The Chaos Blade - Chapter 14

Chapter 14

They stepped onto a sandy beech that was unlike anything that they had ever seen before. Well, all except for Yamara. She had been there before, but it never ceased to amaze her. The solitude of the world was oppressive, even though animals, insects, fish, and other natural but non-sentient creatures flourished.

"What the hell?" Bill asked, staring around tropical paradise.

"Eric, what's going on? I don't remember eating any 'shrooms man!"

Eric just shook his head. Something bumped into him from behind then. Turning around he saw that it was Yamara, with Alesha's short sword in her hand. He felt relieved to see it and then concerned. He was the one charged with keeping it safe, he should have it in his possession, not her. Then again, he had not exactly done the best job when he had kept it.

"This must be where Kelnozz took Alesha!" Eric said as he suddenly realized where they were.

Bill opened his mouth to respond when they all heard a sudden intake of breath. Turning as one to Bill, they noticed that his eyes were dangerously close to popping out of his head. On top of that, his mouth had fallen open and might have reached the ground if his cheeks had not kept it attached to his head.

Following his gaze Eric saw a Goddess walking towards them with the most beautiful smile on her face he had ever seen an earthly women wear. She wore a simple brown tunic made from the hide of some animal native to the world and a matching pair of leather moccasins. In spite of the simplicity of the outfit, or perhaps because of it, she looked raw, natural, and bursting with exotic beauty. His eyes widened at how incredible she looked and he fought down the urge to fall to his knees and grovel before her. He did then as he always did when he had an unpleasant or unfamiliar emotion to deal with, he twisted it into anger and glared at her hatefully. This was the bitch that had corrupted and murdered at least hundreds of otherwise innocent people. The same one that teased and tormented him in his dreams.

"Knock it off, Cowboy, that's the prime evil bitch I told you about," Eric hissed at him. "She can suck the chrome off your hog without batting an eye, but she'd pull your soul out with it."

"I think I'd let her," he said quietly, staring at Alesha as she hurried over to them.

Yamara started forward, a guarded but happy expression on her face. Eric reached out and grabbed her arm, drawing a glare from her that nearly manifested itself in pins and needles poking him in the eyes. He endured it without expression and said to her, "We have her sword, don't be so quick to put it within her reach until we know more about her."

Yamara's look of annoyance grew, but she nodded. What Eric did not realize was that she was annoyed with herself for nearly making that mistake he had just warned her about. Very against her way of doing things. Apparently Alesha's beauty and charisma had affected even her. That and Yamara remembered how energetic and powerful there lovemaking had been the last time she was there.

Alesha stopped before them, smiling broadly at Yamara. Her eyes traveled down Yamara's body suggestively, then stopped when they saw the sword in her hand. She gasped slightly and brought one hand to her mouth nervously. Then she turned and looked more closely at Yamara's companions. Her eyes appraised Bill quickly and moved on. She stopped when she recognized Eric and further recognized the look in his eyes and stiffened up.

"You brought it back to me," she said, returning her gaze to Yamara.

"We did," Yamara answered coolly. "Do you still want it?"

Alesha took a deep breath before she answered. "I... I'm not sure anymore. Part of me does and part of me does not. I like it here, but I would give anything to leave. Yet I am terrified to leave for fear of what may happen to me."

"What may happen to you?" Eric asked coldly, refusing for even a second to let the incredible attraction she unconsciously oozed affect him.

"Bavorish may come for me," she said, meeting his gaze and, to a lesser effect, his tone. "Here I am safe from him, even if he himself journeyed here he would be powerless to do harm to me. On any other world I would be safer as well, but still his reach is wide and he may send his minions after me. Were I to return to Viconia I would be on his doorstep and surely he would come."

"We'd help you," Bill blurted out, blushing at his sudden outburst. Eric and Yamara both looked at him incredulously. "Well, I'd help you," he muttered upon seeing their reactions.

Alesha smiled sadly and asked him, "Who are you?"

Bill gushed nervously and brushed offered her his hand that was not holding his M-4 still. "Bill Williams, ma'am, at your service. Some people call me Cowboy though."

She smiled and shook his hand with the gentility of a brothel hostess. "Cowboy? Who calls you Cowboy?"

Bill blushed and nodded at Eric. "Mostly just him."

Alesha laughed a delighted little chuckle that had even Eric's ice cold heart warming up. He had to admit, she was good.

"I like Cowboy, it reminds me of Earth," she said to him. "So Cowboy you would help protect me from Bavorish? He is the same thing on Viconia that Satan is on Earth. Except he's worse. Satan and God, if either even exists, just sit back and let their worshippers do their own thing with no granted powers or anything. The Gods of Viconia give their followers powers. Great magic they can use to heal, hurt, or worse. Even more then just his magic is his armies and followers. Trapped inside that sword Yamara is holding is one of his minions, fairly powerful amongst them all but nowhere near the top. His name is Talifernon, and he is a demon that stands 12 feet tall and has four arms. Think you could fight him off to protect me?"

Bill puffed up his chest subconsciously and shrugged. Before he could make a further ass of himself Eric interrupted him. "If you're not sure if you even want your blade back, why did you send Yamara after it? After me? I am its sworn protector, it is my job to keep it out of your hands."

"Looks like you've done a great job holding onto it so far," She said sweetly to him.

Eric bristled at her remark but kept his calm. "Answer the question, damnit."

"I thought I wanted it back. I thought I was ready to try to get out of here," she explained. "Now that it is here and almost mine again, I have my doubts. I am scared. I did terrible things before, I don't want to do them again."

"If you wanted it so badly, you could just take it, from what they tell me about you, right?" Bill asked, trying to help her case and win her favor.

At any other time Eric might have chuckled at how juvenile Bill was acting. Right then and there, however, was not the time. Alesha, of all people came to the rescue.

"No," she said, staring alternately at Eric and Yamara. "I could not. In this place only things that are freely given may be taken."

Eric wondered why she had admitted as much. Either she was being genuine in her distress and confusion or perhaps instead she was trying to lull them into a false sense of security. An idea tripped in the back of his head and he nearly grinned at the thought of it. Time to see her true nature.

"Your brother is dead," he said calmly.

Alesha blinked a few times, off balance at the news. Finally she simply asked, "How?"

"I killed him after he raped a child and then killed both her and her sister that he ensorcelled into performing an incestuous act. The ritual was designed to open a portal to here so he could come and rescue you." Yamara said. She was on the same mental path Eric was, apparently, her old suspicious nature rising.

Alesha nodded and walked over to bar stool and sat down, the slit up the side of her dress exposing a criminal amount of leg. She sighed. "I was afraid he would do something like that. More innocent blood on my head." She blinked back tears and refused to look at any of them for several long minutes.

Finally she looked back at them, the warm and happy expression from earlier gone. In its place was a somber mask. "I'm sorry to do this to you all, especially you, Yamara, but do you mind if I have some time by myself. I need to think about all this."

The three looked at each other, each shrugging in his or her own way. Seeing this, Alesha smiled a sad thanks and got up. She wandered along the beach until she passed around a small point and disappeared.

"Jesus man, you never told me she looked like that!" Bill said when she was finally gone. He still stared after her.

"Easy Cowboy, that's one filly you don't want any of. She'll fuck you so good you think you died and went to heaven. Only problem is, the reality is that you're in hell." Eric returned. He turned to look at Yamara then, wondering what her response to it all was.

She looked at him, her face an impassive mask. Finally she seemed to make a decision. She raised the sword up to him and said, "Here, take this. You vowed to protect it, I leave it in your care again. You hate her more then anyone else here, but you won't let that color your judgment of her I don't think."

Eric took the sword and slipped it into his belt. Any sudden movements would probably cause the razor sharp edge to cut through the leather of his belt, but he figured if he was careful it should be okay. He nodded to her, glad to once again have it in his possession, even if he was not sure whether he really deserved it or not anymore.

"I need a beer," Eric muttered, glancing around and wishing the world was not all but abandoned.

Bill nodded absentmindedly, still watching the beach where Alesha's footprints led off too. Yamara stood uncertainly for a few minutes, trying to figure out what to do, then she headed off into the woods. Caught up in their own thoughts, neither Eric nor Bill noticed where she had gone to specifically.

Continued in Chapter 15

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