Parting
#8 of Old Works
_ _
I am writing this to regretfully inform you that you must leave your home in th epocket dimension I created for you. The reasons for this make me as angry as they will no doubt you. The elder gods have deemed that all demons and demonic entities be condemmed to their own dimension, and not the realm of mortals. They say that demons can not be allowed to "leach off the beliefs of mortals whilst tucked away safely in their own little worlds." I find this grossly unfair as not all demons are evil and malicious, you being a perfect example of this. But, my objections fell on deaf ears, so now you are forced to leave and head for the dimension they have prepared for us. Only one upside is that you will be able to bring your mansion here and keep it here. But, there is one more thing that I must inform you of. Your son and daughters mate, cannot come. The pathway which you must take will destroy his mind and soul, I am so sorry for this, but I cannot change what the other gods have decided. I'm afraid he will have to be left out in the real world. Once again I am truely sorry.
Quetzacoatl
P.S. Ereht yam eb a yaw rof mih ot dnif uoy hguoht. I nac ton yficeps what...tub ereht si llits epoh, eh tsum revocsid eht yaw flesmih."
The last bit had confused Yslien for a moment before she realised what it said. But the impact of this letter would affect all their lives dramatically. A single tear rolled down Ysliens cheek as she left the room to tell the two lovers the news.
*
"NO!" Natasla screamed "They can't do this to us!!"
"Why should they do this to us!? We are happy here, together!" The young demon snake cried, tears rolling down her face.
"The portal will open tomorrow to take this place through to the new dimension. I wish for you to spend this last night together...I shall go and make preperations." She whispered
*
Arzhi shifted in his sleep. He rolled to the left, and then to the right. He frowned and the sat up, rubbing his eyes and looking around. His heart sank, and a lump appeared in his throat. He was no longer in Yslien's palace. He could tell he was in an inn somewhere in the mortal realm, the sounds from downstairs told him as much. When he was with Natasla, they had come to earth to learn about it so that they wouldn't be helpless if they should ever get stranded there. Swinging his legs out of the rough bed he shivered in the cold. It was always warm in Ysliens land. He looked around the room and spotted an envelope on a small table. He went over to it and picked it up, the handwriting being in demonic runes. Fortunatly Arzhi had been told how to read these and, opening the letter, he read
"To my beloved Arzhi
I am sorry to have to do this to you without telling you, but it is best to reduce the pain, please understand this. I have left you gifts in which to survive in the mortal world. You will see on the chair in your room several items. Their use will come clear to you soon. Be safe, we love you and miss you, we hope you can come back to us soon.
Yslien and Natasla"
Arzhi sat down on the bed and cried.
An hour or so later he looked at the chair mentioned. On it was silken under garments and hardwearing leather traveling clothes. They seemed to be armoured in vital places too, the armour being thicker and solid around the chest and shoulders. A pair of elegant travelling boots stood beside the chair and over the back hung a sword and a pendant. Arzhi picked up the pendant and put it on, the feeling of the cold metal against his skin was somehow reassuring. He knew what it was, it was a magical pendant that allowed him to communicate with snakes and other reptiles and awarded him a small measure of control over magical forces. He had practiced with this amulet before so he knew how t worked. The sword was different though. It was a falchion in a dark blue sheath. Drawing it, Arzhi marvelled at it's superb balance and apparent lightness. The wide single edged blade glittered in the morning light that filtered through the window, the curving tipped blade looked wickedly sharp. He sheathed the blade and got dressed in the unfamiliar clothes. After this he went over to the wash basin and peered into the mirror. His skin was pale but not as white as it had been in Ysliens realm. His hair was still purple and his eyes were...different. They were yellow, with slitted pupils, he also noticed some other snake like features. Such as a slightly thinner, more slender tounge. He picked up the letter again and turned it over, there was writing on the reverse too. The runes looked rushed
"Arzhi
_ _
Arzhi gripped the paper tightly before folding it and stuffing it into one of many belt pouches Yslien had supplied.
"Ah! I see your awake!" she said with a smile "The lady that brought you in left specific instructions for when you woke up, come downstairs and I'll give what she left for you." Turning round she went towards a stair case. Running back into his room, Arzhi grabbed his sword and strapped it to his back. He checked to see if he could reach the hilt before running out the room and closing the door. He went downstairs and looked around. The inn was suprisingly empty, the noise Arzhi had heard earlier was coming from a kitchen. The maid came up to him and guided him to a table in the corner. Arzhi seated himself and the maid sat opposite him.
"I thank you for your hospitality, but if I am to be leaving then I should make a start....I have a long journy ahead of me I feel."
Arzhi stepped into the stables and looked around. There was only one horse in the stables, in the stall next to it however was a large reptilian beast. It was shaped like a small T-Rex, only with longer, stronger arms. It was already saddled with a number of supplies tied to the special saddle. Among these was a hunting bow and a quiver of arrows. He smiled when he saw the beast, it was his Saurian that Natasla had presented him as a mating gift. His name was Tochinoki , a beautiful rich chesnut in colour. His scales became black on his wrists and hands, the same with his shins and feet. He had a patch of black over his eye that was shaped like a star. He hissed when Arzhi approched.
"She is not my mistress...she is my mother." He said, before kicking in his heels and urging his companion into a gallop. Tochinoki reared up and was off down the road.
*
Tochinoki sprinted along the road, his powerful legs carrying them along faster than any horse could. The wind whipped through Arzhi's long hair. There were a few people on the road this early in the morning, they all looked slightly shocked as they saw a blur of brown and purple shoot past. The only people that could ride Saurian steeds had had years of special training. Arzhi could ride one because he was Demonblessed...and the fact that he could speak to reptiles. Arzhi only had a vauge understanding of what the term "Demonblessed" was. Although he had been into the mortal world and had been taught about it exstensivly when he was a slave in training. From what he did know, it was someone who had recieved the blessing from a demon, this usually resulted an odd mutations. Arzhi only knew he was Demonblessed because Natasla had told him in her letter.
Tochinoki called...he actually let out a series of loud hisses, but Arzhi could understand fine
Arzhi replied
"Mother supplied me well...." he said to himself.
He said to Tochinoki "But I have no idea which one we should be going to...."
"I'm not suprised Natasla gave me you...all you ever think about is sex!" he laughed
"It's not very comfertable." He said when Arzhi followed him inside.
Arzhi replied "...and I really need to start teaching you how to speak human language...all this hissing makes my mouth dry and my thoat hurt." He continued.
"But I suspect it'll be quite a job."
"I'll bet I can trade that for quite a bit too." He said, rubbing his hands and following the girl.
He followed her all the way to a large inn and watched as she took her mount round to the stables. It was coaching inn so the stables were large and spacious, he watched her pay the stable master with a leather purse and then slip it back in her chestplate.
"...rry, but all the rooms are full."
"So what can I get'cha?"
"Time to introduce myself I think..." The horse thought and was about to make his move when a large bear staggered drunkenly up to the girls table
"I told you to leave me alone...now do so before I rip your eyes right out of your stupid drunken skull!" she hissed, and it really did sound like a hiss. It seemed only the horse noticed the girls eyes were glowing. The bear gibbered on the floor before trying to crawl away, the girl let go of his shirt and returned to her table to finish her food and drink.
Later on in the stable, Arzhi was sitting next to Tochi, his back leaning against the reptiles warm scales.
he said, rubbing his head
a small sob stopped Tochi in his tracks. He turned his head to look at Arzhi and saw that the human had curled up into a ball next to him.
he asked
Arzhi cried and began weeping fitfully.
"I feel so alone! I just want to be back with them...If...if it wasn't for y-you...I...I think...I wouldn't have made it this far....I love you Tochi...please...don't leave me..."
"Demon speech?" He said aloud, looking around for the source of the noise.
Looking around Arzhi found a cellar door a little way farther down the alley. Opening the doors he went inside, descending a flight of stone steps towards another door. He opened it a fraction and peered inside. The room was a typical stone cellar with a number of "additions". Rams skulls and pentagrams adorned the walls, all manner of weird objects were displayed on trestle tables with red and black cloths over them. Arzhi had to suppress a giggle...
he thought "Ah yes....how cliché."
"Well...no luck this time, but I'm sure if we carry on, our prayers will be answered."
"First of all, I'm seventeen...secondly, I'M A MALE!"
"I'm sorry...did you just say 'male' as opposed to 'boy'?"
"So what you're saying is that you need to get into this dimension where all the demons have been banished to? And this is the same reason why our attempts have failed in summoning one?" the leader said, who turned out to be a wolf named Bernard.
"I'll make you a proposition Bernard." He said "If you help me with this, then I shall help you with your problems." He said "Although I do not know if killing people for what you belive is right..." he added to himself.
anything you find is to be reported to me." Arzhi said from the door, before leaving, closing the door with a click.
"What do you reckon?" one of the other cultists said
Tochi looked up from his nest in the hay as Arzhi returned.
He hissed
"How're the human lessons going then?" he asked
"Lesssson...go...good...me...get...better!" he said proudly
Arzhi said
"Gahhh! What am I doing!?" he shouted, gripping his hair "I don't have a clue what to do! How am I supposed to find them if I can't even guess where to begin looking!?"
"I want them back Tochi! Do you understand!? I can't do this! I miss them so much and I just can't do this!" He flopped down, tears pouring down his face
"I have no idea what that outburst was about, only understanding a few words of it. But you can do this...you must do this otherwise you really will never see them again."
Arzhi said, pulling away from Tochi and standing up. "I've had enough of your reassurances! You always say the same thing!! I'm fed to the back teeth of it! Just SHUT UP!!"
Tochi looked slightly startled by this abrupt outburst
he said
Arzhi ran through the streets, not really caring where he went. There were few people around at this time so hardly anybody saw him. He ran, tears streaming down his face, he was in a strange land with strange people. He was lost without Natasla and Yslien, he was sad because he had lost the two things in his life that made him happy. He ran until he was out of energy and flopped down onto a nearby bench. He had run into a park of some sort with a fountain at the centre.
"And I just shouted at my only friend...this is going sooo well." He said, his tears slowly stopping
"She was hardly what I'd call a lady." Arzhi replied
"Indeed, I have to agree with you there." The horse had a reasonably cultured accent. He sounded like a typical "ladies man"...or at least one of those people that thought they were.
"You're supposed to shake it and tell me your name..." Magoichi said
part of the world." He said, shaking Magoichi's hand "My name is Arzhi."
to the place where my friends are."
"Yes! This could be my chance!" he added to himself
"Whats so funny?!" he asked, indignantly
anything for free?!"
Magoichi thought and slid his knife out of it's sheath.
Arzhi froze, and then his body jerked, blood spraying from the ragged wound in his neck. Magoichi grabbed him and forced him to the ground, pinning him there until Arzhi's spasming and twitching stopped.
"Hello?" he called "Is someone there?"
Arzhi's eyes snapped open, he snarled and span around, looking up at the horses shocked face
"I...cut your throat! How can you be alive!?" he spluttered
"You tried to kill me...itsss only fair I return the favour." Arzhi snarled, his voice had changed from the slightly effemenate to a hissing echo.
"Now...If I ever sssee you again...I will kill you." He heard the boys voice hiss. And then there was the sound of boots walking off into the night.
*
Arzhi stumbled through the streets, sweat pouring down his face. He felt ill, it was like his skin was on fire...his eyes stung and he couldn't seem to formulate words. He staggered towards the alley where he had found the cult earlier that day. He opened the door and stumbled down the stairs, he kicked open the door at the foot and stumbled into the cellar. Nobody was there so he staggered to a table. There was a scroll of parchment and an inkwell and quill. Loading the quill he began to write...in demon runes. His eyes burnt with yellow fire as he wrote
"Nyyyaaaaagh! Whats...matter...wit'....meh?" he gasped
"TOCHIII!! HELP!!" he cried
GRAAH! hurts bad!"
"Get...bow...an'...blanket..." Arzhi managed
"What now?" he asked
"Yes mistress?" he replied with a shy smile
"Tell me truthfully Arzhi...do you love me?"
"Yes. I love you, and I love Yslien...and, and, everything about this place! I can't tell you how much I love both of you!" Arzhi's pent up emotions were now coming freely as the slave magic weakened.
Yslien looked up as Natasla slithered in, ptactically dragging Arzhi behind her
"Are you sure? It could be that..."
Natasla interrupted
"She already has...I am free Natasla." She heard Arzhi voice say. Turning she saw he was holding the collar in his hands.
"Ever since we first met...I loved you...but the collar stopped me from expressing these feelings. In fact, I have never been free, for sixteen years I have been a slave, willess and weak. But now the magic is gone, my true personality shines through. For all these years this is the person that was trapped...but now...as my first free choice....Natasla, I wish to take you as my mate."
"I accept." She said
"You two are all I could ever have hoped for...and you may call me Yslien now Arzhi."
"Of course it is...but only if I am allowed to call you son."
"You can call me whatever you like..."
Tochi sat next to Arzhi as he writhed on the ground. They had come to a halt in a larg copse of trees on the grasslands, Tochi ,seeing it as a place of refuge, had set up a camp of sorts in the hollow caused by the roots of a huge oak faling over. The network of earth covered roots made an effective wind break and the large sandy hollow was perfect for hiding in. Tochi had attempted to make a fire but had thus far faild, managing to make a pile of sticks and branches in the centre of the hollow, but having no way of lightning it. Arzhi moaned again and clawed at the ground around him
the lizard whimpered "I don't know what to do!!"
"GYAAAAH! D-DON'T LEAVE MEE!!" he screamed
Tochi said, gripping Arzhi's hand in his own, much larger ones.
where are you!? I can't see!" Arzhi said, his voice fluxuating between reptilian and human.
"Ooooh! Your burning up! I can't cool you down!! Please don't die!"
"Help!" Tochi called "We....ned...help!" he managed, his saurian snout struggleing with the unfamiliar words.
"Hello? Is someone in there?" a male voice called
"Help..." he hissed
"...Need to light a fire..." he muttered looking around
"What sort of fever is this?" The hyena pondered
"Leah siht revef, dna erotser siht snosrep ytinas!" He said, a green glow appearing in his paws
"Eeurgh! Why am I so covered in swea...whoa! W-who are you!!?" He exclaimed when he saw the Hyena
Tochi shouted with glee and, well, glomped Arzhi
Before I tell you anything I want to know who you are and why you helped me." Arzhi said
"What?! Where exactly are you from if you don't know about Ahmé?!"
"Isn't Arzhi a boys name?"
*
Magoichi walked up to a large temple in the heart of the city. Lanterns burnt outside of the main entrance and two gurads dressed in white stood outside, their bardiches looked very sharp. There was a clang as Magoichi approched, the two guards had crossed their weapons, blocking the exit.
"Wait here." One said, and dissapeared through a small side door.
The other guard reapeared and beckoned Magoichi
"Make this quick! I do not appreciate being woken up in the middle of the night." He said curtly in a slightly nasal voice.
A while later Magoichi came out of the temple, tucking a bag of gold into his tunic. It had been worth the wait in the cold, he had given the weasle every bit of information he could about Arzhi. The weasle had already given the order for the Everto Venator to head out and hunt down the "Vile demonspawn" and to scour the city for any cultists. All members of the Everto Venator, or Demon Hunters, had been given a description of Arzhi and orders to kill on sight
son of a demon? And that you got seperated from her and are now trying to find your way back to her?"
Arzhi was suprised that Jiles was taking things so well. According to the healer, demonblessed were regarded with fear and loathing throughout the land, and that Jiles didn't seem to act the same way.
"Well it was a pleasure meeting you Arzhi, but now I must head for the city, my services are no doubt...do you hear that?" he said, cocking his head, one ear raised.
"Whats the matter?" Jiles said
"Are they...?"
"What are you doing?" Arzhi asked "If you stay here they won't come after you."
Turning back he whispered for Tochi to set off. The lizard set off at a trot through the woods, Jiles following closly.
"Where are we headed!" Jiles shouted over at Arzhi