There was a high-pitched screech resonating in my brain as if I got directly hit with a flashbang. The words that were being told to me sounded like a mumble being yelled across the whole house – someone surely wanted something from me, but what? That’s a question.
Wait, did my eardrums exploded this time? Could be the case. All praise hydra regeneration that was already healing all my physical damages. My mind had some more troubles adjusting after having a conversation with a creature whose nature exceeded far beyond my ability of comprehension.
I cleaned my face, my clothes, I puked to the wooden bowl, cleaned the bowled and then I noticed that I had to clean my face, because my nose would yet again start bleeding.
~ …ot! ..king …oron! …uebag! Scum! Son of a bitch!
Eventually I learned what Codex mumbles were all this time
Hey, Codi, could you please be quiet for a moment or two? My head is about to…
~ SUFFER YOU ASSHOLE! SCREEEEE!!!
My head pulsated with agony as I once again grabbed the bowl
Shut the fuck up for the mercy of the three! I need some rest, if you won’t I will have to seal you up.
~ Good luck with that shithead! You won’t be able to…
* “I command thy, the nature of the dark, bind my prey with prayers of blight;
Listen to my voice, hear my command, restrict their voice so they can’t praise the light. [Dark Binding – Silence]”
~ And you really thought that Dark Magic will work on me?! ME!?
That was just the beginning.
* “Oh gentle Mother, of earth and the wind, the ruler of flames and gentle breeze. Aid thy children, help it once distressed, bestow thy blessing so I can carry thy light!”
~ And now nature boosting spell? Magic is words, and I know all of them when it comes to black magic. Just because you enhanced the spell power won’t change its nature and…
* “Oh, fierce protector, that rules on the heaven, bless me with power to oppose wicked Seven. Keep the evil away, forgotten at its bay, I claim this land in the name of her Heir. [Barrier of light – Evil’s Ward]”
~ A pathetic attempt… …. …!!!
Do you hear that? Codex? I asked you a damn question!? Can you hear what I am hearing? It’s silence. Oh, blissful mother, just what I needed.
Codex had no power on her own, she couldn’t use magic, for she had no mana, she was literally just a pile of spells and magical theory, if she wanted to interact with anything, she needed a host.
Well, she couldn’t cast a spell, but she could play with its structure, eventually taking parts of its power source and then re-using it to actually do something. That’s what she kept on doing all the time while bullying me – either she was using leftovers of mana that remained after I cast a spell (just like an engine that never used all the energy from burning the fuel) or she messed the spell structure to change its effect.
She could manipulate the nature of Black magic spells freely, had some problems with nature one, but light? Not that it was impossible for her, but she just hated it, like, was absolutely disgusted to touch them.
What I just did was casting a binding spell – of the dark domain – the outer layer of spell, then put the nature spell inside, not even to boost its performances – that was but a nice side effect – but to act as a bridge between light and dark spell which would otherwise deny one another, and then the light barrier as the inside layer to keep codex away from interfering with silencing spell. And inside of that was codex.
Now, depending on how much the Codex was motivated to turn my life into misery I had from a few minutes to an hour or two of peace.
I soaked a towel in cold water and put it on my head like a makeshift compress.
I… I think that I knew what has to be done, but first, I need to rest..
Actually, I can so something while resting too. Let’s play with these skills I just got.
I lied on the bed and wiggled in all directions a little trying to find most comfortable position. And then, I entered the meditation stance.
----------------------------------------
----------------------------------------
----------------------------------------
Once again I landed in grim, old, somewhat dirty pub where not all the lights were working properly making most of the room remain in the dimness. Most of the light was focused on two furniture – the counter with few chairs were a man looking like a half bird was pouring the glasses of booze to lamia and rabbit-girl; and the billiard table where wolf-man, pig-man and deer-woman were playing. Oh, with the corner of my eyes I noticed a damaged couch where a catgirl in pajama was sleeping.
* “Hey, boss! Long time no see! We were lonely, you know? You never call, never write!”
Greed said opening his wolfish mouth in something, that probably was supposed to be a smile.
* “Have been busy. Paying bills, doing laundry, scheming to conquer the world and getting groceries. The regular.” I said walking to the playing group
* “As much as I can believe the groceries and stuff, world domination? That’s not you. You are a far too huge bitch.” Pride didn’t even bother to look in my direction as she aligned her poll with the ball trying to score as much as she could
* “What was that supposed to mean?” I raised my eyebrow
* “Pride is nagging all the time that Gissele is using you and that you have no guts to actually do something significant.”
* “Ah. I see. Noted that. I will contact Pride when I would give a fuck about her opinion.”
I said that right when she was supposed to strike, but, as she was quite short-tempered, she completely missed it, made the ball moved forward just few centimeters while rotating like crazy, at the same time she threw the poll in my direction while yelling.
* “Listen now you little piece of shit! I am so fucking feed up with you! You act like that dragon's little bitch! You are literally ready to answer all of her calls! You spoil her! Pay for all her expenses! You are barely a partners! You are more like a sugar daddy, but the thing is that you even have sex only when she is in a mood! Grow a fucking pair and…”
Help support creative writers by finding and reading their stories on the original site.
She kept walking to me pointing her fingers in my chest. When she came closer I grabbed her finger and pulled it in such a manner, that I forced her to kneel before me.
* “Apparently you forgot who is at the top of the food chain here…” I said quietly, in the meantime, Pride kept struggling not to get her finger broken “… Let me just remind you, that you are just a piece of carcass I chewed, digested and shit out. Literally piece of shit that grew a consciousness. You are displeased with my actions? Bo-ho, I will play you a song on the world’s smallest violin, but till then…” I lowered my head so my mouth were right next to her ear “…I command. You – obey.”
I released her, leaving her massaging her hand on the floor while I approached the counter.
* “Pour me something nice, Envy, if you would be so kind.”
* “Sure boss, anything particular? Vodka? Whiskey?”
* “I feel like getting something sophisticated and rich in flavor.”
* “Daring today, are we?” Birdman smiled pouring a glass of red wine
I took it with gratitude and took a sip.
Holy fuck. I hate wine.
* “… Why can’t you be so dominant when it comes to this bitch?” Pride hissed finally getting up from the ground.
* “My reasoning shouldn’t be your concern, Pride. I took quite a bite from the Alchemy market, I am playing with a Senate and getting favors from the king, all of that while being the person that is reaching ranks in the adventurer guild as fast as Jericho. I am very fucking sorry that but a one aspect of my life isn’t to your liking.” Of course, my tone suggested that I was not sorry at all.
* “Deal with it, Pride, Zar-zar is masochist as loves being humiliated. Why do you think he took such an Amazonian as his mate?” Rabbit girl said putting her glass aside “… What? I am tellin’ the truth! I don’t judge! Receiving is just as much fun as giving!”
* “Lust. I will ignore your pointless remark. This time.”
* “And if I won’t stop, what you gonna do? Spank me?” That was the obvious taunt, she even pointed her bottom in my direction wiggling her but to the sides as if asking for it.
* “No. I will go to the mountain to meditate for a year and purge myself from the lustful desire of the flesh. Then I could make a vow of chastity and…”
* “I BEG THY FORGIVENESS, OH BRIGHT LORD!” she collapsed from her chair on the floor hitting it with her head as she performed a perfect dogeza.
Something was thrown in my direction. Lead by instinct, I grabbed it.
It was a billiard poll.
* “You came for the first time in ages and you bully us right from the start? Relax a little. Join us. Since you mastered shape-shifting and somewhat learned to control your emotions we don’t really have much to do, just watching over the seals eating and playing. Oh, and annoying Sloth…” he pointed with his head on the couch. Lust was sneaking toward sleeping cat-girl and once she was close enough she pounced at her target.
* “Boobies-attack’u!”
And she landed atop of Sloth, mercilessly rubbing firm chest of the most deadly of the Sins.
And then the hell broke loose.
* “YOU FUCKING CUNT! How many times I have been telling you that I will butcher you into fucking pieces, you whore of a sow?!”
That “cute” girl’s eyes became a vertical slit’s of a predator, her claws became as long and sharp and butcher’s knives and her teeth became like a sharp needles. Right now, she looked like a beast that would make even demon wake up with a scream.
Then she noticed me, and she froze in place.
* “… I will go wash my face really quick…” she said dropping Lust on the floor and slowly retreating to the bathroom taking steps backward, not wanting to break eye contact with me. And eventually, the door was shut “… HE SAW ME LIKE THAT! HOW EMBERASSING!!!”
* “I will never get tired seeing child-Sloth having a puppy crush on you, we could have abused her because of that a little too much recently….” Gluttony said swallowing another portion of pork.
* “Later, Greed, later. For now, I have a favor to ask.” I turned down wolfman's invitation to play
* “O-ho. I knew you didn’t come just to say hello, in the end, to you, we are but a tools, disposable! Easy to replace! Sob-sob!” yes, he just said
* “We all know that if you were THAT bored you would kept on bitching in the corner on my mind till I would eventually come to you in person.”
* “Fair point. What is it?”
I sat on the couch, I didn’t even realize when Sloth was back and hugged one of my sides putting her head on my shoulders, very quickly Lust jumped from the other side and sandwiched that side too, to what Sloth answered with a low growl. Gluttony stopped eating, Envy leaned across the counter, Wrath, Greed and Pride were either siting or resting their backs on/against the billiard table.
I had the attention of all the Sins. Good.
* “First I have a question. Each time I eat, I keep on swallowing souls of my enemies, right?”
* “Souls? No. Souls are pretty much indestructible and you can bend them to your will only with high-level necromancy. When you kill and eat the soul goes to the afterlife, like in case of normal death. What you get is… hmm… memory shards? Shadows of personality? Most desperate urges that the soul wasn’t able to carry to the afterlife? To be more precise, the death from your hand in spiritual aspect is the best for the soul – when dying souls sometimes can’t move onward because they are too attached to their unfinished businesses, so they remain chained to our reality, becoming a vengeful spirit with time. But you? You tear their desires and regrets off them! The fastest train to heaven or hell!”
* “Is that possible to… bring such desires and thoughts from the core?”
* “Hmm. Yes. We, for example, are the cases here. We are cluster of emotions from many beings that…”
* “No. I am speaking about one specific creature.”
* “That… would be tricky. We can differ one creature from another because of their affinity to race. We can tell wolf and cat apart, but telling two cats from one another? Zari, they are all mixed here, the longer they stay the less
* “What if the devouring happened relatively recently? Like – my last meal, for example.”
* “Aye, that boosts the chances, from impossible to nearly impossible.”
* “If that’s possible I want you to bring something here. A very specific creature.
* “Eh. We promise nothing, but we would try. What is it gonna be?”
* “Kim.”
Their faces turned nasty.
* “Zariel, boss, look, you are aware that devourers are spiritual beings? Your nature lies not in your body, but in your spirit, soul, for example, if you would learn cross-body spirit-journey then the body that you would possess would also become a devourer. And Kim was a devourer. We told you how we sort for the shards of mind – we filter them via race. Kim has no race. We would literally have to check each and every of your cores, every crazy thought every desire, to see if it’s Kim.”
* “But it is possible.”
* “Barely.”
* “Good. It’s your homework.”
* “Zari! The chances will be harder if you would keep on eating and…”
* “Then I will go on a diet.”
* “That may take days! Weeks! Maybe months!”
* “The devourer I am. Hundred barrel I may swallow and my thirst shall not be quenched. Hundred days I may fast and I shall never die. Do your thing. Whenever it would be possible I would meditate to calm down the voices. Bring him here. He is necessary for my plan’s progress.”
I got up.
* “Don’t leave already!” Sloth dug her cat-claws in the fabric of my robes not wanting to let me go.
* “Spoiled little kitty. Bring back Kim and each time I would meditate I would spend time with you.”
* “Pwomiss?!” she tried acting as cute and innocent as possible, definitely not like a yandere murderer
* “Yeah, kitty-cat, do your best.” I scratched her head a little.
She hugged me one more time, stretched, yawned…
And her expression changed. She was no longer a sweet-lazy boom that you just wanted to pat and pet with no end. She had a deadly smell around her.
* “Fineeee. Looks like some work needs to be done… What a pain in the ass…”
She said that with the voice of woman after three divorces in her mid-forties. Fuck, she even had shades under her eyes! Where did these come from!? These weren’t there ten seconds ago!
She also looked more mature, but in definitely bad way, like someone already tired with her life coping with it just to get shit done.
* “Ei! Greed!” She called back
* “Y-yes Madame Sloth!?”
* “I am off. You are in charge of this shit shithole. You better make sure I have a place to get back to! Oi! Envy! Where is my…”
* “Here, Madame Sloth! Cooled, just as you like it!” birdman came running with a can of beer
* “Pride! You lazy cunt where is my…”
* “Here, Madame…” THAT Pride lowered her head while handing a combat-knife to the cat-girl
She opened the can with her knife, took a big, loud sip and headed toward one of the doors in the room. This was labeled with “DO NOT OPEN!!!” and a picture of a skull.
* “And you dare to lecture me about being someone’s bitch, Pride?” I asked
Sloth turned around and faced me with an annoyed expression.
* “Shut up, punk, you do have guts! Making me to do the job and then yet mumbles something behind my back! If you want to say something then say it in my face!”
* “Uh, I didn’t say that to you actually…”
* “Oh! Ex-cuse-meee Mr. I am too-fucking-important-to-even-talk-with-old-hag-Sloth! Fuck, if you weren’t this cute I would carve my name in your skins just so you could…”
* “Sloth,” I said with kind, warm tone
* “HAAA?!” she sounded like a female bully from some cringe anime
* “Good luck. I am counting on you. Do your best.”
She froze in place.
* “Like hell, I will listen to you, idiot…” she said before slamming the door behind herself
* “Was that… Old-Sloth blushing?”
Wrath said in a quiet tone.
* “ARE YOU MAD?! Impossible. Sloth had many individualities, and this one it the worst. Working Sloth does not smile. Does not hesitate and DEFINITELY does not blush! She kills – yes. She kills so much you reincarnate as an abortion! But…”
* “That looked like a blush to me thought…” Lust noticed “…Does Zari have an impact even on that incarnation of Sloth as well?”
Everyone looked in my direction.
* “What the fuck are you?”
I had my own thoughts about why was Sloth so attached to me. In my previous life, I was master of procrastination – handing papers month after the deadline, not going on exams because of sick leaves (that could not exactly be valid). Even before the accidents and sicknesses. Most likely, Sloth was seeing me as an absolute soul-mate.
I win over the girl by being a dirty, lazy bum.
There is still hope for you, lads!