawfully rid of this parasite. Not without infecting herself (although she proven to be immune for now). She suspect given Kyle has living status, its how the insanity half was kept from Infection. Which is a smart move of needing to keep the irrational side of himself from going beyond his self control. If the living status is what gives immunity; its not reliable enough for her always have it. The living realm has something poison to them, as they can't survive outside a undertaker host. They need to possess the undertaker to then possess the human. Definition using undertakers like a hazmat suit. They will eventually adapt to law, its a matter of out developing them.
"We cant leave." She heard among them and it would be a surprise if was due to the among of undertakers stuck in time stop. The tomes locked in the kings private office. The sense of feeling responsible for being the leader of this land.
"Well actually we can as suddenly there is two monarchs here." The king walks over to her and chooses her more human side then her mask. Lowering to her at eye level, "If I hand over tome responsible to you. I can worry about the people on my own." He at least right that originally alone he would pull that off. He has to have an active time protector with reach of these shelves. His partner isn't able to do that. He can't protect the tomes and help people out of time trap sections.
"So your submitting my crown as the higher rank?" He lowered in exactly that, "I have to shake on that." She stands up properly and allows him the same.
"I have added terms." He slides about Curiosity and back to her, "I need a guarantee of someone of my kingdom to watch your shoulder." Which is a reasonable demand, "I know you shouldn't be a issue as a pair." He really stabbing this demand.
"I don't mind making him my partner. I don't mind in taking a shadow duchess ranking in your crest. If we going to make this a trade, we going to make sure all T and C is up front. I will protect the tomes regardless of your will of it. I will repair and restore entire segments and press a few service charges. Mostly cost of material and not labor. I am a cog ranker, it makes to stand that I will find benefits that may hinder you indirectly someway and where. If I die, I want guarantee of being turned part undertaker." The king blinks at that last part and had to slide stare to Curiosity.
"She a living status. Don't ask how she even here. I can't figure that out."
"She both a fallown and Seer. She a tome keeper and a masked one. She here because she curse both ways." The advisor tossing in his knowledge, "She asking permission to be gifted a shell from you upon unfortunate circumstances. Once she under our fold, she isn't looking at taking top seat. For a tome keeper, that's reasonable." Four eyes click back a shoulder ball joint at the end of his speech but felt left hung with more to say. They all do that. She isn't use to it, even now. The King thinks this over and Curiosity bows at liking the agreement regardless. Being able to telepathic link with her seems his end goal for now. The partners settle a few things.
"We agree to guarantee a vessel, title and respect of shadow tradesman. You're title will be under Curiosity's. His is already my left hand." Direct trust, "You likely have a few fights with Pride before she accepts you." The quick slide of indeed Pride death glaring this whole event in displeasure, "I will respect your monarch title in allowing you office access for as long as your with Curiosity. Any major issues will be spoke when matters, say when there is a monarchy vote or change of hands. We will work together in a joint crest of arms." She reached over through her shadow side in picking through storage. With some trades, she brought out stamped examples of the new crest.
"You can keep your independence in any normal documents. But of something that cross us both, we should pick from some these stamps as show this joint effort. You will eventually find these stamps on the tomes by soul names. Especially shared undertaker workers." He stares daze that she thought that far ahead and has already stamps. He points to the one they both can agree. This stamp ring is gifted to him and she shares showing she has her own fitted ring of stamp. That moment she posed her right hand to give the king that right was the mark of the agreement of truce.
"I have 18 tomes of which 5 are active. I have a worker for each active tome that can be seen among us. They are granted open departments status under my crest but if you want to narrow their use to something, you are welcome to order them. Just be careful of what you ask. They are outsider ranks according to sigil. So... you can have mistranslations. I tend to not rely on them at all. At best they hover sulking about like shadow department does. They don't really report normal things. They tell me about fates and fortunes of any souls I have keen interests for." She softly shakes right hand with right hand, "Really, just don't bother unless you want a mess. They are often banished from time space when they fail to comply to common sense."
"So you don't actually have anyone under you officially. Just the technical hold of the crown power. It suits you to be a shadow duchess." The king mulling this over and quick to release out of her hand. He blinks a few times.
"Partnership." Reminding them both of that part of this bargin. She takes the partner rings Curiosity had already prepared. She still covered in black blood tears from before. Her mask has enough chips to put a small stone into the settings. She would reach through her shadow shape to take some jewelery tools to properly bend holds of the stone placings. The polish with black blood tears glimmers the soul stones and removed the white shading of the mask fragments. The rings were now properly set into the metals. She pose showing them as matching.
"I am likely going to be knocked out right after the vowls. I know when I have a change, I always end up so." She looked to the vats, "This was only temporary. These salt baths aren't going to last. The barrel of souls will become restless eventually. The bodies and gates that thier bodies are made from is able to move without souls in them. Holy water isn't working. The salt isn't hell salt or considered sourced from divine provionces. They seem restricted in the living world. But I can't see all of you lot managing it there. Not with the among of other things that are these."
She pulled around away from the spot. She followed his lead as his the one dancing her. He has always been strange to have these scynonized tests. His footwork was eveloving with more complications but even so she was confirmed and knew how to share foot room. He had slipped the ring on her during a twirl, she felt complete into his cold gaze. But this was more like a icy breeze around her often hot days. As it was for him her warmth to his wintery days. He turly was pressing her hard for trust the more times he twirls her and goes into back holds. He even attempted an moderate lift that he holds for a short period. His right hand brushed over her eyes and he seems to brought in a soul voice.
"It's been a long time since someone could match that dance all the way to the lift. It brings back good times." This telepathic link was clear through her mind.
"I almost forgotten that I could dance like that. It does bring good memories." She followed softly, "I think the tomes will have a hassle of you started trying to open them right now. Might want to give it a day. You end up in the soulless chorical or something." She leans on him entirely with trust, "It's heavy shoulders that I don't mind carrying. If I have to go slay more things for your sake, it be fine." He holds tighter as there is a shift in sinner chains around him but instead of adding - they were breaking. Turned into black metal dust which soon sprays around them both. She gently nearly asleep, enjoying the humanity of another's company. It's not that romantic, given the audience around them and lacking human emotional urges to such things. Not all undertaker partners are made with love in mind. It's that they just work well enough.
"What just happened?"
"Repentance. When you worked so hard to find forgiveness to a soul level of law. The chains that are once the punishment or lift to carry become unnecessary and shatter to what they were meant to be." She raised her right hand and reforms chain from the dust, "Enough if these shattered and several layers of hell will collaspe over themselves. If the right types of chains shatter, entire god realms will become hell realms." She released it and tossed it to the salt vat in pondering, watching it sinking past oil and then crushed the graphite. She stared wondering the implications of what sin that the parasites would be killed by. Even so, she tired and she slipping into a sleep.
"What are you thinking about?"
"The guilt of whatever it was that the silver tapeworm folks must be killed by. Chains of regert and sin don't crush folks unless they are unable to bare these things." She puts her hands out of reach for any unconscious agreements, "Maybe you can use the black metal dust to kill them if that's enough option. Maybe also talking to the smart leaders ones since they seem as backwards as their prey... the clothus." She totally depending on him and completely drained. Her mask side drops in clatter to the floor, turned into instant dust on contact and seeps into shadows.
"I can't follow her mindset. She is thinking of some outrageous things." Curiosity voicing himself to others and then finding himself in trying to move when he can't. He fight this a little and soon is able to. He looked around in shock that time was stopped. That his the only one active during time stop. He finds the king the cause as it was the king that sees the move of the barrel. Recounting she said about souls being in the barrel. He peices it all together. He keep her held but lowered as he take hold of some the metal sand dust. He can't make it form like she does but just the act of tossing it over the vat was enough. Watching it form a sinner chain net and acting as a sort of lib preventing them escaping the salt. He tries this over the barrel and watches as the barrel turnes into a solid metal. The souls can move in stop time. Retreat back into the barrels safety. He looked around counting undertakers and those arriving. He stood shocked that there is moving origami figures in stop time. They were moving the kings office tomes somewhere. He tries to follow but they are walking into paper. They become drawing in the paper. He stares watching this event.
"So you traded soul fragments with her." He jolted afraid and then turned to seeing a version of death. But... this isn't death that he knew. This wasn't the god he expected, "You need her to talk about the full extent of things. But the tomes as the deal she made with your king will be safe once time returns to move." Both stare watching the paper figures moving books, "483 soul names accounted and none are off universe. All with limited status. It's not our problems to interfere with. The god's of this universe have plenty to fix. Running out of time." Shaking his head, "At this rate, the true title of death will never rest. Not even in eons. There has to be alternatives."
"Sir, what are the silver things?" Curiosity knows he can try to trust this death god with that much.
"There is a universe made of the removed broken parts of others. This created clothus. A universe of animal souls with mimic of their idea of human culture. But they are still creatures and not human. They have fleas, tapeworms and other problems. The lower society might as well be street wild creatures and the higher noble be zoo kept. Reflecting the health care the divide brings. The silver tapeworm are a digestive problem. Where ever lower clothus go, follows these hard to rid of pests." Curiosity nods understanding this perspective, be it strange as he always thought clothus were human souls in broken bodies. He didn't even take to consideration that creatures like dogs, cats and birds be able to be that way.
"It's coming up to a time revert. She will be lost among the humans again. But she will uniquely be aware of you. That ring will be attached to shadow, thus keeping the both if you bound. That is unless you are part of the revert too, then the contract will void. The tomes will be back were they belong. The siege of undertaker kingdoms at repeat again." Curiosity looking up to this death in wonder, "It's your universe and the unique law that causes this."
The last book was carried into the paper gate, the papers collaspes and folds into a book. This god figure picked up the remaining book. He pointed pointed out that she was gone and that now Curiosity was going to. This god figure claps and time rolls with reverting this realm and surrounding realms. This figure of death watching the reversing of space and souls around. He walks slowly, evading passing figures but most times they pass through him unaware. The wounds these undertakers took and the fights sparking blades. The canvas of corridor galleries being back up and undamaged. The photos of passing generations of undertakers in group photos. It was back to moving forwards as the first tapeworm in an undertaker was about to enter into the kingdom. Instead of getting away with coming in. This death removed it from the undertaker. Throwing it to feed something in the abyss realms. The corpse left by the this event was soon discovered and undertakers around took action investigating. But they arent the same curtain as this death. He doesn't even belong to this universe. There still a quality to these worms that doesn't allow these worms full active properties to the universe. Otherwise this death couldn't have removed the tapeworm. Aware that he's changed things, he leaves. Off to report this to her. This was the part of this bargin he never gets use to.
He walks the routes that undertakers do and among the spirits that linger around the curtain between realities. Making short cuts through hidden pockets and across eclipsed bridges of realms that meet. He makes it to a family around a Saturday night BBQ, all making shouts about some quiz show on the large brick metal of glass. The images are not visible for spirits and the sound isn't unqualified as wavelengths that spirits can register. But it's only really the little girl that setting plates along the table, shooing away the misfortune devils. This lone man moved right to the table, helping her align the silverware. She gives a warm smile in a nod to him and quietly made conversation. He makes use of telling her the potatoe salad was off, as always it was. He takes bow when her grandpa came to seek answers from the god figure.
"Eliza..." Her grandpa sitting down to see the table all neat, "Do you even know who that is?" She sits at her spot, pulled the coloring books that she makes secert notes on. She doesn't answer him as it was best to not complicate things further.
"Does she not know who the actor was?" Her aunt putting meal sides along their spots and sees the table all perfect. But given her father is just at the table, she assumed that he helped her.
"I think his the guy that loves man in that tradgic love story. The one about how they were husband's to sick wives and ended up together." She shurgs.
"What? Who would watch that?" Her aunt isn't the accepting type, "And no it isn't that film that the actor were talking about comes from. His the superhero guy with claws."
"Then that's Hugh Jackson." Eliza winning this argument and all the other women of the house gasping in the kitchen. That conversation aside, she back to her grandpa having an headache.
"If it was him, someone would be dying soon. But his from another tome. He was just letting me know things changed. Not that it seems it. No exciting instant things of note." She makes her crayon drawings in noted of some potential issues and aware of change fate directions. She could already tell it was about undertakers as there are less infected pages in the tome as before. Clearly there been several adapts and change. She makes notes of this and dinner is being brought out. Grandpa had to accept that his granddaughter wasn't a little innocent naive girl that she should be. She should have at time to enjoy being a innocent child for longer. There a slide to her not brother, given his inability to notice a devil play a prank. There was still time for him.
"Grace." Her grandmother insisted and they do make a hand held prayer as on table. Eliza being totally silent through it. The meal isn't without the aunt leaving over some fight with grandma. Then Joseph excused himself to the toilet to avoid the potatoes. Eliza braved in stating she didn't want or need potatoe salad. She still had a to large of a scoop forced to her plate, as sort of a childish declaration that someone will eat it. Once grandma was distracted, Grandpa takes both their plates to the kitchen. Down the disposal drain. Her aunt was beyond done with grandma being controlling of who eats what. Mother being silent and cleaning away.
"I have some important guests coming by soon. Would you like to stay and talk?"
"I don't mind. As long as I am not in your way of your business." Eliza helping load the dish washer and this offers is extended to her mom that might have just locked out from her sisters place. Her brother was in the fridge in overhearing that they might be staying.
"I have some pj's for us all." Eliza pointed at the front door, "Well I asked my friend to get them. But their here now." Her mask hide away and her mom was right through the packed bag. Even finding medicines she knew her daughter couldn't read to know. Even so, a pill was for Joseph and since they are staying. It was fine to take it now. Some tummy acid meds for her mom in how odd she felt from the sudden drama.
"Do you out rank me?" Her grandpa asking openly.
"No but yes. If it's books, ask the book. If it's a Trickster problem, it's nothing to do with me. If it's creepy and cute but doesn't belong, that's my fault." She back to the dinner table with coloring book, "We have to wonder what they are bothering us about."
He stares blankly a while for a very nesh answer. He doesn't even want to bother asking where the idea of creepy cute is.
"Eliza! What in the idea made your friend pack this?" Her mother removed a dagger.
The metal is chromatic hue, seems so sharp that it's transparent at the edge and the handle was a dark grey wood. There is the crest stamp of the domain that lord decay controls. There is inlay of other associates and hallmarks the passes for official death demi god ranker. As a dagger in the hand of a human. It just lets a human locate the soul within a vessel and crudely remove a soul. In Eliza hands, it's a proof of trades and does so much more. It even helps reaiglin letters in the tome and remove pen mistakes.
"I guess my mail friend needs me to do a request for him. It's more formality then for practical use." Eliza back to writing in her coloring book, there been intense wave of new entries to tie down. She unbothered by her grandpa explaining what that dagger means and refused any corrections. Although her brother walking into the conversation frozen in horror of the demonstration of such item through moms hand.
"Can I have a go?" He quick to judge that there isn't blood and there isn't screams of pain. No cursing words.
"No. It's not a toy." Grandpa sliding to see Eliza reaction.
"If removing your soul from your body is not enough. Then there might be a serious problem." Eliza looking up from her page and to the looks on their faces, "If your fast enough, you can keep the paperwork to one form. Say like heart attack or stroke. But you have you soul outside your body longer then 1 minute. We are going to have some serious issues. If you have it half an hour, prayer for some God mircale or be cursed. Now if you really are totally compelled to leave the idea of being human behind, I think I could stir you to some interesting jobs that aren't on postings. Added bonus is saying body parts. Your hands have high value in working condition."
"Eliza!" Mom hissed.
"You know the god of death enough to do that?" Grandpa being impressed.
"I know a few gods that would love to borrow your body and time if your not willing to use it. The deal with selling your hands to the goddess of summons. It's worth it. She creepy but lovely. She is someone you want on your side. Explicitly for banishing and bringing spirit people across realms." Her grandpa nodding at this but he was a little lost with why the goddess of summoning is made of hands. He didn't even know there was a goddess of such nesh religion.
"Is there a reason why humans can't be summoned through divine blessing of the goddess of life?" Her brother thinking this would test her.
"Humans a squishy and fragile. To many blood veins, organs and liquid sacks." Eliza unfazed and unchallenged by this, "Spirits are just souls. Humans are flesh sacks with souls. Meat suit with bone bits. I don't blame her, she gets enough grief with demons being weird shapes. She doesn't bother with angels. They have wings. They can move themselves." Joseph has met his match in this subject. As this was to beyond him. She back to writing in the coloring book. Her mom wrapping her head around the basics, let alone the freak world her daughter knows. Her mom although believes there could be gods, doesn't want to hear that there are indeed gods and they can act among humans.
"Are there vampires?" Her brother hoping for some supernatural phenomenon and crazy tin foil hat time.
"Depends on what you define as a vampire. There is blood eating creatures everywhere." Eliza soon had a childish play to thought, "There one on you right now." He of course slaps the mosquitoe off his arm and isn't impressed.
"Mr mosquitoe is dead."
"Mrs mosquitoe. The blood suckers are female." Eliza dead serious pointing at him. He still unimpressed and hopes to look to the adults here.
"She is right though. If you mean a humniod that uses blood as food to survival, then there is folks out there. But it's not blood that nutrients their growth but your immune system they are attacking." An undertaker weighing into the conversation, "If you mean there being humaniod that can't stand being in the sun, the Seers are such. Why they live in sunny Florida confuses me." They take away her coloring book. Flipping forwards and back pages. Trying to understand her hieroglyphics. They kept to a particular page.
"I guess there are a lot of different takes of what a vampire is actually." Her brother sitting at the dinner table. This side business of just testing if this was the right family of humans to be bothering. They weren't expecting the two children here. Flips around to a page she yet to draw and brings it to colour through their hold. She looked about it a lot. Nothing seems out of place and nothing about the notes was telling. She stares at the image itself and how it didn't belong to this coloring book. She scratched under her chin in contiplation of what book she ruined but the more likely answer was she would put pages of newer colour books among these older pages to keep and hide it. So this clever thought in mind, she focused on what event she values to do this.
She gives it a deeper understanding and figured out her own meaning. This was a page about clothus and parasites. The relationship that could be potentially a mutual beneficial relationship then the dying clothus and homeless tapeworm. This then must be something they wanted for undertakers as she sees how clothus and undertakers are on the other side of this yet to add page. She not sure why they want cohabitation with tapeworms but she will not let that possibility be forgotten. Colour book pulled from her again. The undertaker flips to a page about hosting and off universe travels.