I rolled to the side as the Mask bit at , not caring as my knife sliced at her throat. Fangs closed an inch away from my cheek as I moved to the side, landing on the marble and imdiately getting underneath the table.
The Mask made the mistake of trying to stand, and paid for it as the wave of water crashed down on her, smashing into her head and forcing her back down. Above , the wood of the table shuddered, then broke. Wood ca down on , but nowhere near as hard as that wave of water would. I was on my feet in seconds, for all the good it did .
The others had vanished from the tavern, banished from my subconscious, or possibly fled. The latter, if any of them were smart. The wise choice considering what had landed in the tavern.
Three faces stared down at , one my own, frozen into a sneer, another a goat’s made of glass with smoldering red eyes, and the third a fanged fish made of black, flaky stone. Four arms pushed against the marble floor, stone cracking as it drew itself to a height easily twice my own, tails snaking across the floor as bones pushed their way out of wrists, forming into blades.
Multiple tongues lashed the air as the Queen of Masks eyes swiveled, taking in all of the replica’s interior.
“Well,” a half-dozen voices sang in a unison that sounded like stone being dragged across broken glass. “A duo/pair/two of you//it. Of the things/possibilities/wants I/we/he/she expected/anticipated, this was not one of them.”
“Likewise,” I muttered, wincing as the insides of my ears felt like thin needles were poking inside. “Please tell I did not sound like that when I was empowered by the Diabolism.”
Blanks stares from four faces t mine. Right, neither of these two had even been aware. Probably.
“So,” The Queen of Masks said. “You two have been busy enjoying a drink/conversation/al without ?”
I traded a look with the Mask, and was glad that she seed as unnerved at this thing being here as I was. Okay, the Hells was this thing? So kind of diabolic parasite that had latched onto my soul in the Hells? The Imp hadn’t noticed a thing, although that could just an it considered this thing another way out of the deal forced on it. Overpowering so easily inside the Circle was strange but not outside the realm of possibility. I had been drained of diabolic power and was mostly mortal when this thing had subsud .
Alberta Vesper might be the most trustworthy source I had for figuring out what this was. Assuming I lived long enough to et with her again.
“No words/greetings/hellos for ?” The Queen of Masks said, glass face shifting suddenly to an exaggerated pout. “I/we/she thought/think/believed we were more polite/cordial than that.”
“Introductions do co from the hostess first don’t they?” I mused, eting her gaze levelly. “Fine then. Malvia Harrow, sotis Katheryn Falaras, forrly Lily Xang. Maybe that again, soday.”
That got a snort from the Mask, which I ignored. Of course, it would be derisive of that. In truth, though, what had abandoning that na been but letting them take that from as well?
Still, I liked Malvia Harrow.
“This is my mask,” I said, gesturing towards it. “Apologies, we were just having a disagreent over aspects of my life. Would you mind returning the favor then and letting us know who you are?”
The middle face morphed, away from that ridiculously exaggerated pout and towards a smug expression begging for a punch in the face. Please let that not be an expression that had ever been on my face.
“I am your/our/her future/destination/pathway,” It said, then refused to elaborate.
I raised an eyebrow. “Well, while I hate to doubt guests, ti magic is generally inaccurate at best when not leveraged over an extrely short window of ti. And while that might describe what could occur before I awaken, it hasn’t happened yet. Are you a creation of the fey realms perh-”
“I am your future!” It shrieked, making wince as I felt sothing leak out of my ears. “If you choose/decide not to believe /us/we, you will be convinced by other-”
The floor lurched underneath it, turned to liquid as it suddenly sank up its knees, liquified marble tossed about by its struggles, while forming arms of stone that grasped for its arms. Most of them shattered as the Queen of Masks writhed and made it to solid ground.
Finally, The Imp shrieked as chunks of stone in the walls shook, moving from side to side as its voice traveled down from the ocean-ceiling above. We can end this.
The Queen of Masks sent a bone-sabre into the wall, hellfire igniting along its length. An outraged yelp from the imp as part of the wall ramd forward, smashing into the glass face.
“So, three beings of questionable sanity between and waking up,” I muttered to myself. “Assuming that my waking is tied to you and not so other chanism related to the diabolism.”
Right, three entities, none of whom seed particularly eager to talk to , at least one of which was foreign to my body and souls. Probably two. Likely two. I couldn’t even begin to guess what the Queen of Masks was if she had arisen from . That nonsense about being my future stank of falsehood.
The butterfly joined and the Mask, fluttering down onto the table between us.
“I don’t suppose you have a thought or a suggestion?” I asked it.
“Yes, you should-” The Mask halted, realizing that I hadn’t been talking to her and started at with narrowed eyes before hissing, “You are consulting an insect for help. Think on that for a second before deciding you’re the most rational one here.”
A retort was on my lips about how animals in fey realms generally weren’t what they seed when the other two people in the room decided to interrupt.
Tables shattered like matchsticks as the Queen of Masks was tossed across the floor, bleeding profusely. She was back on her feet quickly, hellfire spraying out at one of the marble arms, stone lting, forming into a writhing, bubbling muck on the floor from which sothing was pushing free.
Up on the tavern wall, the Imp’s face broke free of the marble, narrow, sallow as it stared down at us. Lines ford in the marble leaking fire, eyes lacking color regarding the three of us with clear irritation. Three of you. Of course you would be so frustrating to have three of you be here.
If you spot this tale on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.
“Oh, be quiet/silent/still, you insignificant little parasite/insect/weakling,” the Queen of Masks snapped, turning to face him. “Another failing on your part, letting this thing/worm/insect stay in our head, having so much control/opportunity/trust.”
“The other parasite in the room raises a good point,” the Mask said, sending a glare my way. “See what you’ve let your life co to?”
Oh, I was not going to be lectured about these two existing, especially not when the reason for the Imp being in there was the half-brother the Mask was so fond of.
“Clearly, there’s a lot of disagreent in this room,” I said, drawing all of their attention back to . “Fighting each other until there’s only one survivor is not a good idea, especially given what is waiting outside.”
Silence, then all three faces on the Queen of Masks laughed, a ear-rending cackle that tore through the air.
“You think I fear the mortal fools/idiots/at dwelling/staying near/around you/us? I’ll tear/rip/devour them as easily/simply as-”
More arms now, the Imp making it clear that it was not interested in talking, and I dodged to the side as a pair of thrown daggers from the Mask almost nicked . No interest there either.
I ran towards the bar, hoping that my mind had put Edward’s shotgun there. She closed the gap between us quickly, knives ready, mouth open, and snarling as she kicked a chair out of the way.
I intercepted her with my tail, longer limb wrapping around an arm and wrenching her to the side. She went off course, but I paid for it as a knife sliced my tail, trailing pain in a line down it.
I continue onwards, ignoring the pain, running for the bar. The Queen of Masks laughed behind , and the entire world seed to groan as the familiar roar of hellfire filled the air.
I ignored it, weaving around a table as the floor underneath split, not even glancing back. If she spared a blast for , I was done for anyway. I dodged around a forming arm, marble fingers pushing forth from its surface. It went past .
The Mask had vanished, disappearing into the smoke that had filled the entire room now. Not so thick I couldn’t see the silhouette of the Queen of Masks, moving about, bone sabers and tails fending off a half dozen diabolically made constructs, tearing at the arms forming out of the walls.
I only spared a second to glance, continuing to run. Right now survival depended more on evading them until I figured a way out of this. Talking didn’t seem like it would work, not with all of them convinced they could either beat into submission or force concessions out of .
Hopefully, they kept each other busy, as I ducked under a table, being consud as a pair of winged imps pushed out of the wood. Seconds later, Hellfire ate at it, consuming them as they shrieked shrilly. I got out with my eyebrows singed, fins tingling as the table shuddered and began to molt.
Ten steps to the bar. Tarry flas splattered against the ground in front of , fanged mouths black and burning erging from it as I leapt just over. Five steps as an imp began erging from the bar itself, shrill voice screaming a war cry. I readied a claw as I kept pushing.
Three steps when the Mask leapt at from the corner of my eye out of the smoke. Her coat was torn and ragged, her skin burnt, red, and raw across her face.
I tried to co to a halt, but I couldn’t stop my montum in ti as she hit . One hand intercepted hers, the other grabbed a knife-wielding tail.
Lines of pain on my stomach as her other claw cut bloody furrows into it. They went deep and pulled, tearing out flesh. My tail wrapped around the back of her head, slamming it into the forming wooden imp. Both scread as it shattered into splinters. Her claw dove deeper into my gut and twisted. I scread but didn’t let go even as tears welled up in my eyes. Twice more I drove her head into the bar, even as claws rip and tore. Finally she was dazed enough that I forced her back, then tried to get over the bar.
Legs shuddering, my body feeling like it was being torn in half I forced my way over the bar. Dazed, the Mask was over three seconds later.
She froze, having landed on the ground, the muzzle of Edward’s shotgun only a foot away from her face. Frozen as I wheezed, one hand around my stomach. Strange, despite it being rent and torn hadn’t started spilling my guts out despite my abuse of it. Not yet.
“You don’t want to do this,” she told bluntly.
I laughed, pain gathering inside , the realization striking .
“What even happens if I shoot you?” I asked her. “Does it even do anything?”
The Mask froze, confused as my laughing threatened to overco , limbs shaking as each chuckle sent pain radiating out of my stomach.
“Click,” I said. “Boom, what? Nothing? Let’s leave the threats to the two using diabolism, they’re the ones who can probably rip us to shreds.”
She looked at as if a madwoman had started talking. Maybe not inaccurate, as I pointed the shotgun at the ceiling, intending to fire.
Now she lunged, and for the next few seconds, we struggled over the gun. Minus the shotgun and with a few additional bite marks, I slumped again against the bar while she aid the shotgun.
“You rember when you were born, don’t you?” I asked, and she paused before pulling the trigger.
“Stalling,” she spat out.
“Always,” I said. “But what’s a few more seconds before diabolism consus both of us? Don’t tell you forget the night that I forged you, didn’t I?”
Cocking the shotgun, the Mask ignored my question, so I answered for her.
“Bloodily betraying a friend, I looked around and realized that I couldn’t survive as I was, so tried to kill what I was and wear a different mask,” I said. “Not hide, because that’s not what Versalicci taught us. Fit all under a mask, embody it as best you can. Most people can’t co back from that so he wanted like that. And I was so desperate to hide from the things I’d done I let him direct what I would be.”
The Mask looked on the verge of shooting as I finished.
“Do it,” I told her. “I always finish fights a wreck, don’t I? Let’s get a head start on that.”
My Mask seed very put off by my words, but I didn’t need her willingness. Despite the pain gnawing at my guts, I surged forward and a mont later a thunderous roar accompanied the blast put directly in my face.
My face was nothing but pain and ruin, and still I reached and grabbed the shotgun.
A second of wrestling between us over it, my blood-slicked hand barely keeping a grip until my tail wrapped around the barrel. My hoof ramd into Harrow’s face, nose snapping, and she scread, releasing the shotgun.
“I don’t need to break you,” I told the Mask, blood spewing out of my mouth. “You were broken when I made you.”
A snarl, and she attempted to grab , and I moved back. I threw the empty shotgun, forcing her to duck, right in ti for my tail to hit the side of her head.
“It’s not your fault,” I said as she scrambled to her feet, trying to escape into the smoke. A yanked hoof, tail reeling her back towards . “I was a poor maskmaker. Probably still am. To my own benefit. Good enough to pass for a ti, until outside factors ca to take hamrs to what I made.”
I’d reeled her close, entirely on her back and I leaned down. A hoof hamred my already brutalized nose. I heard the crack and felt the pain as bone broke, but even through my tears I managed to grapple with her, forcing all her limbs still and a hand over her mouth that she couldn’t quite bite.
“Versalicci wanted a heartless killer, an unquestioning soldier, but even he couldn’t completely force the mask on,” I told her. “Just enough to make him think it was on, and enough to make doubt. And that’s not your fault any more than it was mine. More mine I think, because it was comforting to keep you on, to pretend I was soone else, but the ti to stop that ca long before I actually stopped.”
She struggled against my grip, but it was weak against my grip. Pain faded away as I kept my grip, breathing raggedly, as I considered what I was doing. Taking off armor that had been worn for years, to varying extents, but completely baring myself hadn't been a thing for...over a decade easily.
But it needed to be done.
“It’s fine,” I whispered in her ear. “I don’t need you anymore. And I’m thankful you existed because I needed to be you, to stay alive, as imperfectly as I wore you. You kept protected, and any fault for imperfection in that falls on , not you. But it’s ti for the mask to co off all the way.”
A shudder, all the fight going out of her, and then I wasn’t restraining anyone at all. Lying on the ground, my arms, leg, and tail were wrapped around thin air.
I breathed, getting up from where I’d been wrestling sothing that no longer existed. I…had not been sure that would work. I couldn’t even call what I’d done a hunch. Had my mind stumbled upon it? Fey realm magic at work, considering I’d been wrestling with myself, in the truest sense. Only given life for a brief little ti.
My wounds were closed now, gone as if they’d never happened. Good, as in that smoke one figure dueled the entire tavern, tables, walls, chairs, everything. I doubted this next part would be as easy.
The butterfly’s wings brushed against my cheek, and I lightly touched one of them.
“Well, I suppose it’s ti to bring an end to this,” I told it, then headed into the smoke.
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