11th Shot: Mystic Tarot

11^th Shot: Mystic Tarot

      Vincent dragged the unconscious body of the occultist up the trail to reach Shina and the nymph girls.

            “I hope they got there from my memories.” Vincent thought to himself. It would almost be convenient if they did. Who is to truly tell what they know by having his memories, although the merger does not seem to affect them the way it has him. While they seem to always be in a state of simple remembrance when searching for precious information, Vincent himself is struck with varying flashes initiated by situational trigger words. He truly detested the flashes. They are a liking to having your head grasped by an ogre and squeezed for juice like an orange.

            Vincent’s attention switched from the complaints swirling in his head to the man sliding against the dirt. Shina had said that the devil and death would follow after meeting the queen and the fool. Are these men and the mysterious Oro they worship the people she was talking about? Who death is to come? These things put Vincent out of the mood to complain and add an unfamiliar look of angered worry and concern upon his face. His eyes looked forward and shifted to hi animal form.

            “Vincent!” Nox calls waving ahead from Shina’s home quickly snapping Vincent back to the present. Nox sprints down to look at Vincent.

Cut marks are left all around Vincent’s clothes but not a single scratch remained on his body. Nox studied him closely even the hole in the shoulder of the jacket from front to back.

“Why didn’t you let Nyx and I help you? We could have fought them together.” Nox says slapping Vincent across the face and snatching the gun he had given her earlier back from the strap on his leg. “…And it’s a bad habit to take back gifts.” She says lining up with Vincent and pulling the body of the cloaked man with greater ease than Vincent.

“Wait, are we gonna ignore the slap? That hurt where did that come from?” Vincent says cupping his cheek with a puzzled look.

As they trudged the body up the incline to Shina’s home they see Nyx brushing and watering Shiva not two feet from the front door.

Nyx looks to the two of them together and skips over to them and hugs them tightly. “There’s my favorite couple, Miss Shina and I have been waiting for you two to come back.” Nyx chuckles as she raises her head to look at their faces. Her sister Nox blushes and struggles to move aside, while Vincent whips his hand through his shaggy hair and looks at Nox with playful lust to entertain the statement.

“Knock it off Nyx.” Nox says breaking the hug.

“Oh, but honey don’t hide your affection. You are lucky enough to have such a handsome young lad as myself.” Vincent says holding her close to his chest and stroking the length of her hair. Nyx giggled as Nox’s face turned ruby red.

Nox felt at home against Vincent’s chest and wished to stay there. These moments with her freedom, her sister, and Vincent feel like an unbelievable dream to her.

Vincent’s playful demeanor changed to a serious one as he heard the occultist awake behind him.

“Rain Bringer, give me aid to take bring these women back to Lord Oro. He has need of them.” Vincent’s face turned from jolly and playful to that of a monster. Through their bond Nox and Nyx knew that this look was one of great danger for those who enrage this young zooanthrope, especially the beast that resides behind the human form.

“Vinnie, is that you I hear outside my door?” Shina emerges from her front door on her cane.

“How dare you leave a lady waiting? Don’t you know it’s supposed to be the other way around?” She says as she leaves the door step and approaches them.

“Elf you are in the presence of the son of Oro. You will…” the occultist begins but is hit across the head with Shina’s cane.

“Come in my dears, and bring your pet with you.” Shina says walking back to her home.

“Will Shiva fit in your home?” Nox asks looking to Shina.

“I was talking about that human, leave Shiva outside.” She says.

Once inside the home Shina fixed the group a cup of enchanted lemon mint tea before they began their meeting of the minds.

“Thank you Miss Shina, you are too kind.” Nox says gleefully sipping the tea. Who knows how long it has been since these girls have had anything other than the drugged waters the Styx gang had forced on them for the many years that they had lived as slaves.

“You are welcome sweetie.” Shina says then sits revealing her tarot deck. “Now to the matter at hand, Vinnie I told you not to stop for any reason. What happened?” Shina says scolding Vincent.

“I’m sorry Shina I…”

“…Save it Vinnie, what’s done is done. You have changed the course now the cards read differently.” Shina spreads the cards across the table and flips the first four cards. The tarot cards glow with a great shining chrome and then burst into a blinding green. Nox and Nyx sit in great awe of the ability displayed by Shina. They themselves had never known anyone to actually read the cards.

“See here, where the path was once set in motion by the Queen and Fool followed by Devil and Death, it now spells the Fortune and Aeon followed by Devil, and now the Tower as well.” Shina says grimly.

“I don’t understand. How bad is the situation?” Vincent says looking into the cards without a clue to what meaning they bring.

“It means that where evil and death would strike you, now it is evil and now an undefeatable adversary that will come to consume you.”

“…But you said that Fortune was on my side?” Vincent answers back.

“Yes but not fortune for you.” Shina says looking toward Nox. “Vinnie you weren’t meant to save these girls. You were meant to save the other two.”

The words strike Nox and Nyx as they sit at the table unbelieving to the words spoken from Shina.

“So we are the cause of Vincent’s misfortune?” Nox asks solemnly.

“Yes my dear I am sorry to say but because Vincent ignored my warning he is now bound to you for life, and not only that these fellows have searched for you two since the attack in on your village. They need to spill the blood of everyone from your clan to resurrect their God King Oro the eight headed.”

“Can’t we just change the course again? “ Nyx asks with the last shred of optimism in her.

“I’m sorry my dear, but if you could I can’t tell you how. I can only see the change when it happens not before.” Shina says rising to her feet.

“Wait, why does Oro need these girls’ blood?” Vincent asks

“Because they are the descendants of Neptuna, the God that sealed him away in the legend, and because it was her blood that rebuked him into darkness; it is her blood that must usher him into the light of day once again.” The human says tide down to a chair on the other side of the room. A gasp escaped from Nox after hearing this news.

The girls had never known the reason behind the raid. They believed that it was simple slave run pillage, and just as well they had never believed in the old legends passed through the ages. They had no idea that they were singled out for their blood, and now they had brought this burden upon Vincent as the cards before them had read. She looks to Vincent’s face in fear of his rage but was comforted by an understanding smile.

“So is this the battle I would have had to fight in the first place?” Vincent asks plainly.

“It is but the Queen’s blade and the Fools magic could have kept him sealed for good, but now they are gone from your focus and you must face his legions to prevent him from resurrecting.”

“What about Aeon?” Nyx interrupts bringing up the yet unmentioned card. “I mean we know that Nox is Fortune which makes me Aeon, so what’s my role?”

Shina looks to Nyx with a puzzlement. “I haven’t the slightest idea of your role my darling but time will reveal it.” She says walking to the human.

“I demand that you release me Elf witch.” The human struggles against his bonds.

“Humans aren’t worth what a pig could spit in my home and your words are like the scent of an open grave to me so be kind not to speak often.” Shina says drawing a blank card from her deck and placing it to his forehead. Through the card she witnessed the plans and plots of the Arm of Oro. After filling the card to its brim with elfin letterings, she places it to Vincent’s forehead causing his eyes to change to the slits with black sclera.