Part 14
A quiet day. Quite a rare occurrence. Cyeen was slowly getting used to this lifestyle. She didn't think herself as the working type before and she still didn't. The noble was tolerating it because of the conditions she had found herself in. Meanwhile, Jess and Zoen would have never predicted working somewhere, earning money rather than stealing it. This was a weird time for all of them.
One thing had changed immensely for the siblings. They were starting to turn away from their old pirate lifestyle, actually starting to improve. Zoen was making sure they never had to go back to it again.
The wage wasn't that good as the inns the two worked at were mediocre at best. Cyeen on the other hand had landed the most prestigious one in Bami.
***
The group had agreed to meet at the statue after each week at noon to discuss their plans going further. Now, it was the day for their first meet up.
Zoen took the first word.
"We need bags if we don't want to repeat this everywhere we go. I'll try my best to arrange three for us."
Jess came second.
"Ey, what abuut horsies? We can putz more bags on dem."
Cyeen spoke last.
"I've been waiting you both here for hours. Where were you?"
They all emptied their small sacks of money onto a table nearby. It had about thirty silver coins with a few copper ones mixed in. The siblings had brought in fifteen in total and the rest were from Cyeen. Jess counted the whole stash and was annoyed.
"How com ya get pait more? Ya stealin' in secret?"
Cyeen looked at her in disgust.
"What a preposterous accusation. I would never lower myself to your level. They were all tips from who you call 'of higher ranks' of course."
"Oh I get it, aur previouz brawl hasn'd gone to yar head still?" said the demon, rolling up her sleevees.
Cyeen scoffed and crossed her arms. The noble had learned she couldn't beat her. It's because she is a demon. If only a human was standing in front of me.
Jess glanced at Zoen for help—just like always. And of course, he knew what that meant.
"We can't buy shit with this amount Jess. We'll need to work for at least another three weeks."
He was right, this was only enough to buy the same clothings Cyeen was wearing. That was the real price of the clothes they practically stole off the hands of the shopkeeper. Cyeen shifted her gaze toward Zoen, clearly bored.
"What's the plan for today? It's the only time they give me a day off so I want to make it count."
"I'll turn this thirty silvs into forty in a day don't worry." He looked at Jess for a second before shifting his gaze back to Cyeen. "But you, I want you to learn how to defend yourself."
Cyenn was quick to realize what that quick look meant. Jess smiled, revealing her sharp teeth. Creepy. It in fact, looked a little creepy. Zoen took all of the money they earned into his empty sack and waved the two goodbye. Cyeen felt a rough hand on her shoulder. Upon further inspection she saw black claws fused into each finger. Jess whispered into her ear.
"I can finally beat ya up to me heart'z content naw that he's gon."
Cyeen slapped the hand off her shoulder.
"Go on, try me."
The two walked in silence towards the closest forest before stopping at somewhere open. Jess walked a little further than Cyeen to face her.
"Take out yar soul weapin." she said.
Cyeen summoned a white claymore in her hand.
Jess scratched her head.
"Wha? No yar real one. The whit ones do no damge."
The noble unwillingly did what she was told, materializing the victorian violet scythe. Jess inspected it from far. She was disappointed.
"Yo ar a scythe user, atleas make an efford to weaponize it. Ya look like a farmer."
The noble was visibly annoyed. She tossed a white scythe at Jess.
"You design it then, genius." She said with an emphasis on the "genius".
Jess easily catched the farming tool and sat down on the grass. Cyeen approached her and sat across. The duel seemed to be postponed.
"The handel is too short, there'z no pulling potential on the blayde, add sharp hand guards to bolck attacks on the handel, curve the handel slightly back. Oh and curve the blayde inwards a little."
Cyeen first curved the blade before eyeing a parallel trapezoid shaped portion in the middle of it and slid it up. Then came the handle, which was actually easy to reshape.
The noble lifted the white scythe up in her hands. It looked like an actual weapon now. Not a farming tool anymore. Jess snatched the now modified white scythe from her hands, backing up and taking a stance.
"Now aply it to yar other one and com at me."
Upon closing her eye, an image of the violet scythe appeared right in front of her. Reaching out for the weapon — she started applying the same changes. Only opening her eye upon completion.
Her black eye flashed violet as she summoned her scythe. Cyeen then went on to grip it like how one would use a sword. Jess whistled.
"Ya gotta put one hant closar to the blayde, dumbas."
Cyeen rolled her eyes and modified the hand guard to be higher. They were finally ready to begin their duel but the noble was sceptical about Jess's ability to use a scythe.
"Have you ever used one before?" asked Cyeen.
"Nah? But it canna't be dat differrente from a really curved sword."
You never change, huh?
Hey who do you think you're talking to? Thought Cyeen, showing her anger at the random comment from the voice. And as usual, no response again. The voice loved letting her hanging.
Cyeen felt someone in front of her so she attempted blocking with the hand guards. A white scythe soon clashed with the guards.
It seems like Jess had finally gotten bored of waiting. Cyeen struggled for a second before pushing the demon away. Jess's white eyes started glowing once again, she was actively trying to kill Cyeen now.
"Don' keep me waitin' noblee!" yelled Jess, spinning the scythe behind her. The noble rushed at her opponent. A side slash followed by another slash from the other side was thrown our. Jess dodged the first one and stopped the second with her hand. Cyeen felt cold claws seep into her neck and lift her up. In just a second, she had been slammed into a tree. With a quick teleport, Cyeen managed to dodge the full power scythe slash coming at her.
Jess correctly predicted where the noble was about to appear and had lined up the part of the white scythe dedicated for grabs. She pulled the scythe, let it go and sucker punched Cyeen right in the face, further angering her.
Cyeen got up, wiping the blood off her nose. She began holding her weapon with one hand. The violet scythe elegantly glided towards Jess. Cyeen teleported behind her instantly and threw a side kick aimed at her head while the demon was busy dodging the scythe.
None of the hits connected as Jess dug her claws into Cyeen's leg and summoned a wall of swords. Jess was ready for the next move, two blasters appeared in the nobles hands, she had done this before. Two dark red short swords pierced the violet blasters.
Jess had a smug look on her face spelling: "I win". What she failed to notice were the three knives summoned behind her head.
As the knives connected, her head flew forward which met Cyeen's knee. A click. Her limbs were binded by strings. Ten clicks back to back. Ten violet blasters had appeared around her. One last click. The blasters began firing at the same time without an intention of stopping. Cyeen clicked her fingers to bind her again each time the demon broke free. The noble's eye was now completely shining with victorian violet indicating the overuse of her essence. A set of claws pierced her neck once again. How? Were her thoughts as she kissed the same tree again.
Jess stood over the noble that slumped against the tree.
"Dishonorble. Weak. How many sidez ya have?"
Cyeen looked up with hostile eyes.
"I'm not one of you scum."
Cyeen's words were met by a punch in the face, it wasn't enough to silence Cyeen though.
"You can keep hitting me all you want you barbarian! It's not going to bring them back!" she yelled.
Jess was now on top of her, striking her with endless punches until the noble's shield's hit points reached one.
"Never. Never talk about my familly, ever agian." were the words of the demon. Her eyes invisible among the shadows on her face.
Jess looked down one last time on the pathetic noble before leaving.
***
The one-eyed girl laid at the bottom of the tree for quite a while. Jess, she is beyond help. Cyeen had no intention of giving them a place among the royal guards from the start. She had decided it the moment Zoen asked of her. They'll both be executed by my very hands. thought Cyeen, making a fist.
Cyeen laid there for a little longer, watching the clouds pass. She didn't get many opportunities like this at home. Maybe, just maybe, she could turn the pirate siblings in and make a living in this town.
"Taking a nap?" Said Zoen as he sat down next to her. Though his eyes looked at the trees, his mind was in a whole another place.
He spoke once again.
"I told her only to train you." He sighed. "Guess I needed to be harsher. Can you let it slide this time, please?"
Cyeen didn't bother getting up while answering.
"Mhm, just this once."
Don't go thinking you scum are redeemable. Cyeen smiled as this was the only expression she had mastered. Zoen reached his hand out to her which Cyeen responded by slapping it away and sitting up by herself. Her smile had faded.
"But even then, can you please try being a little kinder towards her? We're both going through a hard time right now you see."
Cyeen shrugged.
"My actions and words reflect the amount of respect I receive. I asked one thing of you and that was to make her understand that I'm the one in control here. How can you even fail that?"
Zoen knew it was impossible. It was already hard as is to contain his sister let alone make her obey a noble with no authority over her. He tossed the sack of silvers to Cyeen. There were exactly forty in it.
"How'd you do it?" she asked.
"Nothing illegal, just so you know." he replied as he had practiced his lines.
Yeah that definitely reassures me. Cyeen got up completely. Jess had won once again. A demon, only because she's a demon. She thought to herself, repeating her words from before. The noble tossed the sack full of silvers back.
"Keep our money safe until we got enough. I do not trust that damn demon with money."
Cyeen started walking back to Bami after that sentence. If the fight with Jess didn't count, this town had started to gain some favor in her eyes. It was cleaner than the usual town and the cherry on top, it had a great design. She wanted this town for herself, whatever the border it was in.
You're pathetic, Cyeen Flameberg.
"SHUT UP! You're merely a voice and I'm flesh, blood, alive! Know your place! You only exist because I do!" Cyeen exploded, she couldn't take being insulted at a time like this.
The voice didn't say anything further, leaving her in complete silence. Even nature had fallen silent. Her ears started ringing. Faint at first, slowly increasing until it got to the point of blurring her vision...
The same television and couch. She still didn't know what a television was. This time it was different. There was now a window located to the right of the technological device. It looked to be ready to burst into the black and white room at any moment. Cy#$@ slowly approached the window before opening it. A wave of colors hit her eyes, momentarily blinding her. Upon looking behind her, she saw a staircase, a door, a doorframe leading to the kitchen. They all had color now.
Cyeen opened her eyes once again. The world was back as it was. She ignored it like she did before. It's the exhaustion, she thought, continuing her way towards her work place.
***
An inn that's on the larger side. Chairs and tables fitting nobles. Wooden floors and walls cleaned by the new hire. White Poppy, was what people called this place. Though it was not the real name, people got used referring to it that way for they always had white poppies as decorations.
Cyeen entered the inn only to be greeted by the unwilling owner. She returned his greetings before withdrawing to the room she was assigned to. She buried her head into her pillow. A thought came to her mind as she relaxed her body.
"Didn't En also bestow me with a passive skill?"