Shut Up

Duh-dum.

He ran. Any reason, any thought was gone from his mind. Branches whipped his face as he sped through the dark forest, further and further away from the bon-fire.

The blood.

The scene flashed before his inner eye once more. Corpses were scattered across the clearing. The great fire cast an orange glow at the scene. His hands swung the axe with brutal strength, cleaving the next victim in half.

He cried out in fear, biting his lip and heaving for his breath. Shut up...

He ran. He didn't know where. He couldn't allow himself to stop. Have to run... shut up... have to...

Fate was cruel this evening. His foot was caught, and he fell over painfully. As his body hit the ground, he let out a small moan of agony. The wind was knocked out of him. His heart was beating incredibly fast. Oh no... no, no, n-

His hand jerked. He stopped struggling to get back up instantly. He stared at the hand, like it was alien. As if it wasn't his own. Then it jerked again, and he panicked. He clutched his arm with his other hand so to hold it still, attempting to get back up on his feet. His foot was caught between two rocks on the ground. He pulled desperately, getting his foot out of the boot and free from its capture. He ran.

Fool.

It was not there. It couldn't be. It was not real.

Run run run, as fast as you can... haha...

Panic gripped him. He continued running. In his mind, he begged for an escape. His hand had begin struggling against his restrain, living a life of its own. His right eye was blinking furiously. Cold laughter filled his mind and strengthened his fear.

Okay, kid. Stop.

But he didn't stop. How could he stop? He had to keep running.

I'm serious.

No, no, no, no, no. Go away. Leave me alone. Shut up.

"SHUT UP!" Carcaroth screamed.


I will continue this later.

Continuation time


Carcaroth had managed to reach the edge of the forest at last. Trying to shut the inner voice out of his head, he began following the country road. Hopefully he would reach a settlement before he collapsed from exhaustion. There he could rest up and find out where he was, and then he would go home. He felt foolish for ever thinking about exacting revenge over his father on his own. He was inexperienced and weak.

The voice spoke again. He didn't understand what it was saying. It spoke in a different tongue... a language he had never heard before... it sounded as though two voices, a light and a dark, were speaking at the same time. The echoes made his head hurt. He put a hand to his forehead, biting his teeth together before he let out a frustrated groan.

Will you listen to me now?

The voice was soft and light, like an old lady offering him candy. He ignored it, but the voice would apparently have none of that. A sudden excruciating pain flashed through his head for a brief second, whereupon he fell to the ground with a surprised cry.

"Wh-what are you?!" Carcaroth blurted out as he supported himself on his arm to stop swaying.

Most people would say who are you.

There was a pause.

How rude.

Carcaroth's arm suddenly twitched. Before he could react, his right hand was already moving through the air. He gave himself a nice, hard slap across the face, with such force that he tumbled over.

What I am, human, is... complicated. I suppose, if we're going to use your definition, I am a demon.

"A... a demon..." Carcaroth spluttered from the ground, trying to get back up. His lack of a right arm, as well as the sudden disobedience of his legs, made it impossible to get up.

Stay down while I talk, please. Now, where was I...

Carca suddenly felt his legs move. Pushing himself up with his right arm, his body was now kneeling, but he was unable to do anything still. He tried to do something, move any part of his body, but only his left arm would listen, and his right hand was making sure that it didn't move one inch too much. With some stumbling steps, his body found its way to a big rock standing close by the road. He leaned against it.

"What... what do you want...?" Carca asked. It was a bizarre scene; there he was, a ragged, scraped, dirty man standing by a rock, holding his left arm while talking to himself.

I suppose you don't remember much from when those freaks were about to sacrifice you, so I guess I ought to explain.

The voice paused a little, but Carca remained silent.

As a demon, I'm not fit for traversing this world. Your world, before you ask any stupid questions. So, like my demonic brethren, I have to find a suitable human host.

There was a deep sigh.

Unfortunately for me, you're anything but suitable.

"What is that supposed to - "

It means that you're a weakling. Demons are powerful beings, and in this case I'm one of the bigger ones. I was feared back in my own realm, even by my own superiors. Yet if we met another demon, even the weakest little chicken****, with me using this body... we'd both be dead. You're just that weak.

Carca was about to make an angry snap at the demon, but it cut him off.

The reason why you're so weak is because you're human. By our standards you're like children. Humans aren't warriors. You're workers - harvesters -

"What do you know about that?!" Carca yelled angrily. "I bet you haven't met any of the strongest human warriors!"

I suppose not. Like with all species, there are exceptions. I suppose there could be a human out there who could compare to us demons in terms of power. But here's the thing, kiddo. Humans - the whole bunch of you - are still weak. One strong fellow isn't going to help the lot of you against beings like us.

"How do I know that you're not just lying?" Carca snapped with gritted teeth.

... hmm... that's a good point.

Carca waited, but the voice didn't continue. "Well?" he asked impatiently.

Why should I have to tell you? You're not gonna believe me, and there's no reason to dwell on it any further.

"Then why are you still here?!"

You agreed on letting me possess this body. You can't take that back. We have a deal now - a pact, if you will.

"How do I get rid of you?"

The demon laughed. Damn, you're just too funny. I go away when I want to go away, or when you die... in which case I'd die too. But once I'm here, I can't just go away like that.

"Why not?" Carca asked with a raised eyebrow.

You could call it a one-way street. To get out, I need to either possess someone else or conjure a portal to go through. Since your body is much to weak for me to create such a portal, we'll just have to see if there's someone with more potential than you. So, the faster you get a move on, the better.

"Will you leave me be if you find someone better?" Carca asked. The demon snickered.

That depends on you, kiddo.

"Huh?"

For me to enter another body, the bodies have to... connect.

"Connect? Bu - " Carca's eyes widened. "NO!"

Yeah, thought so.


More later.

MOAR!!


Laughter. Carcaroth blinked as he snapped out of his little nap, seeing the source of the noise - three youths were making their way past the alley where he had decided to have his rest. He could see piercings and tattoos cover their thin, bony figures. One of them glanced back, looking at him with curiosity and - it was impossible to be mistaken - mockery.

Carca felt a fiery fury that was not his.

Okay, can I please kill this one?

Carca sighed. "For the last time," he muttered to himself, "don't suggest killing whoever looks at us funny."

Is that a yes or a no?

"You know bloody well what it is..."

Carca yawned. He had spent the night in this cozy alley (as Kerel had called it), because he had lacked the money he would need in order for an inn. His body ached and his bones cried in protest, but he ignored the minor pains and got to his feet.

So, tough guy, where to?

Carca ignored the demon, instead starting to trot down the wide, currently vacant streets. He made for the first building he could think of - the library.

While taking books with you was prohibited in this particular library, you were still allowed to read as you pleased. So Carca found himself the first and best book he could find that included the word 'demon' in the title, found himself a small table in a corner and went to reading, all the while Kerel spent his time commenting on whoever passed by him.

Oh, she's cute, I bet you'd want to "connect" with her, huh? I don't like that guy's face, lemme go cut it off. What's that brat looking at - is he looking at us? I think he is! Kill it!

Carca tried his best to ignore the voice, as he understood that it was just to tease him that Kerel said those things in the first place - if the demon had really wished to do something, he would have taken control and done it, without asking.

His eyes scanned the pages, yet he found nothing detailing the nature of a demon or anything about how they could be driven out. Kerel soon began making snoring sounds.

It's really insulting that you don't seem to be trusting my word, he commented casually as Carca returned to his table with the third book about demons that he had found.

Carca had no response, instead diving right into the book.

You could just ask if you were wondering about something.

Like how to get rid of you? Carca thought to himself.

I already told you that?

Carca snapped to, not yet realizing that Kerel was inside his head and could therefore read his every thought. As this dawned on him, he became a little more wary, not willing to share too much information with the demon.

Relax, you paranoid freakshow, Kerel said. As if I have any interest in your personal thoughts.

... alright then, Carca replied.

Besides, the book you're reading is full of crap, the demon continued. Yeah, demons totally look like small hairy men with hors and hooves, you retard.

Carca had no response.

They also got that part wrong. Demons don't devour human flesh, that's disgusting. I mean, who would want to eat humans?

You tell me, Carca sighed.

At least they got this part right. "Demons may at one point in their life ascend to the next level, to become an Archdemon".

"Archdemon..." Carca muttered to himself as he flipped the page. An illustration showed an armored knight with flaming wings coming out of his back and bright red eyes shining from inside his helmet. Kerel made a whistling sound.

Pretty sexy, if you ask me.

How do you become one? Carca inquired.

Kerel laughed a little. Curious, huh? Well, I dunno exactly the details, but I can show you...

As Kerel said that, Carca felt as though he was jerked backwards. Before he could even cry out in surprise, he was standing in a dark hallway that was only faintly illuminated by candles hanging on the walls. Before him he could see a person kneel. It resembled a human, but was not quite the same - the ears were sharper, the hair was red, and the hands resembled claws.

"That's a demon."

Carca turned his head. Beside him stood a being just like the one kneeling before them, except his hair was spikier, his eyes shone yellow, and his face was pointy and clean. Kerel looked back at him, and smirked.

"Yeah, ain't I hot?"

Carca had no time to reply as something happened before them. The unnamed demon let out a cry, and was then enshrouded in flames.

"This is the transformation process," Kerel explained. "He is now becoming an Archdemon."

The flames burned fiercely, never seeming to stop. Carca looked from Kerel to the ball of flames and back again several times, waiting for when something else would happen.

Finally, the flames subsided and a tall, grey-skinned person stepped out. His eyes were blood red in color. As he turned, Carca could see flaming wings burst out of his back. He flapped with them a little before putting them away, making them go back into his body.

"We've seen enough," Kerel said suddenly, and Carca once again felt like he was tipped backwards. He jerked in his chair, one moment seeing the Archdemon stand before him still and the next all he could see was books.

Does that answer your question?

The sight met him like an old friend. From the hill, he had clear view of the harbor town and the great seas that spread as far as the eye could see. He remembered how often he and his brothers had gone out to the docks to play in their youth. That had been back when his father had still been alive.

Carca closed his eyes, remembering vaguely how it had been. Living with his family - his father and two younger brothers - together in their small house, with no such thing as conflict or battle troubling their minds. True, their father had been training them in the ways of the sword, but their lives had been largely peaceful.

Until that fateful day.

His gaze moved a little to the right. He could see it, even from where he stood. By the outskirts of the town, there stood a pair of trees, withered and old. There, he had found his father many months ago. His father, slain at the hands of a faceless murderer, who he had failed to catch. He remembered it all very clearly. They had been out walking. Carca went ahead. When he heard his father's gasp, he had turned around, and his father had fallen. There had been a mortal wound in his chest.

Hey.

Carca snapped to as Kerel spoke.

You know what you need to do.

"Yeah," Carca muttered, swallowing a little.

You need to say your good-byes, and then we're off. You can take the time you need, but I'd like to get going today, alright?

"Yeah, yeah..."

It was strange, hearing the demon talk in a less sarcastic, arrogant way and rather sound calm and flat. Maybe he had been feeling a little bit of what Carca had been thinking about. But that was ridiculous. Demons did not have any compassion.

Slowly he started walking down the hill. The closer he got, the more nostalgia filled him up, warming him inside. Suddenly he was like a child again, running among the houses with his brothers.

As he passed by the townspeople, some gazed after him. Some seemed to recognize him. He was not met by cheerful greetings, but rather shock and confusion. They had probably assumed that he had been dead when he had disappeared all those months ago.

It was fairly easy to find the house he had lived in for the majority of his life, but it was empty. All that was left was the house itself, and a single teddybear inside, lying on the floor. As Carca knelt down and picked it up, he could not help but feel a single tear press forth. His old teddybear. Perhaps his brothers had felt that this was where it had truly belonged... where he had truly belonged...

"Hey, you. What're you doin'?"

He turned his head. Someone stood in the doorway. It was a fairly large man, with a big belly and a beard to go with it. When light had been shed upon Carca's face, the man's eyes widened a little.

"No way..." he muttered slowly, scratching his chin. "Little Carca...!"

"It's... good to see you, Hans," Carca said quietly. The man let out a barking noise, stormed forward and grabbed hold of the young boy, squeezing him in a massive bear hug.

"I KNEW YOU WERE ALIVE, YOU RASCAL!"

"Hngh - H-Hans - !"

"Just wait 'til your brothers get to know about this! They - "

"M-my brothers?" Carca coughed as he was released from Hans' grip. "Wh-where are they?"

"They moved closer to the docks," Hans replied, waving his hand at the only window in the room. "Arien's got himself a job as a blacksmith, and Garm... Garm is just like your old man used to be."

There was a certain sense of pride in Hans' voice. Carca assumed that Hans himself had had something to do with the further assistance of the two boys.

"Blacksmith, at his age? That's... foolish."

"Ah, Carca, don't be like that," Hans sighed as the two of them walked out. "He's got skills, and muscles. I think he should be allowed to use 'em. Turn here..."

"Much work for little money," Carca said flatly. "And if he works alone - "

"He doesn't," Hans said quickly. "Of course he works with me. I wouldn't let that kid work alone, that would have been insane. But he's got skills. He can handle himself."

Carca remained silent, and unconvinced.

"And Garm... I suppose he's a fisherman, then?"

"Both fisherman and swordsman," Hans said as he nodded. "And just as talented as your father was at that age. Maybe even more."

"Well, it's good that he's doing okay."

Hans seemed to have noticed the unusual, cold tone in Carca's voice, as he glanced at the boy a little, not saying a word. Carca knew that he would not be able to stay. Perhaps it would have been better to never have come there.

No. You carry this out, even if I have to drag you to your brothers.

"Here it is."

Carca stopped in his tracks. Their new house was bigger than the old one, and as Hans had said, it was closer to the docks. As they approached the door, it burst open. A fifteen year old youth appeared in the doorway, staring at them.

"... Car...ca...?"

Before Carca got to say anything at all, his brother had lunged forward and punched him square in the face, sending him back. Hans said nothing, instead just watching with a mix of surprise and sadness on his face. It seemed that he had half expected this to happen.

"Arien..." Carca said lowly. "You look good."

"Where the hell have you been?" his brother growled. "Have you any idea of what - ?"

"What you've gone through?" Carca interrupted. "No."

They stared at each other for a long time, neither one saying anything. Arien then proceeded to scratch his head with an annoyed look on his face.

"Good that you're alive," he said. "Come inside."

Carca slowly got up, having to admire the strength of his younger brother. Hans had not exaggerated when he had said that Arien had grown stronger through becoming a blacksmith. Inside his head, Kerel made a whistling sound.

Ohhh, this is gonna be painful for you.

Arien invited them in, where they sat down around a large table with six chairs. As Carca looked around, he realized that the house had to be much too large for just two teenage boys to live in.

"Who lives here?" he asked. Arien, who stood in the doorway still, crossed his arms. He was quite like Carcaroth in appearance, having the same black, long hair - though his was longer and tied in a pony-tail - and the same pointy nose. The only difference was the eyes, as Arien's were green, and significantly softer than Carca's. They both radiated the same kind of coldness, though.

"A couple of girls," Arien said casually. "It's much easier to balance the budget of four people in one house than in two. We're doing each other a favor by living under the same roof. And we have plenty of space."

"I can see that..." Carca muttered. Arien disappeared out of the room, leaving Carca and Hans alone at the table.

There was a small moment of silence before Hans coughed lightly. "So, Carca, where've you been all this time?"

Carcaroth folded his hands together, thinking about what to say. It was obvious that Kerel's existence had to be kept a secret, so he would have to lie, or be very vague. He had never been a good liar, so he would have to go with the second option.

"I've been travelling," he said. "I failed to catch father's killer, and I ended up getting lost in the woods. When I had managed to get out of there, I had no choice but to try and find the closest town. From there I travelled around, taking small jobs in order to get money so I could buy food and shelter for myself."

"Sounds reasonable," Hans said with a nod.

"You didn't expect it to?" Carca muttered. Hans laughed a little.

"Sorry, I meant that it's understandable that you were away for so long."

Carca nodded slowly, looking towards the doorway where Arien had stood a few minutes before. It was strange to be in the home of his two brothers. He wondered how life had gone by for them, while he had been away doing errands for the demon who currently occupied his body alongside him. It was funny to think about; how life had gone by while he had been doing all these things.

"Where's Garm?" he asked, the words coming out of his mouth before he had really realized what the question was.

"He's a fisherman, you know," Hans said. "It's standard procedure for him to be gone for a while."

"Ah..."

Carca remembered how his father had been a fisherman as well, and how he had often been gone for many days in a row. Maybe it was better if Garm was not there, but at the same time, Carca could not help but feel a little sad at the thought of just leaving again without even seeing his youngest brother. Such stupid brotherly feelings was what would make this difficult to do.

"I made us some tea," said Arien all of a sudden as he came into the room, carrying a tray with three warm cups. They spent their next few minutes in complete silence, the only sounds coming from the sipping of warm tea.

"So... who are these girls that you live with?" Carca asked eventually. Arien glanced at him as he sipped from his cup, before putting it on the table.

"Frey and Ninia. They're both a couple of years older than me."

"What do they do?"

"They work as waitresses in a bar not too far from here."

"Exciting..." Carca muttered. "Doesn't it get a little uncomfortable living here with two girls while Garm is away?"

"No," Arien said flatly. "Why would it be?"

"Nevermind..."

Hans drank up his tea. It seemed that he was in a hurry, as he immediately got to his feet. "Well boys, it's been great but I gotta get back."

"Alright Hans," Arien said, making a nod at the big man. "I'll see you around."

"Yeah. Take care. And you too, Carca."

With a smile, he made for the door and was gone. Now that there was only Carca and Arien left, Carca felt a little out of place. He had known his brother for almost his entire life, yet now it felt as though they were strangers. Deep within he feared that his brother had grown to hate him - to despise him - for leaving them. Arien did seem to be much colder and calmer than he used to have been. He used to smile a lot. He had not smiled once since Carca had returned.

"When are you leaving again?"

Arien did not look at him, but rather stared at his cup.

"What?"

"I said, when are you leaving again?"

He looked into Carca's eyes. The two brothers stared at each other for a few seconds. Carca did not know what to say.

"I, uh..."

"I know that you're leaving soon. I can see it in your eyes."

"Oh..."

Carca felt relieved and disheartened at the same time. On one hand, he no longer had to worry about saying what he had come to say in the first place. On the other hand, Arien seemed to not be any happier or angrier. He just stared at Carca, not blinking or looking away.

"Yeah, I'm leaving again."

"That's understandable," Arien said, sipping from his cup again. "It'd be difficult for you to settle down here after being away for so long. We haven't got room for you either."

"Arien," Carca said lowly. "Are you sure that - ?"

"Don't worry about us," Arien cut him off. "We've been doing fine so far, and honestly; I already have one brother who goes missing for one or two weeks, so it won't matter if I get another one. At least now I know that you're alive."

Carca bent his head, closing his eyes. Kerel was entirely quiet.

"I'll come home someday," Carca said eventually. "I just... have something I need to do first."

Arien did not respond. Carcaroth slowly stood up from his chair.

"Thanks for the tea, it was good," he said quietly. As he walked towards the door, he heard a chair move, and he turned around just in time to have Arien rush straight into him. He had half expected a punch, but then he realized that Arien was hugging him.

"Arien..."

His brother did not respond, but held a tight grip around Carca. The two brothers were locked in their tight hug until Arien finally let go, looking at Carca with a small smile.

"Get going."

Carca hesitated. Then he brought up a hand, and gave Arien's head a pat.

"Stay healthy," he muttered, before he turned once more and hurried out the door. As he came outside and walked away from the house, Kerel yawned inside his head.

Oh, morning already?

Did you enjoy the show? asked Carca as they moved down the road. The smell of sea filled the air.

Nah, too boring. I mean, you had tea. What the hell was exciting about that?

Carca did not respond, instead focusing on walking. People kept staring at him as he passed, but not everyone recognized him it seemed. It was probably because of his long, black cloak and his longer hair.

I don't think you should've said that you were gonna come back someday, the demon remarked after a little while, when they had reached the outskirts of the town.

Why not?

False hope, you know.

I didn't lie, Carca replied. I will come back.

Are you sure about that? Kerel said slowly.

I'm not planning on dying, Carca said flatly.

Well... you never know...

They were now completely out of town. Before them lay a new road, long and probably just as challenging as the last one had been.

You never know...

If you don't want me posting in here then just delete.
I like the story and how there is plenty of conversation between carcaroth and Kerel. Will there be anymore, I would like to read about what happens next.