Chapter 11

Peril in the spirit world

Ariaz awoke, the room he was in contained jewelry, shining all over the room with colors like a rainbow, he felt soft breathing on his neck, he turned his head, the Spirit lying next to him was Carol. He stroked her fur with his finger, trying not to wake her, he didn't even remember how he got in this room in the first place, his Ascalon on the right side of him, lying against the wall, Carol to the left side of him, his memories flooded back into his head.

"Carol…I…I can't be with you, I'm…I'm not a animal, I'm a human…and I'll always be a human."

Ariaz slid away from under Carol's arm and made his way for the door, sheathing his Ascalon.

"Where you going?"

Ariaz froze, Carol was barely awake, rubbing her eyes, Ariaz turned to her.

"Last night…we didn't…did we?"

"What?…OH! Oh no, no, no we didn't."

"Good, I thought we did because you and me were in the same bed."

"Well I didn't want to be alone because the retrievers might return."

Ariaz stretched and smiled, he remembered that she wanted him to sleep over with her so he could protect her, he felt clumsy. Spirits screamed out, retrievers had arrived to feed.

"Damn…I'll be back Carol."

Ariaz left the small hut, this time, there was almost an army of Retrievers, some big, some small, some the size of a war machine.

"I'm going to need an army…or more strength."

Ariaz unsheathed Ascalon and pointed it at the Retrievers, his eyes fixed upon the beasts, he was sure…that he was going to fail.

The first five Retrievers lunged at Ariaz, all missing, Ariaz spun away from the assaults and attacked them back, swinging his sword like a cyclone, dispersing them.

"Come on! You were weak then and you're weak now!"

Two lines of Retrievers lunged at Ariaz, he quickly stepped backwards, he couldn't fight all of them at once, and he didn't want to become someone else's power source. Ariaz closed his eyes, hoping a miracle would save him, what he got…was an Axe duel-wielding elephant, blowing the two lines of retrievers into oblivion with one swoop.

"Err…thanks."

"Don't mention it, I want revenge on these little bastards too."

The elephant turned to the army and clashed his axes together.

"HA HA HA! Come to my Axes you little pests!"

Ariaz just stood there, confused while the elephant struck down the small with his axes, the huge with his arms, and the war machine sized ones with pile drivers, this elephant must have been a blood lusting fanatic for fights. The Retrievers were dispersed as the Elephant laughed evilly swinging his Axe's in the air.

"Err…you must be freaking strong to take an army out."

"Your damn right I am, names Boris."

"My name is Ariaz."

The shook hands, Ariaz reeled his away from almost being crushed, Boris laughed like a hyena, Ariaz could tell that this barbaric being was drunk.

"How much have you been drinking?"

"Uh…lets see…um…about five hundred bottles of spiced wine, three hundred and twenty four bottles of Apple flavored beer, and about ten bloody maries, why?"

Ariaz eyes grew wide, this Elephant died probably of drinking so much alcohol, succumbing to it's poison.

"You can never be ready if you haven't had a drink, that what makes me a warrior."

"The strength or the stench?"

"Kind of both."

Ariaz's insult didn't effect Boris, he already knew about his strength, and he already knew that he reeked of the dead. It was a counter Insult.

"Say…how about you help me with these Retrievers Boris?"

"I'd like to…but you should know my rules."

"Alright shoot."

"First of all, don't touch my Axes, these are mine and I'm not afraid to cut the stub you call a head off of your neck. Second, don't touch my drinks, they keep me alive and barbaric."

"They didn't when you were alive."

"And third, don't insult my drinking habit!"

"Okay…just let me lay down one rule for you."

"Alright."

"This purple Vixen, her name is Carol…touch her, and I'll cut off your arms and legs, I'll skin you and cut of that hose you have for a nose, wrap it around your body and I'll throw your stub like body into the abyss where you'll be devoured by god knows what, Deal?"

Boris swallowed, afraid to shake hands with the Human psycho, but he always drew in the best fights.

"D-Deal."

The two Shook hands, Ariaz didn't reel away, it was Boris who reeled his paw away from the Swordsman. The screams were still coming, more Retrievers were still alive.

"Now my oversized friend…let's go kill some Retrievers!"

Boris laughed and clashed his Axes together, and rushed off with his friend.

"I like the way you want to fight battles, we should get to know more of each other…maybe over some wine!"

The retrievers looked down at the crying spirits, but heard the footsteps of the Elephant, his axes shining, Ariaz standing at his side, his scarf wrapped around his mouth and neck.

"Alright, the name of the game…is who's the better killer."

"I'm game, the loser buys the drinks."

"Ugh…deal."

Ariaz swung his Ascalon like a mad man, essence dripping from the blade of the spirit eater's, then a huge Retriever swung it's mighty arm at Ariaz, but missed it's target, slow attacks wouldn't touch the quick Swordsman. Ariaz shoved the Ascalon into the throat of the beast and swung it upwards, splitting the head in-half. He smiled at Boris.

"That's still counts as one!"

Boris Swung his Axes in an unexpected assault style, tearing up the retrievers that surrounded him, he laughed as they fell to his Axes, one swing and they were obliterated. The two were attacking like mad men, Axe's swinging in two different directions, a two hundred pound sword slashing at a mach 2 speed, it wasn't long before the Retrievers were dispersed.

The two ran in front of each other, speaking at the same time: 93! Impossible! How! Now who buys?

The elephant emptied his pockets, he had no coins to purchase the drinks he wanted.

"Sorry, I can't buy, how about you?"

"I don't have money…I think, the spirit world is different, I mean my sword was heavier in the real world, now it's light as a feather."

Ariaz checked his pockets, they were filled with emerald and onyx colored coins, Boris's eyes went huge.

"WHOA! I didn't know you were packing!"

"I didn't either, how much am I holding anyway?"

"Well, enough to buy out whole bar, and other bars on different lands and still have enough to do it again!"

"Damn…I'm rich, but…I should go check up on Carol."

"I'll come with you, I want to see this Carol."

"Remember my rule."

"I know, I know, no touching."

Ariaz opened the small hut door, Carol sat on her bed looking in a small book, when she heard Ariaz come in, she hugged him, knowing he was alright.

"I thought you were dead."

"I am dead, but no time to make a big deal out of it, with the help of this fellow right here, the retrievers were decimated."

Carol looked behind Ariaz, Boris was having a hard time fitting inside, trying to get his enormous body through the doorway

"Thank you for helping him."

"Your thanks in not required Miss, I helped him because I had a little competition for fighting."

Ariaz tapped Carol on the shoulder and showed her the wealth, Her eyes became frozen, she didn't realize this amount of coins before.

"How much is this anyway?"

"Ariaz, I'd have to say over eleven million credits."

"Holy Damn!"

Carol giggled at Ariaz, she hugged him, bringing him close to her, he was there to protect her anyway possible from the Retrievers.

Boris looked outside the hut and started to nudge Ariaz with his foot.

"If you two stop romancing, we have company."

Ariaz shoved Boris out the door, and his jaw dropped, a humongous Retriever, the size of twelve War Machines stomped across the land with its eight legs, stopping at the two warriors.

"My mistress has watched you from the real world, one called Ariaz, she is angered of how she is not getting her souls, so she has sent me to dispatch you from the spirit world and into her staff. You, Boris, have also been watched by my Mistress, she is angered with you too, how you raided our camp, not only slaughtering our troops, but by disrespecting her because you performed this crime naked!"

"Ah…I remembered that, how I had so much fun, essence flying everywhere, a good breeze all around my body, that was a good night."

Ariaz relaxed the Ascalon on his shoulder, Boris resting his Axes on his shoulders, they laughed at the fact that the Retriever was going to kill them.

"You! Kill us! HA!"

Ariaz closed his eyes, still laughing, bending over, then standing straight up and pointing his Ascalon at the Retriever, opening his eyes, looking at the Retriever with an evil glare, stopping his laughter.

"Give us your all then."

The Retriever swung its claw at the two, pushing Boris only a few inches away from it, Ariaz completely avoiding its assault, he wasn't as big as Boris.

"Finally! A worthy fight!"

Boris laughed and Charged at the front leg of the beast, lifting the whole creature off the ground and throwing it far away from him. The Retriever pushed itself up, trying to resist the pain, but Boris was a strong Elephant, throwing a Retriever that size didn't even break one of his bones, he just wanted to throw the beast again.

"Come on! You just became my personal kick ball, start acting like one!"

Ariaz charged at the Retriever, Pulsing his movements, readying the Ascalon for a powerful slash.

"Alright! Ready Boris?"

"I'm always ready when it comes to fights, Ariaz!"

"Good!"

The two ran up to the Retriever, their paths about to collide, but then the two leaped forward, cross slashing the huge beast, knocking it over the ledge, but with four arms, he held onto the ledge, charging an energy bolt inside its mouth.

"Oh come on! Magic takes away all the fun in fights! It's a cheaters way of winning!"

Before the Retriever could fire its blast, Boris grabbed one of its arms and smacked the whole body against the ground, lifting it and throwing it across the field. The Retriever was starting to fade away from sight, it was beginning to disperse.

"HA! I can't believe I said this was a worthy fight, this Retriever is about as weak as wet rotten bark!"

"Don't be too sure of yourself Boris, this Retriever is different from the ones I faced."

The Retriever pushed itself up, shining a green aura below it, all of its wounds, bruises, and pains, faded away, the Creature became whole again, it had rejuvenated.

"What! That Damn cheater! Healing during battle! Coward!"

"My god Boris do you EVER shut up?"

"Puny Spirits, I am a high ranked Retriever, I cannot be killed so easily, I'll just keep rejuvenating until you can't fight."

The Retriever laughed, Ariaz and Boris readied their weapons, they were sooner or later going to become tired. Then the ground started to darken, different spirits rose from the ground, connected to the shadowy ground, their claws as long as claymores and their body…demonic.

"Demon spirits."

"Huh?"

"Ariaz, these shadows are Spirits of Demons, they are like guards, protecting other Spirits from anything that would harm the spirit world."

Then, out of the shadows, burst a lupine with a black cloak, bangles on his wrists and ankles, and a huge shadow Great sword, its black steel and blood red hilt glowing in his red gauntlet-like claw.

"Thanks for weakening the Creature, you are no longer required to fight now."

"Hey! No one separates me from a fight, not even…what ever rank you are!

"If I were you elephant, I keep your mouth shut, you stand in the presence of Bone, the Shadow admiral."

Boris stepped away, fear struck his heart, Ariaz looked up at the elephant, he didn't understand what there was to fear.

"Hey! You can't just…"

Boris placed his axes over Ariaz's mouth, pulling him back away from the shadow battalion.

"Ariaz, if you know what's good for you, I suggest you stop talking to the Admiral, He is famous for slaying the first thirty-six Soul Edge wielders after they completed they're tasks of sealing some evil away."

"Thirty-six?"

"The thirty-seventh Soul Edge wielder killed him, he was a powerful lupine but the Soul Edge wielder blew him away with one blast, now he's down here with the rest of us."

Bone held up his Great sword and pointed it at The Retriever, then he lunged forward, slicing the beast in half, but the slice that shined from the scar actually cut the beast into many torn up pieces of flesh.

Ariaz's eyes became wide, he never seen such power from a lupine, cutting the beast into many sections of flesh, rotting the bone with his blade. This lupine wasn't normal.

"I expect none of you to fight that type of Retriever again, if you spot one, inform us, and we'll take care of it! Good day gentlemen."

The demon spirits and Bone sunk into the shadows, leaving the two spirits alone.

"HOLY CRAP!…How did he do that?"

"He's Bone, admiral of Darkness. No one has been able to match his skills for five thousand years."

"You died five thousand years ago?"

"No, I died two months ago, other spirits died five thousand years ago."

Ariaz ignored Boris, still remembering the image of Bone, would he be a friend…or an enemy?