The Grim Reaper Days: The Four Courts

When I Said Go Die On A Hill, I Didn't Mean It Literally

Cory was scared - no - he was petrified. He had no intention of helping Lucius further than glamouring the dolls and acting as a so called 'distraction'. He had no need or want to go to purgatory, neither was he too keen on preforming a rather lengthy tracking spell to find those three wandering souls. Lucius, however, was very keen on going. No matter how much Cory whined about it.

"I am not going, Lucius." He stated, as though as he had a choice. "We had an agreement and I held up my end."

"Yeah, the 'agreement'," Lucius quoted using his hands, "not the Favor." He pointed to the Representative's shoulder, "You still have my mark, so whether you want to or not, you're still coming with me." I still need your help, was what Lucius wanted to say, but he couldn't let that get to Cory's head.

Cory pushed his shirt over to the edge of his shoulder, inspecting it from top to bottom with a face filled with worry and annoyance. "That can not be right," The words came out in a hoarse whisper, "This is not fair! I have never done this to you, Lucius. I was never this cruel."

"Cruel?" Lucius said in a disbelieving tone, "If I was cruel I would've dragged you there and left you to rot a long time ago."

Cory called him out, thinking he was bluffing, "You would not have done that, Lucius." As if he thought the Reaper was a kind person - well - maybe not the nicest person around, but Lucius was only a monster to people who deserved it.

"Oh really?" Questioned the Reaper, "Ask what happened to Councilman Faltan, see if anyone is brave enough to tell you what happened to him." From then on Cory remained silent, he did not look at Lucius and the Reaper did not glance back at him. The Representative knew the story of grouchy council member, but everyone always told it like a ghost story. He knew most of them were just human authors being mentioned, but never did he think that a Reaper was the cause of one of them.

Lucius did not bring up the Councilman again, but he did at least describe what they were going to do this time. "I need you to track their souls."

Cory's words were almost unintelligible, "I though they were still in the bodies."

"That's not how souls work." It was a tricky thing, soulwork, of course souls were bonded their vessel, the human beings, but when the vessel dies it was not as simple as go to Heaven or Hell. That was the reason there were Reapers and Death's Messengers, without them the system did not work. "Souls can wander, not far from their body, unless they are cremated, but it does make things more difficult."

"I thought you said there were no such thing as ghosts." Cory reminded. It was one of my many things the Representative had learned while trying to contain the Reaper, and it was one of the most fascinating and infuriating things about being in charge of his Court.

"There aren't," Lucius stated, "That's what Purgatory is for." Unclaimed souls without a proper bond with their vessel were in a parallel plain of the mortal world. This place was created for the mass amount of souls without any Court to take them in. It wasn't a paradise, but it was a place that for the Unclaimed to go instead of terrorizing or possessing the living. "There is no set time on when soul's bond to their vessel deteriorates. Sometimes you're lucky and other times..."

"So, how do you know they are not in their bodies?" Cory questioned. it wouldn't be the first time Lucius had lied to him in order from him to do something against his better sense of judgment.

"It's my job." Lucius reminded. The Grim Reapers didn't have many protocols, but the ones that they did have, they operated to a perfect T. One of those obligations was to know whether or not a soul has strayed from their body. If not, they were considered unlucky, for both the Reaper and the soul, because not all Grim Reapers were as enthusiastic as Lucius to reap, and he was one of the few who sported more than a dry laugh and empty grin. "Come on, the faster we find them, the less time we spend in purgatory."