I'm a Missionary and I'm Working Off a Curse (Final)

Part 1 l Part 2 l Part 3 l Part 4 l Part 5 l Part 6 l Part 7 l Part 8 l Part 9

I pulled out the gauze and started unrolling them, “Take off your shirt,” I instructed, speaking to the barely awake Rasper.

Rasper chuckled, “Normally need tah get me dinner ‘fore we get there.” 

“Ha-Ha,” I scoffed before I paused for a moment, recalling that Rasper was, or at least claimed to be, a Spartan.

Rasper tugged his shirt up, revealing the large wound in his back and belly.  He had been completely run through.

I shook my head, “You need a hospital. All I can do is keep the blood inside you but you’re going to bleed out or bleed internally.  Either way.”

“Wot we’d call a mortal wound in my day,” Rasper laughed, “Though, for me it’s just pain… like everything else I deal wit.”

I wrapped his torso up, at least getting him away from the puddle of blood, and sitting him down on a chair, “Just… wait here, try not to pass out, I’ll call someone.”

Before I could grab my phone, Rasper’s hand gripped my wrist tightly, “Papist, yer a good field medic, I give yah dat. But yah about as observant as a bloody rock.”

I paused, “Huh?”

Rasper groaned and shifted in his seat, “Not sure if yah noticed, but uh… I ain’t yer typical mortal,” he placed his hand on his wound, as I watched red flames pulse around his hand, “I can heal up well enough.  Just a bit o’ a shock tah feel a blade in me guts.”

“A bit of a shock?!” I shouted, “You were run through, who knows how perforated your intestines are?!” 

Rasper nodded, “Aye, probably are, or were.  But, as I said: this is just me mortal shell,” he said, almost in agitation, “The meat sack I’m stuck in ‘til me coven can be convened again.” 

“Coven?” I asked.

“Aye,” Rasper said as he relaxed slightly, and I saw the color slowly returning to his face, “Me brother and sisters in arms, taken in by the Great King of Macedonia,” his face fell, “And defeated by my new master.”

“New Master?  Ragna?” I asked.

“Me souls split between two owners, one is Ragna and she’s…” Rasper scoffed, “Well, yah seen dat one.  Grand designs and goals, ends up forgettin’ people are individuals and don’t tend to like being corralled,” he looked up to me, “She seems to tink folk are just gonna behave like sheep, long as she feeds em, clothes em, and puts a roof ov’r dere ‘eads.” 

“I mean… a whole lot of strife comes from people struggling to get those things,” I countered.

“Aye, I agree,” Rasper chuckled, “But eventually, folk go from complacent to dissent from the control. Eventually, yah exchange enough freedom fer comfort, dey gonna snap.” 

Cassara groaned behind me.  

I rushed over to her, “Cassara, are you okay?”

Cassara grunted, “No,” she huffed, “I got my ass kicked.”

“Mornin’ Sunshine!” Rasper called out to her.

Cassara narrowed her eyes on Rasper, “The fuck happened to you?” she grinned as she looked at me, “Did David hulk out and smash your face in?”

“Nah, got me Mistress in a mood. She had Madison give me a new hole,” he pointed to his stomach.

Cassara frowned, “You just let her?”

“Wasn’t anticipatin’ friendly fire, but,” Rasper shrugged, “Probably should ‘ave.  Hard to plot against someone who has yer soul in her clutches.”

“She seems to do that a lot,” Cassara added, “Thus why I don’t want to run to her version of Penthesil anytime soon.”

“Don’t blame yah,” Rasper grinned, “By the by, even tho yah ate shit yah did good fer yah first time speakin’ with the flames.” 

Cassara groaned, “Yeah, uh,” she shook her head, “They don’t talk back, that normal?”

“Yah don’t speak wit yer words, dey don’t answer back wit ‘em,” Rasper said as he patted his chest, “gotta reach out to ‘em wit yer heart.  It’s how da spirits work.”

I closed my eyes, attempting to see how well that would work, only to hear Ragna’s message to Sofia, on a loop, within the horrific flames of Esmeralda’s fire.  “Fuck!” I shouted, shaking my head.

“Yeah, dat’s a nasty curse on yah,” Rasper explained.

“Can you remove it?” Cassara asked, “While you are her servant you don’t seem to be a huge fan of Ragna.”

“Short answer fer yah on both: No, and yah,” Rasper said as he stood up slowly, “I can’t undo the will of me mistress, despite me hatin’ the cunt ain’t much else aye can do tah stop her will, ‘cause of the pact.”

“Maybe we can find a way around the pact?” I asked, “What is it?”

Rasper chuckled, “Papist, when a deal is struck on yer soul yah can’t do anything that would directly affect the desires o’ yer masta or mistress.  That lil’ stunt I did was only wit ‘er permission.  Though, I’m thinkin’ she realized pretty early into the fight that I had pulled a fast one on ‘er, thus the back-stab fer a back-stab.”

“You’re playing that pretty fast and loose,” Cassara said as she slowly got to her feet, “What if she killed you?” 

Rasper chuckled again, “She ain’t gonna kill me anytime soon.  When me coven is reconvened, she gains a bit of a power boost.  Resistance to elemental magics and the like, which, fer her, means an actual strength gain.”

“Awesome,” I said, rubbing the back of my neck, “I felt how strong she is now.”

“If yah tink she was usin’ ‘er full strength to throttle yah, yer off by several orders o’ magnitude on what that beastly bitch can do,” Rasper said as he pulled his shirt down.

“Great,” I frowned, turning to Cassara who appeared winded, “Cass, you okay?”

“Fuck, no,” Cassara rubbed her head, “I feel like I’ve been drinking for three days straight.”

“Yah weren’t used to the fire minglin’ wit yer aura and empowerin’ yer body,” Rasper said, “Yah sufferin’ a bit o’ Mana poisoning.”

I turned to him, “Mana Poisoning?”

“Physical bodies can tolerate a lot, some more than others.  Your aura shifts through yer body constantly enough, it’s what keeps it alive,” Rasper said as he stretched, flinching, “but… too much and yah can feel a bit overworked.”

Cassara sighed, “How do I get better at that?  You clearly have it down pat.”

“Gotta train, expand yer tolerance fer mana,” Rasper explained, “Though if I were you, I’d refrain from any magic for a few days.”

“Gee, thanks,” Cassara groaned, “I’ll do that, I guess.”

“How did you master this?” I asked.

“I ‘ave it mastered ‘cause I’m a fire titan, trapped in a mortal shell,” Rasper explained, looking rather agitated by the whole concept.  “I cannot wait to return to my pure flames.  No more being a physical being all the damn time, just a projection if I don’t wanna burn everyt'ing down ‘round me.”

“Projection?” I questioned.

“Is it like the weapons we pulled out of the flames?” Cassara inquired, “The projection?  It felt like I was just asking the spirits to make something for me.”

Rasper nodded, “Yeah, just like dat.  Spiritual creatures can manifest physical creations, with enough focus and mana.  It’s intensive, sure, but yah ‘ave more control over the projection than normal.  Still, a physical weapon, empowered with an aura, is the preferred choice.”

Cassara leaned against the wall, “Yeah.  Got it.  So why did you want me to make one?”

“Cause it’s a step in da right direction,” Rasper explained, “If da spirits got yer back and like yah nuff, a projection is a good measure o’ dat.”

I looked to Rasper and then back to Cassara, “Uh, so I have some questions, and I’m going to ask because, right now I’m kind of… hindered.”

Rasper chuckled to me, “Don’t beat round da bush, kiddo.  Wot yah want?”

“Can you train her on how to use her fire?” I asked.

“Fuck you, David!” Cassara growled, “I can figure it out!”

“You lit your hospital room on fire while having a nightmare,” I reminded Cassara, recalling the first time I had seen her use her fire abilities.

Cassara turned from me and glared at the wall, crossing her arms in a huff.

“Aye,” Rasper said, “I wouldn’t mind a pupil,” he grinned, “Tho I can’t elp yah wit the white ones.”

“White ones?” I asked.

“The white spirits, you mean?” Cassara asked, “they felt… different,” Cassara said, “A bit more comfortable than the blue ones.”

Rasper nodded, “Spirits ain’t just one ting.  Color’s indicates their alignment.  Blue flames are fires of resolve, red o’ passion, yellow are fires of nature while green are fires which burn from earth elements.”

“What about white and black?” I asked, recalling the black and violet flames Esmeralda used.

“White and Black are flames of Holy and Chaos,” Rasper informed, “Holy ones are easy nuff… tho risky.  Flames of justice, retribution, and order.  Fire that illuminates da darkness.”

“Why is that risky?” Cassara asked.

“Cause when yah burn bright, yah cast a longer shadow,” Rasper informed, “When yah get holy light, yah cast light upon the void.  Upon the Old Ones.”

“Old Ones?” I asked, feeling a chill at the term.

“Before dis universe was created der was nothin’ but entropy, and entropy likes nothing,” Rasper explained, “Yah know how nature abhors a vacuum?”

I nodded, “I’ve heard that before.”

“Well the vacuum abhors nature,” Rasper informed, “First we ‘ad the void.  Then when the creators said ‘Let dere be light’, well… the void didn’t much like dat.  So the Old Ones appeared, or reappeared.  Could ‘ave always been here, just restin’ in the darkness at peace.”  Rasper explained.

“And, what sort of creatures were these old ones?” Cassara asked.

“Creatures which only wanted to return things back to the void,” Rasper explained, “Creatures of entropy and destruction.  Their only goal is to return tah stillness.”

“Are they powerful?” Cassara asked.

Rasper laughed, “I’ll put it like dis: the creators had to make constructs the size o’ planets to fight back the Old Ones,” he turned to me, “And one of those constructs empowered yer Angel Sofia wit a fraction of it’s power.”

I shuttered, “Uh… It being?”

“Dat would be Samael,” Rasper scoffed, “The Venom of God.  Originally made to fight back Old Ones and move planets.  An angelic construct and Angel of Thrones.” 

Cassara looked at me, “What kind of Angel is that?”

“You know when someone says ‘Biblically Accurate Angels’” I lead, “Those.”

“Those like, big multi-eyed monstrosities on the internet?” Cassara asked.

I just nodded.

“So, an Old One is… very bad,” I added, with a frown, “They aren’t… like… around are they?”

“Dey always around.  Use too much light in the darkness, and yah ‘ave a chance tah find one. Some people seek dem out, wishing to return tah stillness as well,” Rasper shook his head, “I know one of ‘em… Not always the sanest folk.”

“Sounds suicidal,” Cassara added.

“Dat would be the ticket, wouldn’t it?” Rasper sighed.

“Have you ever run afoul of one of these ‘Old Ones’?” I asked.

Rasper shook his head, “Me?  Nah.  Me Mistress, ‘owever?  Yeah.”

“Ragna met an old one?” Cassara asked.

“Heck, dat’s where Ragna got ‘er ‘God Hunter’ title,” Rasper clarified. 

“Uh, sorry that would imply that Ragna killed an Old One,” I chuckled, “That’s, That didn’t happen did it?”

Rasper grinned at me slowly, “Oh yeah.  She met an old one, and sent it screamin’ back to da void.  She also did the same to a number of demons and angels alike.”

Cassara frowned, “She has killed every kind of supernatural creature?”

“Just about,” Rasper said with a grin, “an just about every kind of mortal creature.” 

“Was almost me,” I said, rubbing my neck again.

Cassara turned to me, “Sorry, what?”

“Oh!” Rasper laughed loudly, “Dat was the funniest shit!  If they ‘adn’t already been ripped open, I’d have busted a gut!”

Cassara looked at Rasper, “Spill. What did Ragna do to David?”

Rasper grinned, “Dis one ‘ere, after seein’ Ragna given’ orders and such, called ‘er out, and said, and I quote:” Rasper cleared his throat, doing the best ‘American’ accent he could, “‘Do you do anything yourself, or do you just have your servants do it for you’.” 

“No, fucking, way,” Cassara said as she turned to me, lifting her fist up to me, “David!  You grew a pair!”

I felt my cheeks grow warm as I hit her fist  with mine, “Uh, it did almost get me killed.”

“Almost,” Cassara added with a laugh, “But you’re still here!  And a certified badass for back-talking the Empress of Penthesil and Daughter of the fucking Devil.  Seriously, David… I’m proud of you.”

“I’m in agreement on dat,” Rasper chuckled, “but, you two got some shit tah figure out,” Rasper said as he pointed to me, “Namely getting dat curse removed.  Yer mistress outta get dat off yah in a jiff.”

“I, uh,” I cleared my throat, “I don’t have a good way of contacting Sofia, honestly.”

“Well, ain’t dat a bitch,” Rasper said as he turned to Cassara, “Den I guess yer gonna hafta figure out yer holy flames den, girly.”

“Do not call me ‘Girly’,” Cassara quipped.

Rasper grinned, “Well ‘ow’s dis: When yah can best me in a fight, I’ll quit callin’ yah me lesser, eh?  I’m hard pressed fer good pupils anyway, and,” Rasper grinned, “Mistress Ragna don’t seem to care one way or the other on yah, so dat means iffin’ I happen to have a pupil to train, and it ‘appens to be you, I can do it plenty.”

Cassara lifted her eyebrow, “Pardon?”

“Once a week,” Rasper said, tossing a small red gem to her, “Yah tap dat.  I’ll feel it, and we can have a training session.” 

Cassara caught the gem, glancing at it and then to Rasper, “...And you’re doing this, why?”

“Haven’t ‘ad a student in a long while,” Rasper’s frown grew, “Not since a young man named ‘Gen’, who got a bit too passionate fer his own good.”

“How so?” I asked.

“Boy ran afoul of me Master,” Rasper growled, “Got himself killed.”

“Is there a way we can free you?” Cassara asked, “So you can escape this Master of yours?”

“Last ting I want if I can get away from me Master is to flee,” Rasper’s gaze grew serious, “I’d want to be the one to kill ‘im, if I could.  Unlikely as it would be.”

Cassara cleared her throat, “Well, if you get your freedom feel free to let me in on that.”

“Nah,” Rasper said as a red flaming portal opened behind him to a rather neat looking bedroom, “I can’t lose another student.  I don’t mind if I go down, but Xyphiel’s too much for most, likely even me.  I just wanna go down fighting the bastard.”

I was about to say something, until a high pitched man’s voice called out from the bedroom.

“Rasper!?” I watched as a shorter, slender man with blond hair moved towards the portal, “Is that blood?  Are you hurt?!”

“Polities,” Rasper said, turning, “I’m fine.  I was just heading home.” 

The shorter man, Polities, rushed to Rasper, his hand touching Rasper’s torn shirt, “You’re fine?!  You’ve been stabbed! Look at this blood!  I’m going to call the hospital and-”

Rasper firmly grabbed Polities by the jaw and locked eyes with him.

I watched the shorter man wither and fall silent.

“If I was ‘urt, yah tink I’d be able to do dat?” Rasper said firmly.

Polities shook his head.

“Good.  Now, iffin’ yah wanna help, go be a dear an get a kettle on, yeah?  If I need anything it’s tea,” Rasper ordered.

Cassara rolled her eyes, “Brits.”

Rasper chuckled as he let go of Polities’s jaw.

Polities blushed, and chewed his lip before he took a step back, “Okay, as long as you’re safe, babe,” he turned and walked away.

“Uh, aren’t you though Spartan?” I asked, “And… ‘Babe’?”

Rasper chuckled, “I’ve lived a few lives, kid.  Once a Spartan, another as a soldier in ‘er Royal Majesty’s armed forces during da Great War,” he turned to me, “An’ usually when you’re doing things right, your other half call’s yah pet names,” he paused, turning to the puddle of blood, “oh, ‘fore I go,” he snapped his fingers.

In a burst of green flames, the puddle of blood burned away into green and red steam.

Before I could ask what just happened, Rasper walked into the portal as it closed behind him.

I was still confused, “but that other guy called him babe.”

“There are smaller villages of men around Penthesil,” Cassara said, getting to her feet, “Guessing that’s where Rasper’s laying his head,” Cassara chuckled, “Heh, phrasing.”

I blinked.

“Oh quit being a square,” Cassara sighed, moving to her bed, “by the way,” she turned to me, “Can you hand me one of my bottles of - Holy shit, David what the fuck!?”

I jumped, “what?”

“You fucking face!” Cassara said.

“What?  My face?” I ran to the bathroom, looking at my reflection.  

Where Esmeralda had struck me with the whip, was a deep long violet scar running from my cheek to chin.

Cassara walked in behind me, “What the fuck happened?”

“Esmeralda hit me,” I said, rubbing my cheek and flinching as the burning grew worse.

“Great,” Cassara sighed heavily, “Well, tomorrow is going to suck,” she narrowed her eyes at the scar on my cheek.

“Why?” I asked.

“Because we’re going to need to go see someone about that,” she said as she pulled out a bandage, pushing it onto my face.

“Who?” I asked.

Cassara sighed heavily, “Lydia.”

“Oh,” I shivered as I realized we hadn’t told her about Reginald yet, “Oh…”

…

The next day we were at Lydia's office.

Lydia had closed the doors, walking to her chair as she prepared a cigarette, “Interpole already swung by and told me what happened,” she heaved a sigh, her eyes closed, “Reginald, I hope you made up for all that red ink.”

Cassara nodded, “Yeah.  He was a good guy,” Cassara turned to me, “So, show her David.”

Lydia turned to me, her eyes glassy, “Show me what?”

I cleared my throat, and removed the bandage Cassara put on my face, revealing my scar.

Lydia’s eyes went wide, “Dios mío…” she walked over to me, her hand gingerly touching my skin, “maldición.”

“Yes, I know it’s a curse,” I sighed, “Do you know how to remove it?”

“I don’t know,” Lydia explained, thinking, “It may take me some time.  I might be able to, I might have to find someone else.”

Cassara took a deep breath, “Meaning you will need him here for a bit?” She asked.

Lydia nodded, “Yes.  Don’t think you can stay here by the way, because-”

“What if I filled in for Reginald,” Cassara said, looking at Lydia with a firm expression.

“Eh?!” Lydia exclaimed, eyes wide, “Why would you do that?”

“Because your girls need protection and can’t just not work,” Cassara heaved a sigh, “And I at least owe it to Reginald to make sure that they’re safe, right?”

“Well,” Lydia paused, “I mean a Valkyrie would be a suitable stand-in.”

“Hey!” Cassara snapped, “This is temporary, okay?  Maybe a few months of me doing Reginald’s job while you find a suitable replacement and I make sure they’re on the up and up, deal?”

Lydia considered as she took a deep inhale of her cigarette, blowing the smoke to the ceiling, “Okay… the two of you can take Reginald’s room,” she looked to Cassara, “My top girl, Miranda, you talk to her, and she’ll tell you who’s out tonight and who needs to be picked up.”

“I get it,” Cassara said, turning to me, “Besides, I think we could do with laying low for a bit.” 

I rubbed my cheek, and nodded, “Okay, fine.”

“Oh, and no preaching or converting my girls!” Lydia growled.

“Fine.  I’ll take a break from being a missionary,” I closed my eyes, sighing as the dark swirls of Esmeralda's curse blinded me, “for now.”