Chapter 6: not looking good.

 Archibald stood admiring himself in a standing mirror, dissatisfied and fussing with his appearance.

*Tsk* “This won’t do… I look-“

“What, poor, untidy, dirty?” Aurelia leaned on the door way, arms crossed and rolling her eyes at his incessant comments on her wardrobe.

Archibald pouted, “No, I was going to say normal, I look too normal. I must wear something with a bit more… a bit more flare, people must know I’m special!”

“Oh they’ll figure that out real quick, don’t you worry, now come on, before you wear out her patience.”

“Ugh, whatever, it will do for now.” Archibald took one last look at his off-white shirt and tan trousers, both made from a simple cloth.

‘Is it off-white be design or simply tattered?’ He turned his nose up and reluctantly moved on.

As they walked back past the ‘torture room’ he stopped and realized it was a simple workshop with a furnace.

“Like my little set up do ya’! Yeah, it’s where I keep the safe toys. I can show ya’ the fun ones of ya’ want?” She looked over her shoulder, her face had turned crazed once again.

‘Jade, this woman has a real obsession over knives and such.’

Aurelia ducked under the doorway and left the house, greeted by a comparatively smaller tanned man, but he was still wide chested and strong compared to Archibald’s build. 

“Did you get ‘em to confess, Auri?” He smiled looking at Archibald.

“Hue hue, ah, not yet, so I’m turning him over to the expert torturer.” She replied nodding toward the church.

“Well you’d know all about that Auri. See ya!” He waved her off, getting pack to work with a sigh.

“Tell me about it.” she grumbled.

‘The priest must be a strict person to hold such reputation among the masses. Interesting.’

Archibald hesitated, but spoke his mind. “A good priest keeps a tight leash! I’m sure he means well.”

Aurelia stopped in her tracks, turned to look at his with a look of bewilderment. 

‘Ooh, I shouldn’t have said that.’

“You calling me something? You calling me a dog, demon-priest?”

“Uh- ah! Aren’t we all in a way, loyal, faithful companions of the heavens, it’s human purpose is it not? To be survants of heaven?” Archibald just forced a smile.

‘I’m on fire today with heavenly quotes today!’

Aurelia closed her eyes, swallowed and after 10 seconds, she let out a breath that he didn’t know she was holding, and she carried on walking.

Jade sent him a worried uneasy nudge. ‘Oh come now Jade, Its just casual banter!’

Jade reminded him of himself shaking his head.

‘What would you know? I’m sure she’s just stressed, what with all the demons about, this is exactly why the heavens sent us, to help people like her!’

After a few minutes of silent walking past fields of crops and houses, the brooding Nordic meat wall and the previously screaming naked man made their way up the hillock path.

Archibald admired it with awe! A mossy stone building, thin tall rectangles and tall triangles angled to the center of the two storied structure. Wooden wings painted white hung above the ornate wooden archway, carved with depictions of divine sparks and angels. The tall double doors were ajar. 

…

They stood in silence for a moment, before Aurelia turned to leave. “Off you go then, I’ve people to tend to.”

“You’re not coming in?” Archibald hesitated before the imposing entrance, thinking of the ethereal voice.

Aurelia broke him out of his through a with a scoff. “That’ll be the day! See ya around sunshine.”

“What in all the realms did she mean by that, … Jade, you don’t think, that she’s-“

The door creaked open, startling Archibald again. 

“A demon? Yes, she is. Now what’s this about a mind demon giving heavenly prophesies all of a sudden?” An angel of a woman stood in the doorway, she wore a gold tabard atop a white cloth robe.

Archibald blinked caught in reverie of the sight.

The most striking feature was her speckled black-silver hair that beautifully matched her vitiligo, splitting her face into perfect sections of dark and light skin.

“Um, -wait what?” Archibald only just registered what the woman had blankly stated.

“She’s a demon, she’s been here longer than a lot of us, the villagers are happy enough to keep her around since she wards off other demons from attacking.

Back to you though, who are you and what are you doing at my church.”

‘She amazing…’

Archibald day-dreamed unit Jade broke his awkward stare with a jolt to the brain. 

“UM! Well, im- you’re very-” *ahem*

Archibald’s brain fought back against his lower brain, taking priority of the incredibly important information the beautiful priest just shared.

“I’m sorry but why exactly is a demon wandering around town acting all nice with the locals!?” Archibald just couldn’t get past the subject, he still wasn’t quite sure he’d heard properly.

She laid her hands on her hips, a soft sigh escaping her mouth.

‘Look at her face, just keep eye contact and you’ll survive the interaction.’ He coached himself, blood pumping, and not just to his heart.

The priest began recounting Aurelia tale. 

“Basically, she arrived in Southfield a few decades ago, challenging the priest at the time, he denied her a fight and instead managed to get her to start doing chores around the town, don’t ask me how, he apparently had charm based abilities. Some elders say that’s why he was posted here, he’d cozied up to the wrong guys wife.

She keeps going on about what he told her that day, that she has to think long term, wait until they’re ripe, then eat ‘em when they’re strong enough to be worth the effort. It’s bloody creepy.

Anyway, you and me should be fine, as long as no bishops or arch-priests come by, she’ll just keep eating bears and livestock.”

Archibald was stunned, he looked back over his shoulder, at the demon woman helping a little girl with her broken toys, and having a conversation with the parents, all smiles.

“HUH!? Wait what do you mean eat- she eats people! Demons eat people!?” Something clicked in Archibald’s head, as that specific piece of information arose from a distant part of his mind, confirming the woman’s words.

“Oh boy, you really are brand spanking new, aren’t you! Don’t worry amnesia should be treatable if you make it to bishop in time. But no, demons don’t eat people, they eat divine sparks. In order to eat a divine spark they first have to kill the priest, how else are they going to get them out of our souls?”

“SOULS!”

Jade sent a cold shiver down Archibald’s spine, her instincts were kicking in, and so were Archibald’s.

“So I’ll ask again, what are you doing he- HEY, WAIT!”

Archibald was fuming! Eyes red, a scowl non his face. ‘There’s no way she’s getting anywhere near my angels! Mark my words! Don’t you worry Jade, she’s going down!’ He stormed off towards Aurelia the  demon.

Hand pinching her brow, the priest groaned “Well, there goes another one, I hope she doesn’t get too violent with him.” She looked out at the man, weighing up wether it was bravado, revenge, hatred or sheer stupidity that was pushing him to do something so reckless.

…

*sigh* She spun around and closed the church doors, washing her hands with the situation.

“HEY, DEMON!” Archibald bellowed.

The villagers once again paused and looked up at him in horror.

Aurelia ran her hands through her hair, not giving him the time of day.

“HEY, WHAT DO YOU THINK YOUR DOING WITH THESE PEOPLE! THIS PLACE IS PROTECTED BY THE HEAVENLY CHURCH, BY THE POWER OF THE IMMORTALS AND THE HEAVENLY REALMS, BEGONE!!”

Archibald was red in the face, screaming in front of Aurelia, the family she had been talking to quietly brought their daughter away.

She still didn’t look at him, her eyes closed she held her breath, her back to Archibald.

Jade began to panic.

“DID YOU HEAR ME DEMON! BE GO-“

*SMASH* *THUD*

Archibald collapsed, unconscious.

*sigh*

Aurelia, without deeming to look at the boy, picked him up by the collar of his shirt, or hers rather, and dragged his limp body across town into a nearby empty field, cleared of any crops.

It had a few targets at one end of the field and some scarecrows fitted with scrap armor.

She dumped his body roughly in the middle and started to limber up, stretching and lightly jogging around the field.

A minute or two later, his bloody face stirred back to life.

“Hrgth.” he wheezed, touching his bloody broken nose and jaw.

“What’s up Mutt? Ready to bark for momma?” Aurelia stood over Archibald who was lain out on the ground.

“Harghtg- *Cough*” Archibald tried to stand.

‘Jade, what’s happening?’

“What’s that? You want more? Well why didn’t you say so!”

‘Ja-‘

*SMASH!*

Birds flew and the wind whistled at the sound of the impact.

The flash of a fist was the last thing Archibald saw before the cold void once again.

— — —

*GASP*

Tingling, Jade sent warm shivered all through his body. He felt as hot as a sauna right now.

‘Crap, no, please not again! Jade for the love of heaven help me!’

Jade brought up the image of Archibald drinking the monkey piss.

‘Oh go to hell! Kick me while I’m down why don’t you! Fat lot of help you’ve been while I’m here trying to defend you!’

*THUMP THUMP*

She shew him the demon screaming ‘No’ once more, she then recalled the monkey once again!

“Help. *cough* *cough* somebody.” Surprisingly, his jaw felt better and he could breathe through his nose again.

His eyes darted around, the villagers passed by, the children played in the street and no one took more than a glance at Archibald.

Aurelia’s feet came into view, blocking the dusk light of the evening sky. “Awake again little mutt! Tell you what! If you eat a fat pile of steaming horse excrement right in front of me, I won’t beat you until you look like one! How about it?” 

*THUD* 

*COUGH* *Cough*

Aurelia kicked him in the privates again.

“Augh! Uuuugh.” He could breathe now, but he the wind had been kicked out of him once again.

Next thing he knew, a huge weight sat right on top of him.

He looked up at Aurelia who had sat on his chest, knees bent, feet either side of his head.

“Tell you what. It’s getting late little pup, and I’m getting bored of watching your spark, Jade was it?, heal you up again and again. You’ve been crying for her in your sleep by the way. It’s pretty pathetic for a priest to beg for their spark, if you ask me.

Imma take ya’ to the dungeon now, and we’ll come back to this tomorrow, bright and early, ‘Kay?”

‘Why is nobody helping!?’

“Wai-“

*SMASH!*

— — —

Archibald woke up, naked, strapped to a chair, fluid, blood and all sorts on and around him. 

Then there was the tools, or ‘toys’ as she put them, she wasn’t kidding when she said the ones from before were the safe toys.

“You’re such a sleepy boy today aren’t ya’”

Aurelia’s voice came from behind me between a deep grating sound reverberating through something, it sounded low and thick.

*Clank*

A flimsy metal clanked against a table, light footsteps and the rubbing of cloth and hide.

He heard her shallow breaths approach his peripheral, she walked past and Archibald’s eyes shot open wide!

She had her hair down, it was long and would probably rest on her shoulders, but she had it parted in the middle.

Clutching her hair from each side tight, she was in the process of wrapping her dull, straw blonde hair around a thick, black stump that occupied the entire length of the back of her skull.

“You were out so long that I even had time to do some maintenance.” She turned and stood facing him, tying her hair up in what looked like a thick bun.

‘Jade, that’s- thats gotta be massive…’

Archibald’s mind was enrolled with imagining the full size of her horn.

‘It’s must be like an extra arm on her head! No wonder she files it down.’

“Not everyday that you see a woman with a bigger horn than a guy, hey?” She grinned, sweeping loose hair over her ears.

“Now, where were we?” 

Archibald would have quipped a nervous joke ten times over already, if it wasn’t for the leather gag strapped to his face. 

His bloodshot eyes followed her to the toy table and watched her graze them with a tender touch before landing in what looked like an ice pick.

Archibald instantly shuddered.

*MMMFFF!* 

He attempted to complain, apologize, say anything, but all he could do was watch her spin the sharp metal slope in her hand and line it up with his sternum.

“This will probably hurt, so make it as loud as ya can for me, won’t ya!” That mad glint flickered in her eyes, she controlled her smile, tightly pursing her lips, and she began to lean slowly into the spike with a deft, experienced precision.

Trickles of blood flowed as searing pain flooded his mind!

Archibald convulsed on the spot, desperate to stop it.

*MMF-MFF-MMMFF!*

Tears stung the bronzes on his cheeks, he felt completely invaded as the demon bored a new hole into his chest with a pursed grin fighting back a smile.

Archibald’s heart beat faster and faster, the spike invaded his body a fingers length deep, stopping just as his heart began to impale itself against the metal point with each beat.

“MMMMMMFFFFFFF!” Archibald’s mind was full of incomprehensible screaming too.

A fingers length of metal had been pushed into his chest before she slowly tilted it up and began to circle the hole, expanding it wider and wider, sending shocks of excruciating pain up Archibald’s nerves.

Archibald was about to scream for Jade, but the thought cut off as soon as it arrived, Aurelia had already taught him what happens when Jade began helping him before she told her to.

‘Ja—Jade—ready—wai- hold!’ He could barely form a full thought.

The gaping red hole gushed, pulsing with blood as the metal spike inched its way out, it felt like an eternity, but eventualy-

*cla-clank.* It fell to the ground.

“Now-“ She returned to her steady, even pace.

“-a shallow wound, but it’s wide. Ya’ can’t scab it over all willy-nilly, you’ll have to regenerate it from the inside out.”

She turned and grabbed the roll of clean cloth, ripping off a length and eyeing up her handiwork.

“Yer still a pup about this, so I’d recommend slowly inflating the muscle in a sort of spiral, rather than just building up layer by layer, it’ll heal more evenly.”

‘Why—stop—please.

The-why—talk—why.”

Even if he was too preoccupied to listen, someone was.

“Got it pip-squeak? Alright, go.”

Aurelia stood, bracing Archibald’s knees against the insides of her thighs as she held the cloth taught, ready to wrap the wound.

Green sparks lit up Archibald’s chest, as now muscle and skin began to form.

“Quicker! You’re wasting a ton of excess!”

The green sparks sputtered and the pattern of healing changed.

“Better, but still far too wasteful.”

Once it was all over, she started again, in another spot.

She’d done things that no human should ever survive. Archibald had begun to understand just how important having a divine spark was.

She made deep cuts all over his body and sat there, waiting for them to heal before making new cuts all over again.

Then once she’d been satisfied she moved on to nipping tendons, then slicing them, but the worst was watching her clenched lips, it wasn’t even a reaction to her own actions, it was a practiced tight smile, occasionally flickering at the edges. 

Mostly, she just sat there staring into Archibald’s soul, watching Jade.

She went deeper still, bones, internal organs-

If it wasn’t for Jade, he’d have died many times over already.

He’s body shook with rage as Jade finished the lengthy process of healing him up once again.

‘I’m going to kill her, I’m going to kill this demon. For you, for me and any other spark she’s eaten.’

Aurelia was absent, she’d gone to sleep for the night, having had her fun with his bones, organs, tendons, and anything else that she’d deemed fun to remove then watch Jade desperately figure out how to heal it, waiting for them to recover each time before removing something else.

The quiet finally gave Jade and Archibald a moment to rest, recuperate and talk.

Soon Jade once again broached the subject of the orange monkey, making sure to focus on the small ritual circle.

‘Jade, … so what, you want me to send you flying at her? She’ll eat you!’

Jade brought forward the conversation with the priest woman, when she said “In order to eat a divine spark they first have to kill the priest, how else are they going to get it out of our souls?”

‘But Jade,… what if she hurts you. You can heal me, which I’m eternally and forever in your debt for by the way, but I can’t heal you!’

Jade was silent for a moment, but eventually, she brought up the image of the first time he saw her, her Jade wings, her Jade hair and big warm smile.

‘… I don’t understand.’

She waited a beat, and sent her smiling face once again, sending warm happy shivers around him.

‘… I still don’t get it Jade. I’m probably too tired. But I-… I’ve got nothing else left but to trust you.’

Archibald’s will firmed, determined to get Aurelia back for all of this.

‘So, whats the plan.’

— — —

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