Just Checking Up! Part Fifty: The Duality of a Proper Argument!

Rip:

Silks scratched at her neck, fresh inky blackness dripping onto our bedroom floor. Work seemed to be piling on top of her, the mask falling this morning. Grimacing in her direction, her frilly leather dress hugged her body. A fine burgundy contrasted her paling skin, silent tears staining her cheeks. Another nightmare haunted her, a deep fear breaking her down. Running off had been her thing lately, her regression back to her old self not speaking well of her mental health. Working maniacally on a pile of files, my throat clearing gave her pause. Shrinking back with shame, emotional pain struck my heart.

“Sorry for waking you up. Nightmares and everything. Also, my arm really fucking hurts.” She admitted brokenly, the top of her stitches poking out of her collar. “The elementals wanted to show me something in the woods, so I am going to venture out there now. Get the rest you need.” Bowing with an apologetic smirk, her boots clicked away. A spell book hit the back of my head, my eyebrow twitching with a bit of impatience. Kicking her into my hand, an excited Glacia and Kiba rushed into the room. Something seemed awfully fishy.

“What do you want, Frice!” I barked hotly, her one violet eye snapping up to mine with a fiery anger. “Spill it! You don’t look at me unless something is wrong.” Sniffing the air, Musette’s scent had my embroidered coat fluttering as I scooped up the twins. Skidding into Dade’s room, his groggy eyes met mine. Laying the twins down in his arms, alarm rounded his eyes.

“Watch them. Silks requires my assistance.” I uttered in a rush, a leap out the window not alarming him. Kiba caught me, Glacia curling onto my shoulder. Zooming over the forest, a scan revealed nothing initially. A clash of orange waves and flames frightened me to my core, different elements blocking the biggest blows. Floating towards the major battle, a blast of ice knocked a flustered Musette on her butt. Major wounds covered her skin, her life force pouring from her cracking skin.

“I came to warn you!” She huffed between blows, everyone pausing for a moment. “Someone worse than me is coming my way. Time isn’t on my hands. Listen well. A dark elemental has woken up and he strongly dislikes demons like us. That last ceremony you blocked would have helped me defeat him but you had to pull that stunt, you brat! Rip, don’t think you are so innocent! Your dragon magic will only call him upon your position. Not that he isn’t on his way. See you never!” Dissolving into a pile of orange ash, the air stood still. Silks straightened up, her usual mask nearly crumbling into dust. Storm clouds rumbled in the distance, fear rounding her eyes. Stumbling back, a thick leather coat popped up over her head. Blocking ruby claws via her scythes, her wound from Musette began to heal. Flipping off the ground, the other elementals crumbled into heaps. What the hell happened?

Landing clumsily a few feet back, Glacia blasted the new assailant with a fair bit of ice. Silks caught her breath, her flames dancing out of control. Creating a wall of orange fire lilies to disperse half of it, half burned arms tortured my soul.

“When are you going to stop torturing yourself!” I exploded bitterly, shock draining the color from her cheeks. “Those deaths weren’t your fault!” The corner of her lips quivered a couple times, her fists clenching as her scythes flared up worse than before. Shit, what did I do!

“It isn’t about that! Sure I miss them but I can see them again!” She shot back defensively, a scream of agony exploding from her lips. “Every time I solve one problem, another one fucking pops up! How can I keep up! First, I become Queen of Hell! Then, I have to fight the cult up here. Just because life adores me so fucking much, that guy is on the other side of the wall! Chipping away at Musette was freaking working but my game piece is at the beginning of the board. As demonic as I exist, I can only do so much!” Opening up my arms, her body smashed into mine. Releasing every ounce of pent up frustration, her flames died down to a decent level of control. Stepping back with an apology, her eyes refused to meet mine.

“Whatever your fucking name is, go home before I pummel you.” She warned him with a bright smile, her dark side shining through. “Killing my mother was a low blow, although we didn’t quite get along.” Cutting off enough material from the hem of her dress to create a pouch, she sank to her knees. Sweeping Musette’s ashes onto the shimmering material, a quick tie had her tucking a pouch into the left pocket.

“At least she played with all her might while you hid in the shadows which you probably control, right?” She continued with a softer bemused grin, her hands motioning for me to begin a spell for the other side. “No matter how hard I fought back, she would always make sure to strike back with all of her determination. I suppose I picked that up from her. Perhaps, the desire to want to do things myself might come from that as well.” Sinking to my knees, a cut to my palm on the closest shard of wood had enough ink for three spells glistening to life. Arguing with the angry elemental on the other side, Frice’s pages fluttered open to a different dragon spell. Drawing away, the five circles seemed a bit much. Moving onto the symbols, a slam of my palms had them glowing to life.

“Burn with the hunger of a dragon, torch what doesn’t belong!” I thundered powerfully, dragon flames rumbling underneath her feet. Shooting underneath her boots, her hair floated up from the intense heat. Fortifying the wall with all she had left, a purifying spell flooded from her lips. Down went her wall, shadows whisking him away. Dragon flames swayed with her orange flame lilies, a kick releasing her petals into the air. An orange flaming dome hummed to life, a sigh of relief escaping her lips.

“Do you still have a touch of magic left in you? I want to dump these ashes in the final resting spot. Although, I haven’t the foggiest thought of where to lay her to rest.” She pondered out loud, her lips pressing into a thin line. Dade stepped into a view, a bit of sorrow lacing his eyes. Running his hand through his hair, silver rose accents glistened on his black suit. Shoving his hands into his pocket, a grief-ridden smirk hardened his features.

“Leave that to me. All of the grandparents are watching our wonderful grandchildren. Now let’s put this bitch to rest!” He chirped a bit too cheerfully, stress hiding in his comforting smile. “At least we didn’t kill her.” A tired silence hung in the air, Silks shaking her head. Swallowing the lump in her throat, her head bowing in shame.

“Yet, our battle is with the original evil. The one elemental that causes it all and someone has to absorb that for light cannot exist without darkness.” She sobbed openly, frustration staining her cheeks. “Does that one fall on me as well? Can my soul take it? She couldn’t handle the bit she had. Do you understand the work it took to free Nuit? He is a part of him and I can’t expose him to that. Some sort of deal went down and that seems to flee my mind. All of me wants to say screw this! Whenever the reward presents itself, every loss seems almost worth it. Let’s just go, damn it.” Clenching her jaw, one tap to my shoulder confirmed the location. Clasping my palms together, a Tiki door cracked into place. Smashing it open with a powerful punch, water splashed as she leapt onto the other side. Popping to my feet, Dade motioned for me to chase after her.

“A funeral is in order, so it is time to begin another leg of our journey. If it comes down to it, I will absorb that bastard. Death will befall me but you will have to pick up the pieces.” He hissed venomously, his ears pinning back. “Truth be told, her soul is strong enough if only confidence could find its place. Musette, fuck you.” Sauntering into the other side, a coldness swirled in his aura. Hopping to my feet, the door faded away behind me.

Stumbling onto a black sandy beach, orange waves crashed onto the warm sands. A fuming Silks dug the pouch out of her pocket, Musette’s ashes bouncing off of her palm. Crunching up to the waves, one tug had a pile of ash filling up her palm. Blowing them into the waves, no words were said. Walking away, Dade took to her side. Neither of them showed that much emotion, not one of them owing it to her.

“How about a trip to the library?” She suggested casually, her mood shift bewildering him as much as me. “Stress will eat me alive until I get more intel on him. Kiba, and Glacia! Time for you to play in a new space!” Whistling sharply, Kiba fluttered to the top of her head while Glacia climbed up to her shoulder. Holding her hand out, my fingers curled around hers. Yanking me into a flurry of orange fire lily petals, hot energy tossed us into the library. Ditching me with her old man, Glacia purred with every footfall away from me.

“Are you okay?” I queried calmly, his lips curling into the most broken smile. “You can open up to me if you desire.” Crashing onto the table, a single black tear dripped off of his chin. Pondering how to word his emotions, his elbows slid down to his knees. Resting his chin on his palms, a long breath drew from his lips.

“Never been better.” He returned sarcastically, his fingers scratching at his neck. “She may have been a royal bitch but I can’t help but to feel a tainted glee at her death. How long has she been falling apart like that?” The problem wasn’t with his ex, the core of it all lying with his daughter’s mental well-being. Dismay wrote itself on my features, too many tasks were threatening to drown her whole.

“Nothing wrong there. Silks has been reverting back to her old ways. Running off by herself, leaving me to wonder where she is. Granted it is when the kids are being watched as is.” I agreed pointedly, midnight black coating the tip of his fingers. “Musette destroyed any sense of stability that Silks treasured to the very end. Why show up to warn us? Why show up to taunt us with a bigger darkness? Did she expect me to permit her to suck up all those souls? Who the hell thinks in such a manner?” Chuckling darkly to himself, his wet eyes met my concerned expression.

“Musette had a way of drawing you in and spitting you out. My reputation is trashed beyond repair. What my copies did will never be repaired by my hands. Her blood coated hands moved every character around in that chess board of her mind.” He uttered numbly, his fingers scratching away. “Remember the movie that played out, that bitch killed everyone important to me. No, I can’t feel anything. If I understood her as flawlessly as I did, she led him to her on purpose. Something about that last fight seemed fishy. Musette doing something kind for anybody is out of character. The question is for what fucking reason!” Lowering his hands, a wipe of his fingers cleared the evidence of a similar coping habit.

“I get that. How do you kill an elemental or do whatever we have to do?” I thought out loud, Silks sprinting with a worn leather book. “What did you find?” Slamming it down on the table, her finger flipped through the ancient pages until a shadow figure glared up at me. Ruby eyes glared up at me, fangs glistening in the cast of the torches. Shadowy waves floated around his waist, her finger tapping on the name Blabbadon. Hope shimmered in her eyes, her palms clasping together.

“This is his name. Not sure that I can take him down on my own. Get this! Dragon magic is his weakness. Whatever you heard her ranting about proves it further!” She sang excitedly, a spin announcing the effect of work blocking her true emotional strife. “Why else would dragon magic be an issue? If I can round everyone up, we can play team distraction. Frice and you can deliver the final blow. Not that our plans ever go as planned but my wit is quick enough to mold any situation into a level of certain control. What do you think?” Placing her hands on her hips, her chest heaved. Dade leaned forward, his eyes flitting between the two of us.

“You contain the ability to control dragon magic and you didn’t tell me.” He scoffed in disbelief, his eyes rolling. “No fair. Demons dream of that bullshit. Yet, you can pull it off without a hard breath. No nose bleed?” Realization dawned on me, Frice emitting a proud energy. Imagining a dragon wagging their tail, a shadow of my smirk haunted my lips.

“I suppose not. This just might work.” I encouraged her, her genuine smile threatening to wake up my heart. “Are we going to do this the same way? Fight him a few times to figure him out.” Cursing under her breath, she snapped her fingers. Dade summoned a notebook and a pencil for her. Sketching his face, the tip of the pencil moved a mile a minute. Finishing up in a solid fifteen minutes, she slammed the ancient book gingerly.

“Forgive me but I have to get back to my elementals. Flamios did request that I take care of them after all.” She chirped brightly, her orange fire lily petals glowing to life. “See you at home!” Whisking herself away via all she had left, Dade lingered by himself. Tragedy haunted his aura, a clasp of my palms summoning the door straight into our living room. Thanking me on the way back, an eerie silence washed over the space as I slid the book over to me. Flipping back to his page, that blasted face glaring up at me. Scanning the lines, pure evil swirled around the page. Glacia and Kiba snuggled close to the nape of my neck, their energy not comforting me in the slightest. Much to my dismay, no weaknesses were listed. Fighting would have to gather evidence, the arduous way not sounding fun in the slightest. Chewing on my bottom lip, a single line stood out.

“Fight with what burns within.” I mumbled under my breath, the words not making sense. “Magic never comes without riddles, does it?” Slamming the book shut, one step through my door had me back home. Morning had fallen upon the house, the kids smashing into my legs. Sniffing the air for Silks’ scent, Dade shook his head. Shrugging his shoulders, the three elementals skidded into view.

“Some shadowy elemental kidnapped her!” Notus breathed rapidly, shimmering tears splashing to her feet. “Something came to devour us and she fought hard. What type of family are we!” Cal rushed in, a leather bag bouncing off of his hip. Holding up a machine with a blinking dot, curiosity cut down my rage. Happy to have him as an equivalent to a brother, his cocky grin replaced the curiosity with healthy concern.

“Don’t murder me but I may have put a tracker in that bell on her ear a couple of days ago.” He confessed nervously, my hand patting his shoulder calming him down. Curling my hand around the machine, a cold steel door popped up in front of me. Kicking it open, our dress boots clacked through. Shutting it gingerly, long shadowy waves floated up to reveal a tied up Silks in a black iron cage. Circling the cage, her broken smile showed how emotionally and physically beat she was.

“Sorrow laces your heart. Burden bears down on you. Let me end you!” Blabbadon bellowed into her face, the corner of her lips quivering. “Death would be the sweetest of all endings.” Flashing his fangs in a sick grin, his head cocked to the left. Kicking the bar in response, fresh black rivers flowed from the corner of her eyes.

“Sure, sorrow laces my heart. Sure, a bit of burden weighs me down. Death will never be an option.” She wept openly, her lips parting several times. “Hope is in the air. No matter how dark the night is, there is always a lantern. Musette had hers and never recognized it. How could she? Reins were being held in your hands. I get her now. In one way or another, you squeezed your way into her soul, didn’t you? Was it via a silver tongue, my dear friend?” His form glitched, his claws extending into the cage. Bringing his hand back, a wall of orange fire lilies blocked her from being struck.

“Sucks to be you. Even though I am running on empty, it seems the fire from within has something else to say. Keep chipping away at me. Too much is at stake in my life.” She continued in a fiery determination, her voice steadying. Whipping my eyes in my direction for a quick second, that loving gaze had my breath hitching. Is that what that riddle meant? Staring up at the orange moon, her big old grin would be all this guy needed to get her out of here safely. Just for good luck, protect everyone in this emergency situation!