15. Chapter Fifteen
Chapter Fifteen
Cody
Cody woke up with a start. The Bunnykin Breeding Bakery paperback that was resting on his stomach slipped away and crashed on the floor, making him jump again. He’d been trapped in that same stupid nightmare, and once again only woke up because of Knife shouting at him.
You good? Knife asked.
Yeah…I’m good. Thanks.
He took several deep breaths, calming himself. The living room had grown dark, and it had to be past midnight by now. He realized he must have fallen asleep while reading.
“Nightmare?” a female voice asked.
“Fuck!” Cody jumped, his heart rate charging right back up. He leapt to his feet and fell into a fighter’s stance, pulling Knife from his inventory to grip him in his hand. Cody surveyed the room, but his eyes were still adjusting, and it was too dark to see anything. “Who’s there?”
A pink glow grabbed his attention, and he could make out Temica sitting in his grandfather’s old armchair in the corner of the room, with her parrot perched on the back of the chair.
There was a pink aura of light surrounding her.
She was wearing a skimpy pink silk nightdress, with the top half barely covering her voluminous cleavage.
Cody did not relax his stance. “What are you doing here?”
She twisted a strand of her pink hair around a finger. “I’m bored. Things are moving way too slowly with you and Morgan, so I’ve kept my minions reined in.”
Cody actually thought things were going really fast with Morgan. But then he grimaced, not liking the fact that Temica even knew anything about his relationship progress.
“We are well past the ten percent spot in the story, and you haven’t even properly fucked the girl yet. But when the show finally begins, I don’t want petty jealousy. No, I want bloodthirst and hatred. I want epic levels of heartbreak and anguish.”
“Fuck off,” was all Cody had to say to that. “Get out of my house.”
You know, the more she talks like that, the more she sounds like a Chaos Demon, Knife said, but Cody ignored him for the time being.
“I’m bored. Don’t you want to play with me?” Temica’s hand went to one of the thin straps of her nightdress, pretending like she was about to pull it down.
Cody clenched his jaw. “I am not even remotely interested in fucking you. You’re one dumb bitch if you’ve been watching me and don’t already know that I’m loyal to Morgan.”
“Really? After everything I’ve done for you, after bringing you home, you don’t even have it in your heart to give me a reward?”
In the blink of an eye she was standing right in front of him. She trailed her finger down the side of his face, and he took a step back.
“You know, I could snap my fingers and you’d kiss me. But where’s the fun in that?”
Nope, Knife said. Not buying it.
What are you on about? Cody asked.
Tell her you’re not buying it, Knife instructed. I don’t think she is as powerful as she says she is. She’s bluffing. Call her out on it.
Cody sighed, but did what Knife suggested: “I’m not buying it.”
“Buying what? I’m giving it to you for free.” Temica took another step forward. Cody took several steps away, so he was standing on the opposite side of the room. She stayed where she was, frowning.
Tell her to prove herself, but like, not in a sexual assault-ish way, Knife said.
Cody understood what Knife was getting at. Temica wanted to play the all-powerful goddess, but she probably had some limits.
“Make me clap my hands,” Cody said.
She fixed her eyes on him. “What?”
“If you really are that powerful, prove it. But with something simple, like making me clap my hands or stomp my feet.”
“I don’t want to play this game. It bores me. Henry! We’re leaving!”
Henry the parrot launched himself off the back of Grandpa Sam’s armchair and flew over to land on Temica’s shoulder. In an explosion of pink sparkles, she disappeared.
Cody did his best to shake off the creepiness of that interaction and went to sit on the couch, still holding Knife in his hand. So, what the hell did we just achieve? Did we learn something there? She can disappear in a cloud of sparkles, but she’s not as powerful as she says she is?
Yeah, Knife said. She can create games and she can bring you to this realm and set things in motion, but you still have free will.
She’s powerful, sure, but I don’t know if she’s an actual goddess.
I think she enjoys playing the part. I don’t think she can make you do something against your will, and I don’t think she can see everything you’re doing, twenty-four/seven.
If that’s true, then that’s certainly a relief. Cody really didn’t want that bitch to be able to watch him and Morgan during their alone time. Not that Knife had the best track record of being right about things, but he was willing to discuss it. And you said something about a Chaos Demon?
She keeps talking about making things interesting and sitting back and watching. That is Chaos Demon 101.
Cody sighed. Okay, please explain ‘Chaos Demon 101.’
I dunno, it’s pretty self-explanatory. Chaos Demons feed off of chaos. In Temica’s case, it sounds like she’s arranged people in Cornerstone to create chaos.
What people? Cody asked. How is letting me and Morgan fall in love going to create chaos? How is me playing some stupid Cottage Country game helping with this chaos stuff?
She mentioned minions, Knife said. There could be other people here she’s playing with.
There is a very real chance the only reason she brought you back here, back to Morgan, is so she can let the two of you get close, allow you to fall in love with your dream girl, and then cackle as she rips it all away, turning you into a broken husk of a man.
The bigger the buildup, the juicier the meal when she tears it all to shreds.
Like…a pulled pork sandwich. And you worked your ass off to get back here, so clearly Morgan is a big prize.
And the game stuff? Cody asked.
She could just, I dunno, like games? She said she was a Keeper and Creator of Games.
Is it possible to be a Keeper and Creator of Games and a Chaos Demon and a witch and a goddess? Cody asked. All at the same time?
‘Witch’ might have been the part she was playing in Velasarin, and now she could be playing at being a goddess, Knife said. But I see no reason why she couldn’t be both a Keeper and Creator of Games and a Chaos Demon.
Are you sure? You’ve been wrong about many things in the past.
Like knows like? Knife said. I’m a demon sentient knife. But I wasn’t always a demon sentient knife, right?
Uh, right? You were something else before…this?
Of course I was something else before this, Knife said. You know, I had a life before I met you, Cody Hampshire.
Cody ran a hand through his hair, trying to sort through all this Temica bullshit.
He wanted his old life back. He wanted Morgan.
Maybe Knife was wrong. Maybe Temica was just a bored goddess, not a Chaos Demon.
Maybe he just needed to one hundred percent the Cottage Country game and everything could go back to normal.
I don’t think I'm wrong, Knife said.
Can you give me one moment of privacy? Ever? Cody asked. I’m trying to think shit through on my own.
I’m only trying to help.
But can you fuck off, for like five minutes and let me think? He tried to block Knife, but it was late, his Stamina was in the red, and he really needed to go to bed.
Oh, do you think I like being stuck in your shitty brain all day, every day? Knife asked. Do you think I enjoy begging you to take me out to see my mushroom lady friend?
I…I dunno… Cody let his head fall into his hands as a headache arrived, feeling like his brain was being crushed in a vise.
Everything is always about you, Knife said. And you’ve never once asked about what my life was like before you.
I thought you were stuck inside that goblin that stabbed me.
Before that, Knife said.
Another wave of pain flowed through Cody’s head. Can we not do this right now? I feel like shit.
Cody was thankful for the following moments of silence. But then Knife spoke up: You’ve never even asked me what my name is.
Your name is…Knife? Cody said weakly.
What the fuck? No! My name is not Knife.
You’re my only fucking friend in the entire world and you never fucking listen to me and you’ve never even asked me what my name is.
I’ve been waiting. I’ve been waiting for almost ten years!
And you never stop to wonder how I feel about being stuck inside your brain.
Newsflash: it ain’t always a good time. I am so done with this bullshit.
Yeah? You want to know why I’m not listening to you about the Chaos Demon thing?
Cody countered. Because this is just like the time you told me that the gryphon was definitely sleeping, and it wasn’t, and I almost died.
Or the time you told me to team up with that party of kobolds, and they tried to eat me during the middle of a dungeon run!
Or the time you told me that loot chest was definitely not a mimic, and it almost bit off my arm! Or the time—
Okay, I get it, Knife said. I’ve been wrong about a few things before. But I am not wrong about this Chaos Demon thing. And if you just–
Fuck off. Cody’s grip tightened on the hilt of Knife.
Are you sure? Knife asked. Is that what you really want?
“That is what I have wanted for the past decade!” Cody shouted out loud. “Leave me the fuck alone!”
Cody stood up, and with a grunt of effort, he threw Knife across the room as hard as he could. The weapon crashed into the wall and fell to the ground with a loud clatter in the otherwise silent cottage.
Cody expected at least one last rebuttal. Knife could still talk to him, even if he wasn’t in his Inventory or being held. He waited, expecting Knife to cuss him out for throwing him across the room. Plus, Knife loved getting the last word in.
But there was nothing. It was a silence that Cody hadn’t felt since the day he was stabbed in the heart by the cursed sentient weapon. He got up and walked over to where Knife lay on the ground and picked him back up. Knife? I’m sorry I threw you.
Nothing.
Cody sent Knife back into his Inventory. He probably needed some time to calm down. In the meantime, Cody would enjoy the silence.