ROUGH DRAFT - Coye 6.5 (Patreon)

Inside the Baddest Bitches dorm room, Marlie was alone. Coco and Britni were out for the night and they would remain as such while Tiph took off for her lab hours ago with a face that screamed she wouldn't be coming home tonight. That worried her a good deal, but Marlie was satisfied with the chance at being alone. Especially when she had a new friend she couldn't wait to get to know better.

Marlie was changing into a pair of pajama shorts and a loose shirt, her dark brown skin illuminated by the many fiery cracks running along her body. She emptied the contents of her pockets onto the bed, and as she did, she couldn't stop thinking about the battle today.

Coye wasn't kidding. He really did like his toys, just like she did. Marlie smiled beneath her mask which she refused to take off even while alone. His tools served him well, one more than all the others. A small rectangle with a crystal screen fell out of her pockets and caught her attention.

It had been a while since she contacted her father, and as tempting as it sounded to hit him up and here about how the castle was doing and whether or not he found any new weapons, it would have to wait for some other day. Her thoughts were to scattered and there was too much to do.

As happy as she was for Coye and his monumental victory, all it did was make things even more complicated. Whether or not she would admit it was one thing, but the fact was that Coco was unquestionably in love with him now. Assuming Britni Got Her Way, Marlie hoped she didn't mind sharing or else Coco would feel even more neglected than she already did. If things got worse between them and Coco's mood didn't pick up soon, Marlie dreaded that she might need to mediate their feelings. She didn't even like acknowledging her own feelings- let alone her friends- but someone had to do it...

And then there was Tiph, who Marlie couldn't stop worrying about. Yeah, she was always a bitch, but... Her comments during the match and her reactions... There was something about it that deeply upset her. Far past the point of petty bitterness, at that. Marlie's assumption that something happened between Tiph and Coye when they were alone together seemed more valid by the moment.

Marlie tossed her pants on the floor and drew the curtains around her bed, blocking herself off from the outside world. The window was sealed off perfectly, leaving the only light in the room coming from the fiery cracks of her body. For a moment, she contemplated the dark path things seemed to be heading.

She pictured that dimwitted little Half-Elf boy she first laid eyes on a year ago, wondering how she could've possibly known the damage he was capable of inflicting upon those near and dear to her. Marlie never asked her friends and never wanted them in the first place, but now that she had them, she didn't want to go without them. Friends were troublesome like that, which was why before she fell in with Britni, Marlie always preferred a certain type of company that wasn't as demanding.

Deciding she could go for some cheering up, Marlie pushed this out of her mind for now and extended her hand. She visualized her father's castle, the room which served as her armory. Inside, hundreds of weapons were ready and waiting for her to call on them. She saw her recent acquisitions, her most favored ones, and the twin swords her parents gifted her upon her eighteenth birthday and her declaration to become an adventurer. None of these were what she was looking for.

She was looking for a sword that wasn't her own.

She found it and her hand burned bright with abyssal fire as she summoned it in her hand. Coye sword appeared where there was nothing before and she cringed to look upon its state.

"I'd say you've seen better days, but then again, haven't we all?" She teased the steel and turned it over in her hand. Wailing on Auguris's magically reinforced stone armor took its toll on the blade, and it was covered in cracks not too dissimilar from her own. What interested her was the flowing energy she could visibly see emanating from those cracks.

A mystical blue light swirled and sparkled inside of the sword. Marlie always knew there was something special about it- she possessed the gift of weapons sight. She could look at any armament and sense the potential, something she put to use many times in her youth stealing magical weapons from unsuspecting passerby on the streets of Perlshaw. She'd grown out of such childish habits and preferred the much more direct method of beating up the owner of anything that caught her eye, save for a few exceptions.

The sword in her hands being one of them. Marlie felt the distinct feeling coming from the blade, as if it was telling her it didn't belong to her. Strange, it wasn't even talking to her yet.

She brought the steel closer and examined the magical blue light inside of the cracks. She wondered what it was. It didn't look like light magic, which was usually yellow, but it wasn't arcane energy, either. It was some other power source she wasn't familiar with.

"Be gentle with me," Marlie joked. "It's my first time handling one like you." She extended one of her claws and softly poked at the energy within the blade. It didn't hurt her, but it did zap her slightly. It felt tingly, but not in a numb sort of way. In a energetic sort of way. Like her body was swirling where it touched.

Interesting. She really had no idea what sort of magic was in this thing. To try and get a better read on the sword, she inspected it in greater detail. Her mother taught her the many styles of swords throughout Karnalle's history and her father opened her eyes to realms of weaponry far beyond Karnalle, but even a connoisseur like herself wasn't familiar with its make.

Her best guess was Elvish, but even that wasn't quite right. Elven smiths always sign their blades and inscribe all sorts of runes, where as this one had none. Furthermore, Elven swords all felt pretentious and Marlie didn't like them one bit. They were all full of themselves and made for poor company, where as this one felt more inviting. Playful, even.

It made her curious to know end, which was just fine. She would have all the answers soon enough. There was no one around to get in the way, so Marlie spoke directly to the sword.

"How much longer are you going to keep quiet?" She asked. "I'm ready to talk when you are."

Not a sound was heard, but Marlie got an answer that seemed to satisfy her.

"There we go. Was that so hard?" Marlie paused and then laughed. "Fair enough. This is probably your first time getting to talk with someone who can actually understand you, so I'm sure this is a little- oh. It's not? Interesting."

Few mortals could speak the language of steel like she and her father, but it was not specifically limited to demons of her lineage. That being said, Marlie had never come across a sword that had already been talked to before.

"I don't suppose you're willing to tell me more about that, are you?" The sword disappointed her, but Marlie expected as much. "Yeah, I can't say I didn't see that coming. Anyway. You remember me from the other day, right? I took you from your sheath and tease your master a little. Good. That'll make introductions smoother. My name is Marlissax Ashebarre, daughter of-"

another strange occurrence. The sword interrupted her and the topic surprised Marlie.

"... Yes. He's okay. I took you because things got really hectic after you broke that armor and he was foolish enough to cast you aside. I'm not going to let him off for that, mind you, but I understand the thematic fulfillment he must've received from punching that tool in the face again."

Marlie sensed a surprising amount of relief coming from the sword upon hearing that Coye was safe and sound. As already stated, Marlie had gotten her hands on many weapons throughout her twenty-two years of life. None of the ones she'd stolen ever spoke out of turn like this, and few cared half as much about their prior Masters is this one seemed to.

"I'm going to give you back tomorrow. I promise. Do you seriously care about him that much, though? Is he really that great?" Marlie regretted asking this question instantly as the sword started rambling on and on, some of it too fast to even keep up with. "Okay, fuck. I get it. He's great, moving on... I am the daughter of the demon prince Argored of the abyssal armory, and I desire to speak with you as friends. Would you tell me more about your master? I'm curious about you as well, don't get me wrong, but..."

The sword got defensive all of a sudden and became more quiet. It had seen Marlie in the background many times in the last year while her friends gave its master plenty of harassment. Suddenly, there was reason to doubt Marlie's intentions.

"It's not like that. I promise. I just..." Marlie sighed as she struggled to articulate herself. "Two of my friends are taking with him and the third is probably up to something where he's involved, too. Things are on the verge of changing, likely for the worse. I don't think I can prevent it, but I can better arm myself with knowledge. The more you tell me about Coye, the better I might be able to navigate this oncoming storm."

It was then that the sword got cheeky with her. It asked if that was really why she wanted to know more about Coye and took on an almost teasing tone with her.

"Yes, really," Marlie rolled her eyes. "That's all. What? I obviously know he thinks I'm hot. That's not exactly surprising, you know. He throws a very wide net and is very obvious about it..." A slight trail of smoke started to pour out of the cracks on her cheek. "If you're trying to insinuate I want to know more about him for romantic reasons, then I'm going to stop you right there. Not interested."

Coye's sword sassed her back and Marlie ignored it. "I'm more interested in you, so to speak. I like talking to new weapons, learning their histories, their stories, and about their previous Masters. Think of me as your friend and spill your heart out."

The sword didn't say anything, but it didn't have to. Marlie could feel the sadness coming from the blade. It didn't want to talk about its past. Fair enough, it was hardly unique in that regard.

"Can you at least tell me about who made you? Even the race is more than enough for me." Marlie asked, causing the weapon to debate the merits of sharing such information. Ultimately, it provided an answer and Marlie didn't expect it. "Fairy made? No shit."

She ran her fingers along the blade several times and inspected it even further. That made sense and it explained why she couldn't place the thing. Even her father didn't have any fairy made weapons, and she imagined how many of her favorite weapons he would be willing to trade this one for if she forked it over. How tempting. It was a shame this one was spoken for.

"Now I really don't want to give you back, but I will. Here, let me help you..." Marlie's hand burned with demonic energy as she called upon the power of her bloodline, running her hand down the length of the steel. The cracks healed wherever it touched, such was her dominion over armaments.

"Feel better? Yeah? Good." Marlie smiled and noticed a change in the swords behavior. It was more trusting and relieved to be in better condition, which made it more talkative. Now was as good a time as any to press. "Think you might be willing to tell me a little more about the two of you, my friend?"

And much to her pleasant surprise, it was. The sword didn't get into why was where Coye found it, but he stumbled into a section of the Gnarled Woods two years ago where the sword was resting inside of a pedestal. Coye pulled it out and had been making use of it ever since. They had been on all sorts of adventures together and Coye always took great care of it, making sure it was always clean of blood and guts, keeping it in tiptop sharpness, all of which pleased Marlie to hear.

What she didn't like to hear was that the sword wasn't without complaints. Its chief concern was that his power was only a fraction of what it once was, leaving Coye to believe it's magical ability was different than what it actually was. It wouldn't give up the details on what those powers actually were, as if it couldn't recall. Marlie already knew this much. She could see the potential in weapons and felt this one still had a long way to go before it could truly shine, but also knew its Heights would be staggering. This damn sword was making it harder and harder to give back to Coye.

Even then, the weapon was personable and fun to talk to. She wanted to do it a favor, but wouldn't if she couldn't get something out of it. "Tell you what. I like you. I think you're pretty fun and I'm interested about all your secrets, but you still haven't really told me much I can use. I'm going to make you an offer. I have a certain power that I rarely use- typically only on my absolute most favorite weapons or those close to me- which is good for a one time flat power up. I can't unlock any of your repressed powers, but I can give you a base increase in raw strength. How does that sound? Tell me as much about Coye as you can, and I will help you serve him better."

Marlie read the sword perfectly and it was easy to talk it into this good-natured exchange. The sword was into it, but it asked Marlie if this power was dangerous for her or not.

"I'll be fine," she shrugged her shoulders. "I don't like to use it because it's a pain in the ass and it hurts like a bitch, that's all. Don't worry about me, worry about you."

This seemingly convinced the sword to get talking and talk it did. It went back and filled in some more of the two years it had been with Coye and elaborated on many things he'd done throughout that time, painting a more vivid picture of Coye as a person. The annoying part was that none of this new information helped her. It just reinforced all of the things she already knew about him. She was hoping for something more significant and ended up asking about recent events.

That was where things got weird.

Marlie's eyes opened wide as she listened to tales of Coye's recent exploits, details on the type of company he's been keeping, and about his thoughts and motivations. Coye was with his sword almost every day and in most cases it was always within earshot of him. It knew everything there was to know, more or less, and it spilled every relevant detail to Marlie.

All of them.

"No fucking way," she laughed a dry laugh. "That... Makes so much sense, actually."

Now that she knew the truth, Marlie felt even more intrigued by him than ever. He was certainly an interesting character, and by the sounds of things, it was only starting to develop. There was no telling the kind of person he'd become in the future, which scared her just as much as it made her curious.

"So there's been multiple discussions about seducing us one by one, huh?" She laughed again. "Fucking hell."

The sword apologized and Marlie dismissed it, shaking her head. "It's not your fault. Really, I find it funnier than anything else. Maybe a little flattering as well, but... It's troubling. Even if they were just being hypothetical and running through the likelihood of his chances with each of us, it makes me more concerned than I already was."

Again, the sword was sorry for delivering the truth. It asked if Marlie still thinks she can navigate the oncoming storm.

"No, now it's seeming more unavoidable than ever. I swear, he's just like Britni. Or at least, he starting to be. They both have this aura round them that compels others, drawing them in while recklessly charging ahead. If we're lucky, they'll cancel each other out, but... I'm not naive enough to believe it will happen like that."

Concerned for its new friend, Coye's sword asked if Marlie will be okay.

"No idea. I hope so, but a deal is a deal..." Marlie sighed and shrugged her shoulders before setting the sword on the bed before her. "You told me more than enough, but there's one more thing I need to know before I can give you your power up."

The room which was already dark started to grow even darker and the glow from Marlie's eyes started intensifying. "Give me your name."

It did, and Marlie complemented it as she stripped herself of her shirt. "Fitting. It's a nice name..." Whispers in the dark started to chant demonic words in the abyssal language of demons as power stirred in the air. The light from the fire within Marlie was glowing redder and redder.

Marlie placed her right hand over her heart and closed her eyes. This was always the hardest part, but she done it before and knew she could handle the pain. Her sharp claws grew even sharper at her demand and Marlie Thrust it into her breast, piercing her flesh and reaching straight inside her rib cage to rip her still beating heart from her body. Smoke billowed from her wound.

Even after she snapped its cords, it continued to pulse and throb. There was no blood within her- only fire. Marlie's heart started to change. It stopped beating and hardened into the shape of a burning whetstone.

Already she was feeling weaker, but it would be well worth the trouble. Not just for Coye sword, but for him as well. For as much as she wanted to remain indifferent, Marlie thought back to the time they hung out and now reflected on everything she learned about Coye today. He was kind, amusing, witty at times and stupid at others, treated his weapon with more respect than most others did, and above all else, Coye was full of surprises. Coye interested her, no matter how mild she believed it to be.

Marlie felt satisfaction at the thought of helping him out, even if only a little.

She chanted in the ancient abyssal tongue as she placed the whetstone on the edge of his sword and drew it down for the first time. "I invoke my heart and soul to bolster yours, servant of the wielder, drawer of blood and slayer of enemies. I offer the fires of the abyssal armory to burn your edges sharper than sharp. Burn. Burn and rise from the ashes, Shinebringer."