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Description

Yanna uncurled. How long had she been down here? Days? No, months. It could be years, buried deep in this dungeon of darkness and gray and green stone. It didn’t feel like a long time, but then she’d grown accustomed to this place, so maybe it had been a while.

What had woken her? There was some noise, over there by the staircase. Footsteps echoing closer. That way eventually led up and out. She distantly remembered it, what the surface had been.

She straightened up and ran one of her hands through her hair, straightening it out after her nap. It had once been short. It was cut short when she was up where she could see the sun. Now it was long, draping down almost to her hips, a mane of wavy yellow locks that were the only bright object in this place.

The footsteps were getting closer. She uncoiled more of her long, red-patterned tail. It wouldn’t do to be coiled up if someone actually came down here.

She reached down and picked up a spear with one of her left hands, and a sword with one of her right. She had a job, a duty given her by the treasure. No-one was to steal it, ever, not even her. She picked up a pistol left behind by the last person who had tried.

Holding high her uppermost left hand, the marilith raised a magic ball of light, her horns and her eyes glowing green at the effort. The light illuminated the chamber. More weapons lay scattered around her tail. None would succeed here. That was her duty. The footsteps grew closer, and the flickering light of a torch appeared at the top of the stairs.

She silently slid forward, curving around the old broken columns and hiding behind the last one. She extinguished the light. Whoever he was, he was about to die, like all those who came before her.

The footsteps reached the bottom of the stone stairs.

“Hello?” called a man’s voice.

Whirling, all her weapons at the ready at once, she swung around the column to attack — and then stopped.

He was simply sitting on the stairs. There was a dagger at his waist, but in his hands, he held a book, and wasn’t even looking up at her.

This surely was a trap.

“Stand, human,” she said.

He looked up. “So you’re real,” he said.

“I am the demon who guards these caverns,” she said. “You have come to your death.”

He shook his head. “You are Yanna Beckwich. You’re no demon. You’re just cursed.”

Yanna blinked. “How do you know my name?”

“I’ve been searching for you,” he said.

She raised her lowest two hands, and they started glowing with a lightning spell. “What poison are you trying to feed into my mind?” she said.

“No poison,” he said. “I’ve been studying. You came down here, fifty years ago, didn’t you?”

She blinked. It was a while, but had it been fifty years. “I came down here, once,” she said.

“And you were once human, weren’t you?”

“I — ” she trailed off. It seemed like she’d always been the guardian of this place. There was a time before, but —

“I am the demon who guards these caverns,” she intoned again. “You have come to your death.”

“If you kill me,” he said, “you might be stuck down here forever.”

She paused, toying with one of the horns on her head. That didn’t make any sense at all.

“I’m a mage,” he said. “My name is Johan. I specialize in curses, demons, and summoning — not actually causing any of those, mind you; I’m not a dark mage. I just study them.”

Yanna didn’t know how to respond. “I — am the demon who — ”

“I know, I know, guards these caverns,” said the mage. “Are you sure?”

“I am,” she said. “It is my duty.”

“Or were you once the daughter of a merchant? Were you once a human girl who sought adventure, and was left to die down here when her friends fled? Were you merely the only one left upon whom the dungeon could exact its curse?”

Yanna blinked. Some of that seemed vaguely familiar. But she had a job, and that job was to kill intruders. She raised her right arm, bringing the sword up over her head.

“I will kill you, as is my duty,” she said.

He held up his empty hand. “See?” he said. “I’m not holding a weapon.”

She lowered the sword ever so slightly.

In a moment, there was a flash of light from his hand, and she was completely blinded.

“Cursed mage!” she cried, whirling around, her tail flying behind her. “Foul trick! I will kill you!”

Suddenly there was something heavy on her, all over her entire body, as if a thousand-pound blanket had been thrown over her. She struggled against it, but her face crushed against the floor. Her eyes began to clear.

The mage was standing in front of her, a few feet away, the book’s pages flapping in a magical breeze around him.

“I’m sorry for that,” he said, “but you likely wouldn’t do this willingly. Don’t worry. This won’t hurt. I think.”

The magical breeze around him swirled and swirled and grew stronger, starting to glow a light blue. The floor under her began to glow.

Suddenly, there was a wrenching, a tearing, as if she was being pulled in half, as if her organs were being pulled out through her skin. The marilith roared, squirming on the floor, her tail thrashing. Her mind was wracked. A thousand images swirled and swirled in her head, images that seemed both familiar and alien. She saw herself in the mirror, a human being, and her home. Her mother, her father. She desperately wanted to apologize for everything now. Still the tearing, the tearing, as if every last fiber of her being was being ripped in half.

And then the wind slowed, and the magic stopped. Yanna lay on the floor, breathing hard.

“Well,” said the mage.

She looked up at him. “What — what did you do to me?” she said.

“You were right that you were part demon after all. The curse gave you your marilith form, but this place has been oozing demonic souls into you. Another few decades and you really would be a demon.”

“I’m — not?” She was confused. Not like before — her head felt clearer than it had in ages, but somehow, everything he was saying didn’t make any sense.

“No, now you’re just a girl with a snake tail and six arms. I can probably find a way to remove some of the arms, if you want. The snake tail may be a bit harder. But what you aren’t is a demon,” he said. He knelt down near her face and tapped at her forehead. “See?”

She reached up and felt her head. “My — horns are gone,” she said. “I — they used to — I think they told me what to do. They — they were the things that were always talking in my head.”

“Like I said, the demonic souls are gone now. Can I help you up?”

He held out a hand, and she took it with three of hers. She didn’t feel especially stable. He pulled, though, and she balanced on her tail, upright.

She looked down at herself. “I — I’m a monster,” she said.

“Well, yes,” said Johann. He took a step back.

“I — I remember. I used to be a human girl. Once. Now I’m — I don’t know what I am.”

“A marilith,” he said brightly. “Half snake, and with six arms. Very rare. They’re mentioned in my books, but you might be the only one alive.”

“It all felt so — focused, when the voices were in my head. I was to guard this place. That’s what they made me do. I don’t — what do I do now?”

“Well,” said Johann slowly, “how about we get out of here?”

“But the treasure! I have to — have to — guard. At least, I guarded it.”

“There’s no treasure,” he said. “No money, no gold, no jewels. There never was anything down here: Just a curse, and a guardian.”

Yanna swallowed hard. She never had seen the treasure. It all made sense now. She soberly held out her hand. “Then — I think — it’s time I leave.”

Description

Yanna uncurled. How long had she been down here? Days? No, months. It could be years, buried deep in this dungeon of darkness and gray and green stone. It didn’t feel like a long time, but then she’d grown accustomed to this place, so maybe it had been a while.

What had woken her? There was some noise, over there by the staircase. Footsteps echoing closer. That way eventually led up and out. She distantly remembered it, what the surface had been.

She straightened up and ran one of her hands through her hair, straightening it out after her nap. It had once been short. It was cut short when she was up where she could see the sun. Now it was long, draping down almost to her hips, a mane of wavy yellow locks that were the only bright object in this place.

The footsteps were getting closer. She uncoiled more of her long, red-patterned tail. It wouldn’t do to be coiled up if someone actually came down here.

She reached down and picked up a spear with one of her left hands, and a sword with one of her right. She had a job, a duty given her by the treasure. No-one was to steal it, ever, not even her. She picked up a pistol left behind by the last person who had tried.

Holding high her uppermost left hand, the marilith raised a magic ball of light, her horns and her eyes glowing green at the effort. The light illuminated the chamber. More weapons lay scattered around her tail. None would succeed here. That was her duty. The footsteps grew closer, and the flickering light of a torch appeared at the top of the stairs.

She silently slid forward, curving around the old broken columns and hiding behind the last one. She extinguished the light. Whoever he was, he was about to die, like all those who came before her.

The footsteps reached the bottom of the stone stairs.

“Hello?” called a man’s voice.

Whirling, all her weapons at the ready at once, she swung around the column to attack — and then stopped.

He was simply sitting on the stairs. There was a dagger at his waist, but in his hands, he held a book, and wasn’t even looking up at her.

This surely was a trap.

“Stand, human,” she said.

He looked up. “So you’re real,” he said.

“I am the demon who guards these caverns,” she said. “You have come to your death.”

He shook his head. “You are Yanna Beckwich. You’re no demon. You’re just cursed.”

Yanna blinked. “How do you know my name?”

“I’ve been searching for you,” he said.

She raised her lowest two hands, and they started glowing with a lightning spell. “What poison are you trying to feed into my mind?” she said.

“No poison,” he said. “I’ve been studying. You came down here, fifty years ago, didn’t you?”

She blinked. It was a while, but had it been fifty years. “I came down here, once,” she said.

“And you were once human, weren’t you?”

“I — ” she trailed off. It seemed like she’d always been the guardian of this place. There was a time before, but —

“I am the demon who guards these caverns,” she intoned again. “You have come to your death.”

“If you kill me,” he said, “you might be stuck down here forever.”

She paused, toying with one of the horns on her head. That didn’t make any sense at all.

“I’m a mage,” he said. “My name is Johan. I specialize in curses, demons, and summoning — not actually causing any of those, mind you; I’m not a dark mage. I just study them.”

Yanna didn’t know how to respond. “I — am the demon who — ”

“I know, I know, guards these caverns,” said the mage. “Are you sure?”

“I am,” she said. “It is my duty.”

“Or were you once the daughter of a merchant? Were you once a human girl who sought adventure, and was left to die down here when her friends fled? Were you merely the only one left upon whom the dungeon could exact its curse?”

Yanna blinked. Some of that seemed vaguely familiar. But she had a job, and that job was to kill intruders. She raised her right arm, bringing the sword up over her head.

“I will kill you, as is my duty,” she said.

He held up his empty hand. “See?” he said. “I’m not holding a weapon.”

She lowered the sword ever so slightly.

In a moment, there was a flash of light from his hand, and she was completely blinded.

“Cursed mage!” she cried, whirling around, her tail flying behind her. “Foul trick! I will kill you!”

Suddenly there was something heavy on her, all over her entire body, as if a thousand-pound blanket had been thrown over her. She struggled against it, but her face crushed against the floor. Her eyes began to clear.

The mage was standing in front of her, a few feet away, the book’s pages flapping in a magical breeze around him.

“I’m sorry for that,” he said, “but you likely wouldn’t do this willingly. Don’t worry. This won’t hurt. I think.”

The magical breeze around him swirled and swirled and grew stronger, starting to glow a light blue. The floor under her began to glow.

Suddenly, there was a wrenching, a tearing, as if she was being pulled in half, as if her organs were being pulled out through her skin. The marilith roared, squirming on the floor, her tail thrashing. Her mind was wracked. A thousand images swirled and swirled in her head, images that seemed both familiar and alien. She saw herself in the mirror, a human being, and her home. Her mother, her father. She desperately wanted to apologize for everything now. Still the tearing, the tearing, as if every last fiber of her being was being ripped in half.

And then the wind slowed, and the magic stopped. Yanna lay on the floor, breathing hard.

“Well,” said the mage.

She looked up at him. “What — what did you do to me?” she said.

“You were right that you were part demon after all. The curse gave you your marilith form, but this place has been oozing demonic souls into you. Another few decades and you really would be a demon.”

“I’m — not?” She was confused. Not like before — her head felt clearer than it had in ages, but somehow, everything he was saying didn’t make any sense.

“No, now you’re just a girl with a snake tail and six arms. I can probably find a way to remove some of the arms, if you want. The snake tail may be a bit harder. But what you aren’t is a demon,” he said. He knelt down near her face and tapped at her forehead. “See?”

She reached up and felt her head. “My — horns are gone,” she said. “I — they used to — I think they told me what to do. They — they were the things that were always talking in my head.”

“Like I said, the demonic souls are gone now. Can I help you up?”

He held out a hand, and she took it with three of hers. She didn’t feel especially stable. He pulled, though, and she balanced on her tail, upright.

She looked down at herself. “I — I’m a monster,” she said.

“Well, yes,” said Johann. He took a step back.

“I — I remember. I used to be a human girl. Once. Now I’m — I don’t know what I am.”

“A marilith,” he said brightly. “Half snake, and with six arms. Very rare. They’re mentioned in my books, but you might be the only one alive.”

“It all felt so — focused, when the voices were in my head. I was to guard this place. That’s what they made me do. I don’t — what do I do now?”

“Well,” said Johann slowly, “how about we get out of here?”

“But the treasure! I have to — have to — guard. At least, I guarded it.”

“There’s no treasure,” he said. “No money, no gold, no jewels. There never was anything down here: Just a curse, and a guardian.”

Yanna swallowed hard. She never had seen the treasure. It all made sense now. She soberly held out her hand. “Then — I think — it’s time I leave.”