Chapter 12: heavy burdens.
“Contain him how!? I barely had a handle on the situation!”
*THUMP*
Jade aggressively tugged at his senses, making him look over to the clear path between the trees.
“What!? Was I supposed to kill him on the trail!? What’s the difference!?” He got up off the floor, grimacing at his clothes.
*THUMP!*
Jade forced him to look at the bleeding body, then at the road again.
In heaps of exhaustion and confusion, he stood there looking between the two.
“Like, now?” He tentatively asked.
“YES” Archibald remembered himself scream.
*sigh*
He wiped the sweat from his forehead, grabbed the dead body under the arms and began to drag-
“NO” he thought himself shouting.
He huffed, dropping the body “What now?”
Jade thought for a moment, then came a memory of Delia picking up a heavy bag of grain for the cattle.
With all this running through his mind, Archibald stared at the massive puddle of blood and brain matter sprawled across the ground.
“My apologies but… it’s a bit late to worry about demonic corruption, don’t you think?”
Jade sent a wave of discontent along with the image of himself collapsing in the mud, giving up on the situation. Then it shifted. “Containment”
Archibald was getting sick of hearing the voice of the dead body in front of him over and over again.
“Heavens above, next time I’ll get my heart pulled out from my chest trying to draw a circle, but at least this tiny patch of grass won’t lose its luster!”
…
Archibald sobered up and thought back the his morning chat with Rue. “I get what you mean Jade. Rue said that we have to burn it, or get an arch-priest to do some heavenly ritual on it.
I’m not an arch-priest yet, and I don’t think I’m getting a big enough fire going in this damp forest, not without attracting the rest of this lovely gentlemen’s friends.
So we’re at an impasse.”
…
*thump*
Jade guided his attention to the furthest point of the path they could see.
Archibald looked back down, ‘My overcoat is bloodied and full of holes, my trousers torn, my shirt has a hole in the collar.. and you want me to carry this headless corpse all the way to the next village…’
“Yeah” he heard Jade’s own voice respond.
“This is what I get for dressing for form over function.”
— — —
Archibald trudged through the trees having decided to abandon the path, fearing he stood out too much. A black robed body slumped over his shoulders, it’s head wrapped up in his now very bloody overcoat!
‘Well I'm glad you’re happy, I’m never getting that blood out! These clothes were a gift from Rue you know! Our fist gift, and you’ve had me ruin it already!’
Archibald spoke to Jade in his thoughts, having also decided that shouting in a hostile environment wasn’t the best idea he ever had.
Jade took a long time to respond, but eventually, a guided thought entered his mind. “This is what I get for dressing for form over function.”
‘Don’t repeat my own self-criticism back to me!’ Archibald paused.
He whipped his head around, observing the surroundings.
‘Nothing following, nothing ahead, seemingly nothing above either. Good.’
This is usually the point where something unexpected happens.
…
‘Good’
Archibald made sure to keep quiet, trying to move as silently as possible through the narrow tree gaps and bushes, brushing aside noisy twigs.
‘At this rate we’ll be there by next week.’
…
‘Are you still mad at me? You’re awfully quiet up there? Quieter than usual at least.’
It took a long while, maybe over a minute, but an image appeared in his mind, it was Archibald, collapsed in exhaustion after having killed the man on his shoulders.
He paused again, throwing the body down to the ground.
“What do you mean? …Are you alright?”
…
“Jade?”
…
“JA-“
Another image slowly entered his thoughts, the blood leaking out of the skull, mixing with the soil.
“Corruption! Jade! Are you serious! You’re corrupted!? How?”
He waited for an answer, the long minute felt like an hour!
“NO!” He remembered himself say.
The memory shifted and she presented the memory of himself collapsed behind a rock, having just outrun that big moss-bear.
“You’re tired, the demons blood is making you tired?”
It was frustrating! Having to wait so long for an urgent response and then figure out what it means.
The memory of arguing with Jade in front of the overseer entered his head, of when she said “Yeah”.
“Well then I’m definitely dropping it! I’m sorry Jade, but I’m not carrying something that’s going to make you feel sick!”
Archibald stormed forward, leaving the body wrapped in his overcoat behind!
‘Jacket be damned.’
“NO!” The same memory of himself shouting appeared!
‘Jade! I’m serious! I can’t do both! I can’t cleanse the corruption and keep you healthy! I’m leaving it there!’
Another minute later, Jade shew him the image of the body again.
‘Nope! Not happening.’ He shook it out his mind.
Another minute, and she repeated the image.
‘Jade, stop this I’m-‘
The image shifted and he heard Rue sobbing into his robe “-Please Archibald. I know it’s unfair, but we all need you to be who you say you are.”
He stopped in his tracks. He didn’t need to see the next memory.
*sigh* “I’m Archibald the reborn,… and I’ve come to save humanity… yeah, I remember…”
He turned and made his way back the the body.
— — —
Night had fallen and Jade had slowly gotten weaker and weaker.
“Yeah” she replied in her voice.
‘Not good! That was a full half an hour to generate a circle!’
Archibald was sweating with nerves and effort. Trudging through the forest with a body in his shoulder was tough, but also trying to be stealthy was damn hard!
Just then, Archibald saw a glint in the far distance, he concentrated, and sound carried through the wind.
“….he couldn’t have gotten far! The blithering idiot can’t stay put for a single moment, I wanted one more night, and he runs off without a care in the world.” A middle aged man’s voice complained.
‘its barely audible through the wind’
Another voice responded “We have to face the facts. If he’s gone any further then we’ll be seeing skid marks leading all the way down to Southfield. And I’m not going to Southfield!” His voice was deeper carried further.
“Don’t be daft! He wouldn’t be stupid enough to do that…” the quieter voice trailed off.
‘inaudible, it’s too damn windy tonight’
“I’m telling you he did! It’s a waste of our time, this! We’re just risking her wrath!” The deeper voice got louder.
“We’ll search until first light! then make camp an…” the softer voice got too quiet again.
‘If they find me… I won’t have Jade.’
His muscles were telling him to stop, the body weight about as much as he did.
‘But if I wait…. No! I can’t dare let her get hurt! She’s too… I just have to give quicker than them!’
Archibald hopped, adjusting the body, and carefully picked his footing, trudging forward at a walking pace, hoping he wouldn’t be heard.
*SNAP!*
A dry branch hidden under the weeds broke loudly in half!
‘Shit!’
Archibald slumped the body against a tree, drawing a circle on his palm.
It sputtered, crackling with green energy.
He could feel Jade doing her best, trickling the energy through their unstable connection.
‘Ah crap, this is bad.’
Trusting that Jade would try her best keep the connection going, he looked back to the path and immediately noticed the still quiet of the night.
‘This is really, really bad.’
The path was bare, no trace of demons.
The hair in the back of his neck stood, and his heart quickened naturally.
‘This was a bad idea!’
He ran!
Twisting at curling around trees, heading deeper off the path, Archibald evaded as best he could.
His eyes darting from tree branch to tree branch, scouring the canopy.
*thud!*
Not paying attention to his footing, he snagged a tree root and flew, tumbling to the ground.
And calmly walking in the distance was
a dark-hooded figure in a white high collared coat, tightened shut with a leather belt adorned with pouches and trinkets.
Dull metallic sleeves of overlapping pointed segments held aloft a simple rectangular lamp with frosted glass.
He was heading towards Archibald.
Archibald noted the black hand sized horns, bleached white at the tips, ripping through the hood.
“We don’t have to do this kiddo.
I only need answers tonight, not blood.”
‘The quiet voiced demon. Where’s the loud one?’
Archibald’s eyes quickly glanced to his clutched hand, still crackling with energy but not yet enough to form the circle.
He could feel Jades anxiousness welling up in his heart. ‘Or is that mine.’
His attention snapped to his equipment, and something he wished he didn’t ever have to use.
‘Damn it Aurelia.’
A dagger, long and thin, slipped from its guard across the small of his back.
‘Just pretend it isn’t there and keep punching! That what she said, no stress, alright, come on!’
The calmly walking demon kept his pace despite the presence of the weapon.
“I’ll take that as your response then shall I?
Ga ha ha! Great!”
*poof!*
The lantern flared, an unnatural amount of smoke bellowed from its small glass case, quickly hiding the source and its holder.
‘Go! No time!’ He rushed forward blasting towards the smoke, hoping that the figure was still where he thought he was.
But no such luck.
‘Damn it!’
Blinded by smoke, Archibald began to lightly cough, stumbling his way back out.
‘Jade! Please!
I don’t know what I’m doing!
Help!’
He could feel their connection strengthening still, but no bubble had formed on his clenched fist.
“You’re a newbie at this aren’t you!
Ga ha ha!
I can’t believe my luck!”
The quiet demon taunted, his voice immediately alerting Archibald as to his location.
‘Left!’
He darted out toward the voice, and quickly escaped the smoke!
‘What?’
With nothing but the tree line in view, Archibald didn’t stop, he dashed towards a tree for cover instead.
And just in time.
*SMASH!*
“AW! WHY!? SLIPPERY LITTLE FELLA, YOU ARE!”
Where he’d exited the smoke, now stood an oddly-dressed dark haired man wearing a thick brown hide jacket.
One sleeve had been ripped off and the other covered in segmented armor up to the shoulder. Tight dark trousers were tucked into leather boots covered in disjointed metal pieces.
Jagged, black, finger length horns protruded from its head, smaller than the quiet demons horns.
‘The loud one!’
It straightened its back, lifting onto its shoulder a heavy morning star that had just left a dent in the ground.
Leaves fell around it from the branches it had jumped down from.
“COME HERE SLIPPY! THERE’S NO POINT IN HIDING!”
It was looking around, sniffing the air.
Archibald took mental stock while he had a beat to think.
‘One smokes and disappears, the other strikes with a surprise blow!
Bait and trap tactics.
The quiet one won’t show until it has to.’
“FOUND YOU!”
*SMASH!*
The tree above Archibald shattered and groaned, threatening to fall back into the demon.
It wrenched its spiked ball free with heaving effort, stumbling back once it did.
Archibald froze, he scoured the canopy for the quiet demon, and glanced back at the loud one behind him.
He saw as the tree bark cracked and tore behind him, beginning to tumble, wood cracked and splintered loudly.
An idea flashed in Archibald’s mind ‘Two can play at that game!’
As the tree tumbled and the loud demon caught his balance looking for a fleeing target, Archibald began to ascend!
He stabbed the falling tree and unsteadily clambered up it on all fours.
At its apex, it began to fall quicker that he’d accounted for due to the added weight of archibald.
Feeling the ground approach faster than he imagined, he leaped up into a neighboring branch, smacking it chest first.
*thud* *rustle*
Thin leaves and blooming orange petals rained down, the branch shook with the impact of Archibald’s chest slamming into it.
Winded, a wheezing breath escapes his lungs as he clung tight, hooking the branch under his arms.
His mind was occupied staring in horror at the loud demon who hungrily eyed the dangling priest, winding up a swing.
“NO!” Archibald squealed uncontrollably, heaving himself up onto the branch as best he could.
The demon swung upwards with his morning star, aiming directly at Archibald’s groin.
*CRACK!*
The demon swung wide, catching the bottom of Archibald’s foot.
Archibald’s eyes instead darted to the sound of the crack, the base of the branch rapidly appeared to split and Archibald felt the ground rapidly approaching once again!
“SLIPPY! STOP IT!” It adjusted its footing to account for the momentous swing.
His eyes met the priest’s, the wind whistled with his weapon swinging down for another strike!
With no way out, Archibald’s grip tightened on the dagger, the demon would surely hit him, but Archibald prepared a desperate strike anyway.
“Aahhh-UUGH!” A sharp squeal escaped his fearful throat, rapidly cut with horrendous pain!
*CRACK!* The weapon stuck the branch!
*CRUNCH!* *THUD* It followed through to Archibald, who colíder with the domin soon after!
“EUGH!”
Archibald’s clenched eyes opened to see his thigh was mangled around a morning star and his leg pointing in the wrong direction.
Deep panicked breaths launched into a scream! “AAAAAHHHHHGH-“
The demon stirred, Archibald caught sight of its bloody face, but his view was blocked by an even bloodier dagger sticking out of the demons throat!
“GHRL- SLGHPY~” the demon gurgled, sputtering blood from its mouth.
Archibald didn’t understand the sequence of events, or the state the demon was in, but survival instincts kicked in.
“AAAGH!”
*thud*
The demons body shuddered under Archibald’s fist that struck its face.
It released it’s morning star, shakily grabbing at Archibald’s shoulders.
The more agile Archibald grappled one arm under his and ignores the other locked into him before launching another strike to the face.
*thud*
The demons eye was bloody, its cheekbone cracked, and blood streaming from its throat.
A whistling whine escapes its mouth, it was still trying to speak.
“SHUT UP!”
Archibald doesn’t rear back for another blow, but grabbed the dagger, and sliced the blade away, opening the demons neck, cutting an artery that stayed a pressured mist of blood onto the tree beside them.
“JUST- DIE!”
The demons grip on his shoulder loosened, but not before Archibald made sure to stab at the demons exposed neck muscles and veins until the flow of blood slowed.
Heaving heavy breaths, Archibald dropped the dagger and rolled off the demon and onto his back-
His eyes widened seeing the half-covered hooded face of the quiet demon, a wide glistening smile plastered on its face, it proudly stood before him.
The lantern held aloft in one hand, and a serrated short sword pointed down at Archibald!
Looking down at his leg, he knew tuning wasn’t an option.
‘Jade! Please!’
He felt a small warm tingle trying to soothe the area, but nothing more.
His eyes darted to the loud demons corpse beside him, and the morning star between them.
“What do you want, demon!” Archibald pushed himself up, resting on his forearms, his hand inching closer to the weapon as he did so.
“Ahh, now he wants to talk.”
The demon lowered the lantern, hearing the clinking of the frosted glass as something inside clambered about.
Jade pulsed with an urgent horror, spiking Archibald’s adrenaline even higher.
“We have things to discuss, kiddo!
GA HA Ha hee!”
— — —
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