No real message this time! Just keeping the update train rolling! See you for the Unholy Alliance in August! Praise the Lamb!
Boiled Lamb
~|o|~
"Uh… hi?" Luz gave a little wave. "Nice to meet you mister..?"
The birdman smiled. "Ah, but where are my manners?" He gave a small bow, the tip of his pointed cloak sloping over like a crooked Christmas tree. "This humble one goes by many names. The servant of the cards, the reader of fate. But you may call me… Clauneck."
"Nice to meet you too!" Luz returned the bow earnestly. Right now her sense of caution was dueling against her curiosity. As usual, the former was losing. She was going to be careful here, but until this being proved itself a threat, she would return good manners in kind.
Her companion didn't share that sentiment as it turned out.
"King Clawthorne? I live with Eda, but she never gave me her name! Get your facts straight buddy!" King shot back from his perch on Luz's head, pointing a claw.
"King! Don't be rude!" Luz hissed, fearful of offending their company.
Thankfully, Clauneck merely chuckled. It was low, but mirthful. "My apologies. It is difficult to remain in the moment for one such as I. When one's purpose is glimpsing into the past, present and future, it's easy to… lose focus." He muttered, a faraway look in his eyes.
"Past, present and future? Wait, are you some kind of fortune teller? Is that how you know my name?" Luz asked, taking a couple tentative steps closer to the light of the fire.
"An unsuitable term. Akin to the burning stars, I'm merely a guide leading wayward souls to their paths. And it would seem fate has brought you to me. Perhaps… you would like a reading?" He offered, holding out an open palm.
Luz's heart skipped a little. "Do I?!" She reached out.
Only to pause. A bearded old man in a purple robe and pointed hat cackled in the back of her head.
She had almost jumped right into another magical altercation without a second thought. This reminded her of that whole mess with Adegast, when she had fallen for the empty promises of a demon masquerading as a wizard offering her a fantastical adventure.
"What's the catch?" She asked.
Clauneck blinked and tilted his head. He at least seemed to be confused, though Luz supposed it could be an act. "Catch? Catch… ah, I see. You have been lured in with honeyed words in the past. I do not begrudge such skepticism, fear is what keeps one alive after all." He shrugged. "But I assure you, that I harbor no ill will. My offer still stands and whatever consequences that follow will be the result of your own actions, your own choices. No more, no less."
Luz pursed her lips. "I dunno Mister. I've kind of grown out of the whole "chosen one" thing." She explained, remembering the fake prophecy from before.
"You misunderstand. Tell me… do you believe destiny to be immutable? That events are dictated and orchestrated by a greater force than yourself? Perhaps it is all in flux, constantly shifting like a colorful tapestry." He mused, gently brushing the tips of his fingers along the fabric of his tent, making it softly ripple and quiver. "My role is not to choose one's fate, but to merely help them make their own choice. I tell what has, is and could be." He turned back to Luz and King. "What WILL be, that is for you to decide. For what is the beauty of mortal beings, if not free will?"
Luz stood there completely torn. On one hand, this could be another Adegast, just feeding her what she wanted to hear. On the other, this Clauneck… she couldn't quite put a finger on it, but he felt so much more "real". He was definitely otherworldly, what with the esoteric decor and the mystifying way he spoke. But there was the way he had parroted the words Eda had told her after that mess with the phony wizard. The ones about how one shouldn't wait for a prophecy to be special and that it was all on her to find her own way. It made him feel like her mentor. Like he was some kind of old friend that she had never known. There was a sensation in her gut that made her want to trust this aging bird, at least a little.
"I guess… it wouldn't hurt to at least hear you out." She decided, about to take her first step forward when she felt a tug on her hair. "Ow!"
"Luz, cmon! Don't fall for this Quack's offer! There's no actual way to tell the future! Even the screwballs in the oracle coven can't do anything other than try to see what lottery numbers they should pick! You remember the last time with that wizard jerk, don't you? You're really going to trust this guy?" King pestered, whispering in her ear.
"Don't worry King. If he tries to lead us on some kind of "magical quest", we'll run for it. Besides, Eda said not to trust wizards." She pointed at Clauneck's crossed feet. "No sandals, so not a wizard!"
King slapped a paw to his skull. "Ugh… fine. But if we get eaten, I'm haunting you!"
"Deal!" She laughed and turned back. "Alright Mister, I'm game! Lay it on me!"
Clauneck gave her another warm smile and gestured to the cushion across from him on the rug. Luz strode over and plopped herself down with King sitting next to her.
With the introductions and negotiating out of the way, the kids watched the birdman retrieve a deck of tarot cards. They were beautifully decorated, their backs colored black with faded iconography and a light red border. The coolness made Luz want to squeal in excitement, but she managed to rein the impulse in. It became a bit harder to ignore as Clauneck proceeded to shuffle the deck with speed and dexterity unusual of someone of his advanced age.
'Man, I've gotta learn how to do that!' Luz thought.
After a few more moments, Clauneck finished. Placing the deck on one side, he slid the cards across the carpet in a half circle. "Now, choose three. Let the cards tell their story and we shall begin."
Luz nodded and leaned forward. She stuck her tongue out as her hand hovered over the cards. Her fingers twitched with anticipation. Now that she was actually doing this, she was definitely feeling a kind of pressure on her. Despite his concern and disapproval, King was just as enthralled as he watched her deliberate.
"Hurry up already!"
"Shh! Don't rush me!" Luz chided. Shaking her nerves off as best she could, she slowly tapped three cards, one by one.
Clauneck nodded, arranging the chosen cards next to each other in front of Luz before collecting the remainder and setting them aside.
"First, we shall look to the past. To the days that forged you." He explained, reaching out and gently flipping the card on the left. A stunning illustration (Was it painted, Luz faintly wondered) of a dark cavern. Pointed eyes glittered from the shadows.
"The Dark Cave. Despite its name, it represents protection, warmth and security. At the same time, it can also be a sign of feeling trapped. Stifled. Contained."
Luz shivered despite the fire's warmth. She didn't need to be an oracle or what have you to make the connections between the card and her past.
Her mother, protective and kind. Gravesfield, the home she never quite fit in. Camp Reality Check and the promise of a quiet, ordinary future.
Luz nearly jumped when she felt a soft hand on her shoulder and she blinked to see Clauneck leaning across the carpet.
"Take care not to let your guilt weigh heavy. It is the nature of beasts to desire freedom when they feel trapped in a small world. Just remember to not shy away from the consequences of your actions when they finally find you." He said with a comforting, yet stern smile.
"I…"Luz stammered and swallowed. She nodded. Her fists unclenched and her jaw relaxed "Gotcha. Thanks."
King gave her a concerned glance.
Clauneck nodded back and withdrew his hand. With just as much care, he turned over the second card. Luz was greeted with the sight of a bipedal crow in a red scarf with an earthworm resting on his head. Despite missing a wing, their face was wistful and carefree as they strolled along a dirt road, a bindle slung over their shoulder.
"Ah, the Fool. A most potent card."
"How?" Luz asked. "I like this crow man's vibe, but how is he special?"
"The Fool is an arcana of great potential. Journeying out on a youthful whim, he embraces new beginnings, possibilities. The whole of creation is his to discover, that is your present." Clauneck explained, his smile broadening further. "Is this not so?"
Luz rubbed her chin in thought. The more she pondered on it, the more the card made sense. Not a few weeks ago, she had literally charged into a brand new realm, filled with enchantment and danger alike. If this card was representative of any person in particular, Eda came to mind, the mischievous witch acting as her guide into this new world.
Luz smiled. "Yeah… Yeah, I'd say so."
"Hah! You called yourself a fool!" King chortled, jabbing at her with a claw.
"Yup, I'm a fool alright!" She laughed along, pulling King into a sideways hug. "And you're this fool's King!"
"Dang right!" The little demon cheered and pointed at Clauneck. "The last card is the future right? One where my servant rules the world by my side after I ascend back to my throne I bet!"
The seer let out a creaking laugh. But as soon as it was there, it was gone as his face fell, seeming to age before their eyes.
With a newly born sense of trepidation, they watched him reach for the final card and slowly flip it up.
Luz's eyes widened. She was met with the image of a pitch black crown. A single blazing eye sat on it like a gem, burning its gaze into her heart. A river of red trailed down to the bottom of the card.
"What the heck is that?!" King demanded.
"The Death card." Clauneck answered somberly.
Luz shivered, her eyes not leaving the image before her. "W-What?! I-I'm going to die?!" She shrieked, backpedaling across the carpet.
"I knew it! You are trying to mess with us!" King accused, leaping up and stepping between Luz and her portent of doom.
"Calm my child." Clauneck calmly intoned with a comforting claw.
"Don't CHILD me, worm breath! I don't like it when someone threatens my minions!" The little demon snarled, his tail puffed out like a cat. The seer remained unfazed, if a little saddened.
"Please, do not take the reading as a threat, merely as a warning. The Death Card holds meaning beyond what you believe."
Luz stopped retreating and swallowed. "R-Really?"
The old bird nodded. "Like the Fool, the death card is an omen of great change. While it is true that it can represent an untimely demise, it is more likely to be a sign of an end."
"An end to what?" She asked, tentatively pulling herself back into the circle, while King continued to hiss and glare.
"No one knows but the cards. But do keep this in mind. Finality is nothing to be afraid of. For only in the destruction of the present can one embrace the future. Death and life are two sides of the same copper afterall."
Luz blinked, glancing back down the card. "Leave the present to embrace the future… kind of like how snakes will shed their old skins to grow a new one?"
Clauneck tittered behind his claw, a vestige of a smile returning to his face. "A youthfully inventive perspective and an agreeable one at that. Life is a constant flow of beginnings and endings. If one clings to what was before, they will never change and thus never grow."
"So I just need to be ready for… something, to force me to change?" Luz hummed, her finger tapping off the floor. "Like, in a good way? Or a bad one?"
If she expected a straight answer, she was sorely disappointed when the fortune teller softly shook his head. "That is up to you."
"Aw man…" She pouted. "Are you sure you can't give me a hint?"
"No hints. Only counsel. Just remember that the card's purpose is to reveal the truths they consider us worthy of knowing. It is your own labor to find their meaning, whether they are clear, or more symbolic." He raised a claw and pointed at her. "Take what I have imparted and let it guide you. Or do not. It is your choice.
Luz swallowed, an anxious tingle running down her spine. "Man… that's some really heavy stuff." She laughed a little, shivering a little in an attempt to shake off her jitters.
"Indeed. It is quite… heavy." Clauneck nodded, lowering his hand.
"Sounds like a buncha mumbo jumbo to me!" King scoffed, crossing his arms.
"Aw c'mon buddy, it wasn't that bad I guess." Luz shrugged and patted him on the shoulder. "How about you King? Want to give it a shot? Maybe you will get some kind of cool omen or sign of you getting your power back."
Despite his apprehension, her suggestion did make the little demon's ears perk up. "Welllll… when you put it like that…" He said, tapping his skull in thought.
Clauneck hung his head. "I apologize, but I cannot."
"WHAT?!" King shot to his hind paws and jabbed a claw at him. "What's the big deal pal?! Why does the human get the reading and not the King of demons!"
"The human has a name AND feelings by the way." Luz muttered. "But yeah, why doesn't King get a reading too?"
"YEAH! AlsosorryLuz." King quickly added.
Clauneck heaved a sigh. "I am bound by the laws set by the old ones, lest I lose my purpose. Only a single reading each. As it was ordained when the first shadows stretched upon the dirt."
Luz's brow's knit together in confusion. "But you didn't give King a reading once, let alone twice!"
"Yeah, do your math right this time buddy!" King jeered, stamping his foot.
"Oh, I've drawn your cards a long, long time ago. You simply don't remember it. (Or perhaps you will..?)" Clauneck answered with a tilt of his head.
"Wait, what do you-" Luz started but a sudden gust whirled through the alleyway before she could continue.
"Ah!" She cried and King WEH'D in alarm as the wind lifted the cards off the carpet into the air, swirling around them. Clauneck's voice echoed over the whistle and rustling filling their ears.
"All is as it should be, as it ever was, as it always will be. Farewell, Luz the dreamer. May you survive the trials that are to come."
The cardnado's whirling intensified, shrinking in around the human and her friend and obscuring the world from view.
"Luz!"
"Close your eyes King!" She yelled out, holding the demon close and shielding him from the hurricane of paper with her body. She tensed up and braced herself.
Only for the cards to shoot up into the sky. Luz lifted her head and gaped.
They were back on the street. Around them, vendors and shoppers went about their business, blissfully unaware of the two kids hugging each other on the sidewalk.
"What the… we're back out here?"
King lifted his head from her sweater and looked around. "Seems that way. That guy was weird, even for the Boiling Isles."
"Glad I'm not the only fish out of water here for once." Luz sighed in relief and turned to the wall. She gasped and pointed! "The alley! It's gone!"
Indeed. The two houses that had allowed the space between before were now pressed against each other, with no sign that there had ever been anything there. Not a single candle, crystal or windchime to be seen.
Before she could ponder any further, a slight fluttering caught her eye. She looked up just in time to catch sight of a single tarot card lazily drifting down and landing on the sidewalk in front of them facedown.
They both stared at it for a few seconds until the plucky human mustered enough courage to reach over and grab it. She flipped it over. A shiver ran up her spine.
It was the Death card. The red eye gleamed in the noonday sun.
"Well there goes any chance of that being a dream." She muttered.
"Y-You know what, I think I've had my fill of fun today." King laughed nervously.
"Y-Yeah, I know what you mean." Luz nodded, lifting herself and King up and slipping the card in her back pocket. She turned to walk back through the market. "Lets get back to Eda, maybe she will know more about this-OOF!"
Unfortunately Luz was too preoccupied with the ordeal she had just gone through to notice the wall that suddenly sprouted up in the middle of the sidewalk. She and King were sent sprawling on the ground.
"EY! Watch were ya going kid, Ah'm walking 'ere!" An angry voice shouted.
"Oh my gosh, I'm so sorry mister…" Luz looked up and trailed off.
Looming overtop of her was a trio of menacing ogre-like demons. The two on either side were about six feet tall and built of bulging muscles, trapped within matching two piece suits and dress pants. The one in the middle was smaller in stature, but was wearing a comparatively fancier suit decorated with golden buttons, cufflinks and tie clip. Two bull horns poked out of holes in a small bowler hat, pulled tight over his eyes.
"That's MISTA Rolls to you toots! Doncha know better than to run around without watching where you're goin?" The smaller demon demanded.
"She don't look like she does."
"Yeah, tell er boss." The two larger demons rumbled, just to get a quick swat in the side each.
"Shaddup!" Mister Rolls snapped.
'Oh boy, I've seen enough mob movies to see where this is going!' Luz sweated, eyeing the ham sized fists on the two goons. She felt a tug on her sleeve.
"Luz, run! It's the ITG!" He hissed.
"The what?"
"Inter-isle Traders Guild!"
Luz's eyes widened, remembering Eda's warning from earlier. Not wasting a second, she quickly scooped King up and tried to make a break for it. She was almost strangled hen a hand grabbed her hoodie and hoisted her up.
"AAAAH! Let me go! I'm sorry!" She pleaded, kicking her legs about.
"Ey boss, ain't dis the rat dat is following the Owl Lady 'round?" One of the goons pointed at King, making him cross his eyes at the massive digit in front of his nose.
"Weh? M-Me?"
Mister Roll's face twisted into a toothy smirk. "So it is Tiny, good catch. Now we got the leverage we need to make that doublecrossing crone pay up, with interest! Grab 'im!"
"NO! LUZ! HELP!" King screeched as he was ripped from Luz's grasp by the second goon!
"No! King!" She cried, trying to break free, to no avail.
"Look kid, normally I don't take such disrespect lying down, but Ah'm in a great mood right now. How bout you run off before ya get hurt?" Mister Rolls asked with a sneer.
"Yeah, tell 'er boss!"
"Shaddup and drop 'er! We got to get the boys together." He ordered and Luz was promptly dumped on the ground.
"LUUUUUZ!" King cried again as the three demons walked away.
Luz coughed and watched in terror as they got further away. Shaking her head, she scrambled to her feet and started running.
"EDAAAAA!"