'Something like that.'

{You're really not going to tell me anything, are you?}

'No.'

{This partnership is off to a terrible start. I'm just saying. Usually, people tell their weapons what's happening. It's common courtesy.}

'Usually, weapons don't talk back.'

{Fair point. But I'm not a usual weapon, am I? I'm Oscar, the demon-killing spear of destiny, wielded by a suicidal human who thinks he can take down an entire demon fortress. We're going to be legends together, you and I. Assuming we don't die horribly in the next few days.}

Jack walked across the frozen ground, his boots crunching on ice that never melted, under a sky that never changed.

The fortress grew smaller behind him as distance accumulated, the massive structure gradually reduced to a dark silhouette against the crimson horizon.

{Seriously though, where are we going? I'm bored. I've been bored for decades. At least give me something to occupy my mind besides making jokes about your nonexistent love life.}

'You'll find out when we get there.'

{Ugh. Mysterious and brooding. Just my luck to be wielded by the strong, silent type. Do you have any idea how boring that is for a conversationalist like me?}

'I'm sure you'll manage.'

{Oh, I'll manage. I'll manage by providing constant commentary on everything we do until you either tell me things or throw me away in frustration. And you won't throw me away because I'm too useful.}

Jack allowed himself the smallest smile behind his helmet, though he didn't respond.

Oscar's personality was grating, but there was something almost refreshing about having a companion who didn't treat every word like a potential death sentence.

{Was that a smile? Did I just see the corners of your mouth move? Oh, we're making progress! Soon you'll be laughing at my jokes and discussing your feelings like a normal person!}

'Don't push your luck.'

{Too late. Luck-pushing is literally all I have to do right now since you won't tell me where we're going or what we're doing.}

They continued across the frozen wastes, Jack moving with purpose while Oscar provided an endless stream of commentary that ranged from insightful to absurd.

The spear was right about one thing, he'd been silent for decades, and he apparently had a lot of stored-up conversation to work through.

{You know what we should talk about? Women. Specifically, your complete lack of interaction with them. I noticed during our time in the fortress. Not one conversation with a female demon. Not one. That's concerning from a species-continuation standpoint.}

'I'm in the middle of a dangerous infiltration mission.'

{So? That's exactly when you should be flirting! Nothing says "I'm confident in my abilities" like chatting up attractive demons while planning to murder their boss. It's called multitasking, human.}

'I'm not having this conversation.'

{Too bad, because I'm having it for both of us. When this is all over, assuming we survive, we need to work on your social skills. Get you some confidence, maybe a nice demon lady who appreciates a man who can handle cursed weapons…}

'Oscar.'

{Yes?}

'Shut up.'

{Never. I have decades of silence to make up for, and you're going to hear every single thought I've accumulated. It's your burden to bear as my wielder.}

Jack sighed but said nothing more, letting Oscar continue his rambling while his mind focused on what lay ahead.

The mission was entering its critical phase.

{We've been walking for a while now. Are we close to this mysterious something you need to retrieve?}

'Close enough.'

{That's not an answer. That's a deflection disguised as an answer. I'm onto you, human.}

Jack's eyes scanned the landscape ahead, looking for the landmarks he'd memorized. A particular formation of ice spires. A frozen boulder split down the middle. The entrance to a cave system that most demons avoided because it led nowhere important.

There.

{Oh, a cave! Are we going into the creepy cave? Please tell me we're going into the creepy cave. Caves are where all the good stuff happens.}

Jack altered his course slightly, angling toward the cave entrance. It was small, barely large enough for a demon to enter comfortably, carved into a cliff face of black ice that made it nearly invisible against the surrounding terrain.

{I knew it! Secret cave! I called it! This is definitely a secret base situation!}

Jack reached the entrance and paused, his eyes scanning the area for any signs of tracking or surveillance.

There was nothing.

The cave remained as undisturbed as when he'd left it days ago.

{So what's in the cave? Weapons? Supplies? A backup plan? Please say it's something exciting.}

'You'll see in a moment.'

{Still with the "you'll see!" Just tell me! The anticipation is killing me, and I'm already dead technically, so that's saying something!}

Jack entered the cave, Oscar's constant commentary echoing in his mind as darkness swallowed them both.

{This is it, isn't it? This is where everything changes. I can feel it. The moment where your mysterious plan starts to make sense and I finally understand what we're actually doing.}

'Something like that.'

{I'm going to haunt you specifically when this all goes wrong. Just so you know. Vengeful weapon ghost, following you around, making sarcastic comments for eternity until you decide to kill yourself.}

Jack smiled slightly in the darkness.

'I'm looking forward to it.'

The cave swallowed Jack and Oscar into darkness, the crimson light from outside faded as black ice walls closed around them.

{Finally! The mysterious destination! I bet it's treasure. Please tell me it's treasure. Or weapons. Or ancient artifacts of unspeakable power. Something good!}

Jack said nothing, moving deeper into the cave.

The darkness didn't bother him, his eyes adjusting quickly as he navigated the narrow passage.

{You know your way around here. This is definitely your secret base. I knew it! Every good infiltrator has a secret base. What do you have hidden down here? Backup plans? Emergency supplies? A demonic army you've been building in secret?}

The passage opened into a larger chamber, and pale magical light flickered to life from crystals embedded in the walls.

The space was perhaps twenty feet across, carved from natural ice formations that created an irregular but spacious hideout.

S sat against the far wall, his small frame relaxed despite the circumstances. Kyren stood nearby, the demon's eyes tracking Jack's movement.

And perched on a jutting piece of ice, Corvin ruffled his feathers, the raven's intelligence evident in how he studied the new arrival.

"Jack," S said simply, his voice carrying neither surprise nor concern.

{Wait, there are people here. And a bird. A TALKING BIRD? No, wait, the bird didn't talk. But it's definitely not a normal bird. What is happening right now?}

"S. Kyren." Jack nodded to each of them, then glanced at Corvin. "Still in one piece, I see."

"Barely," S muttered. "Do you have any idea how boring it is hiding in a cave while you're out making friends with demon generals?"

{Friends? FRIENDS? Is he talking about the same demon generals who want to control you? That's a very loose definition of friendship!}

"I need something," Jack said, ignoring both S's complaint and Oscar's internal commentary.

S reached into his suit without asking what, pulling out several sheets of parchment that looked unremarkable in every way.

Plain, slightly yellowed, the kind of paper that could be found in any merchant's shop.

He handed them to Jack.

{PARCHMENT?!}

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