58.
"Bad things are coming Clarissa, lot of evil men been out and about, I believe the devil needs some payment." Clarence Timms had been busy. He'd been in places he'd rather not think about, even as someone who thinks he could not die he was worried where he'd been death would have been a blessing.
"Like the actual devil? Is that a thing?" Clarissa was still trying to get a handle on being back in civilization. Izu herself looked awkward as well, though it could have just been sitting in a hearse with Reverend Timms driving.
"I haven't personally run across him personally, but I have been visited by his associates, so I assume the man himself is out there somewhere. But this was more of an expression of mine." Izu held her hand up like she was in class.
"This is all real interesting and I'm sure you folks have things to work out, but I've been gone a real long time from the world and I'd rather not be involved in whatever this all is." Timms looked at Izu for a second and then pulled over to the side of the road.
"You want out here or when we're back in town? Its cold out girl."
"Town is actually a scarier place for me Reverend." Izu got out and took a deep breath of the air. Clarissa got out with her and gave her a big hug.
"Thank you for everything." Izu reached into the small bag she'd been carrying and gave Clarissa a pair of short blades she'd made from a couple creatures in the wilds.
"Remember everything I showed you, that bow is deadly, but not everything stays at a distance, and take care of yourself, this is good bye but its not gone for good. I'll see you again." Izu waved at Reverend Timms and started making her way towards the frozen field away from the highway.
"She wasn't human was she?" Clarissa put her hands in front of the heater, just being outside for a bit made her feel so cold.
"Nope, that doesn't bother you does it?"
"Honey I'm an undead preacher who was born back before there were fifty states, if that kind of thing bothered me its been years now." Timms smiled and Clarissa felt a little better even if her world kept feeling like less reality and more insanity. Silence fell over both of them and the rest of the drive to GD Exterminators was in silence.
****
The lights were out at the office. The clock on Reverend Timms car read five pm, which would be a little early for Gilbert to close the office, but Clarissa felt something was off. Timms did too, he got out of his car and took his revolver out.
"Stay in the car."
"Screw that, I know this office better than you do Timms." Clarissa got out and took out the two blades Izu had given her. Inside was dark, it felt a little cold, but nothing seemed out of the ordinary. It looked just like Clarissa had left it when she'd gone. Timms too didn't notice anything out of the ordinary and put his pistol away.
"Maybe they just went home for the day." Clarissa was about to agree with Timms, and then she saw it, a little sapling sitting on the desk. It was in a pot, like someone would have picked it up at a local home depot, but she felt the hairs rise up on the back of her neck and then she heard it, carnival music, lightly drifting on the wind.
"The forest got him."
"The what?" Reverend Timms was confused what woods had anything to do with it.
"Long story, you up to help?"
"If one of my flock is in trouble, I'm always willing to help."
"Good, though I hope you're as unable to die as you say, because I'm sure this thing is willing to kill us all."
Friday, February 23, 2018
Friday, February 16, 2018
Rank Betrayal
57.
Ms. Parker smiled as she saw Clarissa. Clarissa looked haggard. Her clothing was partially replaced with jungle parts and her face was covered in Mud. She had her bow, but the arrows looked to be also replaced.
"You left me here for three fucking months you awful person."
"I'm not a person, I'm a dragon, and I came to get you, you should be thankful I could have left you here indefinitely."
"You also lied to me. She was a person, a lizard person, but a person." Parker snarled.
"Low born swine lizard people are, and she's an attempted assassin darling, never forget these creatures are deadly even if they can in theory speak though I doubt such a gutteral being ever learned speech." Clarissa was angry about how Parker spoke about Izu, the level of disdain in her voice was palpable.
"Well she's dead now so can I go now?"
"Not yet darling stop being in such a rush, show me her body I want to see the corpse of the thing that attacked me." Clarissa sighed and lead Parker through the jungle. It took an hour to reach the site of a waterfall, there was green blood leading up to a cliff.
"Well that's where she went down, she and I had been waging a war here, but I got her here, and over the side she went." Parker frowned, looking to the cliff she could see no body.
"I said a body my dear, not where you think you killed her." She turned to face Clarissa and took three arrows to the face.
"I'm not climbing down there to find her body, if you want it you do it, but for me I just want to go home." Parker sighed and waved her hand, a portal emerged in ether.
"Fine my darling fine, you can go I'll send a servant to..." Clarissa fired three arrows into Parker before she could finish admonishing the girl, Izu emerged from the river where she'd been hiding and lopped her head off and kicked her body off the cliff and into the underbrush below.
"Good lord that darling crap is annoying." Clarissa doubted the dragon killing plan Izu had would work, she couldn't doubt the result.
"Quick before the portal closes." Izu and Clarissa leapt through the portal and found themselves along side the highway outside of Ellensburgh, it was freezing as both women were dressed for the jungle, and it was very much winter.
"I don't get it we've been in there months, how is it still winter?"
"Maybe its a late winter?" Clarissa was about to respond when a hearse pulled up to them.
"It's a bit cold to be dressed for an anime convention girls." Clarence Timms was a surprise for Clarissa to see, but she was happy of all people to run across Izu and herself it was someone at least associated with Gordon.
"Long story Revered can we get a ride?"
"Yes you can, in fact I was going to see your boss, come on in."
****
"I'm still confused by this Miss Parker." Parker sat in the back of her limo smiling. Her associate Richards some kind of troll kin that Parker never understood or cared to ask about sat nervously across from her.
"The exterminator knew what I was, it was worth it to throw her off that I'm still around."
"You think she'll tell Dunkley?"
"Probably, not that it matters, what he's got will kill him soon enough, there's a reason I never go into those forests."
"And then?"
"And then we kill his assistant and assume no one will get in the way of our plan Darling, inform the rest of the council to proceed as planned." Richards left and Parker smiled to herself, briefly touching the place where the lizard creature had beheaded her. She could imagine all kinds of awful things to do to the creature and Clarissa, and couldn't wait to show them.
Ms. Parker smiled as she saw Clarissa. Clarissa looked haggard. Her clothing was partially replaced with jungle parts and her face was covered in Mud. She had her bow, but the arrows looked to be also replaced.
"You left me here for three fucking months you awful person."
"I'm not a person, I'm a dragon, and I came to get you, you should be thankful I could have left you here indefinitely."
"You also lied to me. She was a person, a lizard person, but a person." Parker snarled.
"Low born swine lizard people are, and she's an attempted assassin darling, never forget these creatures are deadly even if they can in theory speak though I doubt such a gutteral being ever learned speech." Clarissa was angry about how Parker spoke about Izu, the level of disdain in her voice was palpable.
"Well she's dead now so can I go now?"
"Not yet darling stop being in such a rush, show me her body I want to see the corpse of the thing that attacked me." Clarissa sighed and lead Parker through the jungle. It took an hour to reach the site of a waterfall, there was green blood leading up to a cliff.
"Well that's where she went down, she and I had been waging a war here, but I got her here, and over the side she went." Parker frowned, looking to the cliff she could see no body.
"I said a body my dear, not where you think you killed her." She turned to face Clarissa and took three arrows to the face.
"I'm not climbing down there to find her body, if you want it you do it, but for me I just want to go home." Parker sighed and waved her hand, a portal emerged in ether.
"Fine my darling fine, you can go I'll send a servant to..." Clarissa fired three arrows into Parker before she could finish admonishing the girl, Izu emerged from the river where she'd been hiding and lopped her head off and kicked her body off the cliff and into the underbrush below.
"Good lord that darling crap is annoying." Clarissa doubted the dragon killing plan Izu had would work, she couldn't doubt the result.
"Quick before the portal closes." Izu and Clarissa leapt through the portal and found themselves along side the highway outside of Ellensburgh, it was freezing as both women were dressed for the jungle, and it was very much winter.
"I don't get it we've been in there months, how is it still winter?"
"Maybe its a late winter?" Clarissa was about to respond when a hearse pulled up to them.
"It's a bit cold to be dressed for an anime convention girls." Clarence Timms was a surprise for Clarissa to see, but she was happy of all people to run across Izu and herself it was someone at least associated with Gordon.
"Long story Revered can we get a ride?"
"Yes you can, in fact I was going to see your boss, come on in."
****
"I'm still confused by this Miss Parker." Parker sat in the back of her limo smiling. Her associate Richards some kind of troll kin that Parker never understood or cared to ask about sat nervously across from her.
"The exterminator knew what I was, it was worth it to throw her off that I'm still around."
"You think she'll tell Dunkley?"
"Probably, not that it matters, what he's got will kill him soon enough, there's a reason I never go into those forests."
"And then?"
"And then we kill his assistant and assume no one will get in the way of our plan Darling, inform the rest of the council to proceed as planned." Richards left and Parker smiled to herself, briefly touching the place where the lizard creature had beheaded her. She could imagine all kinds of awful things to do to the creature and Clarissa, and couldn't wait to show them.
Friday, February 9, 2018
Early Retirement
56.
Clarissa could not tell if she was hunting her prey or it was hunting her. She had awoken in a jungle with a note telling her to aim for the head and water. To say she was angry as Ms Parker was an understatement. The jungle was hot, she'd had to ditch her work jump suit and was contemplating taking her pants off. She hadn't run across any animals or even insects, but she could feel the eyes of whatever she was intended on killing upon her. It was how trees and plants would be moving before she got there. Every clump of trees felt like an ambush, she wished Gilbert was there, she figured he had experience killing whatever Ms Parker had intended on her to kill. Clarissa heard a branch snap behind her and turned with her bow and arrow drawn, she felt the blade press against her neck but the strike didn't come.
"So my retirement has finally come." The creature appeared female based on hair and chest, but she wore clothes made of several types of creatures it was hard to distinguish features. The blade she had at Clarissa's neck also looked to have been made from a creature.
"I'm surprised you speak." Clarissa didn't know if she should fire, her instincts told her not to.
"It's been a while, but I remember words, that's a nice bow, shame your shot is off." Clarissa went to look at her bow and quickly found herself on the ground with the sword pressed against her throat.
"I guess you're going to kill me now." There was a moment, and then the creature sheathed her blade and held her hand out.
"No, I hunt monsters, but you are not one, though I suspect one sent you here." Clarissa accepted the hand and got to her feet.
"Where is here anyway?"
"I was hoping you'd know." The creature laughed, which prompted Clarissa to laugh.
****
"So Ms Parker sent you here to?" Izu, the creature who was like some kind of lizard person with her armor off gave Clarissa a side ways glance.
"Parker? No don't know a Parker, I know a big red dragon I was after who opened a portal and chucked my ass inside, that I do know."
"I'm just surprised you speak English."
"I'm from Michigan if you can believe it, now admittedly I'm not human like you are, but not all things inhuman are horrible killers." Izu had taken Clarissa to her camp, a small space carved in the jungle with a fire and some basic food, Clarissa turned down the food it looked not appetizing.
"You're wearing the skins of several creatures, some I recognize some I've never seen." Izu chuckled.
"I guess you're correct, though seeing as you came here with an elven bow that smells of death well I guess we're both a like in that regard, well except I've got experience, you, you were easily fooled by me telling you you're aim was off."
"I'm just an assistant."
"Where's you're boss? Lining up a shot on me?"
"No, he's back in Ellensburgh." Izu looked up for a moment as if trying to remember something.
"Dunkley, he was out of that town, I remember, ran into him in Ohio once, tried to kill me too, GD Exterminators, I guess I should be flattered."
"So are you one of us or something?"
"Somewhat, I was an artist once, painted things, lived in tunnels, its where Dunkley found me, there were bodies all over Ohio, some creature deep underground killing them, Dunkley like you didn't pull the trigger, too human looking I guess, helped him find the real creature deeper underground, helped him end it, got a taste at the time, felt I could do some good looking for things in the dark. My mistake of course was going after that damn dragon."
"Parker."
"Yeah you said that's her name, yeah it was like my second thing I was sent to do, little midget bastard turned me on to her, said she killed his whole family. I even had the jump on her if you can believe that, but she got me in her jaws and I thought I was done, and then I woke up here."
"Did you kill everything here or something?"
"Nothing is here normally, Parker I guess sends stuff to me, at first I figured it was to kill me, over the years I've come to think of it more as a clean up and amusement, but I guess I've out lived my usefulness, or you have."
"Probably a bit of both."
"Dragon's are probably assholes like that."
"Seems that way, so are you going to kill me?"
"Nah you wouldn't make a very good arm band, and I need a new one." Izu smiled, "Though I will do one thing for you, and that's teach you how to use a blade, I could have killed you a couple times and that's being generous, you need to be smarter if you're going to kill your dragon." Izu rummaged through her camp and pulled out another creature sword and handed it over to Clarissa.
"What do you want me to do first?" Izu took up her own blade and held it up to Clarissa.
"Well to start out, try and kill me, and we'll work our way from there."
Clarissa could not tell if she was hunting her prey or it was hunting her. She had awoken in a jungle with a note telling her to aim for the head and water. To say she was angry as Ms Parker was an understatement. The jungle was hot, she'd had to ditch her work jump suit and was contemplating taking her pants off. She hadn't run across any animals or even insects, but she could feel the eyes of whatever she was intended on killing upon her. It was how trees and plants would be moving before she got there. Every clump of trees felt like an ambush, she wished Gilbert was there, she figured he had experience killing whatever Ms Parker had intended on her to kill. Clarissa heard a branch snap behind her and turned with her bow and arrow drawn, she felt the blade press against her neck but the strike didn't come.
"So my retirement has finally come." The creature appeared female based on hair and chest, but she wore clothes made of several types of creatures it was hard to distinguish features. The blade she had at Clarissa's neck also looked to have been made from a creature.
"I'm surprised you speak." Clarissa didn't know if she should fire, her instincts told her not to.
"It's been a while, but I remember words, that's a nice bow, shame your shot is off." Clarissa went to look at her bow and quickly found herself on the ground with the sword pressed against her throat.
"I guess you're going to kill me now." There was a moment, and then the creature sheathed her blade and held her hand out.
"No, I hunt monsters, but you are not one, though I suspect one sent you here." Clarissa accepted the hand and got to her feet.
"Where is here anyway?"
"I was hoping you'd know." The creature laughed, which prompted Clarissa to laugh.
****
"So Ms Parker sent you here to?" Izu, the creature who was like some kind of lizard person with her armor off gave Clarissa a side ways glance.
"Parker? No don't know a Parker, I know a big red dragon I was after who opened a portal and chucked my ass inside, that I do know."
"I'm just surprised you speak English."
"I'm from Michigan if you can believe it, now admittedly I'm not human like you are, but not all things inhuman are horrible killers." Izu had taken Clarissa to her camp, a small space carved in the jungle with a fire and some basic food, Clarissa turned down the food it looked not appetizing.
"You're wearing the skins of several creatures, some I recognize some I've never seen." Izu chuckled.
"I guess you're correct, though seeing as you came here with an elven bow that smells of death well I guess we're both a like in that regard, well except I've got experience, you, you were easily fooled by me telling you you're aim was off."
"I'm just an assistant."
"Where's you're boss? Lining up a shot on me?"
"No, he's back in Ellensburgh." Izu looked up for a moment as if trying to remember something.
"Dunkley, he was out of that town, I remember, ran into him in Ohio once, tried to kill me too, GD Exterminators, I guess I should be flattered."
"So are you one of us or something?"
"Somewhat, I was an artist once, painted things, lived in tunnels, its where Dunkley found me, there were bodies all over Ohio, some creature deep underground killing them, Dunkley like you didn't pull the trigger, too human looking I guess, helped him find the real creature deeper underground, helped him end it, got a taste at the time, felt I could do some good looking for things in the dark. My mistake of course was going after that damn dragon."
"Parker."
"Yeah you said that's her name, yeah it was like my second thing I was sent to do, little midget bastard turned me on to her, said she killed his whole family. I even had the jump on her if you can believe that, but she got me in her jaws and I thought I was done, and then I woke up here."
"Did you kill everything here or something?"
"Nothing is here normally, Parker I guess sends stuff to me, at first I figured it was to kill me, over the years I've come to think of it more as a clean up and amusement, but I guess I've out lived my usefulness, or you have."
"Probably a bit of both."
"Dragon's are probably assholes like that."
"Seems that way, so are you going to kill me?"
"Nah you wouldn't make a very good arm band, and I need a new one." Izu smiled, "Though I will do one thing for you, and that's teach you how to use a blade, I could have killed you a couple times and that's being generous, you need to be smarter if you're going to kill your dragon." Izu rummaged through her camp and pulled out another creature sword and handed it over to Clarissa.
"What do you want me to do first?" Izu took up her own blade and held it up to Clarissa.
"Well to start out, try and kill me, and we'll work our way from there."
Friday, February 2, 2018
Fire Red And Ready To Go
55.
Clarissa was minding the office by herself. She hadn't felt confident enough to confront Gilbert about what the creature had told her. To be fair to her she hadn't felt good ever since she'd vomitted the creature back out. So when Gilbert and Doris said they were going to pick up some supplies and she could stay behind at the office she took the opportunity to not be out. It had been a fairly slow cold day and she figured no one would be coming in, not with crappy snow drift laden Ellensburg in February.
"Turn that frown upside down." Ms. Parker showing up was a surprise, that she was dressed like she'd just come from a cocktail party in a place a lot warmer than Ellensburg was even more of a surprise. She appeared even younger than she had before, which made sense since Gilbert had said she can look like however she feels.
"Miss Parker?" Clarissa suddenly felt very unprepared.
"You say that like I'm your teacher dear, I'm not your teacher, I'm your client, and I need your help."
"Gilbert isn't here."
"Of course he isn't my dear, but that's ok, you're developing quite the reputation yourself killer of dark forests, I see the news, so you're just perfect, I'll even pay double for the trouble." She smiled and her teeth were gold, not golden capped, but gold, with the rest of her appearance Clarissa couldn't figure if she just didn't care, or she wanted people to stop and stare.
"I'm not sure..." Ms. Parker grabbed Clarissa's hand and she could feel a heat there that was bordering on the unpleasant.
"Not exactly asking sweety, gather your things and leave a note." Her tone had changed from playful to commanding and Clarissa knew she couldn't fight back against a dragon. Clarissa wrote a hastily worded note about doing a quick job and she'd be back later, she didn't mention it was for Ms. Parker not wanting to hear Gilbert's anger when she got back. Once outside she saw Ms. Parker's car which was a large red limousine.
"Standing out a little bit?"
"I like to travel in style." Clarissa noted there was no driver, but it wouldn't have surprised her if there wasn't actually a car either.
****
"You didn't tell me what I need to kill for you." They had left town speeding beyond the limit, Ms. Parker did not seem concerned. Clarissa had to look away.
"Right, not so much a what, more a who."
"I'm not a murderer Ms. Parker."
"Of course you are dear, you tend to think of things like me as 'people' but you kill them all the same, make of that what you will, but worry not I don't need you to kill a person, well not a human person, but don't worry my dear we have a while to go, maybe you should rest until we get there." Clarissa was about to say she didn't feel tired, but before she could say it she was overcome with sleep.
****
"So he left the lights and the heat on after she left, that girl has a lot to answer for when she gets back." Gilbert was very upset Clarissa wasn't there, even more so when her note just said she'd taken a job and she'd be back shortly. The office was still lit up, the heat was on, and she hadn't even bothered to flip the sign from open to close.
"She's young Gilbert."
"Doris I don't need you standing up for her, and I swear to god if you're smoking in here again I'm going to dock your pay."
"Wasn't me, maybe it was Clarissa, but maybe you should calm down Gilbert? You've been really agitated."
"I already get that crap from her I don't need it from you, I'm going in my office, tell me when she bothers to come back again." Gilbert stomped off and Doris found herself wondering what was wrong with the man. She was also worrying about Clarissa, the note felt too rushed, but she knew shouldn't talk to Gilbert about it, not when he was in the mood he was in. So she sat at the desk and hoped things would work out.
Clarissa was minding the office by herself. She hadn't felt confident enough to confront Gilbert about what the creature had told her. To be fair to her she hadn't felt good ever since she'd vomitted the creature back out. So when Gilbert and Doris said they were going to pick up some supplies and she could stay behind at the office she took the opportunity to not be out. It had been a fairly slow cold day and she figured no one would be coming in, not with crappy snow drift laden Ellensburg in February.
"Turn that frown upside down." Ms. Parker showing up was a surprise, that she was dressed like she'd just come from a cocktail party in a place a lot warmer than Ellensburg was even more of a surprise. She appeared even younger than she had before, which made sense since Gilbert had said she can look like however she feels.
"Miss Parker?" Clarissa suddenly felt very unprepared.
"You say that like I'm your teacher dear, I'm not your teacher, I'm your client, and I need your help."
"Gilbert isn't here."
"Of course he isn't my dear, but that's ok, you're developing quite the reputation yourself killer of dark forests, I see the news, so you're just perfect, I'll even pay double for the trouble." She smiled and her teeth were gold, not golden capped, but gold, with the rest of her appearance Clarissa couldn't figure if she just didn't care, or she wanted people to stop and stare.
"I'm not sure..." Ms. Parker grabbed Clarissa's hand and she could feel a heat there that was bordering on the unpleasant.
"Not exactly asking sweety, gather your things and leave a note." Her tone had changed from playful to commanding and Clarissa knew she couldn't fight back against a dragon. Clarissa wrote a hastily worded note about doing a quick job and she'd be back later, she didn't mention it was for Ms. Parker not wanting to hear Gilbert's anger when she got back. Once outside she saw Ms. Parker's car which was a large red limousine.
"Standing out a little bit?"
"I like to travel in style." Clarissa noted there was no driver, but it wouldn't have surprised her if there wasn't actually a car either.
****
"You didn't tell me what I need to kill for you." They had left town speeding beyond the limit, Ms. Parker did not seem concerned. Clarissa had to look away.
"Right, not so much a what, more a who."
"I'm not a murderer Ms. Parker."
"Of course you are dear, you tend to think of things like me as 'people' but you kill them all the same, make of that what you will, but worry not I don't need you to kill a person, well not a human person, but don't worry my dear we have a while to go, maybe you should rest until we get there." Clarissa was about to say she didn't feel tired, but before she could say it she was overcome with sleep.
****
"So he left the lights and the heat on after she left, that girl has a lot to answer for when she gets back." Gilbert was very upset Clarissa wasn't there, even more so when her note just said she'd taken a job and she'd be back shortly. The office was still lit up, the heat was on, and she hadn't even bothered to flip the sign from open to close.
"She's young Gilbert."
"Doris I don't need you standing up for her, and I swear to god if you're smoking in here again I'm going to dock your pay."
"Wasn't me, maybe it was Clarissa, but maybe you should calm down Gilbert? You've been really agitated."
"I already get that crap from her I don't need it from you, I'm going in my office, tell me when she bothers to come back again." Gilbert stomped off and Doris found herself wondering what was wrong with the man. She was also worrying about Clarissa, the note felt too rushed, but she knew shouldn't talk to Gilbert about it, not when he was in the mood he was in. So she sat at the desk and hoped things would work out.
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