ã€ŠAlma&#x27;s Dreams (are Default) [An Eldritch Thriller]ã€‹


 Chapter 1: Sweet Dreams (Are Hit-or-Miss)

    Alma found herself soaring high above the world, unable to catch even a glimpse of her own shadow below her. Unafraid, she flew through uncanny skies of some unknown dream realm, beyond where she could no longer gaze upon land or sea. She swam an endless expanse of blushing clouds, where just beyond the limitless horizon, there stood enormous ethereal castles and silent ziggurats with impossible architecture stretching far outside the boundaries of her peripheral vision. Surrounding these structures were countless crystalline spires, the summits of which could not be spied by human eyes for they stretched infinitely into a living cosmos home to millions of stars. A boundless empyrean kissed by the radiant moonbeams of a crumbling lunar body more massive than anything Alma had ever beheld in her meager existence.

    It was clear she was vast infinities away from the planet Sarracas where she made her home.

    Abstract sights blinded her understanding of whatever sphere it was she suddenly found herself in. A myriad of questions floated through her mind:

    What assemblage of divine denizens have made this place their home? How long must it have taken them to simply traverse from the end of one great chamber to another? Has the possibility of other worlds and realms like mine ever crossed the threshold of their unconscious dreams? How long had they dwelt there? Or have they just always been?

    As she pondered over these philosophical thoughts, she soon came to the realization that not only was she bereft of her clothes, but of her body as well¡ªand yet somehow, she understood that a contradiction such as this must have been the compromise to gain entry into these esoteric lands.

    There had been a wind blowing¡ªA breeze so clean and pure, it had never been felt by a living soul. It was controlling every bit of her movements, moving her like a boat on a vast sea of nothingness.

    As she drifted helplessly through the uncanny ocean, her mind began to pick up the sound of foreign vibrations coming from all directions. A vibrant echo that evolved into distorted and unrecognizable whispers she thought could only be uttered by alien tongues. The growing cacophony of surrounding voices gave her a tense feeling of unease as she looked around, but could find no source.

    Perhaps they too, were formless intelligences, carried along the gentle waves of cool zephyrs, all gathering toward a singular destination that was host to a festive soiree where etheric revelers celebrated an apogee of never longer having to be immutable sacks of flesh, chained to a planet where they led short, dull lives that were inevitably forgotten.

    The girl realized it then¡ªbeyond the dissonance of words being spoken¡ªthat the entire time she had been there, a voice had been calling her name.

    Alma!

    Alma!

    The girl awoke with a start¡ªa fleeting dream on the precipice of her memory. The mechanical humming of a heater permeated the room while a small, square box on her dresser was reciting the events of the previous day. Next to it, a round, glowing pedestal was providing energy to a small, metallic bracelet that had been playing an eccentric tune until she picked it up and shut it off. Sitting up and letting out a large yawn, the girl peered out of her window¡ªonly to glimpse the usual ashen skies that raced endlessly towards the horizon. Seamless blankets of snow stretched between and atop the many homes that littered the landscape. It was a city where the clouds never seemed to part. A vision of the world she had always known.

    As she admired the bleak and familiar early-morning landscape, a pocket-sized blur zoomed past her window. Another not-so-unusual sight in her daily life, Alma wondered just how long it had been since she first began seeing these inexplicable apparitions¡ªrare though they were. No one ever seemed to believe her when she claimed she could perceive these curious, otherworldly anomalies that would fly haphazardly through the skies or shift in mechanical and unnatural movements along the ground. Things that could infiltrate houses by phasing through their walls or floors without a care for any known universal law. On even rarer occasions, they would simply appear as strange distortions in reality; A mirage only visible to her mind. For a time, she figured them for ghosts, but even that line of reasoning she eventually deemed ludicrous because of the nature in which they behaved. Ultimately, she had chosen to simply ignore the affronts to her sanity, and hopefully before her family was given the chance to question her odd behavior. Or worse: assume it''s a gift from their goddess.

    Throwing her head back into her pillow, she hazily tried to recall a dream that may never have been.

    <hr>

    Up until recently, she had found it increasingly difficult to gather the energy to get out of bed, even after having the foresight to set multiple alarms. That was soon to change, however, as the daze and grogginess of the morning began to clear and the significance of the day soon began to dawn on her. It was the day she officially joined the ranks of Malachias''s Royal Crusaders and, Macha willing, be given the special recognition zealously sought by many. To be chosen as an inductee into the princess''s elite guard.

    The Sacred Seven

    The thought that she would be able to serve her country, her princess and her Goddess had meant the world to her. She dreamed of this day ever since she was a young girl. When she first witnessed one of the royal processions almost a decade prior, held to honor the brave soldiers coming home from war. Great lines of men and women, some astride horses, all garbed in their alabaster, militaristic tabards. At the back of this procession was the glittering ivory carriage carrying Princess June of Malachias as she waved and smiled to her crowd. And marching alongside her were seven holy knights, distinct from all the rest. Their faces completely hidden away behind silken veils that covered their entire head. The scarlet-tinged armor they donned was broad and threatening. Each one, specially trained, carried a unique weapon at their side.

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    June, a girl of only 16 at the time, was perhaps the youngest princess to rule over the war-torn country of Malachias. A principality small in size, it continued to be well-respected among neighboring nations for being known as a formidable fighting force. What they lacked in size, they made up for with brutal, militaristic strategies. Crucial areas to secure, the right dissidents to make dealings with, and which countries to ally and gain favor with.

    What set this small principality apart from the rest most of all, however¡ªand what it was most famous for¡ªwas the unwavering belief that they had in their sovereign goddess Macha. So deeply ingrained was their faith in this holy figure, it could be said that the true decision makers of the country were in actuality the heads of the princedom¡¯s monolithic Scarlet Church; and the princess who was meant to be at the forefront of it all, was in actuality simply used as a figurehead.

    According to these church heads, Princess June''s family line was said to be direct descendants of Macha herself. Therefore, no one has ever truly been in doubt of the princess''s rule, for to question the princess would mean to question the church¡ªand by extension¡ªthe goddess Macha herself.

    For the briefest moment during the royal procession, when the princess''s smiling face finally fell on the area of spectators where young Alma had been watching from, the young princess''s eyes had finally met with hers, or rather, they would have, had June''s vision not been stolen from her and her now obsolete eyes sealed away by an ivory, silken blindfold. A blinder patterned with golden, runic symbols whose meaning were known only to June and the church. And just as all princesses who came before her, the light of June''s eyes needed to be cast out before she took the throne, A surefire yet dour method in order for her to be able to understand the madness of her heritage.

    Although Alma did nothing to stand out from the rest of the crowd, seeing the princess''s grace up close was all it took to change the small child''s life indefinitely. The beautiful majesty of her homeland encompassed into a girl barely older than herself stirred some strong feelings from deep within Alma¡ªan awareness made manifest when the young woman swore a patriotic oath to herself from that day forward. Bringing a small hand to her chest, she promised herself that she would do whatever it took to dutifully honor her princess.

    Now, after having spent several grueling weeks in basic and advanced training, the day had finally come for her and a few other off-hand recruits to partake in her very first mission. Of course, this first mission had to be an easy one¡ªdefending an outpost already guarded by a checkpoint on both sides. And because of that, most action, if any, was usually only seen in the first couple of stations. Still, Alma continued to cling to the delusion that she would be killing at least one vagrant this day.

    Her small principality was currently at war with the small neighboring country of Kuranes. Their ruler¡ªthe so-called Yellow King¡ªwas known to be a neurotic, driven by mad prophecy, who would make arbitrary strategic decisions based on some cultish belief in a faceless being called Kaddath. A ghoulish entity that was said to visit him nightly in his dreams.

    She smirked as her mind dwelled on the rumors and reports of a fool madly proclaiming his god''s latest promises. She caught herself reciting her grandmother''s usual boast: "Like some dubious oneiromancy can be practiced by anyone but the Albion elfwin.¡± Further emphasized by her sister¡¯s follow-up: ¡°A pathetic man who dreams of false gods is no match for our deranged Macha!" There was a hint of derision there by Alma, as her own zealotry wasn¡¯t as up to par as theirs. Their words thus prompted a breath of haughty laughter. Because what¡¯s so special about a King who in the end can die to a small bullet like any other man? She wished deeply for the enemy to give her cause to empty her rifle.

    <hr>

    She stared at the reflection in her bedroom mirror, mentally preparing herself for the day to come. Before her stood a half-naked girl in black, breezy sweatpants. She was of impish stature with a very pale complexion and a toned, athletic build. A shut-in for many years, she was able to stay fit thanks to the rigorous military training she undertook and her seldom backcountry hunting excursions whenever she heard of the newest drunken rumor of roaming cryptids. An odd hobby she became enamored with after attempting to explain away her bothersome apparitions.

    Alma liked to keep her mop short. The raven hair she wore was styled in a bob that reached past her chin with long bangs flowing freely over brown eyes. Under those eyes, bags had long set from the countless nights she would go with almost no sleep¡ªhaving to keep an eye out for any strange apparition that decided to float through her room.

    Following her daily ritual of tying up her bangs into a top knot and concealing her dark bags with a touch of makeup, she rushed to grab the All-Strap that was charging on her nightstand and cuffed it to her wrist. The All-Strap was the brand name for a handy communications watch that most people are hardly seen without these days. Most nights, she¡¯d find herself fiddling with all of its interesting features, which had left the aging keyboard of her once beloved computer to begin accumulating a fine layer of dust.

    The All-Strap was just the newest form for one of the world¡¯s most marketable device¡ªthis particular brand being known for its quirky slogan: The world you missed at the flick of a wrist!?

    Alma grabbed her slick, leather gloves and wrapped herself in a long, woolen black coat¡ªthe hood of which was lined with thick, dark fur. The coat was a gorgeous gift from her sister, given to her on the day she was accepted into the Royal Crusaders. Heading for the front door, she reached for the large black canvas case containing her standard issue rifle. Slinging it gracelessly over her shoulder, she whispered into it as a mother would its babe: "Can''t forget you, Esme."

    Looking back on her days in training, she recalled how even though she attained barely passing marks in her hand-to-hand combat training, her commanding officer had ecstatically praised the "peerless" aim she had with firearms and quickly selected the girl to be her unit''s designated markswoman. Alma was unsure if giving the shortest woman a weapon more than half her size was a typical form of hazing in the army.

 Chapter 2: Sister, Sister

    Coming up the city''s center square, Alma received her daily dosage of the sight of the great, hallowed statue¡ªthe city''s matron saint of madness. The people¡¯s idol of insanity. The Goddess Macha¡ªwhose piercing eyes meticulously watched over the entire city. It was one of the most gorgeous sights in all of the country and had been there for as long as she could remember. The statue, to hear the inhabitants tell it, was so incredibly lifelike and beautiful that they say Macha herself carved it with implements from a higher plane of existence. While others claim that it¡¯s Macha herself, having frozen herself so she could watch over the country for all eternity.

    As its looming figure climbed up the horizon, Alma made a silent prayer to herself, as she did every morning when she saw it coming into view¡ªa habitual quirk she picked up from her sister. She never actually understood the prayer''s meaning, as it used words that came from one of the many old religious languages. Even so, her sister still always encouraged her to do it.

    Underneath the enormous likeness of the snow-covered Goddess stood a glorious monastery sticking out amongst the city that consisted of a great many beautiful, holy buildings and high-reaching hand-shaped minarets stretching ever upward as if they were the hands of the planet, trying to embrace the splendid figure of Macha. The totality of which was an impressive monument only second to the goddess statue herself. Many small temples dedicated to Macha were scattered throughout the country but they all paled in comparison to the great structures found in the holy city. If there was one thing that stood out the most in Malachias, it was their place of worship¡ªwhich also attracted many pilgrimages every week.

    "Zula!" cried the eager Alma as she rushed up the steps leading to the front cathedral where pious priestesses would pray and hold their mass each morning.

    At the sound of her cry, a stern looking middle-aged woman stepped out from between the cold, looming doors at the top. She wore a cross-shaped blinder over her eyes and was donned in a flowing white robe patterned with radiant gold ornamentations and a golden string wrapped around her waist. Atop her head was a curious crown with a strange sigil.

    Alma visited her sister at work quite often so she never found it very difficult to find her way around the almost maze-like structure of the area. Strange, eyeless beings were carved into the relief of the architraves atop the entrance where now stood the senior priestess. Despite the seeming blindness of these carvings, Alma always felt as if they were somehow impossibly watching her every time she came to visit. A creeping feeling that she had never been able to get used to.

    "Alma, welcome home. I see you¡¯re none the worse for wear after all your Crusader training.¡± The priestess, who gave off an intimidating impression, smiled softly. ¡°I take it you''re here to visit your sister."

    Alma bowed her head slightly and spoke respectfully.

    "Yes, Psycho Superioress. Today is the day of my deployment and I was hoping to receive a familial blessing from my sister. I''m told they''re the strongest ones to receive." She restlessly adjusted the thick strap digging into her shoulder while cocking her head. "Also, just to, you know, say hi."

    As those words passed her lips, she heard a familiar, delicate voice coming from inside.

    "The prodigal sister returns." A refined-looking young woman with endless onyx hair and ghostly pale skin stuck her head out from between the large doors. She too was wearing a blindfold, this one simpler in design. A wisp of freckles streaked across her cheeks. "Come on in. I''ve somewhere we can chat freely."

    Alma and her sister watched from the vestibule as the prioress vanished into one of the many neighboring rectories. Zula, whose stiff shoulders had been prone to tensing in the presence of her superiors, relaxed. After taking a deep breath, she guided Alma to a table nearby. The lights were blazing, illuminating the slick, black walls inside the early morning church.

    Finding a spot on the ground to place her large black case, the young soldier sat down sheepishly. Despite the many pious influences she had accumulated from her older sister, it always made her feel quite nervous to visit her on such hallowed ground.

    The young priestess was staring at one of the frescoes painted on an enormous wall, depicting a group of naked humans clutching at their heads in agony while surrounding a strange, ominous being. She wordlessly echoed a prayer before letting out a wistful sigh and turned her gaze toward Alma. She lifted the blindfold up to her forehead, revealing gorgeous emerald eyes.

    ¡°Seriously, how do you guys see through those things?¡± asked Alma curiously, making a motion with her thumb to her eyes. The girl was obviously not an expert at making small talk.

    "Would you like some hot tea?" asked Zula, ignoring her sister¡¯s inquiry.

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    "No thanks. I actually came to get your blessing." Alma had been looking around the large enclosure. As incredible as the outside was, the inside was all the more remarkable. Her gaze had finally settled on her sister. "You must know what today is."

    "After all the times you mention it whenever you come visit? No, Alma. Of course I don''t," joked the young cleric gigglingly.

    Zulema was a devout priestess of Macha, who dedicated all her days in honoring the Matron of the Maddened, all the while sharing the role of doting sibling who always prayed for the happiness and safe haven of her only baby sister. She wore a large-sleeved holy robe similar to the prioress, except that it was colored a simple black shade and lacked any noticeable embellishments. She wore a beautiful necklace made from alyssum flowers. On her head sat a small, flat coronet with a small protruding spike on each side and inscribed on its front was the image of a lone, closed eye. The headpiece had a crimson veil attached that trailed down the back of her head.

    Two months had passed since she turned 23, which was only two years older than Alma, who was 21.

    "Let¡¯s see. Today¡¯s the day you go on that important mission for Macha and the princess¡ªand as much as I wish I could prevent you from jumping into a dangerous situation, I know we each have our calling." She let out a reluctant sigh. "I suppose if this is how you wish to show reverence to Our Lady Madness, then so must be her will."

    "I''m glad you feel that way." Alma was nervously fiddling with the belt of her coat. "And, you know¡­ about that sisterly blessing for the battlefield?"

    Zulema''s face betrayed a slight grimace at the word battlefield, an action seemingly unnoticed by her sister.

    "I can only hope that wherever mom and dad are, they''ll also be watching over me." Alma''s gaze turned upwards toward the ceiling before creeping toward the miniature statue of Macha at the rear of the church.

    "I''m sure our parents¡ªwho are only visiting Eldon for a few months¡ªare very proud of you," Zulema replied sharply, unamused at Alma''s flippant attitude. Her frown quickly turned into a smirk. "I figured that was the real reason you stopped by today and so I prepared a small apotropaic for you in advance."

    Zulema produced a small pouch on a string from the pocket of her robe.

    "It''s been stuffed with holy holly leaves and soaked in chrism oil that¡¯s been sanctified in the blood of a wailing sparrow. I then prayed over it each day for seven minutes and seven seconds for seven days." Zulema gently placed the charm in Alma''s hand. "You think I wouldn¡¯t prepare such a thing in advance knowing what was coming? Just remember, it is the strongest prayer I can offer you and I hope it sees you well."

    Alma was surprised at the hard work her sister had put into ensuring her safety. She had been expecting maybe a small prayer and a sprinkling of holy water but she could actually feel a sort of power radiating from the small charm. It felt a bit excessive but her sister was nothing if not protective. Regardless, she was grateful for everything her Zula had done for her. Alma hated being a burden on her older sibling, but deep down she knew Zulema''s boundless affection wasn''t simply limited to the Goddess. She was the kindest soul she had ever known and that affection made their sisterly bond very powerful.

    "Thanks so much, Zula.¡± Alma embraced her sister.

    ¡°I''ll be thinking of you when I''m out popping heads for the glory of Macha," She grinned while making a gun firing gesture with her hand.

    "Yes¡­" the young priestess spoke with a dryness in her throat. "For the glory of Macha."

    Zulema forced a smile as she repeated the mantra solemnly.

    <hr>

    Alma made her way to the city gates, continuously readjusting the strap of her weapon case every few minutes. Once she arrived at the frosted gatehouse, she decided to make a bit of small talk with an indistinctive young guard stationed there. A dainty fellow who secretly carried a torch for young Alma. They had first met a few years ago during one of the yearly festivals honoring the sightless sisters, D''rrota and D''mona, Macha''s many-armed handmaidens that do the bidding of their keeper. Some say the festivals are meant to keep them appeased lest they begin consuming the will and sanity of her priestesses¡ªA bit of a double-edged sword for Macha''s vehement devout, Zulema included.

    The guardsman had first met Alma during one such festival, all alone in the outer fields, diligently crouched between tall stalks of grass and grasping an old hunting rifle while occasionally peering through a personal pair of binoculars. When questioned as to the purpose of her activity, she claimed to be hunting "sidhe". Then when asked who "she" was, the girl proceeded to go on a passionate, long-winded rant about the strange creatures she often dreamed of who dwelled under the snow-covered hills and lived trite little lives during the day, and scurry high into the treetops trees at night where they would make malicious plans to steal into town and switch their young with the babies of humans, accompanied by the sad realization that the parents never learn of the deed. Despite her enthusiastic ravings, the man was so completely enamored with Alma''s whimsical nature that he decided to stay on with her for the rest of the day trying to hunt down the supposed fantasy. There were moments when he would catch her glaring at something far off into the distance, similar to a small gatin whose sharp eyes had been tracking a winged insect that had flown in through the window, but no matter how hard he tried following her line of sight, he never could tell what it was she had been eyeing.

    Now they were speaking of Alma''s first day on assignment and exchanging notes on the kinds of animals one would see once they went outside. Alma hadn''t done much traveling outside the city in a long time, only to go on the occasional hunt.

    There were no paved roads anywhere outside the gatehouse so the majority of folk had to resort to other modes of transportation like the thundering velorail or take to the air by skycarrier. Unfortunately for Alma, there were no vehicles that ran in the direction of her destination so she found herself grudgingly traipsing through the frozen forests of her homeland.

 Chapter 3: Dances with Elves

    Alma had walked along a narrow path through a thick brush of frozen trees going North for almost half an hour. Without realizing, at some point during those thirty minutes the forest had gone deathly silent. The usual songs of the birds were missing and a creeping stillness began to take hold.

    "Well, shit. I better not be lost," she muttered. Her moist breath filled the air in front of her. "It should only be a couple more miles but I¡¯m not gonna even see the damned outpost with all these trees in the way. And I am not gonna be late on my first fucking day."

    She gave a quick look around, trying to look for any sign of human life. The early morning mist had cleared up just enough for her to make out a signpost a few feet ahead of her and if she focused her eyes hard enough, she could even see the outline of something perched on top of it. The sign was completely coated in an icy frost, making it almost illegible. Walking over, she scraped off what ice she could, causing the weirdly translucent figure to fly off into the ground. Alma stared transfixed at the solid patch of snow the ghostly creature had seemingly phased through, shrugged and then tried her best to decipher the sign in front of her. She continued scraping the sign clean with her nails but the bitter cold quickly caused her fingers to throb in a numbing pain.

    "What¡¯s wrong with me? I''m usually so good at navigating this forest..." Her voice trailed off.

    The inner voice in her thoughts was suddenly booming. The unusual silence had made her remember a story she was once told by her grandmother, who had herself first heard it during her time living among the Eldon elfwin.

    Alma''s grandmother, who she affectionately called ¡°grandhag,¡± was a wild vixen of a woman, who did a lot of traveling back in her younger days. Settling down with the elfwin of Eldon for a time, she had learned a lot about their culture and had picked up the odd folktale here and there.

    The green elfwin from Eldon were an ancient subspecies of elfwin that settled in the northern outskirts of the region of Eldon a few millennia ago. They are among one of the oldest species of elf in all Sarracas, making up more than 60% of the elf population.

    Eldon elfwin also tended to be the most superstitious. Having been around longer than most, they''ve stories for everything; from why the sky is pink to why water is wet. Particular though, are the stories of the things that go bump in the night. Ancient tales told of beings lurking in the shadows outside of the regular world, far older and far wiser than any man or god¡ªprimordial beings that occasionally creep their way from their lands into this one. The one specific story that came to Alma''s mind was often repeated by her grandhag to her and Zulema, seemingly to warn them about straying too deep into the woods during especially bad blizzards. A cautionary tale about an entity that comes out mostly during the winter, specifically on snow-polluted days like this one.

    She remembered the way her grandmother would often lick her lips and deliver those lines in a low, hoarse voice,

    "Now, the elfwin had many names for this entity but my memory''s been fairly finicky lately," she''d say while scratching her chin. "Ah... Actually, they were more like titles rather than a proper name. The Lord of Gales, Tempest Shaper or something like Duskwalker to name a few. The list goes on.¡±

    According to her, very old eyewitness accounts would claim he appeared as a tall, humanoid behemoth with colorless, gleaming eyes. Although no two descriptions of him were ever alike, those were the features that seemed to be the most prominent. He was said to be able to manipulate the piercing winds of winter, using it to freeze prey alive almost instantly¡ªif you''re lucky. Otherwise, you''ll find yourself being dragged about by your feet as he prowls the skies, for they say he''s a creature that is able to walk along the tides of the winds as easily as one does on the ground. Interestingly, there''s even been talk of small groups of elfwin that took to forming cults in reverence of him as a god and it''s said that those cultists who worshiped him are found to be bestowed protection from a frozen demise in the icy wastes.

    Alma never placed much stock into these old tales and if anything, they only served to quickly anger Zulema who argued that "Macha would never allow such an unsightly beast to desecrate her land!"

    But the mind can easily betray one''s own sense of logic in times of stress and the anticipation Alma had felt all morning for her new assignment was rapidly developing into pure anxiety.

    And then, all at once, there was a sound of a deep rumbling followed by a piercing scream.

    To this day, Alma still wasn''t sure what compelled her to run towards that noise. Treading through that thick snow in a different direction from her outpost, the only thought going through her head being that someone might be hurt and needed her help.

    <hr>

    The adrenaline pumped through her body, helping her ignore the weight of her rifle bag rebounding against her back as she ran. The sound of steel hacking against something like bone becoming more audible as she got closer. She fell, snagging her foot on something half-buried. On her knees, she looked behind her to see what it was she had tripped over. It was the frozen body of a soldier, lying face first in the snow.

    ¡°Hey, man! Get up! Is the enemy here? I need you to wake up and tell me what the situation is. Are you okay? Please tell me you¡¯re okay.¡±

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    Alma tugged on his shoulder, frantically trying to get an answer, but receiving no response. Fearing the worst, she gently turned him over and immediately fell back, trying not to let out a scream as she looked upon him. The area where his face should be was completely gone. Only ripped remains of cartilage and sinew strung along a frozen, faceless blue head. Pulverized eyes and a lipless smile stared lifelessly back at her, warning her of the real danger to their profession. She was almost, irrationally sure that his face had been eaten off. With pursed lips, she refused to let the tears well up in her eyes. She had never seen a dead body before, but she had always known it was going to be something she needed to be ready for as a soldier.

    Regaining her composure, she tried to return her focus back on the sounds of fighting not far from her position.

    As her figure disappeared into the distance, the frozen body of the mutilated soldier shakily turned its head and watched her leave.

    <hr>

    Once she was close enough, Alma cautiously knelt down behind a fallen tree and tried to silence her ragged breathing. Rocking back clumsily, her coat dyed itself white from the frost scraped off the dead wood. She cautiously peered over her shoulder to the sounds of fighting below.

    What greeted her was a sight stranger than fiction. A she-elf with a dusky complexion and coarse, ocher-red hair with pale blonde highlights¡ªthe back half of which was tied into a short ponytail. She was prancing all alone among the forest of lifeless, gnarled trees, swinging her weapons at empty air.

    Unlike the green elfwin that commonly resided in most of Eldon and Albion¡ªas in the slender pointy-eared folk Alma was usually familiar with and also the ones that drove her grandhag crazy¡ªthe woman before her bore the features of a Hecatian Red. Hailing from the southern part of Sarracas, they tended to have tall, muscular builds more adept to fighting in close quarters. Their pointed ears stood higher on their head and were covered in a deep fur while their claws and canines were razor sharp. And they all had thick, fuzzy tails¡ªa feature that seemed to be missing on this particular girl.

    Alma watched in awe at the rare sight before her. Her first thought¡ªwondering exactly how it was the elfwin girl could possibly endure the freezing climate in those clothes. The Hecatian wore a black low-cut, sleeveless leather vest with a wide, open collar lined with a puffy white fabric that flared up and out toward the back. The jacket hooked down the middle using three small belts. Around the red elf¡¯s neck was a pristine, shimmering white cloak accompanied by a strange necklace that hung down loosely. Her swift movements also revealed shoulders armored in medium-sized, redsteel pauldrons that were engraved with a fancy curvature that continued down on stacks of smaller plates that covered the length of her brawny, upper arms. Just below that, her lower arms were encased in tough-looking vambraces made of the same redsteel alloy that clasped tightly around her wrists.

    Alma always found it funny that despite its name, Redsteel took on more of a bluish hue when it first gets melted down.

    Hugging the girl¡¯s waist was a thick, jewel-encrusted, garnet-colored belt that held twin leather sheaths and just below that she wore a tight pair of ebon shorts that revealed tight curves and strong, voluptuous legs. Her boots entrenched in deep snow did nothing to hinder her movements while each hand held sharp, foreign looking blades that had taken on a dark patina from constant use. A dim yet distinct luminosity seemed to be emanating from both swords that left an almost imperceptible trail of light with each swing.

    Bewilderment washed over the young soldier as she watched the girl twirling her blades in mesmerizing spirals and pulling off incredible pirouettes. Her movements were reminiscent of the fancy elfwin fan dances Alma had once seen in her youth. Her awe was quickly cut short as she realized the truth. It was only in her anxious state that she thought the elfwin girl had been performing some kind of dance, when in reality the Hecatian was locked in battle with invisible, unearthly foes.

    She can see them, the markswoman thought. How can she see them? The apparitions that haunted Alma''s daily life were somehow visible and even tangible to this girl. Strange, ghostly distortions had been crawling all around her, jumping out and attacking her. The elf had not been simply swinging at nothing and that caused Alma a strange sense of dread.

    She''s ripping into those... things! Who is this chick and where did she get those swords? I-I should¡­

    Her instincts had been telling her to run and never look back. But her ambitions wouldn''t allow it. Realizing the elf was in dire need of help, Alma dug into her canvas bag and liberated Esme from her confinement. She grasped the rifle''s laminated stock in her hands.

    Esme.

    A silly name she gave to the rifle she was issued because she liked the sound of it. It harked back to a piece of advice given to her by her father about naming something precious to you. In this particular case, a weapon. The reason being because it was bound to get one out of many scrapes¡ªjust as a childhood friend would. Not that she¡¯s had many good experiences with those.

    A tactical-laden military rifle, Esme was built with the most recent state-of-the-art technological advancements. It had a range of modes that allowed her to switch bullet types on the fly. Alma took the weapon''s stripper clip and loaded a few rounds into her rifle, snapped the bolt into position and peered through the scope to calculate her shot. With help from its magnification, she was able to get a much better view of the situation. It seemed that the elf was not fighting alone. On the ground, by her feet, was an incapacitated woman sinking pitifully into the snow. The woman on the ground had an intensely pale complexion¡ªpaler than either Alma or her sister. It was almost as white as the snow itself. She also had strange, platinum colored hair peeking out from under the hood around her head. A cloak, the same one worn by the Hecatian. If not for the help of Alma¡¯s scope, she would have thought the girl buried under a blanket of snow. It was difficult to perceive in detail but judging by their foreign appearance, it seemed they weren''t from around here. Alma began to wonder if the whole thing hadn¡¯t just been a hallucination brought upon by a slow death to hypothermia.

    The elf unleashed a flurry of slices from her sword as another distortion jumped at her, the vambraces on her arm sparking violently as they helped to block the blows from her invisible opponents. The glow emanating from her blade was somehow searing into the bodies of the distorted silhouettes, leaving strange scars floating in the air. As she dodged another unseen strike, she twirled and stabbed one of her blades into the ground. It had pinned one of the creatures, causing it to convulse and stain the snow with its other-worldly fluids.

    More ghostly creatures continued their attacks unabated against the struggling fighter. Alma held her breath and lined up her shot near the attacking monsters, sweat forming on her brow.

    Alma recited a prayer to Macha in her head before she fired off a shot, unloaded the empty round, fired again, unloaded another round and fired once more¡ªto no visible effect.

 Chapter 4: Void and Null

    The situation seemed bleak, but harming them with her rifle was never her intention, as she had already learned from previous experiences that her actions seldom had any effect on the bizarre apparitions she had always encountered. Her true goal was to attempt a distraction, or at the very least scare them away with the loud blast from her weapon firing. The ones that crawled on the ground, she recalled, tended to be sensitive to loud noises and just as she had surmised, the distortions began to skitter away in various directions.

    Of course, this was also bound to garner the battling elf¡¯s attention.

    "Yoo-hoo! Ms. Sniper!" She had already discovered Alma¡¯s location and was shouting from down below.

    ¡°Hey!¡± shouted Alma back in warning, keeping Esme trained on the elf. ¡°Stay where you are and just answer me one thing! What in my veritably frozen ass were those things?!¡±

    The Hecatian had quickly knelt down and began checking on her companion during the creatureless respite, in spite of Alma¡¯s threat to stay put.

    "I take it you¡¯re not out here hunting elfwin like me," she stated loudly. "So I''m right thrilled you scared ''em off like that. Was a pretty clever gambit! But knowing those chthonae, they won''t flee too far before hopping back into the fray."

    Her expression was one of both relief and concern. Despite the distance, Alma could clearly see a deep weariness that betrayed the burning ruby color in the elf''s eyes, a dwindling fire beset by the smoky eyeshadow that did a decent job at covering up the exhaustion below them. It appeared that whatever trials and tribulations she had undergone up until then were finally taking their toll. Luckily, she now had an additional day of suffering thanks in part to Alma''s intervention.

    "Chthonae?" Alma repeated the elf''s words back at her. It took her a few seconds to process the new bit of information. "Is that what they¡¯re called? I didn''t know anyone else could see those damn things. For the longest time, I thought I was suffering from some kind of brain damage."

    A chuckle caught in the girl¡¯s throat.

    The elf seemed confused for a moment, before suddenly letting out a cry.

    "Behind you!"

    Alma, still lying in a prone position, jerked her body around faster than she ever had before. She felt the pain shoot through her waist and up to her wrists as she blocked against the invisible attack with her rifle. If not for her military training, she would have already been cut to ribbons. Struggling to hold the heavy weapon above her chest, there was now a growing pressure as the creature''s weight bore down on her. Long, invisible appendages swung down in cascading arcs, battering against the stopgap shield that was her rifle.

    Her grip on the weapon was beginning to weaken as the endless barrage continued. Each passing moment felt like an eternity until finally the crushing tension exerted by the creature began to weaken, enabling Alma to quickly regain some semblance of balance before it immediately slammed down on her body once again. One final blow caused the ground beneath her shoulders to crumble, sending both Alma and the creature tumbling down the snowy embankment.

    Badly injured from the fall, Alma groaned in pain as she struggled to pull herself up from the ground using her rifle as a crutch. Her coat had become soiled with the snow and dirt of the deadly battlefield and now the blood that was bleeding profusely from several cuts on her face. The distorted form of a creature was laying lifeless by her side, hemorrhaging its own innards due to the she-elf¡¯s thorough skewering the moment it hit the ground.

    "That was quite a nasty spill you took." The nameless elf smiled at Alma, reached a hand towards her and pulled her to her feet. She gave the beaten down soldier a quick once-over. "All good, mate? Nothing broken I suppose?"

    ¡°I-I¡¯m fine. Thanks.¡±

    "You would¡¯ve been better off not sticking your neck out for us.¡± She looked into Alma''s eyes with a troubled expression on her face before finally letting out an exasperated sigh. There was a small stud on her nose that had all but lost its luster. ¡°But cheers all the same."

    She clicked her teeth in slight annoyance and looked back at her partner, "Bollocks. Now she''s probably gonna wanna involve you too."

    Alma opened her mouth to protest but the crunching sound of snow suddenly pervaded the conversation.

    The invisible creatures had returned and were now creeping in from every side. The elf readied her blades while Alma brandished a small pistol she had hid in a side pocket of her bag¡ªIt was a choice she was fully aware had been meaningless.

    The cold wind wriggled between the trees, causing the leaves to shudder and chant. Alma gripped her pistol firmly, praying to her mad goddess that maybe the same trick would work twice.

    "Hwal¨ªn."

    A soft, quivering voice that was carried by the breeze had reached their ears. It was coming from the elf''s companion, who was now on her feet and leaning against a tree. She was visibly struggling to keep herself from collapsing.

    "Please¡ª" Her voice was catching in her throat. "Forgive me. I did not foresee the situation growing to such a dire point. The chthonae should not have woken for yet another ten million years."

    The girl winced; her breathing was ragged and heavy. She was clutching the side of her stomach in pain.

    Unauthorized duplication: this narrative has been taken without consent. Report sightings.

    "I fear¡ª" The girl continued, stumbling. "I fear I am still not completely used to the frailty of this form. However, I must attempt once more to quell the chthonae before we are all swiftly overtaken."

    "You don''t have to do this, Nia!¡± Hwal¨ªn shouted back to her friend without taking her eyes off the approaching chthonae. There was depleted desperation in her voice. ¡°We can figure out another plan!"

    The woman named Nia simply shook her head.

    "We sure bungled this, didn''t we?" Hwal¨ªn mumbled to herself through gritted teeth.

    Alma felt sure the elf had been referring to something beyond the obvious situation.

    "I am afraid this is to be the only way," the injured girl spoke erratically. "This mistake was mine and I must now make amends for it. Just take solace in the fact that I did not awaken their progenitor."

    She turned to Alma and smiled a regretful smile before mouthing to her a few inaudible words.

    Before Alma could puzzle out the silent message, the girl in white had opened her mouth once more and began to sing.

    The beautiful yet heavily injured stranger sang in vibrant, foreign tones, embraced by wordless sounds impossible to pronounce.

    What little the woman''s chant was perceivable to Alma had been the most magnificent thing she had ever before heard.

    It took mere seconds before the urge to cover her ears filled her mind.

    Something inside of her was howling at her that if she continued to listen for even a moment longer, she would be driven to insanity. Both her soul and her mind had been set ablaze by the chanting. Blood rushed to her head, causing a pounding in her skull worse than any pain she had felt before. A pain so harsh that it caused her to wail like a banshee crying its death knell.

    The singing continued. A centuried melody dripping melancholy words about the romantic tides of existence. Abstruse lyrics about the vestiges of stars where once walked unnamable gods, watching their ruined kingdoms from afar. A song of the significant fragility of the psyche¡ªthese were words unintended to be heard by a mortal consciousness.

    Hot, crimson tears trickled down from Alma''s eyes as her body convulsed wildly in pain. She stifled an overpowering impulse to utilize the pistol in her hand to cease the pounding in her head right then and there.

    Her mind was failing and her vision was fading. The last thing Alma saw in her twilight state before finally losing consciousness was a beautiful, umber-skinned elf covering her long, slender ears. She was looking down at her with the most heartbroken expression Alma had ever seen.

    <hr>

    In the wall beyond sleep, Alma found herself absent of any bodily sensation and surrounded in an inky blackness. Straining her eyes as hard as she possibly could, she was able to see that the stygian emptiness was specked with dimly glowing, white dots that appeared to be at markedly different distances from each other. The sheer magnitude of the nearest ones eclipsed any preconceptions she held about how massive objects could get. Her body traveled through the void at inhumanly fast speeds, yet any attempt she made to float towards one of these dots had felt like an eon. When she had finally gotten relatively close to one, she realized what she had been seeing were the fading lives of supernal children. Amid the dying white lights of these stars could be seen enormous masses of floating rocks that she surmised were the pulverized remains of dead planets, now simply a shade of their once celestial glory. She had found herself in a cosmic sepulcher, where divine bodies went to die. For a moment, she had sworn she caught sight of a figure standing on one of them but when she looked again, there was nothing there.

    The young soldier sat there for a while, attempting to meditate amid the crushing darkness. Contemplating to herself how a dead region of space like this could conceivably exist. After what seemed like an eternity, she began to notice that the emanations from the dying stars appeared to be getting siphoned off into the dark emptiness of the heavens above. Her eyes, having followed the streams to their source, had at first provided her with nothing significant to note. Until she noticed a slight red glow at the tail end of these ghostly strands. In that same moment, massive splotches of glowing crimson spots began to fill the surrounding obsidian sky. Stranger still was that in those fresh, carrion-colored stains were a plethora of pulsating, black webs. They were appearing at an alarming rate wherever she looked, siphoning more and more of the remaining lifeforce from those withering celestial bodies until at last they lost their radiance and faded into the surrounding darkness. It was then that her mind had come to a chilling revelation. Of the possibility that the crimson stains filled with black tendrils that were contaminating the fading sky had actually been the loathsome blood vessels of some unfathomable creature.

    <hr>

    Alma awoke suddenly in a cold sweat. Her vision filled with an unfamiliar tapestry of luminescent stars dotting the night sky that were peeking through the coniferous crowns of the trees above her. The occasional sound of a bird''s cry from within rode through the nocturnal air while the blazing flame of a nearby bonfire was illuminating her immediate surroundings. A cold wind had been blowing, causing the girl''s face to feel numb. She groaned as she struggled to sit up but the damage done to her body had been too extensive and she found herself giving up after only a few tries. Her throat felt sore from the screaming she had done earlier accompanied by a painful sensation in her eyes that kept forcing her to strain them every few seconds. Squinting back to the sky, it seemed, for a moment, that there were more stars than the usual. An absurd notion she almost dismissed before realizing how rare it was to see any stars near her home at all.

    "Welcome back to the waking world."

    The voice of a stranger with platinum-colored hair startled Alma out of her thoughts. She recognized her as the injured girl from before. The weird girl was sitting on an overturned log with the sleeping head of a feisty, relatively young-looking elf resting on her lap. Alma found herself much too exhausted to be frightened of the pair of strangers or the portentous significance of the situation. The pale woman''s face seemed to glow in the light of the fire, her eyes a color the injured Alma couldn''t quite recognize. It seemed her eyebrows and even eyelashes were of a platinum hue. Her main head of hair flowed freely to the small of her back. There was a noticeable faint, purple starlight-like twinkling that passed chaotically from the tips of the various strands of it. No longer wearing her cloak, her hair¡¯s dim glimmering illuminated a long, slender neck. In its light, Alma noticed she was wearing extremely plain clothes, a white short-sleeved t-shirt tucked into white pantaloons and a pair of dirty white sneakers. Her build was rather androgynous.

    This creature in human form seemed like she was trying to carry herself with a kind and caring air that for a moment reminded Alma of her sister. In her paranoia, it instead led to a growing feeling of distrust.

    "I was beginning to worry you would not awaken from your state of repose." Her small mouth turned into an insincere looking frown. "I would not have been able to face myself had I been the cause of your untimely demise."

    Alma looked at her for a few seconds, then turned back to the sky. Sarracas''s moons shone blue and white as they hung silently above. Her country had held the belief that the sister-maidens, D''rrota and D''mona lived on those two moons and that their visibility coincided with ominous events.

    "I had a very strange nightmare just now," Alma finally said quietly. She then recounted her very recent dream to the woman on the log without interruption.

 Chapter 5: Get Real

    Afterwards, there had been a brief silence until at last the woman on the log cocked her head and spoke.

    "That is strange. Black dwarf stars are not usually bright enough to be visible to the naked eye." Her voice was extremely soft and feminine but it had a tinge of a strange accent that was making some of the words she spoke sound artificial.

    "I suppose anything is possible¡­" She looked down and stroked her partner''s hair. "¡­in dreams."

    After that, there was an even longer silence. The crackling of the fire and the elf''s soft breathing were the only sounds to be heard. Continuing to look at the stars, as if she were counting them, Alma finally broke the uncomfortable lull.

    "What are you?" A stupid thing to ask, she thought, but it was the question she desperately needed to get out first.

    "I am not of this universe," replied the alien monotonously.

    Alma''s eyes began to cross. She wasn''t expecting to be given such a straightforward answer, but it was the only satisfying answer she could think of.

    "Are you a god? Do¡­ Do soldiers fight in your name?" She stammered, unsure of why she would continue to indulge in the strange girl¡¯s farce.

    "I would err to call myself a deity¡ªfar from it," she said, shaking her head before pausing, trying to think of what to say next.

    "One cannot foster worshippers when they do not even know you exist." The girl shrugged, seemingly dejected at the prospect. "There is no glory in what I do, I am more of¡­ a celestial custodian, let us say. I simply clean up the bugs that harm the system."

    If she was trying to be funny, the humor was lost on Alma.

    The woman, who had been speaking incessantly, stopped stroking Hwal¨ªn¡¯s hair after the elf began to stir in her sleep. She then continued her speech in a softer voice. It was hard to imagine where she had picked up such motherly inclinations.

    "I have been tasked by my kind to watch over this inkling of a universe and resolve any would-be anomalies that may arise due to an impetus of an either external or internal nature. Accordingly, this region of space is chiefly known to be a frequent hotbed of various dimensional disturbances that were hitherto dealt with by my predecessor, who is, unfortunately, now out of commission," she stated matter-of-factly before taking a quick pause to look around the empty forest, as if making sure no one else were listening. "Recently, there has been a very abnormal force emanating from this sector of the universe that has caught my attention. A force powerful enough to pull a neighboring galaxy and set it on a collision trajectory with yours¡ªabout one billion years ahead of schedule."

    Alma looked at the sky, pondering if she were perhaps still asleep and dreaming. She closed her eyes and squinted hard, but the pain in her body was telling her otherwise.

    The bizarre woman continued her speech in robotic semblance, "Normally, this phenomenon does not actually pose much danger in and of itself, but in this case¡­ if it is not stopped, one of the consequences sees this planet on a direct course into a nearby Class L stellar remnant, leading to catastrophic ramifications for the occupying inhabitants."

    She blinked a few times before turning to Alma, the slight tossing of her hair causing an almost invisible rippling effect through the air.

    "That includes you."

    Chills ran down Alma''s still-shaky spine as she began to process what this weird person was spewing. She tried to shake away the creepiness of the situation but after the monstrous events of that morning, she found little recourse for a more practical rationalization.

    "Were those¡­ things a part of these ''dimensional disturbances?''" Alma asked coolly after successfully managing to sit up after the umpteenth time¡ªher muscles crying out in pain. She refused to show weakness to this entity that could kill her utterly with the strange abilities she had displayed earlier.

    The woman, who Alma had earlier heard the elf call "Nia", attempted what she thought might be considered a warm smile, proud that the girl was swiftly beginning to put the pieces together.

    "Yes," she said. "I would say they were¡ªwith a bit of fault on my part."

    Her gaze drooped downward to the sleeping girl on her lap; soft breathing passed through Hwal¨ªn''s ruby lips.

    "The results of which proved too much for me to manage and almost cost two dear girls their lives."

    Alma detected a reverb in Nia''s voice when she spoke those last few words.

    The woman looked back up at Alma with a start.

    "Oh! Excuse my manners. You are positively brimming with questions, but the most important is perhaps my identity. Permit me to properly introduce myself: I am that whom they call Qu''l-Nia, though most of my kind have taken to calling me by a title that roughly translates to She Who Dances Within the Stellar Syzygy of the Ten-Thousand-Pointed Star and Forebear of the Grand Sacred Senescence.¡±

    Alma, pretending she didn¡¯t hear that last part, quietly sounded out the strange name, unsure of what to make of it. Kay-ool-nia¡ª She doubted whether introductions were going to lend any further credence to what she had just heard.

    "Um, my name is Alma. Alma Mesial."

    Qu''l-Nia nodded and smiled at the response, as if this bit of information was apparently already known to her. Alma, who was now even further disturbed by the woman¡¯s mockery of attempted emotion, bit her lip.

    "If you and your kind are so omniscient, why not just snap your fingers and solve this problem? Why come here and almost get yourself killed? I mean¡ªcan you even die?" The floodgate of questions poured forth from her mouth, skepticism was her only weapon at this point. She figured it wiser not to ask about the song.

    "I admit, I am still a bit of a novice to this whole situation and this physical form limits me severely. You see, my kind are not exactly what you would call ''all-powerful.'' Much less so once we actually inhabit the universes in our charge.

    The tale has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.

    "And yes, I can die just as easily as you can while I am in this space." Qu''l-Nia worried about divulging that information, but relented in the end, figuring that it would build trust. "In truth, our kind were originally born into a universe very similar to this one, hundreds of vigintillions of years ago and over that span, we eventually evolved beyond our mortal frame and were able to cross the macrocosmic barrier beyond space and time. You may think that we are akin to divinity, but we are not gods, nor do we wish to be treated as such. We simply felt it our job to keep things in order.

    "My predecessor was the previous guardian of this universe and a lot more experienced in these matters than I, but he was removed from his post when he broke one of our cardinal rules and exiled to remain inside the universe he was once in charge of." Qu''l-Nia now had a very grave expression on her face. "And so, I have detected him somewhere on this planet, and I now search for him in hopes that he could possibly help me gain some insight into this problem you all now face."

    Despite her intentions, the woman''s speech greatly annoyed Alma. It made her feel as if her life was growing increasingly insignificant, a feeling that always gnawed at her in the back of her mind. She pushed the thought away and tried distracting herself by replaying the events of the day in her head. She recalled an odd detail that slipped her mind at the time.

    "That wasn''t the first time I''ve seen creatures like those," Alma said while crossing her arms, preparing to tell her story once again.

    "Oh?" Qu''l-Nia was listening intently now.

    "Ever since I was a little girl, I''d see these strange lights out of the corner of my eyes," Alma paused, almost laughing at the prospect of how rehearsed this speech had begun to sound. "As I got older, they began to take on more discernible shapes and I''d begin to see them move around in very unnatural patterns. It used to scare me so bad that I''d stay in bed under the covers with my eyes closed shut and hoping it was all some bad dream."

    Alma sighed.

    "No one ever believed me except my sister. Everyone else always thought I was weird or cursed and refused to hang out with me. Well, except for one other person¡­"

    "That must have been very awful for you, Alma." There seemed almost what felt like genuine pity in her voice, which only served to make Alma feel worse.

    "It''s fine. I''m over all that anyway," Alma spat, furrowing her eyebrows. "I learned to live with it and got over my fear as I got older. I even tried interacting with them on occasion but any attempt to communicate always fell on deaf ears¡ªor whatever passes for ears on those things."

    Alma took a deep breath, her tone now veering into self-derision.

    "So, I just kept on living my life, afraid of the possibility that this was something I was just going to have to live with until I die." She stared into the dazzling flames of the bonfire as she spoke, following with her eyes the individual embers as they sparked out. She couldn''t help but wonder why she had begun arbitrarily spilling her guts to an unknown being of cosmic significance, so she simply chalked it up as another one of the woman''s crazy world-splitting abilities.

    Despite Alma''s gripes however, she still felt mildly happy having someone to talk with who might finally understand what she was going through.

    "Alma..." Naturally, Qu¡¯l-Nia held no actual sympathy for the perturbed Alma. Emotions were alien to her, but she tried her very best to generate a facsimile of them.

    "Even though I say I''m over it," Alma grimaced, "sometimes at night, I pray that Macha will cure me of this misery."

    "There is nothing wrong with you, Alma," stated Qu''l-Nia, attempting to ameliorate the situation. "You are simply more attuned to The Real than the rest of your people¡ªas is Hwal¨ªn."

    "''The Real''?" Alma snorted.

    "Yes," Qu''l-Nia answered. "That is the name my kind gave to the energy beyond the ether, the space between worlds. It is where my kind resides. Every universe is steeped in its essence and it is what powers their flow. Higher beings are able to harness or attune to that energy and use it to affect reality around them. But anyone, really, has the potential to draw from it."

    "Sounds like a god to me," Alma muttered under her breath.

    The woman pointed to Alma and continued. "You, for example, have been unknowingly using it to peer beyond the veil."

    "I¡ªwhat?" stuttered Alma. She couldn''t believe what she had just heard. She had completely forgotten about the pain in her torso and face. "I don''t understand. Are you implying this shit is a gift?"

    Alma was once again growing agitated. She swallowed the saliva in her mouth.

    "That I''m somehow special?"

    Deep down Alma already knew the answer. After everything she''d seen, it would be hard not to believe this alien woman''s story. She seemed like the type who expects you to believe her no matter what, Alma thought.

    "That is one way you could interpret it. For one reason or another, you are able to tap into this cosmic energy to augment your vision. It is no wonder you wield a weapon that requires such exact precision."

    "My Esme?" Alma panicked as she began to look around, making sure her weapon hadn''t gotten lost somewhere in the forest. Qu''l-Nia informed her that the rifle was safely stashed back in its case nearby, thanks to Hwal¨ªn. Alma grabbed her bag and fervently inspected its contents multiple times. After feeling satisfied, Alma sat back down with bent knees and buried her face in her arms before letting slip a big sigh.

    "My damned pistol is missing. That was a gift from¡ª Damn it. Damn it! This is just great!" she uttered sarcastically.

    Qu''l-Nia was quiet, figuring it better for Alma to vent out her frustration.

    Alma peeked up from her arms and sighed again.

    "I''m sorry, I¡ª" she stuttered, her voice cracking. "This is just not how I envisioned today going. It was supposed to be¡ª"

    Her eyes widened as she clasped her hand over her mouth.

    "Oh shit! My mission! They''re going to mark me AWOL. I have to head back!"

    "Please, Alma," pleaded Qu''l-Nia. "You cannot leave in your current state. Go out into a dark, snow-entrenched forest with those injuries and it will not be long before we find your frozen corpse."

    Alma hung her head for a while and remained silent except for a single muttered remark regarding her commander skinning her hide. Finally, she lifted her head, looked at Qu''l-Nia and asked the other question that had been haunting her.

    "What... exactly were those creatures we fought?"

    Qu''l-Nia stiffened up, causing Alma to get nervous. The expression on her face made it seem as if she were contemplating whether or not to answer her question.

    "That one is a bit trickier to answer, but I will try my best to give you an acceptable response.¡± The alien woman looked to the sky as she spoke. ¡°From a time long before humanity began, there have been forces that come and go through the void between universes that defy natural logic. Formless things that exist beyond mortal ken and creatures that skirt along the edge of madness. Beings even much older than I, that have made the other realms of the Real their domain, millennia upon millennia before our arrival."

    A look of disgust came over Alma''s face.

    "Exactly how much of this tripe do you expect me to swallow?" She pressed the back of her hand to her forehead before lying back against the ground.

    "Forget I asked. This is already starting to fly way over my head and the only thing I should really be worrying about is getting back home and explaining my absence today¡ªas much as is believable anyway." She rolled her eyes, the last straw for her finally having been broken. "Listen, thanks for almost killing me today. Oh, and be sure to thank the elf for losing my gun."

    Alma closed her eyes tightly, wishing that everything she had heard was simply the delirium kicking in the moment before she froze to death on the way to her mission. She could hear Qu''l-Nia sympathetically calling her name but Alma refused to acknowledge her any longer. Fondling the charm in the pocket of her dark cargo pants, Alma''s thoughts drifted to her sister. After several minutes, her mind and body relaxed and fell into a deep slumber.

    Every passing night for the next couple of years, beginning after the day she had first met Qu''l-Nia, bleeding to death on the forest floor, whenever Alma would fall into slumber, she would always awaken the next morning with the haziest recollection of a horrible nightmare she had just escaped from.

 Chapter 6: Monster Hunter

    The bleak, moonless sky was canvassed by a strange array of dark clouds. A storm was gathering around the area that had previously been host to an extraordinary and bloody battle, now an empty space full of decrepit trees and secret-kept snow.

    Long, howling gales blew throughout the frozen wasteland, which was followed by the increasingly loud crunch of snow under large, lupine feet. A lanky, hairy figure with leathery skin and a steer-like head was shuffling among the dead trees of the forest. From his crown grew a mass of large, silver antlers that gnarled upward and inward. There was a lone piece of hide taken from some unknown beast covering his naked, anthropoid body, the hide¡¯s purpose serving as one of modesty rather than any protection from the elements. An ill-matching, sinister shadow reverberated haphazardly behind him, while a perpetual stench of rotting meat encased him. In the shadow above his long, prodigious snout were tiny, gleaming white beads that vibrated wildly as they tracked invisible prints in the snow. Markings left by creatures unknown that seemed to radiate alien signatures not visible to the human eye.

    As he shuffled on, mighty blizzards filled with bone-chilling winds followed in his wake. Falling leaves and flying pests freezing almost instantly as they entered within close proximity of his being, leaving behind only cold reminders of death. The stranger''s monstrous nostrils flared, his widening maw gradually revealing several rows of crooked, black fangs¡ªa flehmen reaction to an otherworldly scent. He began scanning the recesses of his caliginous mind trying to identify which creature it belonged to.

    The inhuman hunter traveled deeper through the frozen remains of fallen trees, pursuing the strange, interdimensional source of fluctuations that he had felt the previous day. His gait quickening, finally spotting a trail of glimmering blood of an indescribable shade oozing from the half-buried, iridescent remains of something akin to a large arthropod. He knelt down to examine the lifeless creature further, his head cocking side to side in studious motion like a machine. Extending an arm, his hand shook and twitched, forming miniature spikes of glacial energy around it that shot from his grasp and landed roughly on the snow around the fallen creature. The small objects invaded its insides, examining the multitude of scratches and wounds, revealing some untold intelligence that only he understood.

    Many hours later, having felt his investigation sufficient, he ended his grim autopsy of the chthonae. Squeezing his clawed hand into a fist, the small, icy invaders crumbled silently into snow. His piercing, alien eyes narrowed as he opened his mouth to speak in a harsh, guttural tone, the writhing tongue in his mouth struggling to form words.

    "FOUND. YOU."

    The stranger smiled a wicked smile, his arm shooting forward and piercing the insides of the creature. Out came the warm, slimy entrails of the chthonae in his hands, which he then proceeded to shovel into his mouth.

    <hr>

    There was a soft knocking at the door accompanied by a tender voice belonging to Alma''s sister Zulema.

    "Alma, I heard about what happened. Can we talk?"

    In response to her voice came a dejected groaning from the other side of the door.

    Zulema pulled out the spare key she had on hand for emergencies and unlocked the door to her family¡¯s home. As she stepped inside, the elder sister was immediately struck with a dreary, depressed atmosphere. Sprawled out on the floor was a short woman, her younger sister, shabbily dressed in the white and gold colors of her country. Disheveled raven hair spread out, like a dark halo around her head. There was a long bandage wrapped around her forehead. Strewn out clothes and sheets surrounded her¡ªDirty laundry that hadn¡¯t been washed in days. The remnants of a few broken appliances also littered the edges of the room, leading one to easily guess the kind of mental state the poor girl was in.

    The young priestess jokingly asked if a natural disaster had chosen the home as its vacation spot of choice. Naturally, the only disaster on her mind was her younger sister.

    "Leave me alone, Zula," Alma kept her gaze fixed to the ceiling. "Can''t you see I''m busy being a miserable outcast who ruined her dream and no longer has any available prospects for the future?"

    "I''m sorry about what happened, Alma. I know how much joining the princess''s army meant to you."

    Zulema''s sweet voice did nothing to soothe Alma''s melancholy. She set down the bag she was carrying, filled with a few things she had bought earlier and decided to start picking up the mess that her sister had left piling up around her.

    "How on Sarracas could you miss your first day on duty?" There was a stern sisterly tone in her voice. "What could possibly have been more important than that? And what happened to your forehead?"

    Alma kept silent, listening numbly to the continuous ruffling of clothes being picked up around her.

    "You wouldn''t believe me if I told you." Her voice was deadpan. She raised her head. "Listen, don''t worry about me. Just go light a candle for me, I''ll figure something out."

    Alma was on the verge of tears, her voice breaking.

    "Zula¡­ T-They took my Esme¡­¡± she muttered. ¡°¡­Maybe I''ll go live with the elfwin for a while like grandhag."

    "Alma, you know I have the utmost faith in you,¡± stated Zulema. ¡°Now please pull yourself together. I would believe you even if you had said you''d seen Macha herself."

    "Not exactly," said Alma, standing up. Her body shambled to the other side of the room and began picking up the pieces of her radio receiver. "I met someone¡ªsomething out in the woods yesterday. A woman. I think."

    Despite, in her honest opinion, giving off an aura akin to divinity, Alma decided to refrain from calling that woman a goddess.

    Zulema nodded, indicating for her sister to go on.

    "She said some things to me¡ª¡° Alma paused and thought for a moment. ¡°You know the weird shit I¡¯m constantly seeing that I''m always complaining to you about? Yeah. There were tons of them out there. Not only that but..."

    Alma took a deep breath.

    "She could see them," continued Alma, throwing a big pile of scattered junk into the trash.

    "What kind of woman?¡± Her sister¡¯s story did nothing to abate Zula¡¯s worries. ¡°What did she say exactly?"

    There was something about the way the young priestess carried herself that always resonated with the people around her, and it always made them want to open up to her¡ªespecially her sister. It was a useful trait to have in her line of work.

    "Uh¡­ I''m not sure." Alma shook her head. She tried recalling all the strange details about the woman named Qu''l-Nia.

    "Even remembering now, it¡¯s hard to describe. She was weirdly pale and had this shiny¡­ silvery-purple hair. And the tips of her hair," She pulled a few strands of her own hair forward, trying to get a visualization going. "I-It¡ª They glowed! It was so weird! There was another woman with her too, actually. A Hecatian elf, her features were unmistakable.¡±

    Alma hooked a finger into her mouth, revealing her incisors. "No tail, but you should''ve seen the fangs on her."

    "Hecatian?" Zulema asked, surprised. "You don''t see many way out in these parts."

    Did you know this story is from Royal Road? Read the official version for free and support the author.

    "Yeah." Alma nodded. "She could detect them too. Except these creatures were slightly different to the ones I¡¯m used to. Way different, actually.¡±

    And they were a lot more fucking dangerous.

    Alma gently touched a bruise on her abdomen, a painful reminder of the monstrous encounter.

    Zulema had already finished picking up all the clothing on the floor and was halfway through folding them.

    Alma continued, "When I first ran into Hwal¨ªn¡ª"

    "Hwal¨ªn?"

    "The elf!¡± Alma pulled up on her ears. ¡°When I first saw her, she was being surrounded by those things. I couldn''t just let her die, so¡­ I shot first and asked questions later."

    Alma continued, sharing her experience about the ensuing melee of that morning and the resulting fall that had injured her. Right before she was going to try to explain the strange singing, Alma remembered what Qu''l-Nia had told her about the powers trying to end their world and decided to keep quiet so as to not get her sister any further involved in the machinations of that crazed alien.

    "She called them chthonae? I''m not familiar.¡± Zulema had begun throwing the dirty laundry into their washer. ¡°And then what happened?"

    Alma peered into the room her sister had moved to and looked at her back worriedly. "¡­And then I blacked out. It was a long fall. I must''ve hit something on the way down."

    She swept her bangs back before letting them fall back onto her forehead. "I''m pretty sure that fall killed the monster I was wrestling with too."

    A lie.

    Zulema gasped. "You''re lucky you didn''t get a concussion from that fall! Macha must have been watching over you that morning."

    "Yeah," said Alma, chuckling. "I guess so."

    She fixed her hair up into her usual top knot. The short-lived soldier took more pride in her hair than she was willing to admit.

    "Well, when I woke up, Hwal¨ªn had already gone to sleep so it was just me and the woman. She mentioned the creatures we fought¡ªthe chthonae¡ªwere..." She trailed off.

    "Were what?" Zulema had stopped folding clothes and was listening more intently.

    "You¡¯re not gonna believe me! She said they were from another dimension!" Alma stared at her sister, waiting for her take in her response before letting out a burst of laughter.

    "What?" asked the young priestess, chuckling nervously. "Were you joking?"

    Zulema began to laugh along with her sister.

    "No," said Alma, still laughing. "But it all sounds so crazy when I say it out loud now."

    As Alma¡¯s laughter died down, Zulema noticed her sister''s gaze following something around the room. There seemed to be a slight look of horror in her eyes.

    "Are you sure everything''s alright, Alma? Should I stay over for a while?" she asked, semi-pleadingly. Zulema began to grow increasingly worried over her sister''s mental state. Being a woman of the church of madness often involved helping the chance vagrant that wandered the streets¡ªpoor souls afflicted with mental delusions that caused them endless grief. Zulema sincerely believed her sister for the most part, but she wondered if maybe Alma hadn''t hit her head harder than she thought.

    Alma let out a sigh.

    "Please, Zula. Don''t turn me into another one of your charity cases." Throwing an old, burgundy scarf around her neck, she walked towards the door. The chilly, afternoon air struck her face the moment it opened, assaulting her nostrils with the familiar wet smell of snow. "Thanks for helping me clean up. Now if you need me, I''ll be off at Nemeth''s getting a drink." .

    "Alright, Alma," said Zulema. "Then I''ll go and call old Fog and let him know you''re coming."

    Zula giggled inappropriately. It seemed her sister was resolved in drinking her problems away. Something she herself could at least relate to.

    ¡°By the way.¡± Alma had taken a step out the door before turning back to her sister. The bag Zulema had brought with her had caught her eye. ¡°What¡¯s in the bag?¡±

    ¡°Mmm. Just a couple of things for this stray gatin I found the other day. You know I have a weakness for cute things that mewl at me.¡± Zulema giggled. ¡°He¡¯s a bit of a hefty boy, but I couldn¡¯t find any sort of identification on him. I named him Brawny for now. He seems to come and go from my place as he pleases.¡±

    ¡°Oh. Cool,¡± Alma said without a shred of interest. ¡°Okay, Zula. See you.¡±

    She bolted out the door, leaving her sister smiling and waving.

    The sky was a very annoying shade of gray, thought Alma, as another headache began to surface. While she walked through the snow-laden streets, the events of the morning began to resurface in her mind...

    <hr>

    It was earlier that day that Alma had awoken to an intense, dull pain in her stomach. A rising lump in her throat signaled a familiar feeling. There was barely any time for her to admire the paradoxically bright and dreary skies that filled the landscape of her home country before rushing back into the forest. Finding a suitable spot behind a tree, a large amount of bile mixed with chunks of days-old food spewed violently out of her mouth. A trembling arm was wrapped around the trunk of the tree, while the other was on shaking knee. She had an intense hatred of vomiting. There was a fear there, whenever she knew it was coming, of the severe abdomen pain that accompanied it. It was the only thing that kept her unabashed drinking in check.

    She did her best not to cry.

    She leaned against the tree¡ªrelief spreading through her as the worst part of it was over. She found herself squinting and staring at the nasty mess she left on the snow for a good while.

    After a short bout of What did I do to deserve this? racing through her mind multiple times, Alma kicked some snow over her half-digested meal and slowly walked back to where she had woken up. She tried to shake away the feeling that she had just slept through another nightmare after seeing her blankets scattered about and the sleeping bag she had been using tossed several feet away. With the sun out, she could finally get a good look at the encampment. An extinguished bonfire stood in the center, surrounded by long logs where one could sit and warm themselves up. A standard, makeshift campsite, by any means¡ªexcept that not a drop of snow had covered the area they had been sleeping in. It was almost as if the snow had consciously made a decision to fall everywhere except in this one spot.

    Looking around, she noticed no sign of Hwal¨ªn or that mysterious woman she had spoken to the previous night. She grabbed her sleeping bag, placed it down and sat back on it, but before she could do anything else, voices had started coming from beyond the trees. Alma quickly laid herself back down and closed her eyes, pretending to sleep while focusing her ears to listen in.

    ¡°It is pointless to keep searching, Hwal¨ªn. We must prioritize our focus on the mission.¡±

    ¡°She almost died because of me. The least I could do is find it for her.¡±

    ¡°You must realize we are pressed for time¡ª¡±

    Hwal¨ªn narrowed her eyes at the woman.

    ¡°¡ªbut if you are so inclined, I suppose we can scan the grounds of the battlefield once more.¡±

    ¡°Thanks,¡± Hwal¨ªn seemed satisfied. ¡°We can go check it out later today. But right now, I don¡¯t want the poor girl waking up to an empty campsite and sneaking off on us.¡±

    Hwal¨ªn propped herself down on a nearby log, sitting with her legs crossed, and carefully began polishing one of the exotic blades she carried. Any hint of extradimensional blood seemed to have been wiped completely off.

    Qu''l-Nia was hovering over her while she worked. It seemed she had taken an interest in the maintenance work of the lesser beings she had found herself with.

    Alma continued to listen stealthily to the conversation they were having, hoping they didn¡¯t notice she had woken up.

    "I¡¯m glad she¡¯s still here, at least.¡± Hwal¨ªn let out a small sigh of relief. ¡°Nia, didn''t I tell you not to blurt out your story to every person we meet? Now she thinks you¡¯re insane and me even worse for having followed you."

    "In my attempt to find the answers to my inquiries, I consider every possibility. Revealing a few things that I deem necessary expedites that process. And as you stated, she did risk her life for us,¡± Qu¡¯l-Nia explained, stone-faced. ¡°Therefore, it would have been quite disingenuous of me to keep silent about what she had just experienced."

    "Besides, there is also something about her that feels so strangely familiar to me." The alien woman focused on an empty spot on the ground, trying to track a memory that had long since been forgotten.

    Hwal¨ªn sneered.

    "You know, sometimes you say things¡­ And those things come off sounding very diabolical. Fine, I suppose she can at least give us the lay of the land."

    "My thoughts exactly." Qu''l-Nia said with a smile. "Being a local, I am sure Alma has heard at least one or two stories about Derleth."

    Alma, who was still watching silently from afar, began to think that smiling was the only kind of expression this woman knew how to make. She decided there was no further reason to continue eavesdropping.

    "I''m sorry. That name doesn''t ring any bells," Alma stated, interrupting their conversation. She had begun putting away her things.

    Alma had slept on the outer rim of the campsite, in a sleeping bag covered with multiple blankets to make up for a lack of a tent.

    "Alma! Good morning!" Qu''l-Nia gave her a saccharine smile. "I hope you slept well."

    "Not especially," said Alma wearily. "I''m pretty sure I had three nightmares in a row last night."

    Her stomach rumbled fiercely. It struck her now that she hadn''t eaten anything since the previous morning, not to mention she had also just gotten done ridding her body of any excess food she might have eaten before that. Her lips pursed inwards.

    "Um, would you guys happen to have made any breakfast?"

    "Naw. Not just yet, anyway," Hwal¨ªn answered, eying and inspecting her blade closely.

    The glow Alma thought it had exuded was now gone, perhaps it had just been an illusion caused by the adrenaline she was feeling that day.

    "Actually, I set me some traps a few klicks from here after you passed out yesterday. Figured we''d not get far lugging your body around." She cackled obnoxiously. "Mind tagging along while I search ''em? Maybe if we''re lucky, I''ll have snared us a chthonae!"

    Hwal¨ªn slapped her thigh repeatedly while cackling again. She seemed like the type of imbecile to be amused by her own jokes, thought Alma.

    "Wouldn''t mind frying one up, reckon they taste outta this world." She deftly sheathed her blade and stood up, grinning.

    "Sure, why the fuck not?¡± agreed Alma, scratching her chin in barely-processed thought. ¡°Nothing better to relieve the nonstop pain in my aching body than a long hike through one awful frozen-over forest!"

    Hwal¨ªn nodded happily, agreeing genuinely with that sentiment.

 Chapter 7: Imagine Drag-hens

    The deeply dense trees stretched out almost infinitely among the frigid wilderness in all directions. As Alma trudged along¡ªpain still shooting through her body with every heavy, boot-laden step she took¡ªshe started letting her mind wander in the hope that it would take her mind off the constant soreness of her back and legs. She looked around at the frozen boughs poking out from the trees and began to notice the repeating fractal pattern of frost on each of the thousands of coated pine needles. It amazed her to think that it was all naturally made and not the work of some ice goddess with an obsessive-compulsive disorder.

    Hwal¨ªn''s gruff voice broke Alma out of her train of thought.

    "Hey Alm. Any idea where we might be? Every bloody tree looks the same as the last to me."

    "Wait, what?!" Alma cried worryingly. "Shouldn''t you know? You were the one that set the traps!"

    Hwal¨ªn cackled. "Relax, I was just taking the piss. You¡¯ve been mostly quiet this whole time and being that we''re in the middle of nowhere¡­ it was starting to creep me out!"

    Alma sighed, the grip tightening on the rifle she was holding. "Right. I''m sorry. It''s just been so hectic and I haven''t really had time to process things. Oh, and I''m probably in a shitload of trouble, so I''m not even looking forward to going home. But the longer I wait, the worse it''ll b¡ª"

    "Whoa! Ease the knees there, Ms. Sniper. I wasn''t asking you to get all whiny on me." Hwal¨ªn slowed her steps. "We''ll get you home right after breakfast, no worries!"

    The elfwin huntress stopped and bent down in front of a very dangerous looking steel trap.

    "If we ever actually find any, that is," she said dejectedly, looking over the untouched bait. Hwal¨ªn turned her head back towards Alma.

    "Perhaps I should¡¯ve asked before we left but, uh... Does anything actually live out here?"

    "I don''t usually go so far out in this direction, but I can''t imagine any forest where something doesn''t find a way to thrive..." Alma''s voice trailed off. Out of the corner of her eyes, she noticed a strange looking bump peeking out from the snow. She inched wordlessly towards what she was desperately hoping was something she could put in her mouth.

    "Alma?" called Hwal¨ªn.

    The hungry markswoman had suddenly stopped and was now staring down at something blanketed in dirty, white slush.

    Hwal¨ªn trotted up behind her and slapped her hand down onto Alma''s shoulder.

    "What''re you looking at, mate?" She searched the ground, finding nothing of note that could possibly warrant Alma¡¯s creepy behavior.

    "I-It''s one of those things." Alma gulped. "Can''t you see it? It''s there! It¡¯s dead!"

    "A chthonae?!" Hwal¨ªn gasped. "Well, no bloody shit I can''t see it! I can only hear the damn things and that''s assuming they''re alive."

    Alma kicked the dead creature.

    "Oh, is that like a thing all elfwin can do?"

    "What? No, you bloody racist!"

    Alma looked at her in shock before Hwal¨ªn let out another obnoxious cackle.

    "Kidding. Nah, I''m just special, I guess."

    Alma sighed. A habit was forming.

    "Now that you mention it, Q did mention you had some sort of gift."

    "Did she now?" Hwal¨ªn put a hand to her chin. She seemed reluctant to talk about it.

    Alma wondered if it would have been better not to say anything.

    "Yeah,¡± Hwal¨ªn finally spoke. ¡°I guess she did mention to me that something was up with your eyes too."

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    She seemed to search Alma''s face for any hint of a similar reaction.

    "Seems pretty useful, counting that we found this little bugger here."

    Alma grimaced, recalling to mind something she heard earlier.

    Hwal¨ªn let out a wry smile before clearing her throat.

    "Hey now. I was just¡ªI was joking about the whole eating them business. I didn''t think we''d actually find one." Hwal¨ªn crossed her arm and placed a hand on her elbow, trying as hard as she could to not sound as embarrassed as she was feeling.

    "Actually, Nia had expressed some interest in wanting to study one of these things up close." She looked down at the spot where the corpse was apparently lying. "She even spent a bit of time searching for one after you passed out yesterday."

    "Well, I can see where her priorities lie at least." Alma sneered, trying her best to ignore some troubling implications.

    There was still more that had been bothering her. The chthonae appeared a lot more corporeal than the last time she had seen them. Its weirdly pale and fleshy skin hanging off its quickly decaying body was causing Alma a bit of distress. Being that they were bug-like creatures, she had expected something with a carapace¡ªsome kind of hard shell or something. Its mouth was also agape and Alma noticed it had rows of oddly shaped teeth that seemed to travel inwards towards its body, going further than should be possible. Sprouting from its torso were six scythe-like appendages that looked extremely sharp. It had what appeared to be gills on the sides of its head, which she found odd considering there were no bodies of water for hundreds of miles. Perhaps they served some other purpose? What was most curious however, was its distinct lack of any sort of eyes. She reasoned that they must usually inhabit places that lack any semblance of light. The thought made Alma shudder.

    Unexpectedly, it had also reminded her of the princess back home. The church and how it unfairly forces the royal family into a lifetime of blindness. Despite blaming it on the church, she felt a hint of remorse at the thought of Princess June never being able to see the world like the rest of her people.

    Alma continued studying the creature, wondering whether it was a good idea to touch it or not. Thinking back to her recent scuffle with one of these beasts, if she had been able to see the thing''s appearance properly at the time, she would have definitely lost her nerve and would instead now be some future animal''s frozen treat.

    Hwal¨ªn''s head poked itself over Alma''s shoulder.

    "I wouldn''t stare at that thing for too long, mate. You never know if it has some kind of hidden ability to control our minds or something. Even when dead." She stood up and took a step back. "Shit. Maybe it''s only playing dead and getting ready to jump on your face!"

    "So it can lay its eggs down my throat?" replied Alma in a dry tone, half-chuckling.

    Hwal¨ªn''s expression went deathly pale, causing Alma''s eyes to roll into free fall.

    "Thought you were the experienced hunter who''s dealt with these kinds of things before," continued Alma. "Figured you for the expert here."

    "I haven''t actually been with Nia all that long, to be honest." The brash, Hecatian girl had been pinching her neck with her fingers, but quickly switched to fidgeting with her necklace when she noticed Alma looking at her. "I actually just kinda ran into her one day when she had first gotten here. I helped her get on her feet, so to speak, and I guess I just never stopped. She helped me... understand my ability. And now we''ve run into you."

    She pulled a cigarette from a pack in her pocket and placed it in her mouth.

    "Seems kinda like fate to me. Assuming that''s not another one of her guises.¡± She offered one to Alma. ¡°Sorry, did you want one?"

    "No thanks.¡± Alma shook her head. ¡°Tried one once, hated it. Anyway, I''ve kind of lost my appetite. Besides, these things have probably scared off any potential game long ago, so let''s just get this lovely little pile back to camp and then we can finally get out of each other''s hair."

    "What have you got against us, Alma? We''ve been nothing but nice to you," said Hwal¨ªn, taking a slow drag off of her cigarette.

    Alma ran her fingers through her soft, black hair, trying to find the right words.

    "Believe it or not, the problem isn''t you, Hwal¨ªn. Or Q. Any other day, I would have jumped at the chance to be a part of this crap. Belief in all the crazy, spooky metaphysics of our world is kind of my whole deal. I''ve heard so many myths and legends about the hinterlands outside our walls..." She looked over at the frozen corpse of the chthonae. Most of its flesh was a blueish gray color that she figured had probably been caused by the extreme cold. "It''s just that... life was finally moving ahead for me, you know? I was all ready to give up these petty, childish dreams of wanting to hunt daemons and drag-hens and I was just really looking forward to the start of this whole new life for myself. Fighting the real bad guys, right? My home is my livelihood and I''d defend it at any cost."

    Alma looked into Hwal¨ªn¡¯s eyes and thought that maybe the elf could feel something relatable in what she was saying.

    "Man,¡± continued Alma. ¡°Here I thought maybe that woman was somehow influencing me into spilling my guts, but I guess whining is just one of my many attractive qualities."

    The young girl made a half-hearted smile. "Sorry, I''ve bitched enough in front of both of you."

    Hwal¨ªn stubbed out her cigarette in the snow and looked at Alma.

    "You know drag-hens are real, don''t you?"

    Alma looked at her, mouth agape. She then began to laugh. She let out a laugh so hearty, it caused the pain in her body to double back¡ªbut she didn''t care. Hwal¨ªn joined in laughing, letting out the same hoarse cackling that Alma wasn''t sure was caused by either the elf¡¯s constant smoking or just something she was naturally gifted with.

 Chapter 8: Respect your Eldritch

    It was late afternoon when Alma finally reached the entrance to the dilapidated, old building. The daylight was slowly fading, as the sun was now close to setting. On the wall near the door hung a sign that read Nemeth''s Pub and Grub. The snow on the ground had been swept away by the constant opening and closing of the moldy, brown door. Its wood had been chipping in various areas from past brawls, where rowdy troublemakers were often forcibly removed from the establishment by being thrown against it. As Alma passed through the entrance, the warm, musty air, accompanied by the smell of stale beer hit her face. A sensation that was almost comforting to her. She took her usual spot at the stool by the bar.

    The bartender, Olney Fogdog¡ªknown famously as Old Fogdog¡ªhad already prepared the homecoming pint for the young ex-soldier. He was a rough-and-tumble adventurer with an array of heroic accomplishments under his belt and a set of piercing blue eyes.

    Alma enjoyed the fact that her sister was such an enabler when it came to drinking and even happier that the pub had become like a second home to her.

    "Hey Alma, heard about your premature discharge," the man sitting beside her had said with a wink. He was wearing a thick, leather jacket with comfortable looking fleece lining the insides.

    She let out a loud, drawn-out groan.

    "How the fuck does everyone know already?!" The volume of her voice was enough to turn a few heads. Alma was growing more despondent by the minute.

    "You know how fast word of anything spreads around this pub, Alma," the man spoke while proudly raising his glass of beer. "That young guard at the gate must''ve had a panic attack when he heard you didn''t come back that night. He was causing quite a stir around here yesterday, asking if we''d seen you."

    Alma rolled her eyes at him. If not for the drink numbing any sense of regret, she would have already ditched the place.

    He smiled before suddenly looking around cautiously.

    "Wait, your sister ain''t here, is she? I hardly ever see you two apart."

    "She''s not my keeper, Ash," replied Alma. "These days, she''ll just stay home and drink a bottle of wine or two. Says it helps keep the ¡®maddening memories¡¯ at bay."

    She cocked her head.

    "Still not sure whether she''s joking about that or not."

    "So where did you toddle off to yesterday? Must¡¯ve been something good to make you ditch duty like that. Or did your wits finally get the better of you and make you turn tail?"

    "I wasn''t trying to ditch and I definitely wasn¡¯t scared," she said, eyes furrowed. "Someone needed my help and I ended up losing track of time. That''s all."

    She looked away, taking a sip from her drink.

    "''Well, I hope it was worth it."

    "Doesn''t matter."

    She nursed her glass for a bit, lost in thought.

    ¡°Listen,¡± she said. ¡°Since you¡¯re here, there¡¯s something kind of weird I wanted to ask you about.¡±

    ¡°Aw, Alma,¡± he groaned. ¡°Enough with the fantasies. What? You find some ¡®mysterious tracks¡¯ off the beaten path again? It¡¯s like this with you every week.¡±

    ¡°Hey,¡± she stammered. ¡°I am not crazy.¡±

    ¡°Certainly could have fooled me.¡±

    ¡°I really did see those giant footprints!¡± She retorted, before continuing to nurse her drink meekly. ¡°If we had only spent a few more nights out there, I just know I would have that thing¡¯s head mounted up on The Wall.¡±

    The Wall that she was referring to was a massive trophy board lining the area above the pub¡¯s bar where the heads of various dangerous beasts were lined up, all with terrifying looks in their now dead eyes.

    ¡°A few more nights? We were lost from the get-go and neither of us had the good sense to bring any damn grub to eat. You hear a lot of far-fetched stories in dreary pubs like this, but yours always seem to take the cake!¡±

    ¡°Will you just answer one damn, simple question?¡±

    ¡°What? What is this burning question of yours?¡±

    ¡°Have you heard of somethi¡ª someone called Derleth?¡±

    ¡°No. You just come up with that one?¡± He heaved a sigh. ¡±Figured as much. Only shows up at night, right?¡±

    Royal Road is the home of this novel. Visit there to read the original and support the author.

    "Fine, here¡¯s another question: How''s scum life been treating you?"

    They continued like this for some time¡ªberating each other with the usual banter typically found among friends she¡¯d made at the pub. Jokesters and clowns attempting to show each other up with constant tales of their childish exploits. Even the ones she found to be the biggest assholes always found a way to burrow into her heart with at least one deep-seated layer of altruism.

    Some nights, she thought she¡¯d never leave the pub.

    <hr>

    Alma smirked. "Besides, I don''t need my sister here to stop me from going home with you."

    "Easy, woman. I ain''t sleezy enough to take advantage of someone in such a gloomy state. Drown it in booze all you like, but I know you¡¯re still reeling over that suspension." He pulled a few bills from his pocket and set them down. "That¡¯d be too much work for me anyway. You come find me when you''ve fixed yourself up though, then I''ll show you a good time."

    He laughed as he walked out the door.

    "Ass-wipe!" she yelled, after a few seconds of trying to come up with a good response and hoping it would reach his ears in time.

    The man she so casually insulted went by the name of Ashton. He was above average in the looks department, according to Alma. A rugged, young man with shaggy, black hair who was about the same age as her sister. He had first tried to hit on her when she was new to the pub scene, but Alma''s sister¡ªin her typical way¡ªhad easily been able to keep his sleezy advances at bay. His smooth talking had amassed him some popularity among the other regulars at Nemeth''s, so it didn''t take long for his charm to win over Alma''s friendship¡ªeven when it wasn''t so readily apparent.

    "I was starting to worry when you didn''t stop by for your daily pint," the bartender said to her.

    Alma chugged down the last of her beer.

    "Why, Fog, you make it sound as if I have a problem," she snorted. Chuckling listlessly, she stared at the foam dregs sitting at the bottom of her empty glass.

    Alma!

    The cry of a familiar voice. Alma looked around, before spotting two recognizable figures sitting at a table near the back. Excusing herself, she walked over cautiously.

    "How long have you two been sitting here?"

    "Since before you came in," responded Hwal¨ªn smugly.

    "Yes,¡± added Qu''l-Nia. ¡°I would have called out to you sooner, but Hwal¨ªn informed me not to interrupt you in the middle of your courtship ritual.¡±

    Alma felt her cheeks flush. She wasn''t sure whether that was the alcohol or not.

    "Please don''t teach her strange things," she said to Hwal¨ªn.

    "Gonna have to forgive us, mate. We''d have tried searching for a different pub if we knew you used this one to troll for hapless blokes.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯d rather be banned from the service for life than date that guy,¡± she groaned then pointed at Qu¡¯l-Nia. ¡°And quit giving her the wrong idea.¡±

    Alma glanced over at Qu¡¯l-Nia. In front of her was a plate of uneaten fries while on Hwal¨ªn¡¯s side of the table there sat three empty glasses.

    ¡°I didn¡¯t think you ate food,¡± Alma said to the eldritch girl.

    ¡°I do not, but Hwal¨ªn has expressed to me her concerns that simply not ordering anything at a pub would draw some suspicions.¡± She shuffled around in her seat. ¡°My true idea of food is a bit more complex.¡±

    ¡°Apparently it¡¯s quite a sight!¡± Hwal¨ªn said, laughing. ¡°Way she described it scared even me.¡±

    ¡°She unhinges her jaw?¡± Alma slapped the side of her head in feigned astonishment.

    Qu¡¯l-Nia responded with a stiff, mechanical-sounding laugh that clung to some vague humanity.

    Alma, despite joking around, still felt a bit of antipathy for the woman known as Qu¡¯l-Nia. Her noticeably forced laughter and robotic mannerisms only further reinforced the morbid notion that she wasn¡¯t exactly quite human. Alma wondered how she had even been able to navigate this world before meeting up with Hwal¨ªn.

    The Hecatian snapped her fingers. ¡°Give her the rundown, Nia.¡±

    ¡°Very well,¡± Qu¡¯l-Nia replied, nodding. She then lowered her voice to a whisper, cupping her pale white cheek with slender fingers. ¡°While in this body, the sustenance I require normally comes simply from the act of being observed. That observation is processed through tiny tendrils on the end of my hair.¡±

    She pinched a few strands tightly to help visualize her point.

    ¡°If I go unseen for too long, I begin to lose my shape and my presence in this reality fractures. Therefore,¡± she continued, raising a finger and turning to Hwal¨ªn, ¡°it would be quite disastrous if I am left alone for too long.¡±

    ¡°No, no,¡± mumbled Hwal¨ªn. ¡°Tell her what ya told me. About how you really sustain yourself.¡±

    ¡°Ah,¡± Qu¡¯l-Nia frowned. ¡°You refer to when I am not in the guise of a human form. That is a lot more difficult to explain. I do not think this is the appropriate venue for it. Besides, I do not believe even you fully understood it.¡±

    Hwal¨ªn scratched her head.

    ¡°It¡¯s fine,¡± Alma said. ¡°I¡¯m still trying to wrap my head around the first thing you were saying. Sounds really fascinating but you can tell me the rest later.¡±

    ¡°Sorry, Alma,¡± smiled Hwal¨ªn. ¡°I can be a bit sadistic sometimes. I was lookin¡¯ forward to seeing your brain melt.¡±

    Alma motioned over to a nearby waitress and had her bring the trio a couple of drinks. The waitress¡ªwho was normally very chatty¡ªdid her job swiftly and silently before leaving. Having been told by Fogdog to watch her mouth around the recently disgraced Alma.

    ¡°That was¡­ weird,¡± mumbled Alma. She parked herself across from the other two girls, turned to Hwal¨ªn, who was already halfway through her beer, and asked, ¡°So, what brings you two to my very specific neck of the woods?¡±

    ¡°We¡¯re still asking around about¡ª¡±

    ¡°She was worried about you,¡± Qu¡¯l-Nia interrupted, causing Hwal¨ªn to grumble to herself. ¡°She felt guilty about losing your firearm and insisted on compensating you somehow. I, too, feel equally responsible for getting you involved in our little predicament.¡±

    ¡°Oh, how very sweet of her. But I didn¡¯t think you were able to feel much of anything.¡±

    ¡°My kind bears a plethora of responsibility far beyond your comprehension,¡± she stated calmly. ¡°It is an immeasurable concept that is constantly imprinting itself into our minds.¡±

    ¡°Nothing gets to you, does it?¡±

    ¡°Why would it?¡± The strange woman smiled.

    Alma was a bit disgusted at the alien girl¡¯s carefree attitude.

    ¡°You sure are a brave one, talkin¡¯ to your elders like that.¡± Hwal¨ªn grabbed and began to drink the spiced ale that had been served to Qu¡¯l-Nia. Something that would have gone to waste otherwise. ¡°If you¡¯re lookin¡¯ to get reduced to ash, don¡¯t bother.¡±

    She took a long swig before speaking again.

    ¡°Only thing this girl takes seriously is her mission, and even that¡¯s up for debate.¡±

 Chapter 9: Magic ways, my friend

    ¡°Right. The mission that supposedly has to do with the end of all life as we know it.¡± Alma remained skeptical. There was still a part of her that refused to believe Qu¡¯l-Nia¡¯s crazy story. The large cut on her forehead began to throb painfully, so she grasped the aging mug sitting on the table and swiftly took a drink in the hopes that it would dull the pain a bit longer.

    "Yes, the very same. We had arrived in the city only a few hours before and ended up with more trouble than we anticipated asking civilians about any strange rumors or tales they may have heard about the surrounding countryside. Many people seemed put off by the question and, in fact, your name came up quite a bit, surprisingly, until finally one man directed us here, describing it as ''a good hub for information.''"

    Hwal¨ªn, who was fortunately still sober due to the heightened metabolism of her race, crossed her legs and pounded down the last of her drink.

    "Actually, he called it a den of ecstatic shitheads. We didn''t have much luck here either at first. Luckily, I was able to put my special interrogating skills to the test on an adorably innocent busboy I ran into. Poor fella was reorganizing some very awful-looking tables that he tells me was the aftermath of a rambunctious group of drunken bloody sods who were banging on about a certain urban legend. He was a bit hesitant to talk about it, and he kinda clammed up after that¡­ until I blew in his ear and got him to open his gob again. He started spilling every last detail, telling me about a very old tale regarding some type of ice elemental with no name¡ª"

    "Hey," Alma interjected. "Don''t go sexually harassing the employees, please. This is one of my only safe havens in this city and I''d prefer the peace not be mucked up by some horny elf and Ms. Eldritch Terror here."

    "Has anyone ever told you what a charmer you are, Alma?"

    Alma flashed a cheeky smile before quickly returning to her typical deadpan expression.

    "An ice elemental?¡± She rubbed her chin. ¡°Is that what this Derleth is? Don¡¯t know if it¡¯s the same thing but I guess you could say¡­ Yeeaaah, I¡¯ve heard a few things¡ªback when I was really into cryptids and stuff. Before fucking boot camp drilled into me not to fill my head with what they called ''fanciful distractions.''¡±

    The ex-soldier clicked her teeth and let out a drawn-out murmur, remembering how she had been forced to get serious about her life once she applied to military service. But it''s not easy to simply forget one''s beliefs. A belief that''s been ingrained within you for years, thanks to a daily life that¡¯s been haunted by hideous apparitions. Yet, it didn''t take long into her short military career before the constant mocking and jeering from her peers and the reprimanding from her superiors finally pushed her to clam up about her "childish fantasies." It left her with a sense of wistfulness that aggressively gnawed at the back of her mind.

    ¡°I¡¯d first heard about it from my grandhag¡ªprobably the most interesting hag you¡¯ll ever meet. Man, she¡¯d always have the wildest tales to tell from all the places she visited.¡±

    ¡°Alma?¡± Qu''l-Nia interrupted. ¡°What did she say about Derleth?¡±

    ¡°Okay, well. Like I said, I don¡¯t know if we¡¯re talking about the same thing here, but it¡¯s the only thing that comes to mind. When I was a little girl,¡± she continued. ¡°My grandhag told us about this big monster dude who lived in areas like the snow-covered forests outside our city. A monster that could control the snow and freeze people that wandered out too far from civilization. She always liked scaring us, so I guess that was her way of getting us not to go outside by ourselves.¡±

    There was a sudden spark in Qu''l-Nia¡¯s eyes. ¡°Did she describe to you the appearance of this monster?¡±

    ¡°No. Apparently it looks different to different people. But the elfwin that told her about it seemed to unanimously agree that he¡¯s generally the one behind any and all snow-related trouble.¡±

    This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

    ¡°Elfwin¡­?¡± Qu''l-Nia turns to Hwal¨ªn.

    ¡°Don¡¯t look at me, you racist xeno.¡± Hwal¨ªn snapped. She was gorging on the last of the leftover food, dipping some fries in her beer before eating it. ¡°There¡¯re different types of elfwin. This is the first I¡¯m hearing of any of this and it don¡¯t sound like it¡¯s much to go on.¡±

    ¡°Even so,¡± Qu''l-Nia had paid no mind to the accusation, ¡°that information will have to sustain our investigation for now. It is true that the obstacle of his whereabouts remains firmly in our path, however, we know now that there is a basis for his presence here. As Alma just explained, our query possesses a unique elemental prowess. Of a type atypical to normal humans."

    "Are you saying there''s a type that is typical to humans?" Alma jokingly put forth the seemingly obvious question.

    "She''s talking about magic," Hwal¨ªn answered matter-of-factly.

    Alma clicked her teeth. "I know what she''s talking about! One of my¡­ friends is a witch. I do know a thing or two about magic. Kind of. Sort of. She told me it was basically a method of bending the universe to your will. ''Making it your bitch,'' so to speak. Her words."

    "Alma, you have an acquaintance versed in something as rare as magic?¡± There was a newfound hope in the eldritch woman¡¯s voice. ¡°And yet she uses a crudely trite if not erroneous oversimplification. There are more than several layers to what you humans would call magic."

    "I know! She''d always go off on these long-winded explanations about it sometimes. But, and much to her constant annoyance, I tend to tune out when someone talks for too long. I¡¯m surprised we stayed friends as long as we did¡­¡± she chuckled slightly before trailing off.

    "Alma,¡± Qu¡¯l-Nia¡¯s voice spoke stiffly. ¡°Whatever your friend described to you most definitely did not even scratch the surface of magic. Humans do not currently possess the ability to fathom even the fundamental logistics of the preternatural, or what, at advanced levels, my kind calls ''Othering.'' What your witch friend, or really any alleged expert on the subject purports, to me, sounds like a primitive creature trying to explain how to bang two stones together."

    "Huh, sure wish I could hear you say that to her face." The mental image of her old friend¡¯s smug expression getting torn to pieces caused her to stifle a smile.

    Her friend would put it bluntly and without filter, Who does this bitch think she is? It was the same sentiment Alma had been feeling since the moment she first met Qu¡¯l-Nia only a day prior, but wouldn¡¯t speak aloud herself. Ironically, Qu¡¯l-Nia¡¯s pompous attitude regarding her explanations was something the ex-soldier found most akin to her friend.

    Maybe this alien chick isn¡¯t so bad after all, she thought.

    "As I was saying," Qu''l-Nia started slowly, "if Derleth has established himself as a force of nature on this planet, for whatever his reasons may be, he would keep to an area aligned with the element he has designated for himself."

    "And you really think this monster sounds like him?" Alma asked.

    "It is a risky calculation on my part, as I have no knowledge of any such creature being catalogued on your planet, but it is a promising lead nonetheless. And since you have brought it to my attention, I suppose even the so-called magic your kind employs here might be of use¡ªalbeit crudely¡ªto track down the kind of othering he is purportedly using."

    She seemed like a completely different person from the one Alma spoke to the previous night. When she speaks seriously about something, she gives off an aura of infallibility.

    "Alma. Do you think you could convince your friend to help us in our endeavor?"

    "Yeah. Four heads are better''n three," Hwal¨ªn added.

    ¡°I¡¯m not so sure I can do that. We¡¯re¡­ not exactly on speaking terms. Why not just use that fancy ¡°othering¡± bullshit you were just touting?¡±

    Qu¡¯l-Nia frowned. ¡°The downsides of having an incomprehensible understanding of everything means the more unrefined methods begin to make a lot less sense.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re saying the fundamentals fly right over your head?¡±

    ¡°Your magic does not even reach a state where it could even be considered fundamental. It is far cruder and more chaotic. Imagine a child trying to understand the inner workings of the god that created them.¡±

    ¡°Okay, now even I¡¯m starting to feel a bit insulted¡ªWait, you didn¡¯t create us, did you?¡±

    ¡°It was a metaphoric example.¡±

    ¡°So, you¡¯re saying our limp-wristed magic is your only hope?¡±

    Qu¡¯l-Nia continued to be unamused by Alma¡¯s goading. Her clear attempts at getting a reaction out of her remained a pointless exercise. It was difficult for emotions to waver, if those emotions did not exist.

    ¡°So it would seem.¡±

    Qu¡¯l-Nia clasped her hands together, looked to Hwal¨ªn, then back to Alma.

    ¡°Setting that issue aside for the moment, I was curious as to whether you might show us around your city?¡±

    Alma sighed.

 Chapter 10: The Princess Scried

    The Princess¡¯s Bedchamber was an average-sized room that, for the most part, always felt cold and barren, as remarked by the staff that would come and go from it as part of their jobs. It was situated at the very back of the royal castle of Malachias. A castle that itself was also of diminutive size. Most citizens were unaware of this fact, however, as the majority of contemporary countries had long phased out the overbearing monolithic structures of old and had taken to adopting dazzling, palatial towers of modern design. Glass titans burning blindingly amid the center of light-polluted cities. There had no longer been many other castles to compare it to.

    The reason for Malachias¡¯s stifled progress was not something done in reverence to the country¡¯s long history like most people had liked to assume. These decisions were, in fact, executed by the top dogs of the council of the Scarlet Church. Decisions that always came to a unanimous vote: that all economic and technological advancements go towards the betterment of the country¡¯s religious facets.

    In the corner of this average-sized room in this average-sized castle was a young woman, dressed in a very elegant nightgown adorned with golden lace and wrapped in a posh brocade robe. She was sitting almost lifelessly¡ªlike a doll, at a small vanity table of fanciful design. It was the only piece of furniture in the room distinctive from all the rest.

    The doll-like girl removed the blindfold she had carried on her head and slowly opened her eyes that had been hidden in the dark all day. Milky, unfocused white pupils stared at the wall opposite her. On her desk laid dozens of indiscriminate knick-knacks: an assortment of expensive, hand-crafted jewelry, a few stuffed dolls, a large bottle of moisturizer and a half-empty teacup. And standing out from all the rest was a small, glowing cube of intricate design that floated curiously over a tiny pedestal. An expensive device that was playing the usual music she had grown so fond of in recent years. Not the classical kind, like most people would suspect a stuffy princess of an old storybook to be listening to, but rather one of those modern pop songs that was commonly sung by a group of handsome elfwin men. A genre of music popular with most teenage girls nowadays, or in June¡¯s case, a girl in her mid-20¡¯s. The young woman mouthed the words to the familiar tune of the latest Hitboys classic, The Girl at the End of My World. An impressive task for someone with almost no knowledge in the language it was being sung in.

    June once struggled with the notion that ¡°blind girls can¡¯t find fun in the same things as normal girls,¡± a quote often propagated by her old nursemaid as to the reason why she wasn¡¯t allowed to make friends. In her later years, however, and thanks in part to her discovery of technology, she came to scoff at such pessimistic ideas. June refused to let her blindness, a divine gift she deigned to call a disability, hold her back from living a normal life.

    The divine gift.

    A closely guarded royal secret known only to a select few, that every reigning princess must always do so blind. Most assumed the bloodline was cursed¡ªa malison perhaps prompted by the work of a powerful witch of some sort, who had been aggrieved by some previous royal ancestor, or was hired to do so in order to turn the tide of some past war.

    It was all hearsay of course, and most of it told in dreary bars to wretched drunks with vivid imaginations by drunks with even more vivid imaginations.

    The unfortunate reality, however, was much harsher and more complicated than fiction. A truth June knew all too well, for it was the first vision she ever experienced.

    Macha was not what one would call a sane god. Gods and their motives had always been an insoluble part of most faiths and weren¡¯t generally meant to be understood. To the learned individual, Gods were an incomprehensible mix of belief and ideals used to set the standard of everyday living. To others, they were fanciful stories told in an effort to fleece the owners of burgeoning wallets. But to a certain few, they represented a very real and very serious dogma. That¡ªpacked alongside a god of incomprehensible madness¡ªwould obviously lead to a religion that raises a few of the eyebrows of any outsider looking in.

    Macha was said to have been a creature of thought, come from the stars, who visited Sarracas in an effort to give man a better understanding of their role in the fabric of totality and the best method in which to arrive at it. The best way it proposed to do this was to inhabit the first intelligent lifeforms it came across and use them to spread its message. A task it deemed would be made easier if it was first camouflaged as a native. It began this mission by first possessing the bodies of two twin girls who had been bathing nearby. Reasoning that they were a single entity and that life on this world developed curiously in split bodies of two, it divided itself and inhabited them both at once. Unfortunately, this had been an error in its calculation and the twin minds of the sisters D''rrota and D''mona were utterly destroyed in the process. Their essences having been corrupted by this foreign invader, it did what best it could to salvage their core parts, having little understanding of their biology. It twisted their DNA and transfigured them into featureless individuals, with multiple extraneous limbs that would sometimes flail about uncontrollably and a single large mouth that formed at the base of their neck. No longer alive, yet not exactly dead; In forms not meant to exist in any capacity, communicating in strange sounds in what could only be described as sucking in wind through their large teeth.

    The eldritch alien did not escape the situation unscathed, as the mere moment it took possession of the young women, it had also forced its own physiology to meld with theirs. The atmosphere of the planet was like an intensive drug that had poisoned its extraterrestrial mind, jumbling its thoughts and completely changing its understanding of itself and the universe. From its new corrupted perspective¡ªand having believed it owed this degeneration to the planet and its lifeforms¡ªit decided to use the two fresh women as tools, having garnered as much knowledge as it could from their deteriorating minds.

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    Steeped in a crude replica of manufactured flesh, Macha then began her holy crusade into educating the other native lifeforms in the nearby settlements.

    The first of which was an unfortunate woman, later to be formally recognized as Malachias¡¯s first ruler.

    Macha, unaware of the extent of a human¡¯s dimorphic biology, naturally assumed the whole of the species to be female, and imparted most of its incompatible wisdom into the poor soul.

    The woman, not being able to fully understand what she was being shown, simply seized and collapsed. In order to rectify this, Macha decided to shut off the part of the woman¡¯s brain that gave her the use of sight and instead fused the freshly vestigial lobe with the pineal gland and gave the newly-fashioned sense-organ an interestingly unique role: A function of understanding. A brain so thoroughly rewritten; it would be passed down from mother to daughter as a genetic mutation.

    There was a knocking at her door. June fumbled around for the music player on her desk to shut it off. The room that was previously drowning in a mix of voices was now completely silent.

    ¡°Yes?¡± She answered.

    ¡°June?¡± replied the visitor. At the door was her older brother, Bartholomew. A living paragon of the sheltered man and a constant cut-up. Despite being na?ve in his ways, he was fiercely protective of his younger sister.

    ¡°It¡¯s week¡¯s end. I believe you wanted me to finish reading you the final short story of the collection.¡± Bartholomew peeked his head in, book in hand.

    ¡°Oh yes! I¡¯m always up for a story about man¡¯s failure to cope with and understand the demons he¡¯s wrought. Inner and outer.¡± June had been following her brother¡¯s footsteps as he moved about the room. She turned her body towards where she had last tracked his movements. His breathing pattern was comfortably recognizable. She crossed her legs and relaxed.

    ¡°Ah, yes.¡± He smiled sheepishly. ¡°I have to say, the last story you had me read haunted me for a couple of days after. I couldn¡¯t help but look over at my closet every few minutes.¡±

    Bartholomew cursed at himself for replanting that memory into his mind.

    June chuckled. ¡°Horror stories are great, Bart! Out of all genres, those are always my favorite. I¡¯ve always liked to think I have a powerful imagination. You know¡­ To make up for things. And horror always makes it run wildest.¡± She chuckled again. ¡°Even if I always regret it right after.¡±

    ¡°Why are you like this?¡± he questioned her rather sardonically.

    She winked a milky eye at him and shrugged.

    ¡°Alright, alright. Are you ready?¡± he asked, his eyes scanning the words in the book. He read aloud the story¡¯s tagline:

    The Old Gods never forget.

    He let out an audible grumble and shut the book loud enough for her to hear.

    ¡°Well, I am sufficiently spooked. Talk about a hair-raising experience! That last line almost had me jumping out of my seat!¡±

    ¡°Keep reading, you ass¡ª¡± Before June could finish her insult, her darkened vision flashed a bright white immediately followed by a dull pain that passed gradually starting from the back of her head then moving to the front. She grasped the side of her temple and let out a painful cry.

    ¡°Ow! Fuck! You¡¯re kidding me! Right now¡­?¡±

    ¡°Oh no.¡± Her brother bolted for the door. ¡°I¡¯ll call for the prioress!¡±

    It always started the same way. The mad visions sent to her by her goddess Macha. A flash of white with a side of intense pain¡ªa pain she jokingly likened to a ¡°head cramp.¡± The intense throbbing would usually last only a few seconds before subsiding, then the phantasmagoria in her brain would begin. Haunting images would arrive in brief flashes, before repeating rapidly for about one or two minutes. This one, pain and all, had now lasted five.

    Tears stung the corners of her eyes. A searing image had formed in the center of her mind and in that image, the first thing she could perceive was the ghostly silhouette of a girl, shining white amongst the pitch-black backdrop of the moonlit sky. Below, some smaller, insignificant figures looked on, almost in reverence of its magnificent presence. A glimpse into the unknown blackness behind her revealed a nascent war out in space. The heavens were spinning out of control at an increasingly fast rate¡ªstars crashing and colliding, burning up the night. Intensely bright flashes that revealed the strange uncanny face of a man, watching the destruction in earnest. It wasn¡¯t until about the fourth repeated sequence of this vision that she noticed the man¡¯s face was not of flesh¡ªbut rather a creepy looking mask, seemingly alive, hiding his true identity.

    At its final conclusion, one last vision flashed into June¡¯s mind. A vision that hadn¡¯t revealed itself before then. One that, without fully understanding why, seemed to frighten the young seeress most of all. A moving image of a lone girl in black, walking against a white background. Walking further and further into it, yet covering no distance at all.

    The augury ended and June¡ªrealizing she had been rocking back and forth nervously¡ªuntensed her body. The lights of her room were glaring, causing her to reflexively look away. She turned back slowly and looked around, making a strong mental note of the placement of everything in her room. Her eyesight had returned¡ªa temporary aftereffect that comes after every episode.

    She looked to the mirror in front of her, staring intensely at her reflection. She rubbed the side of her face with her hand, making more mental notes of any mole, pore or pimple that had decided to make an appearance since the last time she had seen her face.

    She made several facial expressions but couldn¡¯t find it in herself to smile, only sigh. The eyes that were once a surreptitious milky white were now a beautiful hue of sapphire. She wished desperately for the transition to be permanent this time.

    Bart eventually returned with a woman in white. He gasped at the sight of her. He was always taken aback whenever he witnessed the natural, elegant blue color of his sister¡¯s eyes.

    The prioress, a high-ranking priestess of the church, was the woman tasked with studying and deciphering the omens blessed unto the princess.

    ¡°Relax now, my lady,¡± the prioress spoke softly as she kneeled toward the princess. She looked into June¡¯s blue eyes as if to confirm what had just happened was the real deal. ¡°Just as always: Slowly and carefully repeat to me everything you just witnessed.¡±

 Chapter 11: The Fault in Our Sisters

    Alma once again reflexively looked at her watch. She had sent a message to her sister hours ago and still hadn¡¯t gotten a response nor did her sister answer the two times she had attempted to call her throughout the night. After having spent most of the evening showing her new companions the various bars and candy shops she liked to frequent, it had soon gotten very late and she had grown increasingly worried. It was very rare for Zula not to send Alma at least one complaint about her work every day. Behind her, the other two women were comparing the different flavors of stick candies they had bought. Alma, who had introduced it to them, felt a bit of hometown pride since they were considered one of the city¡¯s most popular delicacies. Qu¡¯l-Nia had oddly described the flavor of the sweets to her as ¡°nostalgic.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll never understand how you can live in a city with that enormous, creepy-lookin¡¯ statue,¡± noted Hwal¨ªn. ¡°Is it even human? Scared me out of my damn boots when we got into town.¡±

    Alma said nothing, continuing to fiddle with her All-Strap.

    ¡°Do you two mind if we make a short trip to my sister¡¯s house? She¡¯s not answering my calls and it¡¯s starting to freak me out.¡±

    ¡°You sure she just doesn¡¯t want you botherin¡¯ her right now? Maybe she¡¯s got a guy over and you keep interrupting.¡±

    Alma contemplated this for a second. She wondered why the thought of her sister with a man would seldom cross her mind. Relationships had never been something her sister ever talked much about. It wasn¡¯t like she had been restricted to celibacy by the church like some religions were known to do. In fact, Macha encourages the madness of sex. No, Alma had always suspected the reason to be much simpler. The overbearing protectiveness her sister had always shown towards Alma¡¯s love life had most likely stemmed from her own embarrassing lack of experience in the area.

    ¡°Don¡¯t be silly.¡± Alma scoffed after a moment. ¡°She¡¯s more likely to adopt another stray before she ever sees a co¡ª¡±

    The ringing of the phone on her wrist began to chime loudly, interrupting her crass statement. The ringing came in the form of a theme song to an old cartoon about a troupe of talking gatin warriors. Along with that, a miniature image of her sister making a silly face while holding a wine bottle appeared on the screen; A silly photograph taken a few years ago during her sister¡¯s birthday when the law had finally allowed her to drink legally. A lot of personalization had gone into the small device on her wrist, making it another thing she was proud to silently boast about.

    ¡°That¡¯s catchy,¡± the elf stated.

    Alma brought a finger to her lips before quickly answering the call. ¡°Zula? What¡¯s up? Is everything¡­ cool?¡±

    ¡°Listen,¡± Zula replied. Her voice seemed to indicate she was still in priestess mode. ¡°Something dire came up at the church that the Psycho Superioress felt warranted my attention. They didn¡¯t give me many details but she said the order came straight down from the Madness Council so it definitely sounds like a big deal. With the war going on, it seems most of the on-duty sisters have already been dispersed throughout the country to deal with the war effort and it sounds like I¡¯m next in line to get sent out.¡±

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    "What do you mean sent out? Where?"

    "I''m sure you''d have heard about it if you were still out there but a small contingent of soldiers were wiped out by¡­ something. They wouldn''t tell me much beyond that yet they still want me to go out there with a few others to see if I can offer some aid slash prayers." An unclear voice in the background could be heard calling out to her. "Before you start grumbling, even if I had a choice, I would never say no to offering aid where it''s needed. I go wherever Macha wills me."

    "Damn it, Zula. It should be me out there."

    "I''m glad it''s not. It isn¡¯t your body I would want to find."

    "That''s not what I¡ª"

    "I''ll call you when I get there. I assume you''ll still be up."

    Alma nodded silently.

    "Actually, the main reason I called was because I wanted you to head to my place and watch over that stray I found. He''s gonna need someone to feed him while I''m gone."

    "Um, sure. Huh? Wait, hold on a second." Alma put her sister on hold. Qu''l-Nia at some point had begun prodding her shoulder.

    "Your sister mentioned that a group of soldiers had been decimated by an unknown force? Could it have been Derleth?"

    Alma shrugged. "I don''t know. Like she said, we''re at war. Stuff like this isn''t all that uncommon. Now please let me finish talking to my sister."

    But by then Zula had already hung up the call causing Alma to swear loudly.

    Hwal¨ªn, who had been silent the entire time, finally spoke. "Damn, your sister''s pretty hardcore. Didn''t even hesitate when they called her for duty.¡±

    "It''s one thing for me to go out there," Alma said, panic steadily growing in her voice. "But I''ve got the several weeks of training under my belt. Zula doesn''t. She isn''t tough like me. She''s more¡­ methodical. Someone that belongs indoors. Putting her out there with the soldiers isn''t safe for someone like her."

    "Have you perhaps considered you are underestimating her?" Qu''l-Nia interjected.

    "Yeah, Alma," Hwal¨ªn chimed in. "I heard the resolve in her voice. She seemed so sure of herself. Not someone I¡¯d be worrying about."

    Alma grasped the charm in her pocket, fiddling with it and passing it through her fingers. She wanted to complain. Tell them that they didn¡¯t know anything about Zula. But lashing out would have been a pointless waste of energy. She knew they meant well and were just trying to cheer her up. And she remembered well the difficult struggle it was for her to make new friends.

    "I want to protect her¡­" Alma''s voice was barely above a whisper.

    "Whatever you decide,¡± Hwal¨ªn placed a firm hand on the shaking sniper''s shoulder. ¡°We''re a team now. And that means I''ve got your back."

    ¡°But¡­ We barely know each other¡­¡± she mumbled weakly to herself. Alma, still firmly gripping onto the gift from her sister, finally managed to utter a ¡°thank you¡± before raising her head upward with a painful smile.

    ¡°Hey guys,¡± Alma continued, her shoes scraping against the ground nervously. ¡°I know we¡¯re still practically strangers but it also feels like we¡¯ve been through the wringer together. Despite how reluctant I¡¯ve been, I really am grateful to you for saving my life."

    "Finally! Some gratitude. Should I be worried you¡¯re getting a bit emotional on us now, Ms. Sniper?" Hwal¨ªn teased her. A response indicating that she understood.

    "I swear I''ll shoot you," Alma replied dryly. The tight grip she had on her charm began to soften. "That was a joke, for you less emotional beings."

    "Thank you for your consideration," replied Qu''l-Nia. "But I am simply glad to see you returned to your usual snarky self. It would not do well for our objective if you suddenly succumbed to an unsound state of mind."

    "Thanks for reminding me to save a bullet for you too," replied Alma, in her usual snarky tone. She took a step onto the ledge of the fountain in front of her and pointed eastward. ¡°And now for the final stop on our tour today: my sister¡¯s place.¡±

 Chapter 12: The God Contusion

    Large rays of light passed through the window blinds of Zulema¡¯s room. It was a small space, located on the 3rd floor of a four-story building. The apartment itself was located in a small square off the main road which connected to the larger town square where the looming statue of Macha was located. If one were to look out the window to where the statue was standing, their gaze would only meet with its torso. Not too far from there was the church where Zula spent the other half of her life. For a regular person, living in this district would cost a fortune not affordable to many. But for an employee of the Scarlet Church, certain benefits allowed a mid-ranking priestess to live a comfortably fiscal life in that same area.

    Alma had just woken up, her face covered in sweat after suffering from another nightmare she was already forgetting. She had slept in her sister¡¯s bed that night after another short chat with Zula and agreeing to look after the newest stray she had decided to take in that month. Walking into the small living room, Alma noticed Hwal¨ªn still sleeping soundly on the couch, passed out after having raided her sister¡¯s alcohol cabinet. The Hecatian''s tall frame proved a bit too much for the accommodating furniture and as a result, had caused her feet to hang off the arm of the couch.

    Qu¡¯l-Nia¡ªwho had been sitting across from the slumbering red elf¡ªhad her face buried inside one of Zulema¡¯s religious texts. She greeted Alma without removing her gaze from the page she was reading.

    "So, this is the way of life your sister has chosen for herself,¡± remarked Qu¡¯l-Nia. ¡°I discovered piles of these books on a shelf stacked all across the wall. She seems very practiced for one so young."

    "She is. Zula''s pretty fantastic. Always soaked up the religious stuff my grandhag used to impart on us. And me¡­ well I was always more interested in the other stuff she''d tell us about." Alma, who had slept in her sister¡¯s pajamas, had already crossed into the kitchen and was beginning to serve herself some cereal. "Kinda surprised though. I''d have thought our measly little religions below you."

    "On the contrary, Alma. Religion is the very first thing you childlings develop in order to understand your purpose in the world. It is the cornerstone that elevates the universe around yourselves and reminds you that you are not alone. From something as complex as the design of creation to an essential guide for everyday living. And at the core of these doctrines, there is almost always a higher power¡ªa demiurge¡ªhard at work behind the scenes making it all possible. Gods that you believe ask for worship, as if you are predisposed to be a slave the moment you are created. And because of that, smaller beings intrinsically look to larger beings as their role models. Like children to their parents. The more pitiful something is, the more it will search for someone to guide it. Such is the hierarchy of the world. Who is to say an insect does not see you as its God? The creator of its world?¡±

    Alma was listening intently while munching away on the dry, sugarless cereal that only her sister seemed to enjoy. Alma had begun to notice that Qu''l-Nia''s fascination seemed to delve deepest whenever it concerned the weirdest things.

    ¡°Your Gods are not infallible," she continued, finger raised. "They are not exempt from impunity simply because of who they are or who you wish them to be. They are living beings like you and Hwal¨ªn¡ª¡±

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    ¡°And you?¡± interrupted Alma.

    ¡°Yes.¡± There was zero change in Qu¡¯l-Nia¡¯s expression. ¡°Even me.¡±

    The small gatin made small purring sounds as it slept on the floor near Hwal¨ªn. The perfectly symmetrical lines of fur cutting deep along its face bristled beautifully as it breathed.

    ¡°Even this small creature right here doubtless sees you as a godfigure of sorts. From something completely ordinary as simply feeding it the previous night. An incredibly alluring creature, I might add. He reminds me very much of a cat I once had¡­¡± She trailed off into mumbling words, continuing the speech for only herself.

    Alma noticed a wistfulness in Qu''l-Nia''s eyes that she thought her incapable of.

    ¡°You¡¯re saying the role of a god is just something we hoist upon them? What about the creators? The protectors?¡±

    ¡°They¡¯re just doing their job.¡± Qu¡¯l-Nia smiled.

    ¡°I am curious though, Alma,¡± she continued. Her tone of voice had changed. ¡°I found no such indication or acknowledgement of an afterlife in these scriptures. Are the eschatologies yet unwritten?¡±

    "Ah¡­ Well, it''s not an afterlife per se. But the Scarlet Church tells us something along the lines that once our physical selves die, you wait patiently inside your corpse until one of Macha¡¯s handmaidens, either D¡¯rrota if you¡¯re good or D''mona if you¡¯re bad, comes to find you. Good souls get rewarded with something they call integration, I think? D¡¯rrota whisks your soul away to the realm of Cockaigne to meet with Macha, where she consumes you and your minds become one. She learns from your experiences, though I¡¯m not exactly sure why. While the bad get stripped of all sense and reason by D¡¯mona and are then tethered back to their dead body where their soul rots along with their carcass until there¡¯s nothing left. Yeah, I don¡¯t know, my sister would be able to explain it better than I can. She told me most of this stuff. I get chills just remembering it.¡±

    "Yikes, Alma." Hwal¨ªn spoke from her supine position on the couch. She had woken up at some point during the conversation. "Your bloody religion is all kinds of fucked up. You know, we have a trickster god in my religion that sounds almost exactly like your Macha. A parasite from the stars that''s supposed to be the root of all mental diseases in the world. It tries to integrate into your mind and in the process jumbles it up."

    "Fascinating,"  said Qu''l-Nia. She seemed genuinely interested in learning more. "And your race, Hwal¨ªn, they also believe in a life after death?"

    "Aye," responded Hwal¨ªn, sitting up. She guessed the alien woman would ask the same question of every religion if given the chance. "Most religions here on Sarracas believe in an afterlife in some form or another. Alma''s is the only major religion that sticks to being the outlier. Which is funny because they believe themselves to be the ecumenical wonder of the world."

    "An ecumenical wonder¡­" muttered Qu''l-Nia.

    "Doesn''t seem weird to me." Alma shrugged. The milk in her cereal she was eating had caused it to get soggy. "It''s all I''ve ever known. It''s what I grew up around. My parents were always firm believers. My sister''s a freaking priestess. Grandhag was the only skeptical one in the family. Guess traveling the world does that to you. People in my life are always either fanatics or they''re totally against it."

    She looked at Hwal¨ªn. There was a cold expression in her eyes.

    "Mark another one on that list." Alma retreated back into the kitchen, still holding her bowl of dry, soggy cereal.

    Qu''l-Nia, still thirsty for theological knowledge, continued to prod Hwal¨ªn.

    ¡°Ehh,¡± the red elf sneered. ¡°Maybe another time. I already feel like a right bitch knowing I¡¯m gonna be raiding this girl¡¯s pantry soon.¡±

 Chapter 13: The Clowned of Tindalos

    It took three days for the group to make their way through dozens of miles of frozen thickets and icy taiga to finally reach a part of the forest that wasn¡¯t completely covered in white. It was a strange-but-not-unknown feeling for Alma to see no snow outside of the summer time. It had been a few years since she traveled so far from her home and was so used to the annoying gray clouds above her head that now in their absence, she found herself longing to see them again. She didn''t like the sight of the white clouds, as she felt they were too "pure and pristine," as if they had something to hide besides the sunlight. And with less clouds overhead, she was finally able to see the regular pink sky that''s often hidden behind them.

    In terms of weapons and supplies, Hwal¨ªn had her twin blades while Alma was forced to use her old hunting rifle which went by the name of ¡°Aimer.¡± She thought the moniker a tad generic, but was convinced by her friend after being told it meant something romantic in her language. She had also made a ton of sandwiches for the trip, not being much a cook but being that the food came from her sister¡¯s home, she felt the need to prepare it all herself.

    They had been able to keep warm through those cold days thanks to a strange enchantment cast by Qu''l-Nia. She had created special cloaks for them that were magically¡ªand ironically¡ªformed from the snow around them. Alma recognized them as the same cloaks they had been wearing when she first spied them battling with the chthonae. This had also meant to serve as camouflage from any more otherworldly creatures they might encounter along the way. Alma remained skeptical about that added bonus and chose to remain wearing her familiar black coat however.

    Although Hwal¨ªn had seemed unfazed through the whole ordeal, the process in which the cloaks came about had surprisingly astonished Alma. Neither the preparation nor the technique itself was at all like the same nature spells she was used to seeing her witch friend regularly perform. It hadn''t been a simple bending of the rules of the world, more so it was like ignoring them all together and that played the biggest part in Alma¡¯s reluctance to accept its boon despite her complete amenability to magic.

    And all Qu''l-Nia had done was sing.

    There came no warning. The moment she had opened her mouth and the change of tone began to shift in her voice, Alma had jumped back, covered her ears and swore loudly. Hwal¨ªn laughed and had to reassure Alma that there was no need for such precautions since once she had heard the dimension walker¡¯s dulcet tones the first time, it was no longer necessary to avoid hearing them again. Hwal¨ªn, whose power came from her ears, still took certain protective measures from time to time though.

    ¡°Is that the scent of sweet viris flowers I smell?" Hwal¨ªn practically leaped for joy at the rare sight of fresh verdure. The subtle scent of the flowers couldn''t hide from her keen Hecatian nose. "I had almost given up hope of seeing anything with a blasted color."

    I''m more of a horchid flower girl myself, thought Alma, aloud.

    "We are finally outside of Derleth''s sphere of influence," Qu''l-Nia noted, her gaze fixated on the threshold where the blankets of snow had abruptly ended. "Curious. It does not stretch out as far as I had anticipated."

    "That''s impossible. It''s been snowing here for as long as I can remember. You''re saying all this time, all this snow''s been caused by him?"

    "He has been here for tens of thousands of years. From what I have told you so far, it is not something that should come as a surprise to you."

    Alma was always taken aback from how casually she would throw those big numbers around.

    "Do not fret, Alma," continued Qu''l-Nia. "Your people seemed to have adapted quite excellently to the harsh conditions for them to have been able to set up such a vast and prosperous princedom on such infested lands."

    "That''s not exactly what I was worried ab¡ª"

    "Hey, look! Look!" Hwal¨ªn had come running up to them with a handful of turquoise flowers, a wide grin across her face. "I''ve never seen virises of this color before. Beautiful, right?"

    "Wow, I never expected such a girly side from you." Alma wore her usual wry smile. "You know those are poisonous, right?"

    "Oh, not to my people." Hwal¨ªn kept grinning, then placed a few of the venomous plants into her mouth.

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    Alma was speechless.

    "You wouldn''t believe the kind of high we get from these," she said while she continued chewing them thoroughly without swallowing. "Yeah, I know what you''re thinking. But they also give me the added benefit of increasing my senses. And that includes my already Nia-enhanced hearing. We''ll find your friend''s place in no time now! I''ll also be able to listen for any ambushes by those pesky bug freaks. Not to mention any other stray animal that might cross our paths that I can slice up for an easy meal."

    "I already know the way, Hwal¨ªn! And we''re not even halfway through the lunches we packed! Was eating those flowers really such a good idea?"

    "Sorry, Alm," Hwal¨ªn huffed. "They smelled so sweet and the ones back home are so expensive! More so to get them imported. You know, centuries back they used to have wars over this stuff. Until they learned how easy it was to fucking grow. Damn it, Alma. Really sorry. We¡¯ve been out here in the wilderness for so long, I felt like getting a little risky."

    Alma shook her head.

    "It''s fine. It''s fine, okay? Just keep an ear out for anything strange." She pressed the small button on the side of her All-Strap a few times, emitting small beeps until finally causing it to project a small holographic map of the surrounding area. The blinking red dot indicated her location right in the center of two different, sprawling forests.

    The Tindalos Forest stood on the eastern side of the map. It was where the group had spent most of their time traveling through and the area Alma felt most at home in.

    On the western side was the Keziah Woodlands. Another vast, seemingly endless expanse topped from end to end with wild fauna and, if rumors served, the occasional beast of magical renown. Many different types of enormous trees thrived throughout the forest. Toppled ones that proved to be obstacles large enough to bar a path for miles. Even on their sides, they were too tall to climb over easily. The easiest solution was simply to have makeshift tunnels bored right through them.

    A rainbow array of leaves dotted foliage and floor alike with colors that were a blend of red and yellow shades. An exotic collection of colors that masked the true dangers of the land. Darkening briar patches or hiding behind looming bushes were creatures summoned from another world by complex spells with no other intent than to serve or protect. At least, that was the purpose that was hoped of them.

    It starts as many tragedies do. With many a novice witch or wizard with far more ambition than sense, who make the trip to these special forests¡ªarcane landmarks filled to the brim with the strong energies of the planet¡ªlocate special ley lines centered in one of the four cardinal directions, chant several rehearsed incantations here and there, drop a random ounce of bodily fluid and then proceed to do something as complicated as a summoning in a few hours. A feat that would normally take an accomplished conjurer several days to complete. Of course, once they''ve actually called forth whatever powerful being they had chosen to underestimate, their inexperience at binding the beasts quickly reveals itself and the story ends with an errant horn in their gut or throat as their final grim reward¡ªif they''re lucky. The things the more terrible kind do, with their foul proclivities, are better kept unsaid. With its goetic summoner now dead, and with no means to return to its place of origin, the displaced fiend makes a new home in these enchanted forests, where it quickly makes a name for itself as an apex guardian.

    Strictly speaking, entry into these forests became expressly prohibited by law. However, with a cadre of wayward monsters roaming about, enforcing that law had been relegated to something of the honor system.

    Obviously rules and systems don¡¯t exist for characters such as Alma¡¯s friend. When asked by Alma why she would ever choose to live in such a dangerous place, her friend gave the insolent impression that she wished herself to be known as just another one of the magical curios haunting the forest.

    ¡°This forest is such a pain to navigate. It¡¯s no wonder I never come by here anymore.¡± Alma kept glancing between her map and the path. ¡°First time she sent me the directions to this place, I almost got lost twice. Been a few dozen times since then. She always assures me it''s safe, but I always tell her to go screw herself. Before that, I''d usually meet her at her dad''s. Now we usually just meet up somewhere in between. I assume you two made it to the city by coming from the opposite direction. At least that¡¯s around the place where I first met you. Doubt you came in from Kuranes. The borders are a bit hectic right now and it¡¯ll take anybody days to get permission to enter or exit."

    "We both arrived by some sort of train," Qu''l-Nia told her.

    Alma cocked her head.

    "The velorail," shrugged Hwal¨ªn. "We took it all the way from my current place in Mitra, since for some reason there''s no paved roads out here."

    A velorail was an enormous 10,000-ton, snake-like vehicle that carried passengers lengthy distances along a powerful beam of hard light. It travels exceedingly fast.

    "Well," said Alma. "They''ve tried putting some roads in but they always seem to freeze and crack and get buried. So everyone here just takes the velorail. Not like people ever come out this far anyway. We¡¯re practically at the end of the world."

    Alma followed a strange creature lazily flying by with her eyes. It looked almost like a paper cutout of a dragon with its wings extended but unflapping. She was unsure whether it was borne of magic or a creature from beyond. She asked Hwal¨ªn if she could see it. Hwal¨ªn had just missed it.

    "No roads out here either cause of the danger," continued Alma. She knelt down and ran her fingers over the coarse bark of a nearby tree. Looking closely, she quickly found what she was looking for¡ªa few runic symbols, carved into the wood. "No one ever likes dealing with magic."

 Chapter 14: Alma & Heloise

    "Heli? Where exactly did you bring me?" Alma descended down the almost blindingly dark path of the cave. Her friend had been in front of her up until a second ago, but then vanished suddenly from her senses. Her hand rested firmly against the rock wall, a crutch in the absence of light that gave her a feeble sense of direction¡ªWalls of primordial stone that shifted from the planet to form a cavern that invited deeper into its bowels. Heloise had warned her against using any sort of light source, for fear of disturbing any of the lurking creatures that hid in the corners and crevices.

    Cool air blew down from the surface, indicating that she wasn''t too far down yet. Turning to look back, she could still catch a small ray of light peeking in through the aperture at the end of the cave, which was gradually getting smaller and dimmer with every step. As the palpable darkness grew, Alma began to see patterns in the dark. The thought of an unseen presence in the shadows besides their own frightened her. She despised the possibility that those unnatural apparitions could entrench themselves this deeply into her planet. If she had known she was going to be led into an abyssal nightmare, she would have at least had the good sense to reject the witch¡¯s offer of adventure.

    A pungent, cloying aroma had also started wafting into her nose just a few moments earlier. It was making her hungry, a feeling that always came at the most inconvenient times.

    ¡°Alma!¡±

    Alma stifled a scream. Her friend¡¯s voice had startled her out of her thoughts.

    ¡°You smell that, right?" Her friend''s voice came from the dark. "They¡¯re a species of fungi called Victolia¡¯s Virtue, named after a mother who poisoned her children with sweets because they always scared off her potential lovers. The scent entices you to eat them, then the spores attach themselves to the mucosal lining of your stomach and spread out aaaall over your insides. Nasty little things. The name''s a bit sexist if you ask me¡­ Alma? Please say something. I swear if you left me all alone again¡ª¡±

    ¡°Is that you, Heli? Sorry, figured you turned back. I thought maybe that smell was one of your new perfumes¡ªWait, that¡¯s not why we¡¯re here, is it? To concoct your next big smell?¡±

    "What? Of course no¡ªOh my Dark God, Alma! You freaking genius! Remind me to pick a few on our way back! But no, that''s not what this is about."

    "Well, you said it was life-changing, and with you that can mean anything. Remember the nail polish¡ª?¡±

    "Damn it, Alma. Quit presenting my quirky idiosyncrasies as if they''re faults! Besides, that nail polish raised my cuteness factor by at least ten points!" She winked even though no one could see it.

    "There''s no such thing as a cuteness factor."

    "How can you say that when I''m living proof? Just cause you don''t have one, doesn''t mean it don''t exist." She grabbed Alma by the arm. "And I def wouldn''t call you out here for something so frivolous."

    "Yes you would."

    "Shut up and trust that I called you for your tactical expertise," she said in a mockingly sweet tone. "Now stick close, the spell of night vision only works for me."

    Alma and Heloise continued down the winding cave tunnel for almost an hour. Alma had once again been forced to be led blindly by her friend and her whims¡ªliterally and figuratively¡ªand who was now also being suspiciously quiet. Whatever was preoccupying her mind must have been more important than what Alma first guessed. Heli had always been prone to drag Alma along on arbitrary adventures ever since they were children. Most of the time it was harmless fun but there were occasions when her egocentric personality would drive them into the arms of danger.

    Now, Alma admits, Heloise can be quite the histrionic person on any given day, but she''s previously shown off a genuinely kinder, more altruistic side that many aren''t privy to. Of course, with the hardships she faced in her own childhood, one wouldn''t blame her. And in that trauma, Alma had found a friend she could easily call a kindred spirit.

    After several more minutes, the narrow passage they had been traveling down opened up into a large cavern. Heloise signaled to Alma to stay put, and with a twirl and a flair, unwrapped the long shaft she had been carrying on her back. She held in her hand her magic staff, which was made from the wood of the rare alderstar tree and treated with a special mixture of dragonrose-nightgazer tincture. The handle sported a mithril-alloy grip that was riddled with fingerprints from constant use while the top split into five gnarled twigs that resembled contorting fingers, each one longer than the last. In the palm of this ligneous hand sat a large, intricate and metal oval that clasped around a jagged, brilliant red crystal. The staff itself carried with it a pleasant scent of the witch''s own design.

    Natura Scintilla!

    As she spoke the magic words, the crystal at the top of her staff began to emit a bright glow, bathing the cave in a warm, saffron light. The witch¡¯s enchanted, orange irises adjusted rapidly, returning to their regular yellowish-green pigmentation while Alma¡¯s real-touched sight took slightly longer. Even despite her enhanced perception, the young sniper''s eyes behaved the same as anyone else¡¯s.

    ¡°A little warning next time.¡± Alma spoke through squinted eyes. As light enveloped the room, she began to make out the entirety of the chamber they were in. Stalagmites and stalactites protruded from all around, making her feel as if she had just walked into the jaws of a hideous, subterranean beast. The only signs of life were the roots of ancient trees bursting out from cracks in the cave ceiling. For a moment, she thought she had detected some movement in the remaining darkness, but ultimately decided to refrain from pulling out her weapon.

    Her friend, who was rarely, if ever, braver than she, simply smiled back charmingly. Standing there with staff in hand, in the center of the cavern, was the witch Heloise d''Aulnoy.

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    ¡°There she is,¡± said Alma, ¡°in her full spellbinding glory.¡±

    A young girl about the same age as Alma. Skin as fair as porcelain, with a healthy color in contrast to her best friend¡¯s sickly pale complexion. She had soft facial features, almost the exact opposite of the markswoman¡¯s sharp, more prominent looks. Her round cheeks, small nose and plump, flawlessly-shaped lips were usually the standard when it came to the image of an innocent maiden, if not for the striking amount of makeup she was rarely ever seen without. Vermillion rouge highlighted her soft cheekbones while her lips were painted with a pinkish cotton candy hue. The area surrounding her perfectly wide eyes were coated in a glittering burgundy that reminded one of a cosmos far beyond. It was easy to guess what her favorite shade of color was.

    Like most stylish girls her age, the greatest care was shown to her hair. A long mane of fair waves cascaded over her shoulders¡ªmellow, golden-colored curls that evoked a feeling like that of chiffon cake. This girl took great care when it came to her appearance. Indeed, she was the Yin to Alma¡¯s Yang.

    The glamor didn¡¯t stop short of her physical appearance. An enormous pointed cap that curled at the end sat unswayingly atop her head¡ªthe kind stereotypically attributed to witches and wizards, except that hers was double than the average size. The ease with which she wore it was undoubtedly due to magic. Made of a heavy woolen fabric, the color was of a mint green shade with a gilded lace adorning the brim. Surrounding the base of the cone were crisscrossing metal bands reminiscent of bronze that formed what looked like connecting X¡¯s, the very center of which was adorned with a large and yellow Sundrenched flower. An enormous flower known for its glowing center whenever in the presence of active magic. Small sprouts were magically growing out of the brim. Her long-sleeved alabaster dress ended in a black skirt that stopped right above her knees and bare legs. A burgundy sash coupled with a few pockets was wrapped around her waist, with a compartment on the back that could hold her staff. On top of it all, she wore a cream-colored cardigan.

    Though she would never admit it, Alma was always a tad fond of her friend¡¯s fashion sense. As all she had in contrast at the moment was a simple black turtleneck with black pants, an ensemble she believed gave her a tactical advantage in dark places.

    Heloise made her way to one of the rocky walls of the cavern, mumbling to herself about specific rock formations and their placements.

    "Hmm. According to the info I received, the entrance should be¡­" She dug into one of her pouches and pulled out a crumpled note with hastily written instructions on it. The young witch ran her hand along the cold stone and pressed down firmly, repeating the phrase as she had written it earlier.

    M¨¡m¨©tu nappa?u!

    The gem on one of her over half-dozen rings began to glow and a magic circle began to form and spin rapidly around her hand. The illusion of the stone wall vanished and the true form of a long, blue door appeared. Runic symbols had been scrawled all over it.

    "Not my usual magic, but looks like it worked,¡± said the witch, sighing rather theatrically. ¡°Well, that¡¯s that for the easy part,"

    A sudden loud bang resounded throughout causing Heloise to scream. A bullet lodged itself into the lock of the door, before quickly dissolving.

    "Alma! What in nature''s name?!"

    "Hey, it was worth a shot." Alma was holding her smoking pistol while grinning stupidly. In her attempt to impress her friend, she hadn¡¯t realized a second layer of magic had been protecting the door.

    "Only you could be so cringeworthy. Just please keep your crude devices trained on the obstacles that move. This door could¡¯ve easily had a reflect-retaliation spell on it and we might¡¯ve both been full of holes by now.¡±

    ¡°Besides.¡± She showed off the crumpled note in her hand. "I''ve got the key for it right here, don¡¯t you see?"

    "Where did you get this intel from, anyway?"

    Heloise said nothing and simply smiled. It was clear Alma wasn''t going to get the response she wanted.

    "Heli¡­?" Alma narrowed her eyes. "Is this gonna lead us to some hidden contraband? From who? Don¡¯t tell me it was that hacker dick from The Red Hat Society. I thought you broke things off with him."

    "Would it kill you to remove that stick up your ass? Or is it that pleasurable?"

    Alma furrowed her brow. Despite how long they''ve known each other, Heloise''s crude way of speaking always seemed to catch her off-guard.

    "Besides," Heloise continued. "He and his trolls already got what they deserved. You give one small tip to the Psyber Centralia and down goes their entire operation. See? I like to work within the boundaries of the law sometimes."

    Sci-Soldiers, an unusual branch of law enforcement that came into existence in the last few decades to deal with the rise of technological warfare. They¡¯re found in most technologically advanced countries and are the ones responsible for policing computer-related crimes. Malachias, in this case, had their own specialized sect of these forces that worked directly under the Scarlet Church: The Psyber Centralia.

    On the opposite end of the spectrum was The Red Hat Society, who were a criminal group of wizards that used magic to hack into major computer systems for their own personal gain.

    "Good job, I guess?¡± Alma wore a weary frown. ¡°Their brains are probably mush by now¡­ Why can''t I ever get a straight answer out of you?"

    "That''s not really something witches are known to give." Heloise glanced at the markings on the door. She then traced her finger along the grooves of five different runic symbols. Each one emitted a small, blue glow after being touched. After interacting with all five symbols, the blue light they were emitting began to blaze a fiery green before going out in a puff of smoke. A lock was heard clicking on the other side. Heloise smiled at Alma, as if telling her not to worry.

    Alma rolled her eyes and said nothing, refusing to give her haughty friend any sort of satisfaction.

    Just beyond the door, without any warning whatsoever, was an enormous, obtruding chasm that stretched down deep into the planet.

    Alma let loose a chuckle that quickly grew into an uproarious laugh. A cackling that echoed throughout the entire cavern.

    ¡°I hope you didn¡¯t pay too much for that shoddy intel,¡± said the sharpshooter, wiping a tear from her eye.

    Heloise clicked her teeth and banged the bottom of her staff on the rocky ground in front of the pit. Peering over the rim, it was difficult to estimate exactly how far down it went into the planet. She kicked a smallish pebble over the ledge and waited to hear the sound of it landing. It took around ten seconds for it to finally answer back.

    The witch hated having to solve problems. If it hadn¡¯t anything to do with magic, she would usually just rely on Alma to do most of the work. However, in this situation, her pride was refusing to ask her friend for help. She lowered the glowing tip of her staff down into the hole, illuminating the rim. There, spiraling the walls of the shaft, were descending steps of rough-hewn stone.

    ¡°Aha. There¡¯s our way down. And for your information, I didn¡¯t pay a thing so cut the sass. The secrets of this place came from an old book I had in my collection. According to the research I¡¯d been doing, buried somewhere deep in this old tomb is a cache of powerful magical items.¡±

    ¡°And where¡¯d you get the book?¡±

    ¡°I bought it off one of the traveling green elf merchants during my vacay in Northern Eldon. Gorgeous place. The beaches are to die for.¡±

    ¡°So¡­ You did pay for this info.¡±

    ¡°Shut up! Shut up! Shut up!¡± She clicked her heel down three times in succession.

 Chapter 15: Door-to-Door Bailsman

    It took them several long minutes before they reached the bottom of the spiral staircase. On the way down, they both noted several bizarre petroglyphs drawn into the stone wall every few dozen steps. Primitive images depicting a tall, lanky figure surrounded by several small ones. It was hard to judge exactly what they had been looking at, as drawings from that era were much too simple to garner any details from. Heloise proposed it as a simple monument to a primitive god made by some ancient group of people that found their way down there and were probably the ones that carved the stairs they had been walking down. Afterwards, they found themselves treading down another corridor, this time illuminated by the blue flames of magic torches lining the walls that sparked on as they walked.

    ¡°Wait, so how did people from that long ago get their hands on magic?¡±

    ¡°Well, there have been cases of ancient cults versed in strong, primeval magic but I¡¯m gonna assume the treasure we¡¯re looking for was buried down here at a point way later.¡±

    ¡°Speaking of which, what exactly is this treasure anyway?¡±

    ¡°Isn¡¯t the surprise where true magic lies?¡± Heloise gave a wink.

    ¡°I¡¯m leaving.¡±

    ¡°Hey! Okay. It¡¯s just some books here and there, some treatises on magic, maps. The usual dungeon coffer.¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t think I¡¯ve played that video game.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m serious! You know what a nerd I am about this stuff. It¡¯s not a chance I could just pass up.¡±

    ¡°I just don¡¯t know what you really expect to find down here, especially when you¡¯re getting this info out of dusty old tomes bought from shady merchants.¡±

    ¡°Alma, my dear. I don¡¯t pay you think,¡± joked Heloise.

    ¡°You don¡¯t¡ª¡± Alma let out a dejected sigh. When her best friend sets her sights on something, it¡¯s almost impossible to talk her out of it. "If you needed a bodyguard, you could''ve just hired one."

    "Why would I do that when you always offer your services to me?"

    "I¡¯m not running a damn service!"

    "Well! Maybe you should!" Heloise stopped walking. There was a grave look in her eyes, cast in the flickering shadow of the torches'' blue flames. "Your skills are going to waste in that country. I''m still against you wanting to join the Crusaders, you know. Imagine. Dying senselessly so some fascist religious zealots can gorge freely on spoils covered in your blood. All they do is invade their neighbors to throw them onto the ever-growing annexation pile. All in the name of some freak god¡ª"

    "Stop. What I do with my life is none of your business. Just like your choice to study magic was none of mine."

    Heloise scoffed. "You know damn well my reasons for living the way I do and it in no way compares to your self-sacrificing bullshit."

    "At least I''m willing to help people that need it. Everything you ever do is in service of yourself. You''ve almost gotten me killed more times than I can count so take that hypocrisy and stuff it up your¡ª"

    A loud howling blared from behind them. A piercing siren that refused to cease and only seemed to grow closer and louder. The two girls immediately stopped their bickering and turned towards the dark end of the corridor the noise was emanating from.

    "W-What is that?" Alma stammered.

    "I don''t¡­ I don''t know. There wasn''t any mention of any kind of living guardian down here. We should''ve been totally alone. I don''t get it."

    The cry continued. Its pitch, akin to a Shepard tone, grew louder and closer with every passing second.

    And then it suddenly stopped.

    From the murky black of the cave leading back to the stairs, an amorphous form stood silently in the dark. It loomed towards the ceiling of the cavern tunnel which reached upwards of up to 10 feet.

    "Should we run?" Alma whispered, brushing her fingers along the grip of her pistol.

    Heloise struggled to speak. Only sputtering sounds came from her mouth.

    Alma looked to the opposite end of the tunnel. She had a decision to make. One that caused her to steel herself before the situation ahead of them. The markswoman grabbed the witch by the arm, who was still standing frozen in place and staring at the shadow in the darkness.

    "Heli, we have to run. Without any info, I don''t know if we should even fight that thing."

    Heloise turned her head slowly to Alma. She had been afraid of taking her eyes off the creature who was still standing at the edge of the dark. The glow from the torch next to it was gradually dimming.

    "Alma¡­" she said pitifully. There was a look of terror in her eyes. "The light... It''s not just putting out the flame from the torch. It''s... eating the magic keeping it lit."

    "So your magic¡­?"

    Unauthorized use: this story is on Amazon without permission from the author. Report any sightings.

    Heloise shook her head.

    Alma gave her friend''s arm a slight tug. "Run."

    The torch nearest the creature had gone out. Another scream began to bellow from the dark.

    "Run!"

    The two girls sped down the dreary, ancient corridor. The light from the self-awakening torches unable to catch up to the two girls as they ran, forcing them to navigate blindly. The sound of approaching footsteps grew steadily from behind. There was no doubt it was giving chase.

    The witch turned back to see at what distance the pursuing monster was at. Her eyes widened in horror. It had reached far past the dark barrier and was slightly visible in the blue light of the flame. What she saw could barely be described as anything that could be considered a part of the natural order.

    Behind them, a gaunt creature was stumbling over itself in an attempt to run. Despite its supposed clumsiness, its speed wasn¡¯t far below theirs. Its elongated body was hunched forward as it moved; extended arms dangled lifelessly at its sides. Contrary to when it was standing menacingly in the shadows, it now appeared to be even taller than they had initially estimated. Its emaciated body was nothing but smooth, disgusting wet flesh¡ªthe only hint of color being the miles of darkened blood vessels bulging from under its pasty skin. The head, which sat on a neck far too long for its body, was unnaturally massive and bulbous. Its crown pulsated with an eerie phosphorescence under the arcane light. The odorous wailing that had been echoing throughout the corridor had been coming from an impossibly tiny mouth filled with much too big teeth. Its sunken eyes were pitch black.

    ¡°Oh fuck, oh fuck, oh fuck¡­¡±

    ¡°Heli!¡±

    Alma¡¯s voice snapped the witch out of her terror-stricken stupor that was gripping her.

    ¡°I have a plan! But I¡¯m gonna need your help!¡±

    ¡°W-What could we possibly do against that thing?¡± Heloise was fumbling over her words. ¡°I¡¯ve never even heard of a creature that eats magic.¡±

    ¡°Exactly. He eats magic. I doubt bullets will hurt him so maybe we can give him something more appetizing than us.¡±

    ¡°Whatever¡¯s better than having my soul getting shat out of that thing!¡±

    Alma slowed down and took aim at one of the flaming torches ahead of the beast. Without a moment¡¯s hesitation, she fired, bringing the torch crashing to the floor.

    ¡°Sunbolt! Now!¡±

    At her friend¡¯s signal, Heloise thrust her staff, using its balance and her momentum to spin around and yell the incantation as quick as she could. She tried her hardest to drum up what little bravery she had to stand her ground.

    Solis Fulmen Natura!

    A streak of bright light fired from the tip of her staff, blasting the torch on the ground and causing it to explode. The force of the blast destroyed several more torches, causing their magic flame to coat the cold floor and create a small barrier of fire ahead of the rampaging beast.

    A small hindrance completely ignored by the creature.

    It had not even slowed down. Their plan to entice the creature with a distraction ended in failure, causing the girls mild panic.

    "Of course that stupid plan wasn''t gonna work! This rancid, pus-filled, puke factory probably wants to suck out my magic essence with a straw! Or worse! Qui sait quel genre de chose d¨¦bauch¨¦e il va faire ¨¤ mon corps ! Fuck! Shoot it, Alma! Just shoot it!"

    Alma aimed for the biggest spot on his body, the head, and delivered three quick shots in succession.

    A sickening gush could be heard as each bullet sank into its vulgar flesh. The menacing monster remained unfazed and continued its dogged pursuit unabated. Its daemoniac howl grew angrier, indicating some change in its mood. Alma''s attack only served to irritate the creature, as it seemed to hate prey that struggled. The hunched creature fell completely forward, placing its palms against the rocky ground. It was now chasing them on all fours, gaining a significant boost in its speed.

    Alma racked her brain for anything she could try. They were running out of time. The tunnel was either going to end or they were going to drop dead from exhaustion. The monster was also getting dangerously close. It was at that moment that she finally noticed something.

    "Heli!¡± yelled Alma. ¡°The light from your staff is still active! What if that''s what he''s sensing?"

    Heloise was panting roughly. She was losing air and stamina fast, causing her mind to blank out every few seconds. But still she understood what Alma was saying. Without a word, she placed her hand against the staff''s crowning crystal and tapped the bottom of her ring against it, snuffing out its warm glow.

    "We only have a few seconds before the torches light up and reveal where we are, so back up against the wall! As soon as it''s in range, use the brightest magic you can think of!"

    "Alma, you genius! But what then?"

    ¡°We passed a door a little ways back.¡± Alma¡¯s breathing was ragged and she could barely speak. The only thing keeping her from paralyzing fear was the adrenaline and the drive to protect her friend. ¡°All we need to do is get behind him and run for that door.¡±

    ¡°Huh? But I didn¡¯t see any¡ª¡±

    ¡°Now!¡± Alma pinned herself to the wall and hoped her friend would do the same.

    Heloise grit her teeth and sputtered out the only spell that came to mind.

    Natura Flagro!

    An extreme flare rose up from the darkened staff, lighting up the entire corridor. Its various tips were almost touching the monster¡¯s face. It covered its eyes in vain with one of its hands, causing it to stumble forward at an extreme speed and crash miserably to the floor.

    Alma struggled to swallow, barely letting out an audible ¡°Come on.¡± while grabbing her witch friend by the arm. She hurriedly led her to a flat, indiscriminate wall they had passed.

    ¡°Alma?! Where is the door? Merde ! There¡¯s nothing here!¡± The witch¡¯s ragged voice filled with panic once again.

    The markswoman glared at the blank slab of stone, staring at a distortion superimposed upon the wall that was right in their face but only visible to her. Almost like an otherworldly projection overlapping with our own. She slowly attempted to place a hand against it, her hand phasing through without trouble. She hopped through fearlessly, pulling her friend in tow.

    Heloise jumped as the cry of the beast sped by behind them. She struggled to keep the tears from forming in her eyes. She was embarrassed by how weak she felt, especially around her best friend, but she knew Alma wasn¡¯t the type to ever judge her for it. After the loud howling faded completely, Heloise wrapped her arms around Alma and squeezed her tightly, her large hat falling to the floor.

    ¡°Oh my Dark God, Alma. You saved us. I knew you would! You¡¯re like, so fuckin¡¯ cool and reliable and I¡¯m just like¡­ so weak and pathetic. I¡¯m¡­ sorry about what I said earlier. Please¡­ Please don¡¯t leave me. Je me sens seul.¡±

    Her friend clung close, not letting Alma go. She kept breaking out in her native language, which she only did in moments of extreme agitation. Her sweat was causing her perfume¡¯s Baie de Lune scent to grow stronger. The soon-to-be-soldier remained silent, letting her friend weep into her shoulder before being swiftly pushed away a moment later. An intense blushing betrayed the witch¡¯s look of disgust.

 Chapter 16: Default

    Alma rolled her eyes and began looking around the dark space they had entered into. The large room was dimly lit and appeared altogether different from the rest of the cave. A cluster of blackened bulbs hung from the ceiling above with no known solution on how to turn them on. The room was fitted with fancy furnishings¡ªshelves full of either books or large specimen jars, strange elixirs, and shining phials filled with shimmering potions. Adorning the walls and floors were large draperies and carpets with colorful star patterns. In the corner was a large, steel cage with what Alma hoped were rust stains on the bottom. What little light was illuminating the alchemical lab came from a lone window at the very back that had no conceivable sense to exist in a place so far underground.

    Looking out through the opening was a grand rocky field that stretched on for miles. At first glance, it appeared to be another enormous segment of the cave, but a closer look at the sky revealed an endless black space that seemed to somehow cast a pale shade over the entire area. What she at first took for clouds were actually strange, circular creatures covered in scales of ivory that hung there, floating stationary in the shadows of the sightless sphere above¡ªpendulous tendrils dangling from their flabby undersides. Enveloping the crests of the land¡¯s many hills were ruins of fallen monuments to Kings and Lords long dead and forgotten. At the far ends of the field stood impossibly tall cliffs of immense magnitude with hollowed out colonnades and temples that were lined with dozens of small openings, all of which were aglow with eerie phosphorescent lights. For a moment, Alma thought she could see shadows dancing within those tiny windows.

    ¡°This room seems to be in some sort of pocket dimension,¡± noted Heloise, dusting off her large hat and placing it back on her head. ¡°I''ve only ever read about this kind of thing. Never actually thought it''d be possible. Like, this goes beyond just the regular pale of magic."

    "Judging by the dust and weirdly-shaped cobwebs, this place has probably been abandoned for a while. That book didn''t tell you who owned this place?"

    "No¡­" The witch trailed off as she peered out the window. "What in the world¡­?"

    ¡°Want to go check it out?¡± Alma smiled wryly. ¡°Bet I could shoot one of those things down. Damn! Imagine what other cool animals are roaming around out there.¡±

    ¡°Absolutely not,¡± retorted the witch. ¡°Like, who knows what kind of atmosphere is out there or what if we get lost and never find our way back? No thanks. Fuck that. I rather not run into any more of those magic suckers.¡±

    ¡°Your loss. What kind of room is this, anyway?¡± The markswoman began inspecting some of the specimen jars adorning the shelves. They smelled of acrid chemicals and were full of weird, floating creatures she had never seen before. She noticed something alive and swimming inside one of them, causing her to recoil.

    Heloise turned away from the window and looked around the room. She was about to re-light her scepter when the image of the horrifying creature that had chased them down flashed in her mind. Instead, she set it down on the table.

    ¡°Some kind of alchemist¡¯s lab, looks like,¡± the witch replied.

    ¡°A what lab?¡±

    ¡°Alchemist. You know. The result of a scientist who tries his hand at magic?¡± There was a burning fury in her eyes. ¡°Those white-coat bastards that think they know the secrets to the universe better than the witches and wizards of the world and only end up corrupting a pure, unadulterated craft with their sterilizing touch? Those guys.¡±

    ¡°Oh, Heli. I didn¡¯t¡ª¡±

    ¡°Forget it. Let¡¯s just look around. Oh! What¡¯s this?¡± The miffed sorceress¡¯s eyes brightened as she looked over the vast library of ancient tomes and journals that lined the bookshelves of the lab. Accursed texts not meant to be read by any man¡ªor curious witch. ¡°Holy shit! Alma, I think this is it!¡±

    ¡°What? These books?¡±

    ¡°What do you mean ¡®these books¡¯? This is a treasure trove of goodies! Look!¡± She pulled a large, dusty scroll from a nearby bin and unfurled it. ¡°The map to¡­ The Charnel Acreage of Offal. Ew¡­¡±

    ¡°A veritable jackpot.¡± Alma smiled wryly once again, watching as her friend sanitized her hands after letting the map drop to the floor. She took a look at some of the esoteric texts filling the abandoned lab. She picked out a fancy-looking tome and skimmed the cover. ¡°The Right Angle by the witch Kaziah.¡± She shrugged and placed it back, taking out another. Flicking through it, it seemed to be a piece of fiction about a regiment of holy knights caught in battle with a golden beast.

    ¡°Oh!¡± exclaimed the excited Heloise. ¡°The dream diary of the king in the mountain! Wait. Holy fuck. To think this bastard even has notes on the Great God Azotha, my patron in witchery.¡±

    ¡°Heli.¡± The markswoman turned to her friend, suddenly remembering something. ¡°Do you think you could try to scour some of these books for more info on that monster outside? We¡¯re¡­ probably going to have to face it again when we leave.¡±

    The witch gave an all too intensive grimace at the prospect Alma put forth and began pulling out a number of bestiaries. Grime and dust coated her petite hands and sleeves as she piled up a stack of them on the floor, one by one.

    Enjoying this book? Seek out the original to ensure the author gets credit.

    Curiosity got the better of Alma as she picked out a thick, leather-bound tome with an unreadable title. She took the large book to the table and began to look through it, growing frustrated as she soon realized the entire thing had been written in an unintelligible text. Sweeping her fingers through its decrepit pages, she finally reached a page with hand-written scribbles penned in its columns. Footnotes that seemed to be a hastily-made effort at translating the archaic language.

    ¡°The Crepuscule Lands, home to the Elder Dwellers of Zai Rall. The last governing scions of multicreation. They are at constant war with the Deep Residers of the Dirge Star, Carthexi. The Entropic Scourge. Beware the avatars of Carthexi!¡±

    Alma scratched her head, trying her best to decipher the message left by the owner of the strange book. Turning toward the end of the book, she found an extremely unusual page whose contents had been vandalized by a single message scrawled over it in thick, bold letters. It read,

    ¡°THE DEFAULT MAN IS WATCHING. THE WORLD WILL DEFAULT.¡±

    Something about the sinister message made her shudder, as if she were being watched. The markswoman looked over her shoulder at Heloise, who was quietly mouthing the words she read as she diligently continued to study the old secrets of the lab. Alma wondered if she should bring the strange tome to her friend''s attention. Ultimately, Alma chose to simply close the book on the mad rantings, refusing to say a word about it and assuming it for another pointless piece of fiction.

    ¡°Neblina,¡± remarked Heloise, after a long period. ¡°That creature¡¯s name. Looks like that fool of an alchemist was the first to discover it, in a very odd way, when he decided to build his lab here. He wrote that he was first told of this place in a dream he had. It showed him this cave and while exploring its depths, he excavated a really old book in some old language that held a lot of accursed knowledge. But the one section that most caught his attention was on how to make portals to other worlds. I guess it works on the same basis as summoning magic but a bit backwards."

    The witch was nervously chewing on her nail as she spoke.

    "Sounds like something that should''ve stayed buried," said Alma.

    "Seems most of his attempts were unsuccessful anyway. And that he blundered his way into this one completely by chance. Or so he first believed. And get this! The coward was so scared when he finally got here that he built this lab as a little hideaway and never went outside. He has no idea what kind of place this is, but he refers to it in his writings as ''Stone'' for whatever reason. Maybe because of all the rocks.

    Heloise quickly flipped through a few pages of the journal she was reading from.

    "He spent several nights here, without sleeping, miraculously. He couldn''t explain it but it took a whole week before he finally felt anything like drowsiness. He instantly regretted sleeping here though, because the moment he actually fell asleep was the moment when that yucky Neblina came to him. It came to him from out there.¡±

    She pointed to the window, slowly.

    ¡°More specifically, from some place it called the granite city. It had told him its name and that long, long ago he was once worshipped by the people of the cave. It taught them how to counter magic and use it to bring naive, unsuspecting spellcasters to him as sustenance. Something it began asking of him."

    "Counter magic? Like the reflect spell on the door?"

    "Uhh, doesn''t go into much detail but I really, really doubt it," she said nervously. The witch''s small mouth sunk into a frown.

    She seemed to be utterly terrified of the Neblina. Alma began to wonder if this trip was worth the trauma.

    "Now the important part," Heloise continued. "Took some time before he finally grew some balls and began looking for a way to destroy it. He found a spell he was thinking might work but it looked like he was lacking in the magical affinity department. Which makes me wonder how the fuck he was able to open the portal in the first place!"

    A sudden revelation caused her eyes to widen.

    "Or maybe it wasn''t him that opened the portal¡­" The young witch swallowed, swearing under her breath.

    ¡°Any idea what happened to him?¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t know. The entries end kind of abruptly so it¡¯s pretty obvious he didn¡¯t live very long after that! He tried to fight it and lost. Imagine! Even with all his knowledge¡­ What a fucking waste.¡±

    "Heli? Are you okay? I don''t think I''ve ever seen you this scared before."

    "I''m just¡­" Heloise''s hands dug into the sides of her chiffon hair, head slumping between them. "What if we can''t get out of here? What if we''re stuck here forever, with our only choices being to go out there to starve to death, stay in here to starve to death or go out and face that thing so he doesn''t starve to death?"

    Alma walked over and placed her hand on her best friend''s shoulder.

    There was a pressure in her friend¡¯s hand that gave the young sorceress a slight feeling of reassurance. But it wasn¡¯t enough. Heloise lowered her head completely and buried her face in her arms.

    "What was the spell?" Alma asked after a brief moment.

    "What does it matter? I''m sure I can''t cast it." There was a strong doubt in Heloise''s muffled voice, her face still buried.

    "That''s not the Heli I know. Come on, there has to be something around here that can help. Didn''t you say there were also powerful magic items down here?"

    ¡°Yeah.¡± Heloise raised her head, thinking. ¡°Yes! You¡¯re right!¡±

    The witch scooted out of her chair excitedly and rushed to the other side of the room. She began rummaging through trunks coated in ancient dust, looking for anything that might be useful. Nothing of interest seemed to catch her attention until she spotted a fairly large, faintly glowing key that reacted to her touch. It seemed to be made from a kind of special electrum-like alloy, there was a small serpent wrapped around the bow of the key in an exotic design. As she held the strange trinket in her hand, a resonant energy coursed through her fingers, reacting to her magical energy. It was an odd feeling and it seemed to be directing her somewhere.

    "Did you find something?" asked the confused markswoman.

    As if in a trance, the witch Heloise felt compelled to move to a large curtain hanging down along the center wall. She grabbed it and ripped it down with all her might, bringing the handle crashing down along with it, barely missing the top of her head. On the wall that had been previously covered was a keyhole masking a warded lock that kept flickering in and out of existence. The witch held the key aloft and recited the first word that entered her mind.

    Patentibus!

 Chapter 17: Witch Hunger

    At that moment, the key vanished from Heloise¡¯s grip as well as the hypnotic state she had been under. Shaking the groggy feeling away, her eyes widened at her newly discovered prize. The moment she had incanted the magic word, the keyhole on the wall rotated ninety degrees and disappeared, along with the wall it was attached to, revealing a small recessed alcove. Within it, a marvelous rod that looked like it was crafted from a silvery-green alloy was fastened to the wall.

    ¡°Huh. Why do you suppose he¡¯d hide something like that?¡± asked the cross-armed Alma.

    ¡°Do you leave legendary treasures just lying around when you¡¯re not home?¡± replied the witch, her gaze centered on the magical item in front of her. She was practically salivating.

    ¡°I guess I wouldn¡¯t if I knew an intrusive pair of snoops was going to be treasure-hunting around in it after I¡¯ve left.¡±

    Heloise couldn¡¯t hold back her excitement any longer. She reached out and detached the staff from the metallic clamps holding it to the wall. Pulling it away slowly, she took a better look at it. A long, jagged piece of malachite acted as a ferrule and protruded sharply from the bottom of the staff. A more refined piece of the same mineral held the top and bottom portions of the staff together in the form of a grip, both of which were engraved with elegant, serpentine patterns. From the crown emerged various tentacle-like protuberances in the shape of basilisk heads that seemed to writhe upwards. Mouth agape and body in pre-strike, the heads were crafted emerald, with each face sporting two miniature, gleaming eyes made of citrine.

    ¡°You gonna hump that gaudy thing or what?¡±

    ¡°Try and stop me.¡± The witch snorted, chuckled, then began laughing exuberantly.

    Alma laughed sincerely along, her elation growing now that the malaise and anxiety had finally waned from her only friend¡ªto be quickly replaced by a fanatic craze that only the fiery sorceress could muster.

    ¡°I just need to bind it with my magical essence so I can use it effectively.¡± Heloise tapped one of the emerald heads with the bottom of her ring a couple of times and began chanting. Energy swirled around her hand and began infusing itself into the staff, causing the eyes on each serpent to glow bright. After a few moments, the current swelled largely and popped. Smoke began rising from the many pairs of eyes, indicating that the process was complete.

    The two came up with a plan for their escape. Heloise studied the complicated banishment spell for a few hours while Alma struggled and strategized with the usefulness of her gun. If worse came to worst, she hoped that powerful ballistics would be enough to at least maim if aimed precisely at the limbs at least enough to throw off the momentum of a galloping creature.

    ¡°Got everything you need?¡± asked the markswoman, loading six Arcleesian charge shots into her gun. ¡°I doubt we¡¯re ever coming back here. Not even if you paid me.¡±

    ¡°Just shrinking a few things.¡± The witch was already testing the extent of her newfound treasure. She needed to analyze the wealth of power the staff held natively, without her initial input. She began by utilizing a shrinking magic on various books she had wanted to take with her. It was a simple magic, but refused to work on items past a certain size or on living things. She placed the various shrunken objects into her pouch and placed her old staff into the compartment on her back.

    Alma stood in front of the wall they had entered through. Just like before, her eyes saw not a regular surface but a hazy, distorted plane. Unlike before, she kept her journeyman pistol at the ready and in-hand in case they found themselves face-to-face with the Neblina again. The gun had actually been a birthday gift from the witch, and so she used it at every opportunity when in her presence. Alma was now resorting to using the special bullets she had brought in case of emergencies rather than the standard ammunition¡ªones that she hoped could hurt the creature, or at the very least distract it while Heloise casts her spell. As she turned back to call her friend, something in the window across the room caught her eye, causing her to double-take. For a split second, she could see the face of a figure right outside the otherworldly window¡ªhands with spindly fingers pressed firmly against the glass as it looked in. Or she assumed it was looking in, for it had no actual face but rather a head whose front was replaced with a horrifying blackened gulf that opened out to the darkness of space.

    ¡°Heliii.¡± Alma called to her friend, more pleadingly this time. She wanted to scream, but she didn¡¯t want to show fear in front of her friend who finally seemed to be in better spirits after her own little meltdown. Alma couldn¡¯t help but turn back slowly toward the window but on second glance the figure was nowhere to be seen. Had she imagined it? She was trapped in what had begun to feel like a cramped room for hours, with most of her time spent planning to go head-to-head with a living death trap. The stress seemed to be getting the better of her.

    ¡°Yeah? I¡¯m ready.¡± Heloise carried the serpentine staff with a newfound sense of pride and a spring in her step as she walked. ¡°With my new baby here, we can finally show that son of a bitch what a real witch is made of!¡±

    ¡°Really? Because you¡¯re sweating.¡±

    The witch glared at her partner before boldly walking through the portal. Alma took one last look at the window before joining her.

    This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there.

    The long pathway was shrouded in the primal darkness of the cavern. There was a short period before the magic torches surrounding the wall lit themselves up to cast an eerie, blue glow around them. There had been no visible sign of the Neblina, but the duo remained cautious. As they walked slowly through the dark passage back to the entrance, they began to notice small details they had completely overlooked while fleeing. The interior surface of the tunnels was carved into archways beset by long pillars, with certain walls having deep recesses full of elongated wooden cases. Dreams of immurement kept either from wishing to exhume the caskets for their contents of something they felt was obvious, but both wondered whether it was primitive inhabitants, the alchemist or his victims that fashioned this tunnel and where it would eventually lead to. The witch had surmised that most likely they eventually would have reached the entrance to an ancient, subterranean city built by the original occupants of the underground cave. She expressed disappointment over failing to discover it after so long, but figured the old alchemist had already plundered it of anything significantly valuable. Other parts of the walls were adorned with eerie portraits whose subjects were completely unknown to the two girls. It was a natural assumption that they were a later addition, a tactless attempt by the alchemist at making the place a bit homier.

    The trip back had been surprisingly uneventful, so much so that the girls felt comfortable enough to make small talk of what they had planned upon their return. Heloise had already thought out more than a dozen ways to put her new staff to use. Alma on the other hand, had nothing going for her. She lived an unexcitedly bland life outside of the small moments she would spend either hunting or drinking. She was the type of person that would describe herself as boring to everyone she met, therefore she always considered her friendship with the young sorceress nothing short of a miracle.

    As they approached the room at the bottom of the steps, Heloise heard a sound that made her stop speaking mid-sentence. She looked behind her and saw nothing but the cold, empty passage that they had just walked through. Yet she couldn¡¯t escape the feeling that something was wrong. Try as she might, she wasn¡¯t able to just chalk the feeling up to simple nerves. She definitely felt a presence. She felt its pure, unbridled hatred. The feeling of someone wanting to grab her. Mutilate her. Eat her. The impression was staggering. At the same moment, there was a thunderous bang right above her head which caused her to scream bloody-murder. Not the baying sound of a creature, but of a bullet hitting stone.

    ¡°Watch out!¡± Alma had grabbed her friend by the collar and pulled the witch into her arms. She had stopped to figure out why Heloise had suddenly paused and noticed that the malevolent thing had been right above their heads, crawling quietly along the ceiling. Alma felt sick, refusing to entertain the perverse thought that it had been following them the entire time, siphoning her friend''s energy without her knowing. Spying on her. Hunting her as its next meal.

    Her first shot had missed, as it quickly leapt out of the way the moment she fired¡ªits teeth chattering disgustingly. It was fast and they no longer had the advantage of being able to flee. They were now backed into a dead end and Alma knew if they attempted to climb up the steps to get away, they would only be putting themselves in a disadvantageous position¡ªespecially now that she knew it had the ability to scale the walls. She decided to take aim at the monster once more.

    The Neblina stood unmoving in the dark, staring them down without uttering a noise. An impact, right at its leg. Another grotesque sound as the bullet penetrated its flesh. Alma held her breath, waiting for the special ammunition to do its job. She didn''t have to wait long. A sudden burst, under its skin, as the bullet exploded underneath. An actual wound that caused the monster to shriek an unearthly howl. It staggered forward onto its knee.

    "Heli! The spell! Quic¡ª"

    Before she could finish her command, the Neblina had barreled right past her in an instant. Standing tall on injured leg, almost twice as tall as them, it held the young witch up by the throat.

    Her legs dangled helplessly. Heloise was more frightened than she had ever been in her entire life. She wanted to scream but the grip it had on her neck was causing her to choke. Makeup-stained tears ran down her cheeks. She didn''t want her life to end so quickly. So abruptly. There was still so much she wanted to experience. To do. With her.

    "Let her go, you piece of shit!" Alma fired her gun once more, aiming for the arm hoisting up her friend. She made the quick decision knowing her friend was quite a bit of ways off the ground and hoped the fall wouldn''t injure her too much.

    The Neblina had wrapped its fingers tightly around the girl¡¯s throat. Its bulbous head was glowing as it slowly sucked out her magical essence. The process was halted before it really began however when the bullet fired into his arm exploded, causing it pain enough to lose the grip on its prey. Its howl echoed throughout the walls of the tall cylinder of rock before snapping its head sideways to glare menacingly at Alma.

    Heloise wasted not a moment the instant she hit the ground. Removing a small sheet of paper from her pocket, she immediately enlarged it with her magic and spread it out before her. On the large canvas was an intricately drawn circle composed of esoteric runes, neatly copied from the journal she had read. Scowling at the injured beast, she placed her hand on the circle and struggled through choked breaths to recite the incantation she had memorized from the scholar''s notes.

    Execrabilis Excecrari¡­

    The energy from the staff began flowing from one arm to the other, exiting her hand and infusing the circle with magic. The sigil printed on the page began inexplicably spinning under her touch.

    EX OBLIVIONE !

    The runes swirled rapaciously as she spoke the spell, emitting an incandescence that grew brighter with each second. The creature pounced towards Alma, but found itself locked in place as the magic circle began enclosing around his torso.

    ¡°It¡¯s working!¡± yelled Heloise, smiling painfully. The sweat of adrenaline mixed with the dried streaks of tears on her cheeks. ¡°The Neblina won''t hurt anyone anymore!¡±

    At the mention of that name, the monster snapped its head back to look at Heloise. Any sort of pain it was suffering up until then seemingly ceased. It began emitting a rasping guttural noise from its throat they hadn''t heard it make before. Like a series of short breaths, repeating over and over.

    It was laughing.

 Chapter 18: Slip of the Tongue

    "Neblina? Loathsome whelps!" it hissed. The sinister voice coming from its mouth was grating and wholly unpleasant. "Be thankful I am but a shade of that egovoid¡¯s power. If it were he thou hadst been facing, thy brains would be melting through thy skulls. I am but his lowly servitor. And I was fool enough to think I could escape that servitude.¡±

    He observed the black sigil gyrating around him closely.

    "As thou hast now witnessed the punishment inflicted on those whom betray him. This body¡­ That spell was meant to exorcise an egovoid. And I¡­ " He raised his unnaturally long arms and flexed them, dispelling the magic prison around him with ease. He then ran his fingers all over his body in a sickening display. "I am Zosimos! Fret not, for the defilement of thy desiccated remains shall prove ever fruitful to my research.¡±

    But before it could lunge again, Alma fired another shot at the creature, only for him to sidestep it in an instant. She had only two shots remaining and the situation was growing dire. She could no longer rely on the witch, who was now cowered in the corner and succumbing to a catatonic state of fear.

    ¡°A waste,¡± he muttered.

    The creature Zosimos towered over Alma, who was down on her knee, aiming but not firing. She now had to use her only weapon sparingly, at the precise moment, when his guard was at its lowest.

    A strong blow to the stomach sent her flying against the wall.

    ¡°A trifle.¡±

    They were no longer fighting a mindless beast, if they ever were, but a dangerous adversary. It was as if a switch had gone off once he heard the name of his master. Zosimos reached out an elongated arm and grabbed Alma by her collar, dragging her back to her feet.

    Warm blood trickled from her lips as she clutched feebly at her pistol. He had brought her close, probably to assault her more as she had no magical essence within her. She used this chance and fired directly at his face. From such close range, missing him would be next to impossible¡ªyet the charged bullet failed to explode. Although the shot hadn''t missed, it instead stood frozen before his other hand, caught in an invisible force within it. Slowly it dissolved into nothing, just as when she fired at the door when they first came in. She had one final chance and any hope of escape was now dwindling.

    Clutching that hand into a fist, the monster sent it flying into her abdomen. She dangled in place, a grunt of pain escaping her lips.

    ¡°A failure.¡± He narrowed his pitch-black eyes.

    "Heli¡­ Run¡­" Her voice was weaker than she thought as she begged her friend to leave while she had the chance.

    The witch did not move, but mumbled something under her breath.

    Alma sighed resignedly.

    The monster hoisted Alma high into the air. His mouth parted wide and from within came a writhing appendage of a tongue that continued to stretch out slowly. It ran itself along her face, tasting her skin and mixing with her sweat. But the moment his tongue lapped up the blood from her mouth, he gagged repulsively. His revulsion became immediately apparent as he threw her to the ground.

    ¡°Egovoid! Why dost thou taste like¡ª¡±

    ¡°Leave her alone!¡± Heloise screamed in anger. Her serpentine staff was glowing brightly in her steeled hands. The witch hadn¡¯t simply been trembling and crying in the corner. She had been modifying the magic sigil with a touch of her own. Now she had a new spell ready to use. A spell more powerful than any she had ever concocted.

    MALEDICTUM EX NATURA, UT OBLIVISCAMUR!

    This story is posted elsewhere by the author. Help them out by reading the authentic version.

    A shining emerald sigil with intricate leaves patterned along the edges tattooed itself to the side of the monster¡¯s torso, seemingly without effect.

    Zosimos howled with laughter.

    ¡°I warned thee, little sorceress. Thy paltry magicks art but food to me. An appetizer before I snuff the rest from thy bones.¡± He crawled toward Heloise at an inhuman speed and coiled his body, then just his arm around her. He ran a sharpened nail along her cheek, drawing a long, thin trail of blood that ran down his boney finger. Expecting a scream, all he received was a glaring smirk from the witch who cursed him under her breath. He returned her act of defiance with a scowl.

    ¡°Thou forgetest thyself, craven witchling,¡± hissed Zosimos. He squeezed her body tightly, which caused her to wince in pain¡ªhis disgustingly moist breath forcing her to turn away as he talked. ¡°And for that I¡¯ll start by pulling thine arms from betwixt thy sockets!¡±

    Alma, slowly regaining her composure, reached for her pistol and aimed towards the sickening creature. Her finger shook hesitantly on the trigger. The last of her ammo, and it was a dangerous one. Unfortunately, her friend was in too close proximity to use something that would explode.

    Zosimos loosened his grip, and as he was ready to grab the young witch¡¯s arm with his free hand, he felt a strange heaviness creeping along his body. The area around where the witch¡¯s sigil was plastered had been slowly turning to stone. His inhuman blood ran cold.

    ¡°Whore! What hast thou done?!¡±

    ¡°What¡¯s it look like, you stupid shit?¡± Heloise continued smirking through the pain.

    He howled in anger as he struggled to move, the petrification having now reached his legs. He looked down at the staff the witch had dropped when he captured her.

    "No! The Smaragdine Staff! Where didst thou acquire that? Is that where this power cometh from?!"

    The witch nodded arrogantly. "You shouldn¡¯t leave legendary treasures just lying around."

    Zosimos roared and snorted violently. The monster was growing restless. Try as he might, he was no longer capable of wringing out the girl¡¯s innards. The stone curse was petrifying his flesh at an incredible speed. Soon he would be nothing but another lone adornment to the dark, terrestrial catacombs where not even a shadow was found to thrive.

    ¡°Thou thinkest tis thy victory? A middling win at best.¡± His mouth stretched open, enormous teeth parting. An unceremonious display as his elongated tendril once again slithered out from inside him. It twirled and wrapped itself around the witch¡¯s neck, coating her skin in its putrid saliva. The tip slid along her shoulder, pushing down the collar of her top and cardigan and revealing her bare shoulder.

    ¡°Almaaaaaa!¡± cried the witch. The girl was steadily losing confidence. At any moment the monster could snap her neck or encase it in a choking, heavy stone. At worst, he could even die molesting her.

    Alma struggled to get up. She was still reeling from the hits to her torso. As athletic as her body was, the force she received was staggering enough to keep her down.

    The tip of the monstrous alchemist¡¯s tongue rose up like a serpent. It began to open itself slowly, revealing rows of small denticles surrounding various squirming feelers that dripped venomously with a strange, viscous fluid.

    At the sight of the organ¡¯s disgusting transformation, Heloise''s relentless struggle to get free grew even fiercer. She couldn¡¯t begin to imagine what unfathomable acts the dying bastard would resort to for his final act in life.

    The markswoman strived in vain to aim her final shot at the writhing tentacle, but it moved quickly and struck deftly.

    In an instant, the horrible serpent-like maw of the tongue pierced into the witch¡¯s bare shoulder. Searing its vile brand into her skin and releasing its alien poison deep into her veins. Heloise released a blood-curdling scream that caused a rasping pain in her throat. Fear and loathing mixed together, making her regret ever journeying down this stupid rock. More often than not, she used the excuse of an adventure to lure her only dearest childhood friend to spend some time with her. To impress her and cause her to love her and think only of her. But now she regretted it all and thanks to the ever-increasing risks she took, it had caused her untimely end. And what was the point of trying to impress her bff if it meant her own death in the process?

    ¡°Keep your perverse fetishes away from my friend, you sick freak!¡±

    A solid punch, driven right into the face of the abomination known as Zosimos, delivered by Alma. She had rushed forward as quickly as she could¡ªher friend''s screams being the final straw to give her that final bout of strength. His long neck lurched back from the force of her fist, causing his tongue to unclasp the witch¡¯s flesh and loll backwards, loosening its waning stranglehold around the girl¡¯s neck. The monster groaned and choked weirdly.

    ¡°This cannot be!¡± His words almost insensible as he struggled to speak through protruded tongue. The spell of petrification was now rising up to his neck and enclosing his jawless head. ¡°I am Zosimos Sparagast! Who served under the great Adrammelech! Who was chosen by Neblinath, the Clouded One! And I am... a human¡­ being!¡±

    Zosimos spoke his last as the curse spread along his mouth and down his dangling tongue. His face frozen in a permanent look of horror. Heloise, who was still wrapped in his arms, was now stuck in a jail of stone spiral.

 Chapter 19: Blood from a Stone

    ¡°A little help?¡± Heloise stared expectantly at the markswoman.

    Alma, beaten and bloodied and rubbing her aching fist, let out her usual exasperated sigh. She grabbed her friend¡¯s fallen staff and poised herself, ready to strike at the rocky trap encircling the witch tightly.

    ¡°Hey! No, wait!¡± Heloise protested. ¡°Be careful with that! Alma, don¡¯t. Don¡¯t!¡±

    ¡°What then?¡± questioned Alma, staff in hand. ¡°We gotta get you out of there. Who knows what kind of infection you can get from a bite like that. Are you even okay?¡±

    ¡°I-I¡¯m fine,¡± lied the witch. ¡°It doesn¡¯t even hurt. But I¡¯d very much like to get out of this place once and for all before any more mutated old-timey assholes show up.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t jinx it.¡±

    Alma grabbed one of the burning torches from the wall and flipped it downwards to the ground, extinguishing its magic flame. Then, swinging it upward, brought it down on Zosimos¡¯s petrified arm. She repeated this a few times before the stone appendage began to crack and eventually break off. After that, it was a simple task of pulling the rest of the long, thin arm from around Heloise¡¯s body.

    The witch, now free, immediately reached for the cherished staff she had recently acquired. She hugged it tightly, as if it were a precious doll, and spoke sweet nothings into its invisible ear. All the while, her collar was being dyed in continuous strands of crimson blood.

    ¡°At least pay attention to what¡¯s important.¡± Alma tugged on the sleeve of her shirt and placed it over Heloise¡¯s wound, attempting to staunch the blood flow.

    ¡°I¡¯m important to you, huh?¡±

    ¡°Let¡¯s just go home already so you can get that thing checked out. My sister has some medical training, maybe she can fix you up.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯d rather play doctor with you instead,¡± the witch replied coquettishly, batting her eyelashes in an exaggerated manner.

    ¡°Shut up already, you dummy. We almost died! Imagine what would¡¯ve happened if you hadn¡¯t hired my services.¡±

    Heloise smiled and rested her head on the sleeved hand of her friend that was resting on her shoulder.

    ¡°Thanks for saving me, Alma.¡±

    ¡°You can thank me by bringing one of those torches along so I¡¯m not walking blind on our way out.¡± Alma chuckled softly. ¡°After seeing how scared you got, I¡¯d rather you not lead the way this time.¡±

    You might be reading a stolen copy. Visit Royal Road for the authentic version.

    Heloise backed away and frowned at her friend for the slighted remark. Silently, she went over and grabbed a torch with her free hand and thrusted it in front of Alma.

    ¡°Whatever. Let¡¯s just get out of this¡ª¡± Heloise froze mid-sentence. The emerald staff in her hand was emitting an eerie glow. Something was amiss.

    ¡°Heli?¡±

    ¡°Alma. Something¡¯s wrong. I-I can¡¯t move.¡± She looked down nervously at her feet. At some point, her left foot had been slowly encasing itself in stone. A worst-case scenario had presented itself.

    ¡°Oh no. What did you do? Was it the bite?¡±

    "I don''t think so. Maybe I fucked up the spell somehow? Shit. Merde ! Fuck! Please don''t do this to me now. After everything?" The young sorceress''s voice filled with a panicking terror once again. The skin of her leg was gradually encasing in stone. In her hand, the staff continued to emit a pulsing green luminescence.

    "Your staff. It''s your staff, isn''t it? Why else would it be glowing?"

    "N-No! Don''t be stupid. Why would my own staff betray me?" She giggled nervously while clutching the rod close. "We were both just heroes together. My staff loves me. It wouldn''t do this to me."

    "Then make it stop glowing. Make it stop doing whatever it is it''s doing!"

    "Haha. You think I didn''t just try that? Obviously this isn''t normal but it''s totes unrelated. Trust me. Crois moi."

    "Damn it, Heli." Alma reached for the staff in Heloise''s hand, only for it to be pulled greedily away. "Give. Me. The. Staff."

    "No! Mitts off!"

    Alma reached over once again and grabbed hold of the staff, pulling it and her friend''s arm roughly. Heloise dragged it right back to her chest, protesting loudly. A tug-of-war started between the staff that lasted roughly ten seconds before the energies of the thing began to concentrate elsewhere.

    As if responding to her desires, the stone curse had slowly began to encroach upon the witch''s fingers, making it virtually impossible to release the staff from her now petrified grip. Staring wide-eyed, Heloise was now left speechless.

    "See?! Why didn''t you let go?!"

    "I-I¡ª" She couldn''t find the words. Despite her friend''s warnings, Heloise had almost died acquiring this treasure of a life-time, and she''d be damned if she gave it up now.

    Alma tugged the head of the staff toward her, placed her pistol behind it, and fired her last shot.

    "Alma! NOOOOOOO!" She let out an ear-piercing scream.

    The staff''s emerald crown of serpents was shattered into millions of tiny shards¡ªits spectral green energies dissipating into the darkness. The rocky affliction that had been making its way across Heloise''s body had completely dissolved. There was a stinging pain in the witch''s eyes as she tossed the broken staff to the ground causing the tears to well up once again. Her chest was hurting. In attempting to save her life, her best friend had stabbed a knife into her heart and twisted it. An affront she wasn''t going to easily forgive.

    "Heloise. Are you okay? I''m sorry about the staff but it was the only way¡ª"

    Heloise''s gaze refused to look upon her friend as she spoke. With silent anger, she took off up the steps, not uttering a single word despite her partner''s constant protestations, until they made it back to the entrance of the cave. The sun had set, meaning the only source of light was now the torch in Alma''s hand. The witch, still quietly seething, pulled out her old staff, lit it and began walking away. After only a few steps, she stopped and slowly veered her head to the side.

    "Thanks for coming, Alma. Good luck in the war. "

    Uttering words dripping with disappointment, the witch marched somberly into the forest and vanished.

 Chapter 20: A Little Bird Told Me

    The three had been walking the path for quite a while now and only found more of the endless chromatic red and orange sea of trees ahead. Alma had been silent most of the trip, only speaking up whenever they ran into a familiar landmark, meanwhile Qu''l-Nia was off in her own little world, taking in mundane sights that all seemed incredible and ethereal to her.

    Frustrated with their navigator constantly brooding in her own thoughts, the Hecatian decided to break the silence.

    "What''s this mate of yours like, Alma?" asked Hwal¨ªn.

    "Huh?¡± Alma pushed a painful memory to the back of her mind. ¡°Uhh. Well¡­ She''s a bit¡­ She''s very¡­ S-She''s a handful. But it''s not her fault!"

    "It''s not her fault she''s a handful?"

    "Well, her father''s a scientist working for the Scarlet Church. Y''know, the type who gets way too into his work, then not having any time to spend with his family as a result. Her mom I never met. Left them when she was really young. Big surprise, huh? And of course that means she hates them both with a passion. Ended up going down the path of sorcery just to spite her dad."

    "Rebellious type, eh? There''s a familiar tale."

    "Yeah, so she''s a bit eccentric. Bit clingy. A little stuck-up.¡± She made a pinching motion with her fingers. ¡°But we''ve always been there for each other. Two crazy kids against the world.¡±

    "Makes me wonder what you did to scare her off."

    Alma chuckled nervously. "Friends fight. You know how it is. Although I guess the last time we went without talking for this long was back during her academy days."

    ¡°Academy? Your friend is a scholar?¡± asked Qu-l¡¯Nia, hovering over to them.

    ¡°Hey now. You didn¡¯t mention this friend of yours being loaded.¡±

    ¡°She¡¯s not. Her dad is. They moved to Malachias when she was around 10 years old. She used to run away from home a lot. Tried to impress the orphan kids with what little magic she knew. Snot-nosed brats didn¡¯t like it. But that¡¯s also around the time we met. She was the bullied and I, the outcast. A match made in Cockaigne.¡± Alma let out a small chuckle. ¡°We would get into so much shit together. Then one day she gets the bright idea to steal some of her dad¡¯s credit cards and pay the outrageous tuition for the magic academy. She grew tired of living under his thumb and wanted to make it on her own. Course she dropped out a year shy from finishing once she learned graduates are thrown into boring, menial jobs. Did you know most plumbers are wizards?¡±

    ¡°And she¡ªwhat? Just scampers off to live inna forest like some magic hermit?¡±

    ¡°No. She went straight home. And you know what her dad said? Absolutely nothing. Almost like he didn¡¯t notice she had gone. That was it for her, of course. After that, she packed up her things and with help from her academy training, moved all the way out here.¡±

    ¡°Then you two had some kinda squabble and now you haven¡¯t seen hide nor hair in over a year now, is that right?¡±

    "Y-Yeah."

    "Something the matter?"

    "No, I just keep replaying that moment over and over in my head and I keep wondering why we stopped talking in the first place and why I didn''t try harder to get back in touch¡­ I guess I figured things would''ve blown over by now. And then I got busy with military training and¡­ yeah."

    ¡°You childlings do tend to have a habit of overcomplicating the most frivolous of matters,¡± added Qu¡¯l-Nia. ¡°I am sure your friend has gotten over whatever petty argument drove you two apart by this juncture. And if that is not the case, would not now present the perfect opportunity to reconcile?¡±

    ¡°I guess you¡¯re right,¡± said Alma, now hovering over a large stone inconspicuously placed among the crimson Jacaranda trees. The sniper meticulously eyed the oddly-shaped stone before casting her gaze skyward.

    "Carthas, are you out there? Can you hear me? Heli hasn''t fed you to the wulfeites yet, has she?¡±

    ¡°Oh, if only,¡± came a disembodied voice from the trees. Deep and monotonous, there was a striking tone of resignation in its timbre. ¡°But why would she ever do anything beneficial for me?¡±

    ¡°Can¡¯t believe I¡¯ve actually missed your voice.¡±

    ¡°Alma? Who in the colorless berylands is that?¡± asked the confused Hwal¨ªn.

    ¡°I can¡¯t believe you came all the way here just to rub your new friends in that witch¡¯s face,¡± the voice cried mischievously. ¡°You mind if I watch?¡±

    An intense rustling came from one of the nearby trees above. A black figure shot forth from behind the leaves and flapped its large wings as it swiftly perched onto the stone in front of Alma.

    This story originates from a different website. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.

    ¡°There¡¯s the winged shithead I remember.¡±

    Roosting comfortably before them was a grand, black bird tilting its head around inquisitively, looking at them through blood-red eyes. Its wingtips were colored a brilliant golden, along with the crest that circled around the top of its head. A feature that Alma always thought looked like a tiny crown. It spoke from a long, serrated, iridescent beak.

    ¡°Ladies,¡± called Alma, turning to her companions. ¡°This is Carthas. My friend¡¯s¡­ let¡¯s say¡­ guard.¡±

    Hwal¨ªn raised a hand in greeting while Qu¡¯l-Nia looked on curiously. The Hecatian estimated the avian''s wingspan to be larger than Alma herself.

    "Alma, please,¡± protested the bird. ¡°We prefer to be called domovoi. I was summoned to make a pact with dear Heloise. Guarding the entryway to her domain is just one of my many spectacular roles. My newest of which seems to be that of unwilling audience. Every day now she comes to me wondering, what could Alma be up to? Do you think Alma is thinking about me? Why does she have no social media presence I can stalk? It''s all so tiresome. As if I enjoy soaring through freezing forests just to spy on you. But now you''re here, at last, to take back that whining twat! R-Right?"

    Alma smiled nervously at the other two girls.

    ¡°You are a Star Baron, are you not?¡± observed Qu¡¯l-Nia. ¡°It is interesting seeing your kind down here and not flying on the star-winds of the nyctorealms of Haast.¡±

    ¡°You know of my god?¡± The bird perked up. ¡°Alma, I like your new friend.¡±

    ¡°Yes, I would say I am well acquainted with him. He is of my kin, after all.¡±

    The black bird¡¯s red eyes widened in surprise. ¡°You¡¯re just casually hanging out with gods now, Alma? And you¡¯re bringing them right here to my doorstep? At least let me make myself more presentable!¡±

    Carthas closed his eyes and when they re-opened, they had turned a midnight black, along with a newly opened third eye that had appeared on his forehead. His golden crest swayed spectrally and wildly like a flame. The gilded color on his feather tips had spread to the rest of his wings that now shone brilliantly.

    ¡°May I ask what brings you to this humble witch¡¯s abode, my lady?¡± There was now an odd droning sound in his voice.

    Alma stepped between them. ¡°We¡¯re looking for Heli, because we need her help with something. Also, what the fuck, dude? I didn¡¯t know you could do that.¡±

    ¡°You lowly humans don¡¯t need to be privy to all our secrets.¡±

    ¡°Actually, I meant acting like a gentleman. After everything that¡¯s happened in the past few days, I¡¯m not even surprised about all this.¡± She made a motion with her hands.

    ¡°Right. Now I remember why you two were such good friends. You already know how this works, Alma. If you want in¡­¡±

    ¡°Oh yeah. What was it again? Some kind of password?¡±

    The bird spread his powerful wings wide and puffed out his chest. From his open mouth came a different voice this time¡ªthat of the witch Heloise,

    ¡°To gain entry into my domain, pray tell, what is divine nature¡¯s name?"

    Alma looked at Hwal¨ªn who shrugged and Qu''l-Nia who smiled but said nothing. The ex-soldier leaned in close toward the fiery bird-creature and let loose a single, quietly-named whisper,

    "Azotha."

    Carthas flapped his enormous wings and disappeared among the endless trees. Somewhere above the trio rang a loud, powerful cawing. A good distance in front of them, between the trunks of ageless, unspoiled trees appeared a single, elaborate, ivied window floating mysteriously in mid-air.

    "You know what they say about finding a lone window deep in the forest," remarked Alma.

    A strong gale picked up, forming a vortex of colorful, dead leaves all around them. It blew wildly across the wind-swept path, unveiling a long, arching tunnel festooned with gorgeous, kaleidoscopic flowers.

    "This friend of yours is something else," remarked the Hecatian.

    Alma chuckled proudly. ¡°She¡¯s always had a flair for the dramatic, that girl.¡±

    Qu''l-Nia had already begun walking down the flowery aisle, looking astonishingly child-like as she admired the magical reception Alma''s friend had put together. An action that seemingly belied her earlier scorn of human magic.

    The trip through the decorated tunnel was brief but it made each girl feel warm and happy, as if they were frolicking in a springtime dream. A mild blush rose to Alma''s cheeks as she remembered a distant memory from before. When Heloise had first constructed the long archway, not with magic or tricks but with simple reeds and branches. They had spent days collecting flowers and decorating the small road together. One of the few times Alma had fun doing something rather feminine. She didn''t speak up about her part in the construction, but it made her smile with how impressive they found it.

    Hwal¨ªn said nothing, but in her mind the flowers had brought back memories of her youth. The Hecatian had led a troubled childhood, living an isolated life with only her uncle to guide her. Different fates had pulled her away from her parents, each living separate, dangerous lives that had no place for the presence of a child. Yet that didn''t stop the young elf from finding herself engaging in her own perilous adventures. And the price that comes with them. Like during one such rambunctious folly where she was forced to sacrifice her only tail. Luckily the medicine of flowers had saved her. Flowers had a special meaning to Hecatians. Each one having a unique trait that cultivated growth and capability, reacting in wondrous ways with their biology. It was a matter of fact that their long lives and youthful looks were due in part to the medicinal advantages they gained from the romantic blooming of the planet.

    Qu''l-Nia, marveling at the flowered arches, was reminded of the twilit fields of her home. The eons she would spend prancing among enigmatic, ethereal meadows when she was still young and first discovering the freedom of a fleshless mind. She was always lauded as the showiest dancer among her fellow lightforms¡ªa title she cherished fondly. She would often travel deep into her ward universe to dance inside the cores of the brightest stars. A thermonuclear waltz that would time and again lead to the creation of glittering supernovae in the infinitude of space.

    As the three emerged from the short pass¡ªand their nostalgia¡ªthey were greeted with a quaint gothic cottage nestled comfortably below the lush undergrowth of an enormous orangewood bough.

    "Alma,¡± called the alien girl, ¡°that was a very delightful sensation I just experienced, but there was a distinct impression of magic at work.¡±

    ¡°Oh, that feel-good tunnel? Yeah, I love going through that thing. It¡¯s actually supposed to be another layer of security. Magic in the petals that pacifies any would-be intruders. I¡¯d say it¡¯s too much but damn if it isn¡¯t a good way to spend a lazy afternoon.¡± She expressed a languid smile.

 Chapter 21: The Scarlet Sisters

    Looking through the lattice windows of the cottage, one could spot any number of old-fashioned furniture and decor. Trinkets, souvenirs, collectibles, trophies and keepsakes, all sitting on fancy shelves from past treasure hunts and fanciful outings. Witcheries of a hermetic life filled the majority of her dwelling. A large layer of straw made up the roof of the cozy building¡ªA rather "retro flair," as she once put it. A large heart carved into the front door encapsulated the saccharine home of the sugary witch.

    Wasn''t she trying to get people to be scared of her? Alma mused. She may as well have had the entire walls made up of gingerbread at that point.

    She knocked on the fancy, arrow-shaped knocker in the center of the heart.

    "Hellooooo? Is the witch of the house in?"

    After a few moments, a listless, fair-haired young boy in his early teens answered the door.

    ¡°That you, Alma?¡± he asked cautiously, scratching his belly. ¡°What are you doing here? Heloise doesn''t want to see you."

    "Hi Bertrand. I know it¡¯s been a while but please, listen. I really need to talk to Heloise. I came here to apologize and¡­ I need her help."

    ¡°It¡¯s Bert.¡± Bert looked her over suspiciously. Then over to Hwal¨ªn and Qu''l-Nia.

    "Who are they?" he motioned.

    "I''m helping them with something important and we all need some magicky help from your sister now. Just trust me, it''s important."

    He looked over at Hwal¨ªn who winked at him.

    The boy scratched the back of his head, brows furrowed. It was clear he still didn''t fully believe Alma. But he also knew how badly his sister had needed her friend back.

    "She''s not here. She''s out. Hunting down some monster."

    "She''s hunting¡­? Since when does she hunt? She''s never wanted to go hunting with me unless treasure was involved," said Alma, sounding a bit irked.

    Bert shrugged. "She''s changed quite a bit since you''ve been gone. She''s been acting pretty reckless, I¡¯d say. Especially as of late."

    He glanced over at the other two before motioning Alma to lean in closer.

    "Sometimes, in the middle of the night, I''ll hear her across the house, talking to herself and chanting in some weird magic vernacular that doesn''t sound anything like her usual magic. It sounded a lot creepier¡­ a lot darker. I asked her about it one morning but she just brushed me off. As if I¡¯m not allowed to worry about her. And she always wakes up looking really drained. I don''t know as much about this hocus pocus stuff of hers because she refuses to tell me about any of it, but lately it¡¯s all just felt really ominous. I don¡¯t know what¡¯s been happening to her, maybe losing you from her life caused one of her already loose screws to fall fully out. The sooner you''re back in her life, the better."

    The young sniper sighed worriedly.

    "Well do you know where she went?" asked Alma. "It''ll help if I find her first. I doubt she¡¯s that experienced in hunting solo. Much less when it comes to monsters. Heli always bites off more than she can chew."

    The boy pointed East, towards a dark area in the trees.

    "Pretty sure she followed the Malsumis river downward towards the older part of the forest,¡± said the boy. ¡°It¡¯s been long enough that I actually am starting to get worried. She''s been gone a long time already. Another day and I might''ve called you up for help anyway¡­"

    "Don''t worry, Bert," reassured Alma. "We''ll go rescue your sister."

    "Your sister seems quite the handful," added Hwal¨ªn. "But put your fears to rest, lad. From what Alma''s told me, that witch can certainly handle herself a wee bit longer."

    <hr>

    The rickety carriage guided by the slow, hulking animal swayed uncomfortably as it rode up the icy mountain trail. The precious cargo being carried up through the mists of Mount Akhlut was none other than Zulema, accompanied by her two fellow sisters in madness, Marie and Lucia. They had been traveling for a couple of days now, through harsh, glacial terrain and were finally nearing the outpost where a small contingency of Malachian crusaders were in a stalemate battle with Kuranesian soldiers. Soldiers famous for employing hypnagogic traps that ensnared their enemies into a deep, comatose-like state. A technique that rapidly dwindled down the allied forces. It was the hope of the military that calling in one of the church¡¯s secret weapons, their own Sisters of Scarlet Clemency, better known as the Scarlet Sisters, would turn the tide and help secure a much-needed victory. The Church, however, does not simply hand a loaded gun to a witless child¡ªwithout good reason.

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    Now, riding high along the frozen cliffs, Zulema was steeling herself for a battle she was hoping she would never have to fight. When she wasn¡¯t conversing with her fellow priestesses about their daily lives or the mission to come, she would catch herself gazing unenthusiastically out the window¡ªthe rising elevation having caused her ears to pop. Staring at the miles of writhing trees twisting down below, she felt a slight reassurance that Alma was now prohibited from partaking in dangerous things like these, where only pain and suffering could flourish so succinctly.

    ¡°Oh, I¡¯ve never liked this mountain pass. I¡¯ve heard nothing but terrifying accounts of the fauna here,¡± complained Sister Lucia. The obvious worrywart of the three, she was only a year younger than Zula. Slight pockmarks ran down the side of her cheek. She was quite proud, however, of her long, brown hair which could only be described as ¡°silky,¡± and was the pride of the flock, second only to Zulema.

    ¡°I¡¯m not worried,¡± boasted the smiling Sister Marie. ¡°Zulie here is going to protect us if we manage to run into any trouble. More than I can say about the men, I¡¯m afraid. She is the best of us, after all.¡±

    Ever the motherly one and a few years older than the rest, Sister Marie was always quick to throw compliments to her fellow sisters-in-arms. With coral-pink lips and a fiery bob, she was the beauty of the convent that everyone aspired to. She would always build up Zulema¡ªwhose humble manner she always found grievance with¡ªbecause she always felt her altruistic disposition was hiding a selfless inner strength. And if you can¡¯t define your own self-worth, then who will? That was how Sister Marie was always raised to think.

    ¡°Oh, stop it,¡± laughed Zulema. ¡°I¡¯m no better than either of you. I¡¯m just a coward that knows how to hide better than most.¡±

    ¡°Really? Because in typical altruistic fashion, I heard you picked up your eighth stray this year. I don¡¯t know how you can live with those filthy things. They smell so awful.¡± Lucia gave Zulema a quick sniff.

    ¡°Lucia, don¡¯t be rude. Taking care of an animal requires great willpower and Zulie has that in spades. You should try it yourself, it would be a wonderful way to ingratiate yourself toward Lady Macha.¡±

    ¡°No thank you! The last time I got close to someone¡¯s pet, it bit me and I was bedridden for days. I¡¯m sure Macha would understand if I¡¯m a little adverse to that idea.¡±

    The two other priestesses laughed.

    ¡°Speaking of strays, word reached me of your newest tryst, Marie. Tell us, was he everything you¡¯d hoped he¡¯d be?¡±

    ¡°Zulie, please.¡± Sister Marie blushed. ¡°How did you even find out about that? You young ones do nothing but long and gossip about love instead of trying to find your own¡­ Well, you know me. I confess, I¡¯m the old-fashioned type. And he¡­ he was a dull-witted fellow who liked to pinch his wallet a bit too tightly. There¡¯s a deposit of my time I shan¡¯t be getting back.¡±

    Lucia groaned while Zulema whistled.

    ¡°I told you!¡± one whispered to the other.

    ¡°An-y-way. Let¡¯s go over what¡¯s important, shall we? Lucia, do you remember your objective for when we arrive?¡±

    ¡°Why, triage, of course. Our poor soldiers always seem to need a healing hand.¡± She faked a pitiful frown.

    ¡°And your thaumaturgical instruction¡ªshould you find yourself engaged with the enemy?¡±

    Lucia then flashed a wicked smile. ¡°Ego elimination. Ain¡¯t no room for confrontational thoughts within a crumbling mind.¡±

    Sister Marie gave her a satisfied nod.

    ¡°Zulie? Your objective?¡± she asked.

    ¡°I¡¯ll be compiling a detailed report from the station leader. Hopefully he can bring us up to speed on the strange things they¡¯ve been sighting around the area.¡±

    ¡°Strange things?¡± asked Lucia. ¡°Is the enemy already deploying some kind of new tech?¡±

    ¡°Actually, I overheard the prioress speaking about it earlier. That some of the laity had found a couple of enemy corpses. Mutilated beyond recognition. Most would assume animal attack but she seems to think otherwise.¡±

    ¡°Enough,¡± declared Marie. ¡°There¡¯s no use ruminating pointlessly of something that wasn¡¯t discussed with us. I¡¯m sure if it were something pertinent, they would have instructed us about it. Now, Zulie, if you will. Thaumaturgical instruction?¡±

    ¡°Taxisthesia.¡± Zulema now had a serious but vacant look on her face. ¡°If I chance upon the enemy, I will not hesitate to beguile their senses. They will not perceive us. Not unless I so choose.¡±

    ¡°Excellent! I don¡¯t know what I¡¯d do without you, Zulie.¡±

    ¡°Hey!¡± cried Lucia.

    ¡°As for me,¡± stated Sister Marie. ¡°I will be¡ª"

    The carriage had come to a stop, signifying to the three priestesses that they had arrived at their destination.

    ¡°We¡¯re here,¡± noted Lucia.

    "Come,¡± Marie said, beckoning them over. ¡°Let us get started."

    The three stepped out of the vehicle and waved the driver off as he continued on towards the base. Marie led the other two sisters in another direction, along an ancient trail lined with ruined pillars and long-dead lanterns. Far ahead of them stood a small chapel perched at the top of the highest hill, surrounded by the encroaching husks of dead trees and their twisting roots¡ªits spectral spire rising amid misty clouds in the decaying light of day. A ravenous swarm of monstrous and rotten-winged yinptero glided from their frozen roost above the steeple to hunt the coming night¡ªa sonorous cacophony of shrieks thundering overhead.

    As the hallowed trio edged closer, details of the cathedral¡¯s ancient stonework became frighteningly clearer. Sundering cracks scarring the building gave off a precarious impression. Sister Marie began unlocking the antique padlock securing the black doors of the church, while Zulema examined an aging plaque adorned to the wall. The worn letters were still clear enough to read without issue, "THE CHURCH OF THE ONE WHO SEES ALL."

    "Glory be," declared Marie as they stepped deep into the consecrated darkness.

 Chapter 22: Cognitive Dissonance

    The next morning came quickly. Zula had spent most of the evening dusting and cleaning the temporary living quarters she was assigned inside of the church. At the back of the building sat a wide altar that encased a gnarled, decaying tree¡ªa shrine that no doubt was once beautiful and flourishing. And at a moment during the night when a bout of insomnia had called to her, it was also where she sat when she decided to spend a little bit of time reading a new book she had purchased before the trip. Now, the sunless light of dawn had begun gradually creeping in through the grimy, opaque window and scarcely illuminating the cramped, dank room where she slept. It was a decrepit building that housed no electricity and the candles she had lit for light had gone out quickly during the night. The young priestess rose and sat up on the makeshift futon she had assembled using blankets she brought from home and proceeded to dress herself for the long day ahead. Along with a new, shorter black robe and a glimmering scapular that ran down the center of her body came a few new ritual accoutrements provided by Sister Marie the day previous. Small accessories that had been stashed away in secret church vaults intended for Scarlet Sisters during sacramental duty.

    Under the sleeves of her robe there was a newly affixed pair of gilded armored sleeves. The golden plating was replete with intricate, runic designs etched onto plating that reached up past her elbows. Her slender legs were fastened with similar golden plated boots that stretched just up beyond her thighs. In place of her old, dour blinder was now a sharp, golden-patterned visor that coalesced downwards into a keen, pointed end reaching just past her nose and completely shielding her eyes from view. Engraven on it were two, large ornate eyes.

    Leaning across from her was a long, jagged staff from whose top jutted out a curved, elongated blade. Zulema stared at herself reflected in the gleaming metal. She had hesitated to reach for it, despite being trained in its usage as a weapon for years at the priory. Eventually, she left it undisturbed in its corner of the room and exited the ancient chapel after checking the other rooms and finding no one. Her newly armored feet made heavy footfalls in the snow as she made her way down far afield towards the base where the soldiers of Malachias had been stationed.

    Below the snow-capped canopies, several men and women, garbed in their white tabarded uniforms, were scrambling left and right. The larger, surrounding outpost was walled in by spiked wooden logs and looming watchtowers on each corner. Among the throng of soldiers was an imposing, bearded gentleman that kept vigil from a portable desk, where he had also been going over piles of paperwork. Everyone immediately quieted down the moment they spotted the specially trained soldier of the church, Zulema, entering the base.

    ¡°Lieutenant,¡± called the gilded priestess, who had marched directly to the bearded man¡¯s table. ¡°The Scarlet Church has received your request for special aide. My sisters and I have arrived in response.¡±

    ¡°Sister. Right. It¡¯s good to see you.¡±

    ¡°And it¡¯s nice to see you and your soldiers are still standing. I assume you are aware that such requests for aid can only be rendered through extenuating circumstances. That being said, what is the standing situation report of the mission so far? And how can we be of assistance?¡±

    ¡°This would be extenuating circumstances and then some. Aside from the new toys the enemies have been putting out, we¡¯ve been losing contact with numerous of our squads, most during routine patrol. Normally I¡¯d chalk it up to enemy advancement catching our soldiers off-guard but there hasn''t been any enemy activity to speak of. And then the other day we had a¡­ situation.¡±

    ¡°What kind of situation?" She cocked an eyebrow.

    ¡°Well, around dawn that day, one of our scouting parties had a little run-in with the enemy.¡± The lieutenant sighed, trying his best to put into words what he¡¯d wanted to say. ¡°At least, something that used to be them.¡±

    ¡°Come again?¡±

    ¡°Bodies. Torn into pieces. Some were ripped from head to toe. Others were missing various parts, but I can blame the local wildlife for that one. What I can¡¯t blame on them is the massive slash marks across some of these remains. Nothing around here I¡¯m aware of could leave marks like that.¡±

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    Zulema frowned. It was the exact same situation she had heard about back home. But if this was the reason she was here, why didn¡¯t they tell her about it?

    ¡°We think whatever took out those men is also what got to our missing boys and girls.¡± He looked around nervously. ¡°Our scouts brought back what they could if you¡¯d like to take a look?¡±

    Zulema followed the lieutenant into the medical tent. At the far end stood Sister Lucia, dressed in a similar yet somewhat different robe distinctive from her own. Whereas Zulema was wearing a short robe with gold plated gloves and leggings, Lucia had donned a flowing black tunic dress, her armor colored an obsidian black marked with golden engravings. In place of her blinder, there were now flowing layers of black fabric twisting around her head and covering most of her face¡ªan aureate veil was peeking from between the spaces in the cloth. Her small ears poked out delicately, pierced by large golden rings. Completing the icing on this enigmatic cake was a golden wreath made of various sharp laurels in the shape of eyes sitting firmly on her head. She was methodically standing over a table and examining the remains of something that once resembled a human.

    "Zules!" came the voice from behind her veil, a peeking eye visible enough to express her joy. "What a disgusting mess we have here. Do you think those Kuranesian bastards actually got their hands on some kind of magical beast? And look at what it cost those idiots! There''s a reason we don''t employ those kinds of tactics here. Looks like they bit off more than they could chew."

    "Oh, Sister," called the Lieutenant. "I didn''t realize one of you was already back here."

    "Dismissed, soldier," stated Lucia. "We''re taking the reins from here. I''ve already done what I could for your soldiers here. They won''t be feeling any pain for a while."

    ¡°We will offer a prayer for them,¡± Zulema said to the lieutenant before turning to Lucia, mildly concerned. "You healed them all?"

    "In a way." She smirked behind her veil.

    The lieutenant left the two priestesses alone, a mark of confused irritation on his face.

    "It''s not like you to cut corners," remarked Zulema.

    "We''ve a more pressing matter, Zules. This situation clearly takes the priority cake. Those people know what they signed up for, and so do we. You can¡¯t conveniently forget your scythe every time you¡¯re confronted with a problem that¡¯s easier to just cut down, so woman up.¡±

    Zulema remained silent.

    ¡°It¡¯s reap or be reaped. We''ve got some serious battles to fight out there. And they''ve got theirs. The sooner our boys are back out there, the faster we win this war!"

    ¡°How did you heal those soldiers, Lucy?"

    "The injured? I simply made them forget the sensation of pain. Something you probably could''ve done with a lot less mental trauma now that I think about it. As for the comatose, they won¡¯t be feeling drowsy for a spell.¡± She pondered for a moment. ¡°Maybe Marie should''ve switched our assignments."

    "Lucy, we''re here to protect these people."

    "We''re here to put the fear of our Goddess into the enemy, which we currently cannot do with that damnable beast out there!¡±

    Zulema remained quiet once again. She was looking over at the bodies and praying silently.

    "Where is Marie?" the onyx-haired priestess asked finally.

    Sister Lucia slowly raised a severed hand between her fingers before unceremoniously dropping it back onto the table, the creases of her face behind the veil forming a look of disgust.

    ¡°How should I know? She was already gone when I woke up this morning. That woman gets up to her own devices when it suits her. She never did quite tell us what her objective was, did she?¡±

    ¡°No, just the importance of ceremonial wear and I doubt it was simply that. I¡¯m sure whatever objective the church set out for her was something she believed was best handled alone.¡±

    "Well, she is the one that''s supposed to be leading this mission, after all. But I still wish she''d clue us into what she''s planning. I so do hope it''s some dreadful new weapon to use upon the enemy."

    "Do you think she knows about the monster they''ve got roaming around?"

    "Who can say? Marie could definitely handle it herself though. And the less chance I have to run into it, the better."

    "Lucy. Perhaps it would be prudent of us to go and take care of that thing ourselves."

    "What?! Have you lost sense of your faculties? Did Macha bless you a little too hard? I know we revere madness but suicide is a little much."

    "They called us over here to help. Sooner or later our people are going to come up against that creature.¡±

    Lucia gave a dissatisfied grunt in response.

    "As it stands, we can no longer get close to the enemy to even fight."

    "Good! Maybe that beast will take care of them all for us."

    "What happened to ''womaning up'' and ''putting the fear of our Goddess into our enemies?'' I thought you wanted to bust some heads."

    "Argh!" Lucia yelled in frustration. "Can''t a woman be a hypocrite in peace?! Fine! But you''re bringing your weapon along this time!"

    "Naturally." Zulema smiled.

    "And! Since you''re such a fan of little vagabonds, you''ll be taking over teaching the catechism classes from me for the next month."

    "Lucy, I''d have volunteered for that anyway."

    "Goddess damn you!"

 Chapter 23: Alone in the Dark

    The priestess, whose fiery red hair stood out brilliantly from beneath a black habit coated in speckled snowflakes, was staring down the hollowed eyes of a hideous demon''s horrific countenance. Choked by frozen ivies, the petrified statue had been built into a dark cliff-face along with its twin brother, permanently standing vigil over a lumbering, stone gateway that seemed to originate from a primordial era of an unnumbered age. The ancient, lifeless guardians watched as the strange woman garbed in sacred clothing walked effortlessly through the entrance to reach the divine secrets and unknowable treasures hidden deep within. For Sister Marie, she was once again delving into a murky abyss for the sake of her Goddess. Another priestess festooned with the mark of her religion, the dark agent of Macha now wore a silken ebony dress hemmed with golden filigree. As was the case with her two subordinate priestesses, arm and leg were encased in dazzling, ceremonial armor and befitting her rank, she was additionally protected by a gilded cuirass that largely covered her neck and torso. Hiding her beautiful face was an equally beautiful golden mask adorned in golden laurels and covered in a diaphanous, black veil. In her hand was a long, thin golden rod that split and sprouted at the top like a tree bearing fruit in the shape of brilliant red gems dangling from each cold branch.

    The true objective of their journey, and one only she had been given the privilege of knowing, was the recovery of a time-worn artifact originally thought lost. A relic cast in nocturnal rites and ancient witcheries said to call down celestial bodies to decimate large areas¡ªor if someone were so inclined¡ªanything from vast armies to criminal empires. The Scarlet Church was, of course, too wise and too self-righteous to go about this course of action. A weapon such as that was deemed much too powerful and unnecessary for anyone to just use and even the wiliest religious oligarchs are judicious enough to know their limits. Use of a power like that would have every national leader, assassin and would-be thief in the world instantly knocking at their pearly gates.

    No, the retrieval of such a dangerous object was to secure it away from an even greater evil. It had all been briefed to her when she was first assigned this mission. Marie had been told of a sinister sect, oft attributed as the instigators of many of history''s more infamous moments¡ªthe kind of thing conspiracy theorists would have wet dreams about. They were a small religious order going by the name The Knights of the Lost Star, who were deemed nothing but insidious villains and anyone so much as suspected by the Scarlet Church of being associated with them would be executed on the spot.

    Sister Marie smiled, appreciating the service in her role. While on the surface, Malachias had its regular army to conquer countries and expand their empire, the Church had its own highly trained units of special forces to handle unique operations that required a more esoteric touch. Comprised almost always of priestesses, these operatives are trained from a young age¡ªgirls like Lucia, who are chosen especially from orphanages run by the Scarlet Church. Or on rare occasions, a girl from the outside, one who carries a devoted head between her shoulders, will drop into their laps. Girls who understand where the true power of the world lies¡ªgirls like Zulema. And largely the reason she was chosen by Marie to accompany her on this mission. Unlike Lucia, who relished the power given to her by her Goddess, Marie sensed in Zulema a kindred spirit¡ªa woman who humbles herself before the power she is given, who not only sees the beauty of a mad, irrational world but can truly see the world for what it is: wanting. And although she had been ordered to keep their true intentions a secret, a private lesson in cryptoarchaeology might serve as a reward for a job well done.

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    The footfalls of her golden greaves clanged loudly as she walked the dreary halls of the ancient vault. Ice-cold winds howled behind her, stopping short right at the point where she had entered. She felt relief that her mask had kept most of the chill air from cutting her face too deeply. Endless blizzards and great walls of ice kept this place hidden away from prying eyes and was only discovered thanks to an alchemical compass created by two of the Church''s head scientists, Antoine d¡¯Aulnoy and his assistant, Pierre. A brilliant young man yet too much like his partner, Pierre kept any and all persons at arm''s length, a quality that vexed Marie who had held a deep infatuation for him ever since she overheard him reciting an eloquent monologue of the broken state of the world and how a spark of chaos was its only salvation. Resplendent sentiments that resonated deeply within her maddening soul.

    Marie had now walked past various lifeless chambers filled with nothing but long-dead devices and forgotten memories. Accompanied by a deathly silence save for the occasional crunch of ancient bones beneath her feet. The first time had made her jump, evoking immense embarrassment at her overcautious demeanor. She had expected at least a tiny bit of security¡ªsome form of resistance to her sudden intrusion¡ªyet all she found were cold and barren walls. She walked cautiously past every dark corner and stopped deliberately at every door, but in the end, not a single obstacle had tried to bar her way. And instead of bringing her relief it only served to make her feel uneasy. Something so powerful must have some sort of manner of defense to prevent its theft. Her mind could not accept otherwise. And the only logical conclusion was that she had arrived too late.

    As if in answer to her revelation, she finally entered into a room much larger than all the others¡ªsituated at the very far end of the maze-like dungeon. An abyssal darkness filled the area, making it impossible to see the edges of the room. It reminded her of a certain underground room in the cloister where she had trained as a young asylum acolyte, only much uglier. Despite the freezing winds of the outside, the large chamber was also inexplicably hot. A warm, humid pressure that encroached on Marie like the bitumen breath of some ghoulish blasphemy wrought in venomous flesh.

    ¡°You¡¯ve too much imagination, Marie¡­¡± she told herself.

    The gilded soldier took a deep breath through the special filter in her mask, inhaling the warm air around her and breathing it back out¡ªthe only action she could think of to put the horrifying notion to rest. Soothing her for but a moment before the crumbling of stone above alerted her fight-or-flight once more. She swallowed, turning her head slowly upwards. She was ready to fight, if need be, but she had no way of knowing what primordial guardian she would be facing or if her thaumaturgy stood any chance in helping her win.

 Chapter 24: They Might Be Giants

    Her gaze shifted from one end of the dark ceiling to the other. She saw no movement, but something strange had caught her eye. Above the large entrance she had come in from, two large holes, the length of at least two people apart, had been crumbling slowly. Something had been placed in them until only recently, but Marie was unable to determine what. The feeling of unease returned. Unease that quickly grew into panic and anger when she came upon the freshly killed corpse lying further in. A butchered male, much like the soldiers from before, wearing shredded robes that resembled those of the Knights of the Lost Star. She cursed her ill-timing.

    Marie held onto the lingering hope that perhaps they had fought the vault¡¯s defenses to a standstill and eliminated each other in the process. Hopes that were soon dashed, as she reached the back-end of the charnel room only to uncover a nightmarish sight.

    ¡°By the mad maidens¡¯ moons¡­!¡±

    It seemed to be the final ancient defense that divided intruders from their bounty. An immense, cyclopean gateway whose door, seemingly meant to block out anyone from entering, was now sitting ajar. To describe it, its magnitude could easily fit an entire crowd through the open crack. What had horrified Marie wasn¡¯t the sheer size of the door, however, but that embedded within it was the large torso of a humanoid behemoth. Its arms held aloft and violently nailed to the door. An unclear face wrapped in rotting bandages and a jaw hanging by loose, leathery skin. The titan was killed at some point by the enormous blade stabbed through its heart, the gaping wound still fresh. The door-giant lay there, a lifeless relic, unable to fulfill whatever duty it held during its long-lived history. And with his passage now opened, Marie realized she had arrived too late.

    The priestess rushed in, racing down dark corridors with endless ceilings. Her mask helped enhance the semblance of supernatural light that was recently lit to guide the previous intruders. At the end, she found herself face to face with an arched, wooden door that was much smaller than the previous one¡ªalready opened and invaded and revealing an ancient temple inside. Strange pillars surrounded the room along with long abandoned chiseled altars made with the express intent of hosting abhorrent and unnatural ceremonies. One such altar presented itself with an empty pedestal that Marie believed recently held the dangerous artifact she had been searching for. Angry and pensive, she ran back out towards the large chamber to once again inspect the corpse of the fallen knight for any clues he might have held. But upon entering, she noticed something that sparked another unusual sense of dread within her. What first appeared to be a discoloration along the high walls of the chamber were actually rows of long steel links of considerable size bored deeply into the ancient rock¡ªfrightening tools of imprisonment meant to bind the terrible dark titans that once terrorized the land. Marie thought back to the living door and felt relief that whatever creatures were once chained here still paled to its colossal size.

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    The further in she looked, the more rusted shackles she could perceive in the darkness above¡ªstill wrapped crushingly around desiccated remains and rotting mammoth bones. The chains seemed to circle around the entire chamber, evoking a strange dungeon-like feel. But unlike the panopticon back home, where they kept the vilest of captives, this place had more of a ritual feeling. As if the monstrous prisoners were forced to bear witness to whatever strange, eldritch rites were once held in this room.

    Making her way to the other side where she had entered, she remembered the distinct pair of crumbling gaps above. The mystery of what they once held now unfortunately obvious. And with no sign of any fallen chains below, there was a startling possibility that a once imprisoned behemoth of old was now set loose upon the world.

    Taking one last look at the dungeon around her, she began to notice not just the single fallen knight from before, but a multitude of them. Hordes of dead bodies littered the dark chamber floor, all freshly slain. Whatever had escaped had left a bloody trail in its wake.

    She desperately searched the corpses for any sign of the missing artifact, but her thorough inspection came up completely empty in the end. It took her a couple more hours to finally make it back to the entrance, where the blackened sky and frozen clouds of night greeted her.

    Marie checked her Scarlet-Strap, a private line of communication that all the priestesses used, to get an accurate reading of the current time and noticed she had received several missed calls. Being as far underground as she was, it seemed her watch''s signal had been blocked until the very point where she made it back to the surface.

    ¡°Surely you could have waited a single day for me to return, Zulie.¡± She said aloud while checking the private channel on her device where reports from the others are usually recorded and transcribed.

    "Report for me, please."

    A synthesized voice emanated from her device.

    ¡°You have 10 new messages.¡±

    Marie grew slightly worried. It wasn¡¯t like someone as experienced as Sister Zulema to spam her watch with messages, especially with how little the girl interacted with the others in the Scarlet Sister group chat that Marie would constantly try messaging her over.

    The shaken and staticky voice of Sister Zulema cut through the silence of the midnight air, ¡°Sister Marie!! ... Kzzt¡­ Code Scarlet! We¡¯ve made contact with¡­Bzzt¡­ Eleutheromania class entity. It¡­ Bzzt¡­ Sister Lucia! She¡­ She¡­Bzzt¡­!¡±

    The majority of the messages were incoherent and practically unintelligible due to some unknown interference. The final message seemed to be Zulema scrambling to dictate her position and a possible farewell to her sister. Whatever creature they had encountered must have damaged her communications watch.

    ¡°What happened¡­?¡±

    Marie turned back to the doors behind her¡ªa warm, howling draft bellowed from deep within.

 Chapter 25: Silhouette

    "Zules, it''s been hours and we''ve seen neither hide nor hair of this damnable creature," whined Lucia. "And I''m starting to get a bit hungry. Those rations we brought along were barely enough to fill an orphan''s bowl. I would know."

    The two shining priestesses had spent most of the morning retracing the routes taken by their scouts in search of their mysterious predator in the hopes that they could quash any further attacks that led to the death of their Crusader comrades. A very deadly and very strange being was on the loose in the forest and despite Lucia''s reservations, Zulema felt it their duty to eliminate all malevolent threats that would put the young, inexperienced Malachian soldiers in any sort of mortal danger. She took her role as a Scarlet Sister very seriously, and what''s a Sister for if not protecting the young, inexperienced soldiers who sign up for warfare without knowing the harsh, bitter truth of it?

    "I thought they were pretty good actually. The dry food has a sharp taste that really sticks inside your mouth and becomes very savory," replied Zulema sincerely.

    "Right. I forgot you had the palate of a ninety-year-old. This is what happens when you spend so much time training with that old crone."

    "High Priestess Maribel is a paragon of blistering madness that has instructed me on the key principles of monastic living¡ªor as she likes to call it, madnastic¡ªand it would behoove you to do your own brushing up on our asylum doctrines¡ª-"

    Zulema''s preaching came to a halt after realizing Lucia''s presence had suddenly vanished during their conversation. Tightening her grip on her scythe, she cautiously surveyed her surroundings. The two priestesses had traveled quite a bit of ways away from the military base and their church and had been up to that point casually strolling through unfamiliar territory. It wasn''t difficult for the slightest disturbance to cause Zulema to tense up.

    "Lucy¡­?" Her voice echoed beneath her helmet. "Did you discover something? You know you ought to at least notify me when that happens¡­"

    Zulema shuddered as the wind blew menacingly through the jagged trees. As she looked around, there was a brief moment when the swaying of dead branches seemed almost erratic, chilling her to her core. She had been so used to handling these strange missions in a group that now that she was all alone, the young scarlet priestess couldn''t help but feel partly helpless. It was a deeply irritating and irrational sensation that attempted to shake a resolve so steadily put together just hours before. It was simple for her to act solo when her missions involved espionage and gathering reports, but in dangerous situations such as hunting or assassinations, she would always take more of a support role while letting her partners be the ones who got their hands the dirtiest. It wasn''t something simply done out of cowardice¡ªas Zulema''s extensive scythe training could attest to¡ªbut rather, she felt it more of a pragmatic choice. It was where she felt her skills were best suited. So then it becomes difficult for her when she finds herself in a conceivably deadly situation with no one by her side.

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    Zulema once again called for Lucia, wishing silently that she remains hale and hearty and only oblivious to her calling due to being engrossed in some strategic brainstorm as she often does. But as the priestess of Macha continued the search for her partner, she quickly began to sense a disturbing aura in the air. It started with a strange buzzing noise¡ªan incessant droning that filled the cold, silent atmosphere. A rising timbre that grew alongside her dread. It had gotten to a point where she was unsure if the sound was in her head or all around her. It took the powerful gust of a breeze to knock her back to her senses. It was once again quiet, aside from the howling of the wind. She continued onward, slowly, calling out to her missing partner. The white willows vibrated along with the increasingly strong winds, batting against her armored body as if mocking her, rushing to push her out of their home. Zulema¡¯s concern for her partner only intensified as she moved farther from where she had last seen her.

    The blizzard¡ªgrowing ever more ferocious¡ªforced the young priestess to continue onward until finally the singular presence of a figure just beyond the trees, in the shadow of their large boughs, appeared before her. Zulema, gripping her scythe tightly, smiled beneath her visor, relieved that she had finally found her friend¡ªor perhaps it was she who was found after traversing the wild snow. The shadowed silhouette of her partner, vibrating erratically like a haze, was beckoning to her¡ªsurely alleviated that they had not been separated for too long in the middle of a mission. The figure was dead silent, yet there was an echo in the air that reverberated from her. As Zulema began to pick up the pace to run steadily towards Lucia, she suddenly felt a firm grip on her shoulder hold her back. The somewhat battle-ready girl jumped around with a start.

    ¡°Sorry ¡®bout that, Zules. Went to take a leak behind some trees and you know what a pain it is to get these damn pants off once you¡¯ve put them on. I was literally freezing my ass off the whole time.¡±

    It was Sister Lucia, standing stoically in front of her, as if nothing had happened. The blizzard had come to an abrupt stop and the speed of the winds returned to a calm breeze. Zulema, noticing the trees around her, quickly realized she was back at the spot where she had first lost sight of Lucia.

    ¡°Something wrong? I don¡¯t think I took that lon¡ª¡±

    The still confused Sister Zulema cut her partner¡¯s line short as she rushed to embrace her. The melding of their armor making for a somewhat awkward hug, but it was something she easily disregarded.

    ¡°Whoa, Zules. You know there¡¯s no way for me to wash my hands out here, right? Hey. Doesn¡¯t seem like you to get frightened without me. I miss something?¡±

    ¡°No, I think it¡¯s just the cold making me feel disoriented. The air here¡¯s kind of suffocating, isn¡¯t it?¡±

    ¡°Now that you mention it, this place does feel pretty eerie. I swear I was hearing a bunch of weird noises earlier. Let¡¯s hope it doesn¡¯t come to us needing to patrol this place after sunset.¡± She began to mumble under her breath, "I swear one of those damn soldiers better not have been watching me while I was relieving myself¡­"

    "Lucy, look!" Zulema hastened to change the subject, pointing at something a few feet ahead of them.

 Chapter 26: Wheat from the Chaff

    Half-buried in the snow was a strange looking contraption with several visible metallic parts. Zulema swung the snath of her scythe around and cautiously tried poking the device with the end while Lucia watched on silently.

    At the slightest touch from the scythe¡¯s bottom, various visible gears inside the contraption turned rapidly and a large puff of sand was dispersed into the air from a small funnel at the top. The two girls took a few steps back, trying not to let any of the strange cloud reach them.

    Zulema looked over to Lucia without saying a word and motioned to the circular scarlet device seamlessly embedded into the wrist of her armor. Designed to look like a solemnly closed eye, the oculus opened to reveal a high-tech screen with various archaic religious passages scrolling across the display. In contrast to the gilded sleeve¡¯s antiquated design, the proprietary contrivance was a modern conception supplemented alongside the advent of technology and was used strictly between the higher clergy of the Scarlet Church.

    Tapping the screensaver a number of times to bypass the extra layer of security, a small, holographic glyphpanel materialized above the screen, allowing Zulema to begin swiping an encoded message to the other priestess standing next to her.

    Lucia followed suit and repeated the same motions with her own device. A silent conversation passed between the two through their Scarlet-Straps.

    Z: It¡¯s one of their traps.

    L: i can see that

    L: i guess its safe to assume no one else has been by here

    Z: Except those soldiers. I think this might be a perfect chance for us.

    L: to ambush??

    L: and interrogate?? ??????

    Z: Mm.

    Z: We might be waiting her a while though. Who knows when they¡¯ll come by to check on it.

    Z: here*

    L: whatever gets me action fastest! you knoe ive been dying to use my shooting star ??

    L: if i cant break a mind i can always crack a skull!! ??

    Z: Follow me.

    The pair moved soundlessly to a suitable spot between the trees nearby and prepared to stand by like predators hunting for their prey. They remained silent while they waited, communicating solely through their devices. Zulema rarely, if ever, sent typed messages to friends, much less so during work for the Church. It all felt quite impersonal to her, preferring the old-fashioned methods, except in moments when she found it totally necessary. Even with Alma, she found it easier to just call her¡ªfinding the familiar sound of her sister¡¯s voice to help keep her heart and mind steady during her otherwise volatile life. Therefore, she found it quite ironic that in the course of important missions¡ªwhere personal contact was strictly prohibited¡ªwere when she needed that reassurance most of all.

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    The two priestesses found themselves waiting for hours in what would normally be harsh, unrelenting conditions. Of course, the Church were nothing if not prepared for situations where their holy assassins found themselves at battle with the inhuman elements. The replete runic engravings found on their armor actually served a much important purpose. The first of which was to keep the wearer at a constant, comfortable temperature¡ªas well as keeping them invisible to any sort of infrared sensors or thermal-detecting magical augmentations.

    The murky light of the sun had completely vanished by the time the sounds of crunching snow had alerted them to the presence of enemy soldiers closing in on the vicinity. Zulema had found herself fresh out of viable topics for conversation with her partner and was beginning to scramble for anything to talk about. The screen of her strap had quickly begun to fill with a surge of ¡°Snore¡± emojis before the incoming swell of foreign voices knocked her partner Lucia out of her reverie and had set her on high-alert. The two tilted their heads and fixed their ears in the direction of the growing presence of their foes¡¯ footsteps accompanied by what could only be described as mundane conversation. Being that they were neighboring countries, both warring provinces shared a language, albeit with a slightly differing dialect. As such, Zulema could easily understand the flow of their dialogue.

    ¡°Perhaps this time the prey will have stayed in the trap, rather than being sniffed out by their fellow Malachian perrin,¡± spoke a laidback voice.

    ¡°Aye, brother. We cannot afford any more losses after what those bastards did to our poor comrades. They still have not fucking found Ishvar¡¯s head,¡± spoke the second voice, much gruffer than the first.

    ¡°It was with the Yellow King¡¯s blessing we could even identify his sorry ass,¡± spat the first voice before letting out a pained laugh. ¡°That was still intact at least.¡±

    ¡°It was for the best. At least now he won¡¯t have to experience the pain of learning of his wife¡¯s whoredom.¡±

    ¡°Hoh? Was she fucking someone besides you?¡±

    ¡°Well it would sure as shit explain this itch!¡±

    The two men laugh, louder than before.

    ¡°Piss!¡± shouted the gruff-sounding solider. ¡°There¡¯s nothing here! Brother, come help me refill the damn trap!¡±

    His partner soldier attempted to answer, only to find his tongue had lost all sensation. An intense feeling of pins and needles replaced all feeling in his mouth. What came from him instead was a frenzied glossolalia of words.

    ¡°What? Speak up, asshole!¡±

    The panicked soldier with his useless tongue ran to his partner only to tumble forward face-first into the icy snow, the sensation quickly draining from his legs.

    ¡°Brother! Are you having a stroke? What¡¯s the matter with you?!¡±

    Only gibberish escaped the lips of the increasingly distressed soldier, who was futilely attempting to keep his body from fully collapsing into the deep, freezing ground. A loud, sickening crunch then silenced his voice completely.

    A dark, elongated object covered in hefty, metallic spikes had embedded deeply into the back of the skull of the grounded soldier. A horrified expression had frozen on his face at the moment of impact, red tears running down one eye that was now bulging abnormally out of its socket. Crimson blood and brain matter splattered the already filthy snow surrounding his freshly slain body.

    The spiked oblong gruesomely buried into the dead soldier¡¯s head was attached to a chain that connected to a long, brass handle that was currently being held by a dark figure in a hooded veil.

    ¡°Hah? Gatin caught your tongue? Phew! That tongue wagging was getting annoying!¡± cried Lucia. The priestess was standing over the fallen soldier, in her hands was the handle of her weapon. ¡°There¡¯s nothing like threshing the brain from a Kuranesian head.¡±

    The hooded priestess tugged at the striking end of her buried weapon, pulling the head of the dead soldier along with it before letting it slink back down into the snow. The menacing woman gave another forceful yank, detaching her bloodied weapon from the shattered skull and proceeding to spin the flail over her head. Extra bits and gory remains were sent flying onto the surrounding trees, coating the frozen bark in a warm, gooey mess.

    The sickening display sent the gruff-sounding soldier tumbling back into the snow.

    ¡°What matter of demon are you?!¡±

    ¡°Oh, comrade. The answer to that isn¡¯t going to matter in a minute.¡± Lucia stared deep into the enemy¡¯s eyes from the single, ocular opening in her silken veil. The color of her iris began to intensify in an eerie scarlet glow, while the pupil in the center began to quickly rotate. ¡°I¡¯m asking the questions here now.¡±

 Chapter 27: Keep an Open Mind

    ¡°Scarlet... Sister¡­!¡± he gasped. ¡°No!¡±

    The soldier felt the neurons of his brain firing rapidly. A forceful compulsion had begun to take root inside of his mind.

    ¡°Firstly, what have you been doing with our soldiers?¡± inquired the veiled sister.

    ¡°Your¡­ soldiers¡­?¡± he mumbled loudly.

    ¡°Yes. Malachian soldiers. You¡¯ve been catching them in your traps.¡± Lucia¡¯s voice had taken on a hypnotic tone. ¡±Have you sick bastards been feeding our boys to your new toy monster?¡±

    ¡°Monster¡­? There is¡­ no monster¡­¡±

    ¡°ANSWER ME!¡± she shouted, her brow furrowing in anger. The flaming color in her eye grew more intense.

    ¡°There is no monster!¡± The soldier¡¯s voice grew stronger. He would have attempted to raise himself back up, were his legs not insensate. ¡°You¡¯re the ones¡­ massacring our men¡­ and leaving their remains for us to find¡­!¡±

    Lucia¡¯s gaze softened. She looked over at Zulema who shrugged in response.

    ¡°I guess that answers one question,¡± mumbled the onyx-haired priestess, hand outstretched towards the hypnotized soldier. Her eyes, still hidden by her visor, had also begun to glow a faint scarlet. ¡°So, the other important question that remains is¡­¡±

    ¡°I ask again. What have you done to our soldiers?¡± Lucia¡¯s forced mental inquiry continued. ¡°Where have you taken them?¡±

    ¡°They¡­ are nothing but sleeping husks now. The interrogations¡­ proved useless. The special doses¡­ Their dreaming minds are now¡­ fodder for the faceless one. We dare not¡­ speak his name.¡±

    ¡°What the fuck?!¡± Zulema growled. She gripped her scythe and angrily thrust the blade into a nearby tree, burying the tip deep into the wood. ¡°You idolatrous pieces of shit! How could you?! That fraudulent demon you serve will someday lead to the ruinous downfall of that anathema you call a country!¡±

    The soldier, in spite of the strong, external influences on his mind, had managed to let out a strained guffaw.

    ¡°At least¡­ our soldiers have the decency¡­ not to force themselves onto your women.¡± He smirked dizzily.

    Zulema grit her teeth painfully.

    Lucia clasped her hand onto the soldier¡¯s head, bent down, and looked deep into his eyes. Her gaze had grown bloodshot and a strange, dark blackness had begun invading the whites of her eyes.

    ¡°W-What are you doing?¡± he stuttered. As he gazed at the hooded priestess¡¯s scarlet iris, he began to feel a grave sense of confusion. Synapses in his brain had begun collapsing in droves. Neurons were firing much too rapidly now, causing aneurysms to burst inside his skull. The soldier¡¯s understanding of reality had quickly begun breaking down around him, making his surroundings melt inextricably. His sclera had begun pooling with blood while his vision had blurred to the point of near-blindness. Nausea bubbled in his stomach as he struggled to speak¡ªfoam spewing from his mouth. The gruff soldier collapsed into the snow, body seizing.

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    ¡°And that¡¯s the end of my fun,¡± lamented Lucia. She scooped up a handful of wet snow and rubbed down the face of her weapon with it, washing the remaining blood with a look of indifference. The eye peeking through her hood had returned to its usual dour shade of pale yellow, the previously encapsulating darkness surrounding her iris was now seemingly gone.

    Zulema didn¡¯t respond, still silently seething with anger. The gloomy priestess was never a big fan of the way Lucia could so casually destroy a person¡¯s mind without remorse, but in this instance she had felt it was much more than he deserved. Sure, he would die with a blinding pain in his head unlike anything he had ever felt before, but he would die completely unaware that it was happening. And that, to Zulema, felt like too much of a kindness after he had confessed to the revelations of his peoples¡¯ shocking experiments.

    ¡°Still angry, huh?¡± asked the perilous priestess, carefully folding her medium-sized flail. ¡°I had almost forgotten about that temper of yours. Wanna kick him? ¡­Sorry I wasn¡¯t much help. You know, aside from killing them. Would that I could also read minds, but at least now we know there is no monster. Right?¡±

    ¡°What on Sarracas do you mean?¡± Zulema¡¯s voice came out in a low and gravelly tone before rising in anger, ¡°He knew nothing about the monster. His people all assumed we were behind those mutilations and he said that we had been doing it to their men, not ours!¡±

    ¡°Who knows what he actually meant? He might believe he¡¯s speaking truths, but you know the downsides of my thaumaturgics. It doesn¡¯t account for personal biases or beliefs. What if their bosses were up to some human experimentation or sacrifices for their so-called god and were drying up on supply of enemy bodies? Their soldiers are willing to die for them in battle, so why not poke their hand into their own cookie jar and mutilate a few friendlies to appease their demon?¡±

    ¡°Then by that logic, there could actually be a monster even if they didn¡¯t necessarily believe in one.¡±

    ¡°Why are you so dead set on this monster theory anyway?¡±

    ¡°So suddenly it¡¯s a theory?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m just saying, maybe we shouldn¡¯t jump to conclusions?¡± Lucia sighed and began to walk forward with no particular direction in mind. ¡°I really can¡¯t handle wild animals. They repulse me. I don¡¯t like thinking about them! I don¡¯t like looking at them! I know I¡¯ve told you this story before, but a childhood spent in a cold, lightless orphanage is no life for a little girl.¡±

    ¡°Lucy¡­¡±

    ¡°The beds stunk. It was always freezing. The food was shitty.¡± There was a solemn, faraway look in Lucia¡¯s eye. ¡°And every night¡­ the filthy little vermin came out to play. Ugly, hairy rattin with disgusting rotted tails on the verge of falling off, always biting at my toes¡ªSometimes worse places when I actually managed to sleep. I never figured out how they managed to thrive in such a shithole. When the church offered me succor, I couldn¡¯t get out of there fast enough.¡±

    ¡°Macha is always there for those in need,¡± remarked Zulema, sympathy pangs in her heart. ¡°That¡¯s right. She saved you.¡±

    Lucia, the veiled priestess, walked quietly out into a clearing just beyond the trees. She looked up at the night sky and stretched her black-armored arms outward. She was a perfect agalma, basking in the ethereal light of the twin maiden moons that hung still in the sky. They looked down at her, like a pair of protective eyes safeguarding them and their mission. The beauty of their cosmic radiance gradually reaffirmed her faith in her Goddess and all she had done for her.

    ¡°You''re right, Zules,¡± she called out to her partner, turning in her direction. ¡°Beast or not, I¡¯m going to make those bastards pay. I¡¯m going to make them all pay.¡±

    ¡°I can¡¯t imagine being able to do it without you.¡± Zulema smiled, watching in awe before gradually turning her gaze towards the trees. There was a movement she caught from the corner of her eyes.

    A large, thundering blur came zooming out of the darkness, rushing past Lucia and knocking the scarlet priestess to the ground before disappearing once more among the trees¡ªthe impact on her armor as it charged into her made a resounding thud.

    ¡°Lucy¡­? Lucy!¡±

    The snow around the fallen priestess was slowly running crimson with her blood. Her cries were strained as she struggled to breathe after the sudden blow had knocked the wind out of her. Until finally, she let out a scream loud enough to startle the birds from their nests.

    ¡°MY ARM!¡±

    Her screams of pain continued.

 Poll Time + Chapter 28 preview: Who is your favorite character?

    ¡°Lucia!¡± The preciously rotund lad called out to her. ¡°How¡¯d you sleep? Was my blanket enough to keep you warm?¡±

    "It helped I guess," replied Lucia, sitting up in bed and shaking her hair clean. "Hugo, what time is it? Did you eat breakfast yet?"

    Who am I kidding? Of course you did, she thought, looking away and trying to conceal a smirk.

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    "It''s 4 after sunrise. Everyone ate breakfast an hour ago."

    "And I suppose no one was kind enough to save me any, were they?"

    "W-Well." The boy blushed. "I hid a hardboiled egg, just for you. I figured you''d probably sleep through again."

    He handed her the egg, which she began to peel at furiously.

    "Is this it?" She looked unsatisfyingly at him for a second. "Well, thank you. You''re the only one that seems to do anything for me in this dump."

    "Me? No, of course. No problem! Sorry I couldn''t get you more. I was barely able to sneak away with that extra egg. I''ll just give you mine next time. You probably need it more than I do."

 Chapter 28: Little Orphan Lucy

    Chill air blew in through the broken window above the young girl¡¯s bed. There were times when she would wake up and find small flakes of frost coating her coarse, brown hair. Those were the real bad times. Her bed had been labeled Bed 3 in row F, the final row, and unfortunately for her, the one right below the window with the broken, dangling shutters. Not that dinky, wooden shutters would have done a good job of keeping the freezing outside air from seeping in, but it would have been better than nothing. It was a constant problem that the adults continuously put-off. Whether it was done out of malice, neglect or sheer laziness, she could never surmise. The one and only courtesy she had been shown in an attempt to remedy the problem was being allowed an additional blanket for her bed. It was a pathetic excuse for a rag, but at least with the extra covering there was somewhat of a sizable difference. It was one of the few small victories she relied on to prevent her from completely breaking down.

    She never really found anything good to say about the orphanage she was in. It was a very old, very decrepit gothic-styled building constructed of weathered stone that had been operating on the street for centuries, taking in and spitting out a countless number of children since its conception. One of the many state-run institutions that, after a while, tends to become less of a benefit and more of a hindrance to the country in terms of resources. For each new orphan, there was an ever-increasing strain on the desire for charitable donations and while the Scarlet Church did what they could, there was only so much capital they were willing to part with. Moreso was it a problem in a militaristic nation like Malachias, whose children were often victims to the loss of parents to war¡ªeither directly or indirectly. A fact that lamentably extended to the young girl¡¯s parents as well¡ªlamentable if she could remember even the tiniest bit of detail about them. She could at least count her lucky stars that the parents she had never known, along with being minor casualties of war, had also both been soldiers. Soldiers that had fought and died in some such battle or another to capture/liberate¡ªthe details hadn¡¯t exactly mattered enough for her to remember. No¡ªto her, they had just been two irresponsible humans in a dangerous occupation who went and made the idiotic decision to conceive a child¡ªand therein lies where she struck out. For being a soldier of Malachias came with certain benefits and one of those grim but lucky benefits had afforded her a slight bit of privilege. The serendipitous privilege in the form of not being another beggar child on the street.

    It was an unfortunate circumstance that most of the children in the orphanage shared. But shared tragedy does not always a friendship make. Despite her many attempts at making friends, most of the children were too busy wallowing in their own misery to so much as give her the time of day. Everyone except one chubby-cheeked young boy.

    ¡°Lucia!¡± The preciously rotund lad called out to her. ¡°How¡¯d you sleep? Was my blanket enough to keep you warm?¡±

    "It helped I guess," replied Lucia, sitting up in bed and shaking her hair clean. It felt like she had just woken up from a really bad dream. She picked up the blanket he had lent her, which seemed to have fallen to the floor during her nightly tossing and turning. The so-called blanket was in even worse condition than the extra she had received from the adults. It was extremely worn and full of holes. He claims it was like that when he first got the bed, and she¡¯d have asked him for a better one if he could spare it, but it seems she was gifted the only one in his possession. "Hugo, what time is it? Did you eat breakfast yet?"

    Who am I kidding? Of course you did, she thought, looking away while trying to contain a smirk.

    "It''s 4 after sunrise. Everyone ate breakfast an hour ago."

    "And I suppose no one was kind enough to save me any, were they?"

    "W-Well." The boy blushed. "I hid a hardboiled egg, just for you. I figured you''d probably sleep through again."

    He handed her the egg, which she began to peel at furiously.

    "Is this it? You couldn¡¯t have eaten a little less¡­?" She looked unsatisfyingly at him for a second. "Well¡­ thank you. You''re the only one that seems to do anything for me in this dump."

    "Me? No, of course. No problem! Sorry I couldn''t fetch you more. I was barely able to sneak away with that extra egg. I''ll just give you mine next time. You probably need it more than I do."

    Lucia smiled at him. He did his best to amuse her when she was feeling down and she appreciated him for it. He was like a loyal pet who did pretty much anything she asked for. She bit into the small egg and was swiftly disappointed over how cold it seemed to have gotten over the past hour. Still, it was better eating from the warmth of her bed rather than in the chilly refectory. Going for a second and final bite, she noticed he was patiently staring at her as she ate.

    "What? Did you need something?" she asked.

    He jumped at the sound of her voice.

    "A-Actually," he stammered. There''s something I wanted to show you later if you aren''t busy¡­?"

    "Show me?" she said while chewing. "Yeah, I guess I can take a look. If you think it''s worth my while."

    "Yeah! It''s something really cool. I promise." His round face was beaming. "Meet me in the courtyard in an hour. I''m gonna show you something that''ll make your yellow eyes sparkle."

    Lucia very much doubted this, but she figured she would give him the benefit of that doubt and see what had gotten him so excited. If he thought it would be enough to impress her, maybe it might shake off her boredom after a fashion.

    ¡°Children!¡± called a throaty voice from within. ¡°Grab your Scarlet Bible and gather in the common room for study!¡±

    Lucia quickly jolted from her bed, teeth chattering as the cold assailed her body, and began rummaging through the drawer situated under her bed. Half buried under the folded piles of drab clothing was an aging tome bound in red leather with gilt-edged pages. Embellished on the book¡¯s cover was a singular closed eye made of a golden-colored metal. The same metal decorated its corners and made up the twin clasps sealing it shut. She clutched the bible close to her breast while uttering a prayer before gently sitting it onto the bed and pulling out a lightly-faded pink frock along with a beaten sweater from the open drawer. She had faith that she would be leaving this place one day¡ªHopefully to a better life.

    After almost an hour of intense scripture, Lucia was instructed to make the Sign of Macha in parting, the usual religious gesture of placing one hand on each eye and to lift one¡¯s head upwards towards the sky, before her and the others were finally released to go about their day. The young girl went out onto the balcony and looked at the sodden garden path below¡ªan almost dead, faraway look in her eyes. She watched drearily as a few of the children did the best they could to entertain themselves. Some played with dirty, stained toys while others just dug mindlessly in the snow. There was absolutely no sign of modern conveniences on the premises which meant that most days for Lucia were filled with mindless boredom and undefined reflections¡ªthe kind typical of a young child.

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    Just as she was about to head inside due to the cold nipping at her nose becoming an increasing annoyance, she spotted her admirer, Hugo, wandering around and searching for something. She recalled his mention of a mind-blowing surprise waiting for her and swiftly made her way downstairs and out the door to greet him.

    ¡°Hugo!¡± she yelled, sneaking up behind him and grabbing him by the shoulders. The sudden call had made him jump, causing the young lad to make an involuntary sound akin to a frightened animal caught in a trap.

    Hugo was a boy of 11 years who was only a few months older than Lucia and a tad bit shorter. But where he lacked in height, he made up for in width. He was a chubby child who had lived there for over a year now, with dark hair, violet eyes, a large forehead and a small mouth he was always using for apologies. His weight would often make him a target for the older children, who would on occasion take large portions of his food and state their excuses as him having ¡°eaten enough.¡±

    Lucia, in her endless benevolence, had decided to befriend the poor lad, as she knew the charity would set her in Macha¡¯s good graces. An act that he probably appreciated a great deal more than she did.

    ¡°L-Lucia!¡± he stuttered. ¡°I was just looking for you. I hope you weren¡¯t waiting too long; I know you were really looking forward to this.¡±

    ¡°Not too long,¡± she replied, smiling sweetly, ¡°but in lieu of an apology I expect half your lunch now too.¡±

    ¡°No problem!¡± he chuckled while placing his hand on his belly. ¡°I¡¯ve eaten enough food in my life to last me a while anyway.¡±

    ¡°Well?¡± She looked at him coyly. ¡°What was it you wanted to show me?¡±

    The boy looked around, making sure the other children were well and truly distracted, before boldly grabbing Lucia by the hand and pulling her towards the end of the premises, near the outer wall of the orphanage. In that spot was a miniature glade surrounded by trees and hidden behind a large statue, semi-blocked off by deep shrubbery that thinned and weakened during the winter¡ªjust enough for them to push themselves beyond it and enter.

    The area was fairly empty save for a couple of articles of old clothing and Lucia wondered if the spot itself was what he was attempting to show off to her.

    ¡°Wooow,¡± she exclaimed with fake astonishment. ¡°Is this supposed to be your hidden club house?

    Hugo brought a finger to his lips, a gesture that both surprised and annoyed Lucia.

    She cocked her head in confusion. Curiosity had begun to burn through her.

    He slowly crept up to one of the tattered shirts on the ground that on closer inspection appeared to be shifting in minute movements.

    ¡°Oh, Goddess! Watch out! There¡¯s something creeping under there.¡±

    She raised her eyebrow as she watched him pull the cloth back to reveal a small, mewling creature. It was a young perrin puppy, freshly awoken from its docile slumber. It was very fluffy for its age with fur the color of dying leaves in autumn and a nose whose wetness had most likely dried up from the cold. Curiously, it was missing an eye¡ªno doubt due to some prior injury. Its antlers were still only buttons.

    Is this it? she wondered, still confused. She looked over at Hugo who was beaming at the small thing with no break in concentration.

    ¡°Isn¡¯t it super adorable?¡± he asked her, finally tearing his gaze away to posit his question.

    ¡°Yeaah, it sure is.¡± She faked a smile. She looked at it and could only see a living bag of germs and parasites, contaminating everything with its drool.

    The elation in his voice soared thinking he seemed to agree with her.

    ¡°I found him here the other day. I usually come to this spot when I wanna be alone and one day I heard him crying and found him all beat up next to a small hole in the wall. I think he was chased in here by something bigger. I wonder if he has any family¡­¡±

    ¡°Wait, you knew about this place and never told me about it? I thought we were friends!¡±

    ¡°I-I¡¯m sorry,¡± he stuttered. This is really just a place so I can¡ªI didn¡¯t think you¡¯d like it here. It¡¯s so cold out here and I thought you preferred staying inside every day¡ª¡±

    ¡°Why would that matter?¡± She cut in. ¡°You think I don¡¯t get lonely? Excuse me for wanting to spend more time with you.¡±

    ¡°Really?¡± he asked, shocked.

    ¡°Don¡¯t seem so surprised,¡± she barked. ¡°I have feelings too. More than I can say for this little creature.¡±

    ¡°Hey!¡± He chuckled reluctantly. ¡°Don¡¯t talk like that in front of him. He¡¯s been through enough already, I¡¯m sure your words aren¡¯t gonna help.¡±

    ¡°Huh?¡± There was a hint of irritation in her voice. ¡°I¡¯m sorry. I didn¡¯t mean to hurt its feelings.¡±

    ¡°He¡¯s not an ¡®it.¡¯ Please, be a little more sensitive to his feelings, Lucia.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re right. He''s an adorable little mongrel."

    "W-What''s a mongrel?"

    "How exactly do you expect to even take care of that thing¡ªhim? You can''t feed him. You barely have enough food to feed us!"

    "I can split enough for the three of us! I promise!"

    "You can''t even take him inside. If they catch you with him, you''ll get into endless trouble. What if you''re not allowed to see me after that?"

    "It''ll be fine! That''s why I keep him here. I can bring him food and play with him during free time."

    "What if whatever was hunting it comes back for it? It''s just food for the bigger animals that come from outside."

    "He''s not an ''it.'' I''ll protect him. I''ll do everything it takes for him to be safe."

    "What about me?"

    "You can protect him with me if you want."

    Lucia huffed and stood ready to leave. "You know what? You were also right about me preferring the warmth of the inside. I think I''ll head back now. My face is already numb."

    "Oh¡­ Sure. Come back here tomorrow and we can have more fun with him."

    Fun? The thought disgusted her. With that little mutt? Gross.

    She pushed her way back through the dead brush, leaving the boy with his new friend, and headed toward the path back inside.

    <hr>

    Later that night, after she made sure most everyone had gone to bed, Lucia quietly put on her coat and shoes and stepped back outside into the large garden courtyard. She walked off the path toward the back wall. Every step through the snow filled her with slight irritation as the damp snow entered her shoes and wet her feet. Jealousy had been gnawing away at her the rest of the day until finally she decided the best solution was to make sure she would be the only person he had in his heart.

    The immense darkness of night had almost completely blinded her. If not for the pale lights of the scarcely seen twin moons, coupled with her knowledge of the area by heart, she might have gotten herself helplessly lost. With blistering resolve, she finally made her way to the decaying barricade that was keeping the entrance hidden to prying eyes. She rushed through it, paying the price with scratches on her skin¨Canother vexation she blamed on the lowly creature. She found it resting in the same spot under the old discarded shirt where last she saw it.

    Carefully pulling the cloth back to make sure it was truly still there, she scoffed at its pathetic state.

    "Does he really think you''re all that special?" the orphan girl muttered. "How could Macha allow a stupid beast like you free reign? To entrap the feelings of a stupid boy. You''ll probably make him sick or hurt him somehow."

    She replaced the cloth in its original position and gently began feeling over it for the shape of the young pup underneath. She felt out the position of his throat and wrapped her small hand around it. She pressed down firmly, feeling it squirm under her grasp.

    "Ugly. Dumb. Stupid. He thinks you can replace me?"

    She pushed down with both hands, putting her entire body weight down on the struggling creature. It took what felt like forever for the animal to slowly cease its movements. She pulled at the cloth once again to make sure its body was bared to the elements. She sat there in the cold, staring at it with contempt before flashing a wicked smile. Having completed her grisly deed, she finally went back to her bed to sleep soundly.

    "Lucy!"

    Wait¡­ I remember this¡­ I told him it had probably frozen to death. He had a hard time believing me and we drifted apart very quickly after that. I spent another year all alone there until I was finally picked up by Mother¡­

    "Wake up! You have to move! Quickly!"

    Her eyes were glazing over. Something had struck her with the force of a speeding velorail. There was a bitter numbing pain radiating from one of her arms. It was hard to feel and she wondered if maybe Zules had used her power on her to reduce the pain. She couldn¡¯t even lift her head to look at her injury. Her body was weakening and she wondered why that memory had suddenly flashed in her mind. Was it true what they say about your life flashing before your eyes when you¡¯re about to¡­? She struggled to open her mouth and mumbled the only thing that came to mind.

    ¡°Hugo¡­¡± Her voice, escaping with her soul, was barely above a cry.

 Chapter 29: Dancing in the Moonlight

    "Was that...? What was that? I¡­ No. I have to remain calm. Lucy needs me."

    Zulema couldn¡¯t help trying to keep her mind from scrambling. Her fears had finally come to fruition and it seemed she had to deal with it all alone. The beast was, in fact, real and judging from how large and how fast it had veered out of sight, it was most likely beyond her capabilities to handle alone. She wanted desperately to rush over to Lucia and grant her whatever aid she might require but it would also leave her open to attack. She realized the only option was either to abandon her partner or lie in wait for the creature to strike again. She slowly made her way out into the open toward Lucia, scythe in hand, and dug her weapon down straight into the ground. If the monster was going to come again, she would at least put herself on the defensive.

    It didn¡¯t take long before a violent rustling in the trees indicated another bum-rush was coming.

    The priestess gripped the handle of her scythe, readying herself for its next attack.

    A wave of distortion came rushing at her. She strained her eyes, trying to make out how quickly the wave was approaching. She had at first thought it was using some form of attack before instantly realizing she was dealing with a near-invisible beast.

    Almost faster than she¡¯s ever moved before, Zulema kicked her feet off the ground, and using the scythe she planted firmly before her to keep herself balanced, she twirled her entire body around the weapon and proceeded to forcefully kick her heels into the passing beast as it rushed by¡ªcausing it to crash violently into the bushes.

    Without taking her eyes off the dark gulf of trees, she spoke just loud enough for her fallen partner to hear:

    ¡°Lucy, please! You must wake up.¡± She stretched an arm towards her body, eyes beginning to glow. ¡°You¡¯ve received a grievous injury and while I can¡¯t make the bleeding stop, I can keep your body from going into shock. You must get up. You must!¡±

    There was no response from Lucia, causing Zulema to tense up in anger. The mental tension was deafening. She heard a rustling from the trees once again, causing her to grip her scythe tightly with her other hand.

    Instead of another charge, the iridescent behemoth emerged slowly from the darkness. Frozen leaves and large patches of dried blood stuck to its glimmering body, giving sight to its looming figure. Despite its towering disposition, it seemed to be a quadrupedal creature. What at first seemed like its front legs were actually wide, burly arms containing horrifically bulging muscles. Arms that grew from monstrously broad shoulders surrounding the head like armor. Now that she could get a better look, she could see that its mouth and subsequently its body were colored in the copious amounts of blood from all the dead soldiers it had been eating. Its eyes were throbbing beads of pitch-black, embedded into ethereal sockets¡ªdark droplets floating in the middle of its face whose direction was impossible to pinpoint. Its mouth appeared as an abysmal, void-like cavity filled with elongated, glistening teeth forming an eerie smile that distorted the space under its eyes. A grim repository that opened and closed sporadically, as if mimicking the mouthing of forbidden, enigmatic mantras. In-between these oral motions, there appeared to be fresh chunks of meat mixed in with metal and other debris wasting away in its mouth. Among the grisly contents was the bloodied, torn arm of Lucia.

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    It paced back and forth in front of Zulema, appearing to size up its situation and analyzing whether the scarlet priestess was a threat or not.

    As it moved, Zula caught sight of its backside. Its lower half was completely missing, almost as if torn off. Only the dangling bits of its spine hinting at what was once there. Due to its ancient injury, the insides of the creature were oddly discernible to the naked eye. Rotting entrails of a dark violet hue lined the inside of its body. The priestess surmised that since it couldn''t actually swallow anything, it was using its teeth as substitute weapons and because it lacked the legs to move, it placed all its weight on its arms, giving the behemoth a weird gait as it moved.

    The beast tensed up, readying to strike again.

    "Lucy, I''m sorry. Just hang on a little bit longer." The priestess, having also sized up her opponent, yanked her weapon from the ground and gripped the snath in both hands away from her¡ªits curve blade shining in the moonlight.

    If I can just throw it off its balance somehow¡­

    The beast charged, cutting short her strategic deliberations.

    She paid careful attention to the hulking prints in the snow moving towards her. In the dark they would be hardly visible, but the light of the moons seemed to be radiating brightly that night. As the prints neared, its ragged breathing could be heard with every step. Using these small signals, she jumped away at just the right second and twirled down the monster¡¯s side, weapon slicing against its otherworldly skin as she danced. Once behind it, she swung her weapon in a sweep and slashed at the monster¡¯s unprotected innards. Globs of nerve and muscle melted out of its rotting body, dirtying the pristine snow below its underside. The blade of her scythe emanated a faint glow under the monster¡¯s glinting, otherworldly blood.

    The severe injury made the creature howl in pain. The sound it emitted was enough to cause Zulema to jump. It was not a sound she had ever heard before nor something she¡¯d ever be able to describe. She was beginning to understand just what type of beast she was squaring off against.

    "Macha, give me strength¡­"

 Chapter 30: Bad Connection

    At the sound of her voice, the beast twisted its massive body and swung a hulking, robust arm towards Zulema, sending her body careening back with a powerful punch.

    She had guarded as swiftly as she could, blocking the large fist with the handle of her weapon, but the force of the attack had still managed to knock her off her feet. Scythe in hand, she forcibly thrust the base of her weapon into the ground in an attempt to slow her trajectory, leaving a long, trailing path in the snow before her as she flew. This maneuver required no short amount of physical effort and the subsequent force had caused her arms to feel like they were being stretched beyond their limit. While her quick thinking was enough to slow her down initially, the strength behind the knockback had proven itself to be the more powerful force in the end, causing her strength to eventually give out and her weapon¡¯s grip on the ground to loosen¡ªthe remainder of her flight finally ending the moment her back slammed forcibly into the large trunk of a tree. The snow that had accumulated on the frozen leaves above came crashing down from the might of the impact, burying the priestess in an icy embrace.

    The beast¡¯s unearthly cry tore through the air again before rapidly charging toward the frozen mound surrounding the young priestess¡¯s body¡ªone enormous fist on the ground at a time. Just before it could reach her however, it dug those same fists into the ground and used that force to spring its body into the air, clasped its hands together and bringing the might of them down in a powerful double-handed hammer strike right onto the spot where Zulema had landed.

    The blow sent the surrounding snow flying, leaving a monstrous crater around its fists. But where the priestess¡¯s body should have been was nothing but cold, hard ground. The beast howled again, enraged that its finishing attack had missed its mark. It searched around wildly trying to locate its missing prey.

    Zulema meanwhile had slipped from the spot where she had landed almost immediately. While the damage her body took was extensive, the armor had taken the brunt of it. Of course, were it not for her quick intervention to slow her speed, the self-same armor might have crushed her instead. Using the snow as coverage, she crawled away from where the beast had sent her flying and used the umbrage around her to quickly sneak back towards Lucia.

    Beast distracted, the priestess quietly pulled her fallen comrade¡¯s remaining arm over her shoulder and attempted to extricate her to an area less exposed.

    "Lucy," Zulema began whispering softly in her partner''s ear, "I''m so sorry. I should''ve been more cautious. I knew that monster was out there and my anger and the stress of this mission caused me to become unprepared."

    The priestess waited for any kind of response from Lucia, but none came. Her body was stiff and almost lifeless. Her face had become pale and her breathing partway non-existent. Zula started worrying that Lucia might not make it.

    She looked back to where she had slipped the creature''s gaze and struggled to tell if it was still in the same area where she had left it. Looking around, she noticed the dead bodies of the soldiers they had executed earlier. Their remains were being picked at by a living phantasm, disturbing the air around them with its presence. She narrowed her eyes at the sickening display. Despite the events that just transpired, she felt slightly grateful that even in death, Macha''s enemies may not be spared.

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    As it continued to desecrate whatever remained of the two men, it let out a strange, gurgling, almost ethereal surge of sound that could only be described as a growl.

    Zulema slunk out of view almost immediately¡ªthe sounds it was emitting had begun making her feel dizzy and she was already pushing her limits trying to remain composed against such stacked odds. She tapped the strap on her arm, hoping her only means of communicating with the outside world was still available. The silent eye opened to reveal a screen with a long, jagged crack along the middle. She cursed at her ever-worsening circumstances, running her finger along the display and attempting to finally call the dire situation in to Marie.

    By some miracle, her watch wasn''t quite as damaged as initial appearances made it seem and the call had ended up going through semi-successfully. While the watch had still worked, it wasn''t able to connect to Marie''s scarlet-strap completely. A problem with the connection caused by being in some sort of dead zone perhaps? Zulema shook her wrist furiously, trying to establish any form of contact with her superior. In the end, all she could do was leave her a voiced message and pray for a miracle.

    ¡°Sister Marie!!" Zulema whisper-shouted into her strap. "We have a Code Scarlet! We¡¯ve made contact with some sort of Eleutheromania-class entity. It''s maimed Sister Lucia! She¡­ She''s not responding!¡±

    The priestess was grinding her teeth, trying to relay the report as best she could, not knowing exactly if the beast had overheard her voice. She was barely able to get a few sentences out before the call dropped and she had to establish the connection all over again. This process repeated itself several times during her delivery, causing her to frantically call back each time just to squeeze out as much information as she could relay to Sister Marie. She glanced over at the remains of the soldiers in-between one of the calls¡ªgory entrails were spread out and trailing away along a path of viscera into the other side of the forest. She backed away even further than before and began dialing in a final report of the situation to Marie''s strap, this time in a more composed fashion.

    "It is some manner of hulking beast. I can''t see it very clearly¡ªI can just barely distinguish the outline of its form. Typical of an E-class¡­"

    As if there''s anything typical about them, she thought to herself, I never imagined I''d actually be seeing one face-to-face. How was Alma able to handle them?

    Alma¡­

    "I¡¯m still in the area. The E-class seems to have disappeared back into the forest after the attack. I don¡¯t know how far it¡¯s gotten or if it¡¯s possible that it¡¯s still in the area somewhere, looking for us. I was able to wound it, but that only really served to incur its anger. As for our coordinates, I can only say that we retraced the steps of the 1<sup>st</sup> Squad, Wulfeite Company¡¯s scouting party that disappeared exactly one week ago in an area northward of the camp, a few miles after Station A.

    ¡°Marie.¡± Zulema continued. Her composure up to that point had been nothing but calm, but now her voice was beginning to fill up with a note of tenderness. ¡°Off the record¡­ If you don¡¯t hear from me or you arrive too late¡­ Please tell Alma I love her. I¡¯m sure you won¡¯t be able to reveal any of the details of my death to her, considering the role of Scarlet Sister is completely confidential. But that girl has a crazy passion burning inside of her. I know she would have made a great soldier and a little part of me might have even wished to fight alongside her, but it seems Lady Macha had other plans in store for us. If she asks, tell her simply that I died fighting for our country¡¯s honor. Tell her I hope I was able to make her¡ª¡±

    Bzzt

    ¡°¡ªproud.¡±

    The screen of her Scarlet-Strap had turned dark. This time, no amount of coaxing or shaking appeared to revive the battery inside. The watch had gone completely dead. Zulema closed her eyes and took a long, drawn-out breath.

 Special Chapter 30.1: Glome for the Holidays

    The sun was beginning to set on the snowy apartment resting comfortably in the small town of the large country of Malachias. The merry holiday of Descension Day had arrived. The day that commemorated the day Macha had descended and spread her love throughout the country. Of course, this also coincided with the global holiday of Koltide¡ªnamed after the god most others believed in. And there was also Fadraniht, which the elfwin celebrated, a festive holiday in which their all-powerful Trifather would bestow gifts to all elfwin who were deemed nice that year. Very many celebrations from all over brought folk together to laugh and love and share when they otherwise wouldn''t have.

    Through one of the many large, frozen windows could be seen the warm atmospheric pressure of domestic joyitude. A state of gaiety was in effect all around the premises. Festive decorations and tables weighted down with entrees and snacks filled the rooms, along with a plethora of gifts to family and friends and the poor orphans down the block. A very merry cacophony of people of all kinds were currently enjoying the time of the season, when the festive love runs high.

    Just outside the door to this lovely abode stood the young soldier Alma Mesel, along with her traveling companions Hwal¨ªn and Qu¡¯l-Nia, waiting patiently with gifts in hand for the owner of the apartment¡ªthe celebrated one who went to all this trouble¡ªto answer their door.

    The entryway opened with a creak and standing on the other side of that doorway was none other than the dutiful sniper¡¯s own sister, Zulema Mesel. They had all come together to celebrate their respective, and oddly-similar, holidays this year.

    ¡°Alma,¡± called her sister. ¡°Did you bring it?¡±

    "Why, dear sister," replied Alma. "I''ve got it right here."

    Alma holds up a cheap, store-bought bottle of wine.

    ¡°Oh, goodness yes!¡± cried Zula as she grabbed the vice-filled container from her sister''s hand. "Your entrance fee is accepted!"

    Alma then raised her other hand which held a different colored bottle and grinned. "I also bought a little holiday whiskey for me."

    "Yer gonna share, right, Alm?" asked Hwal¨ªn.

    "Uhhh¡­" Alma skirted the question, avoiding eye contact and mumbling to herself.

    Zulema laughed, the antics of her sister were a sorely missed sight after being apart for a while.

    ¡°Alma,¡± said Qu¡¯l-Nia. ¡°It seems there runs a streak of alcoholism in your family. Is the state of perpetual inebriation really so enticing?"

    ¡°You should try a swig yourself. You could use some loosening up. Wait, can you get drunk even?¡±

    "Intoxication is very much possible with this body, yes. But that matters little when the flavor holds no pleasures for me."

    "Well, at least I know Hwal won''t leave me hanging¡ª" Alma smiled before quickly realizing the bottle in her hand had vanished.

    "Where did¡ª?" Alma glanced over at Hwal¨ªn who was already halfway through chugging down her bottle of whiskey. Her voice came out in a pitiful whine, "Hey, that was mine¡­"

    Hwal¨ªn, still chugging, walked over to a table at the end of the room that held a neat row of champagne glasses.

    "Boy, she sure''ll drink anything with a hint of alcohol in it."

    ¡°Alma!¡± cried a familiar someone from the kitchen before stepping out into the living room. It was the witch Heloise, wearing a fluffy, pink sweater with an even fluffier neckline. ¡°Figured you¡¯d be here so I invited myself. Your sister didn¡¯t seem to mind. Actually, she didn¡¯t seem surprised at all.¡±

    ¡°Heli?¡± asked the confused Alma. ¡°My sister let you in? I thought she said she¡¯d never forgive you after you turned her hair blonde in an attempt to help her ''land a man.''¡±

    ¡°Sheesh! It¡¯s the holidays, girl! We let bygones be bye-slash-gone. Besides, doesn¡¯t look like she needed my help in the end.¡± Heloise pointed to Zulema, who was mingling with some of her other guests. Most were her fellow priestesses from the church, but among them was a strange looking person that Alma couldn¡¯t quite make out.

    "Doesn''t there seem to be something off about him?" Alma squinted, trying to focus her eyes on the stranger in her sister''s living room. No matter how much she stared at him, his face never seemed to come completely into focus. He was standing out among the crowd, yet no one seemed to be paying him any extra mind.

    "Ugh, the only thing off are these snacks your sister put out. Like, are they even low-fat? Wait. They are organic, right?"

    "No, I''m serious. He seems¡­ off."

    The man standing with Zula seemed like a normal fellow at first glance. Nice formal suit befitting that of a typical gentleman. He wore it well. Aside from his face, he didn''t seem to have any noticeable health problems. A perfect build with a perfect posture and with the way everyone seemed to fondle his every word, he probably had a silver tongue too. And if that wasn''t enough, her sister was actually locked in arms with him. Never before has anyone creeped Alma out as much as this man.

    "Thought you hated Zula being single. You suddenly jelly now?"

    "I''m¡­ gonna go over there."

    "What?! That''s it? No ''Heli I missed you so much!''? I traveled all this way for you. At least spend some time with me."

    Alma frowned. "Y-Youre right. Sorry, Heli. It''s been so rough lately. With all the¡­"

    Her voice trailed off. Another strange feeling began to assault her.

    "Huh? All the what? You''re supposed to finish your sentences, sweetie."

    "I can''t remember. I was¡­ searching for someone. Someone I¡­ you. It was you I was searching for."

    "Well you found me, ma meuf." The witch smiled. "Not that you had to look very hard. You know you can''t lose me so easily. "

    "Right¡­ Yeah. What am I saying? It''s you! I''ve, uh¡­ I''ve missed you a lot, Heli. I''m really sorry about our last fight. I''m sorry for hurting you."

    "You think you''re capable of hurting me? Ha! Ha! Water under the bridge, Alma." Heloise came in close and hugged Alma tight.

    Alma blushed. She wrapped her arms around Heloise. "Really? You''d forgive me just like that?"

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    "I''d forgive you for just about anything."

    Alma found herself feeling extremely happy for a moment. As if a huge weight had been lifted off of her. Of course she would make up with her best friend. They wouldn''t have come so far together otherwise. For a moment, she had forgotten all about the strange person hanging out with her sister. Yet, as she spoke on to her friend, she could feel a distinct pair of eyes staring at her coming from the direction of the stranger. From the corner of her vision, she could see him watching her. A creeping feeling quickly began to set in.

    "Hm? Something wrong?" the witch asked her.

    Alma quickly jerked her head to look back at him, only to fail to make out any sort of features on his face once again.

    "N-No. It''s nothing, Heli." She tried to ignore it and continued her long awaited reunion with her best friend. "How''ve you been? I want to hear about everything I missed the past year."

    But as the witch gabbed on, Alma could only feel the same uncomfortable sensation boring into the back of her head. At the moment, it was all she could do not to scream her head off. She squeezed her eyes shut trying to shake the feeling, but only a bout of dizziness answered back. She had to do something.

    "Gimme a minute, will you? I gotta go check on my sis real quick."

    As she turned to leave, she felt a sudden tug on her sleeve. Heloise''s dainty fingers were grabbing on tightly.

    "Alma, where are you going? It''s paying-attention-to-me time."

    "Just real quick. Come on, Heli. It''s important."

    The witch''s expression quickly turned sour.

    "So you''re going to abandon me again, is that it? I really matter that little to you? Your so-called best friend?"

    "Heli, what''s gotten into you? You''re being bitchier than usual. And not in your usual girl-boss kind of way."

    Her eyes¡ªflared by glittering mascara¡ªseemed to almost glow with rage.

    "O-Okay. Relax. I won''t go anywhere. Would you mind getting us some drinks then? I''m gonna need more alcohol to keep my mind off of things."

    "Totally." The witch''s countenance instantly shifted to a smile. "Then you and I can spend all night together."

    As the witch skipped off towards the refreshments, Alma sneakily made her escape towards her sister.

    "Zula!" Alma finally closed in. "Dear sister! Who might this be you have your arm around? Someone you should''ve introduced to me almost immediately?"

    "Alma? What do you mean? You know ¨€¨€¨€¨€¨€¨€¨€. We''ve been seeing each other for weeks!"

    Zula had said something strange. Alma''s feeling of unease grew unsteadily upwards. She tried to look at his face again, but some kind of mental block was preventing her from seeing it clearly, even at this distance. It felt like trying to recall a memory that stuck to the tip of one''s tongue but refused to dive off.

    "It''s not nice to stare," said Zula. "I''m sure you''ll find your own ¨€¨€¨€¨€¨€¨€¨€ someday. Maybe once you''ve cleaned up your act a little."

    Alma turned to her sister. "What did you say his name was?"

    "¨€¨€¨€¨€¨€¨€¨€? Did you seriously forget? I finally meet someone and you can''t even remember his name? What in the world''s wrong with you tonight? Were the drinks too strong?"

    "Wha¡ªI¡­" She stared at her sister''s "lover" once again. Things felt less and less right the more she stood in his presence. It felt more like he was an intruder, violating the space she and her family and friends had been occupying.

    "You." She spoke directly to the outsider. "Let go of my sister."

    At Alma''s puissant outburst, the entire room went quiet. She first thought it was out of disbelief at her attitude, but she rapidly realized something was wrong. Everyone''s eyes were now on her. Including her friends''. The whole world had stopped whatever they had been in the middle of and were now all locked onto her.

    Everyone''s stares were like daggers into Alma''s mettle. She suddenly felt very small and almost embarrassed despite the very unnatural situation. She grit her teeth and buried the feeling deep and continued before the pressure forced her legs to buckle.

    "Who are you?" demanded Alma. "You don''t belong here. Something''s been off ever since I arrived and I know you have something to do with it."

    The intruder paid no mind to her accusation and simply stared at her, silently. The haze around his face appeared to have darkened.

    "I''m going to give you to the count of three to leave or I will drive a bullet into your head."

    Everyone continued to soundlessly stare at Alma while she made her threats. The world seemed still and the young soldier could barely keep her resolve from crumbling.

    "One¡­ Two¡ª" She felt a hand on her soldier. Almost immediately, Alma spun around and pointed her gun at the one standing behind her.

    It was Qu''l-Nia. There was a serious look on her frequently emotionless face.

    "Alma, you need to leave immediately. You are not safe here."

    "I''m not moving a damn muscle until I get my sister away from this freak."

    "You do not understand. He is¡ª"

    Before she could finish her warning, the entire room sunk into darkness. A deathly silence enveloped the room. Everything and everyone was gone, save Alma and the invader, who was now standing many more feet higher than before. His height forced him to hunch over to avoid hitting the ceiling, making him appear more wicked and menacing than before.

    His fancy suit had melted into him, becoming a strange murky outfit that wrapped around his now tall and slender body. His face had caved into itself, sinking impossibly far and becoming an endless portal inside of his head. Faraway stars flared inside the black emptiness. It was as if the opening had become a hole into the gulf of space.

    Alma immediately opened fire, shooting him in every place she could think of. Her bullets merely melted into the depths of his body without a sound. The one she fired into his face simply floated deep into the abyss until it disappeared.

    W-What are you¡­? She spoke but there was no sound. Her words dripped out silently.

    Hello Alma.

    His voice reverberated through the dark of the room. The language he was speaking in was hard to grasp, but she somehow understood it completely. She couldn¡¯t understand where his words were flowing from but every one of them came out silky and smooth and almost felt pleasant to listen to. This feeling had terrified her the most.

    You¡¯re not ready to join me yet.

    But it was nice to see you again.

    He raised his arm and extended one of his spindly fingers towards Alma. It was right in front of her face and she was too frozen in fear to do anything about it. The tip of his finger gently touched her forehead. She grimaced, squeezing her eyes tightly in fearful anticipation of what was going to come next.

    But nothing came.

    When she finally opened them, the familiar sky of night greeted her warmly. It had briefly reminded her of his face, causing her body to jolt up.

    She was back at her campsite, sitting silently in the darkness. She remembered they were barely at the edge of the Tindalos Forest, on their way into her witch friend¡¯s territory, when they had decided they would set up camp for the night before casually venturing into such a dangerous area.

    The terrifying nightmare she had just experienced was gradually fading from her consciousness.

    ¡°Alma?¡± came a voice from the shadows. On the other side of the encampment was Qu¡¯l-Nia, sitting inconspicuously cross-legged on the ground. She was staring into the darkness, complex thoughts rushing through her mind. ¡°Are you alright?¡±

    ¡°I¡­ I was having another nightmare. My sister was there. You and Hwal¨ªn were also there. We were having a good time and then suddenly¡­¡± She concentrated, trying to recall what had shaken her core so severely just minutes before. ¡°I don¡¯t remember. But you were trying to warn me about something.¡±

    Qu¡¯l-Nia remained silent for a moment, mulling over what words to say in response.

    ¡°I seem to recall calling out to you,¡± she said finally. The deep gloom silently obscured the hint of concern on her face. ¡°But I cannot remember why.¡±

    ¡°How is that possible?¡±

    ¡°Anything is possible, Alma¡­¡± The quiet of the night seemed to emphasize the eldritch woman¡¯s voice as she spoke. Its robotic cadence rebounded inside of Alma¡¯s skull.

    ¡°...in dreams.¡±

 Chapter 31: Darkness Falls

    "I guess that''s it then," the young priestess said resignedly. She removed her helmet and held it at her side. Her onyx hair swayed freely in the frigid breeze as she gazed into the shadows of the trees. She slowly turned in the direction of Lucia''s body, wondering if she could have done things differently today. She did her best to dress the wound by tearing off some of the clothing she was wearing underneath her armor. The excessive bleeding had finally stopped somehow. She thought maybe the ice-cold weather had cauterized the wound shut and frozen the blood flow. Whether it was possible or not, her mind was too distracted to tell and she counted the situation as a small blessing.

    Gently stroking Lucia''s hair and clearing it of frost, she looked around and contemplated to herself. Should she have listened to her friend''s warning and avoided looking for trouble for the sake of her altruism? Was this all part of Macha''s divine plan?

    She donned her helmet once again and made ready to move. Hoisting up her partner, Zulema made sure the coast was completely clear before attempting another march back to camp. The frozen forest was dead silent aside from the ghostly whistle of the winds. They were surrounded by a dark, prison maze of wood and snow that was now being guarded by a monstrous warden who was ready to execute them on the spot. Her anxiety had slowly been building and was on the verge of reaching its apex, but she kept that mental breakdown bottled for Lucia''s sake. If there was still any chance of saving her, it was all up to Zulema.

    She wondered if she had injured the thing at all during their bout. It certainly fought back with endless vigor. What was another injury to an unliving beast missing half itself? Was it possible to kill something that was already dead? The deathly howl it released was still haunting her. The forest ahead of her was covered in an all-consuming darkness that made her feel more terrified and isolated than she''s ever been. Despite her maturity, she was still younger than most of the other female members of the church and at the moment, deep down in her heart, she truly felt like a little girl again. A child who couldn''t distinguish the rational with the irrational and felt fear at every little movement she was sure had crossed her vision. Yet despite the emotions swelling in her heart, her mind tried its best to shout. Telling herself that she was an adult who was responsible for the safety of others. That she didn''t have time to waste feeling afraid. The conflict within her raged as she continued to drag herself and her friend back to safety. Even with her abilities, she felt like a nothing in the presence of the current danger. She was sure that she was still being hunted¡ªthat at any moment it will again have picked up her scent and will jump out at any moment to tear through her armor like a can opener so it can chew her meaty insides with its hideous, unnerving teeth.

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    The rattled priestess tried to distract herself from the situation by busying her mind with random thoughts. Zulema tried recalling the protocol for encountering any type of E-class creature: If any one priestess should encounter an E-class while out in the field, to immediately regroup with their field leader and depending on the rank of said leader, to proceed ahead with one of two options. If the leader is of Cuckoo rank or higher, then she will formulate a plan to dispose of the target. Otherwise, the priestess is to report immediately to the church so they can send the appropriately ranked authorities to engage. Sister Marie had only recently been ordained to Cuckoo Sister so she didn''t find it odd when she was assigned to a mission as simple as this. Back when Zulema thought they were only coming as military backup. But now she wondered whether Marie had been fully aware of this beast and its true nature. Regardless, there was no chance of defeating it without her.

    Aimless thoughts raced through Zulema''s mind. She quickly shook them away as she finally realized that she needed to stay focused in case she gets ambushed. The trees had all blurred together and she wasn''t exactly sure just how far she had traveled. The weight of her partner was finally starting to exhaust her as the adrenaline in her body began to die down¡ªthe only thing helping her stay balanced being the scythe in her hand, poking uncertain holes in the ground. There were a couple of times where she had almost considered leaving Lucia and abandoning her to her fate. She wasn''t sure if there was really any point in bringing home what was possibly her frozen corpse. The intrusive thought disgusted her and she quickly blamed it on the bludgeoning fatigue wearing down her mind and body.

    The priestess immediately halted her traverse. There was something disturbing in the snow that she hadn¡¯t realized was there until only a moment ago. Pulsing with a dark, primordial energy were a track of oblique prints that led further ahead of where she had been moving. She cursed the idiotic inclinations that led her down this path. The stress was riding her, pushing her to a breaking point, and as she looked up ahead, a pair of throbbing, caliginous orbs accompanied by a row of glistening, gnashing oblong teeth stared back at her.

    She stood completely frozen like a docile creature caught in the headlights of its oncoming death. She held onto a futile shred of hope that it somehow hadn¡¯t caught sight of her. That maybe the heinous thing was staring beyond her, into abyssal realms untouched by light where odious beasts gathered en masse and concepts like humans made no perceivable sense to their mind¡¯s eye. She hoped and prayed for what felt like eons until at last the eyes in the night¡¯s shadow began to tremble with movement, at which point she pushed against Lucia hard, throwing the body away from her and using the momentum to jump in the opposite direction. Afraid to be rough with her companion, she aimed her body at the nearest brush and made sure the monster held its attention on a moving target lest all of that work be for naught.

 Chapter 32: Brain Freeze

    As the monster charged forward, Zulema once again used what little she could see of its shimmering teeth to hook her scythe into its mouth and swing herself onto its translucent back. The beast reacted strongly to her touch and responded by trying to buck her off. He was enraged by the feeling of his prey getting the upper hand on him and responded by swirling turbulently like a whirlwind, violently whipping up the white powder of snow around him. He swung his massive arms at the empty air in front of him, trying his hardest to reach her but being unable to do so without losing his clumsy balance or finding himself coming close to crashing into one tree of many. His wild flailing failed to shake away the priestess who was clinging to his rear where it was impossible to reach her. The erratic movements were almost enough to throw her off, but her scythe was now acting as a rein to hold herself onto him. Her eyes began to glow as she clasped her hand down on top of where she guessed his head might be.

    "Down," the priestess said quietly, attempting to force the beast to relent.

    Zulema was concentrating her ability on the mad monster, using the thaumaturgic magics to relax his thrashing muscles. She focused, trying to maneuver the inner workings of his mind, but as she drove herself deeper, she quickly realized the fatal mistake she had just made. Where normally, she could shape and manipulate the senses of others by blocking the brain''s perception of bodily awareness, unfortunately, it stands to reason that the same could not be so easily done to an ineffable thing from another plane.

    The monster¡¯s mind defied conventional description¡ªa pit she found herself straining to climb out of. It¡¯s not like she hadn¡¯t tested her ability on animals in the past, in fact, during the countless times she would go out of her way to help them, she usually found herself doing the work of an amateur veterinarian. Their minds were always simple and easy to manipulate¡ªprimitive brain functions that have no real defense against thaumaturgy. But his was a vacuum void of sanity filled with abstract notions of abhorrent trauma and gruesome death. The only thing she could really perceive were his murderous instincts. Intense impulses that overpowered and countered her attack on his mind. She desperately wanted to pull away but the damage was done. The opposing thoughts driven forth from the creature had caused an electrical surge of mental anguish to shoot through her brain that she could barely handle. A scream rose in her throat and the temporary counter-incursion was enough to weaken her grip on both her weapon and reality.

    Mind in crippling torment, the young priestess came tumbling down onto the frozen ground. The beast took this chance to swiftly grab her by the head and began to drag her brutally through the snow as it strode deeper into the endless maze of forest. Grunting wildly, he continued pulling her battered body through the dirt, leaves and snow, punishing her for trying to fight back. Slamming her up and down as he moved, her powerless body landed continuously with a thump, sharp rocks jutting painfully through her armor and into her legs, arms and abdomen, cutting into her soft skin underneath. He was seemingly avoiding putting just enough pressure to keep his massive weight from crushing her head.

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    Severe pain shot through Zulema from head to toe as the assault on her mind ended and the one on her body began. Try as she might, she could barely withstand the monster¡¯s abrasive handling. Shouting in agony, she helplessly beat her fists against the grip he held on her head, helmet and all¡ªThe most she could do being to brace herself while holding fast to his grasp in a pitiful attempt to keep her head from being ripped from her body.

    The thing let loose a shrill, threatening howl that reverberated weirdly through the mountain wood. A haunting, ululant cry dripping with a primeval rage stemming from millennia of imprisonment in an eternally dark confinement, forced to bear witness to sacrilegious rituals as its ancient blood stained the secret ground in unhallowed consecrations. Cursed ceremonies that could only be performed to the appeasement of nigh-immortal dreamlike beings that walk the stars in the dead of space.

    And now he was loose upon the world again. A cry to remind himself that he was free.

    The paralyzing question of why he hadn''t killed her yet had left Zulema addled. Her powers had failed, leaving her trump card all but useless. She was being taken further and further into the mountains where there was a lingering stench of copper in the air. She was far away from the safety of her camp, leaving her with the shaky thought of the impending doom that was coming. The only hope left to her was that she was likely to freeze to death or succumb to her injuries before the monster had its chance at whatever it was planning to do with her. The pain and shock assailing her body was intensely agonizing and had left her considering what her final thoughts would be of: The family she was leaving behind. The priestesses she made friends with. The church she would be letting down.

    All the lingering decisions that had led her up to that point had filled her heart with guilt, at first, but the final thought of her sister moving on from her death and one day settling down had filled her with a sudden, lasting peace¡ªeven as she felt her head being crushed against the trunk of a tree.

    The monster had suddenly changed whatever plans he had for the ailing priestess. There was a bitter transition in the air that was heralding a worse danger. Something in the dark that had managed to intimidate him, causing him to stop in his tracks and shift tactics into attempting to finish off his prey sooner rather than later. Balancing on a single arm, he swung the young priestess in the other and bashed her body against the nearest hard surface he could find. He repeated this motion a few times, slowly staining the bark and melting the floor below in the hot blood seeping from her helm, in a desperate attempt to incapacitate her before whatever he sensed could reach him. The onslaught finally stopped when he dropped her beaten body, then¡ªgrabbing her again by the torso¡ªbrought her dangling head towards his guillotine of elongated teeth.

    And just as he was about to close his malignant maw and snuff out her dwindling life, a sudden force had sent the beast hurtling towards a thicket of small trees, burying him in a crushing pile of broken trunks and powder snow.

    Zulema had meanwhile been sent flying from the monster''s hand and landed harshly in a clearing a few feet away. In her twilight state, she could barely see what had hit them. Blood was pooling in her vision while an unnatural buildup of frost was slowly starting to bury her, making it difficult to ascertain anything that was about to happen. A cold, oppressive heaviness was clouding her faculties and the only thing her mind was telling her was to let go and sleep. One of her eyes had swollen shut, and as she struggled to keep the other open, a hazy pair of lupine feet had suddenly crept into sight.

 Chapter 33: The Land of Ice and Snow

    The beast crawled out from under the massive pile, struggling to get back his balance. It had been countless years since he had been free to move around, and along with a rotting, deteriorating body, he was nowhere near at the prime of his power. Despite this, he released a threatening roar aimed at the towering figure that had suddenly emerged from the frozen forest.

    The roar had been met with a howling, visceral growl that droned on unpleasantly from the figure. As if joining him, the raging gale of nature itself picked up, violently blowing the icy winds in all directions. White, stone-like eyes gleamed in the briar-choked shadows as they stared down the massive behemoth. The strange figure¡¯s form distorted the darkness around him, causing the shapes of the trees nearby to seem as if they were twitching haphazardly.

    The beast could feel the strange figure¡¯s malicious aura. It wasn¡¯t like the prey that tried to fight back earlier. This was a dangerous thing that was fully capable of ending his life. But the behemoth no longer had anything left to lose. He was ready to stand his ground and if need be, go down fighting. Either path would lead to freedom, but at least if he won, there would be nothing to stop him from hunting prey for days to come.

    The winds grew more violent as endless snow fell from the sky making it hard for the beast to see. The abnormal blizzard washed over the area like a snow globe; a frozen domain that felt cut off from the rest of the world. Icy particulates were thrashing at his skin like tiny knives, coating him faster than he could shake them off. His eldritch skin was slowly freezing over from the ice, making his body feel heavy and sluggish. The strangest thing was that the figure in the trees hadn¡¯t made a single movement since he appeared. It simply stood in place, watching from a towering height between the high, frozen boughs. A passivity that filled the behemoth with a monstrous rage.

    Breaking away from the frigid entombment, the monster charged at the figure, but as he moved closer, the distorted air around his foe pulsed and vibrated even more fiercely. The eyes gleaming among the branches in the dark narrowed and in an instant disappeared from the monster¡¯s sight, leaving nothing but undisturbed shadows. A sudden shift in the air behind him and he felt a sudden pull of his insides. The strange figure had grabbed onto the monster¡¯s freely flowing black spine¡ªa deathly touch of ice that was gradually encroaching the rest of his bones in a piercing, frozen feeling.

    The beast immediately pulled away, feeling the frozen bits of his spine break away as he turned. As he came face to face with his foe, a biting sensation that he hadn¡¯t felt for innumerable years assailed him. Not simply pain, but the primal, chilling sensation of fear. The figure, whose eyes reached the same height as his, sent shivers down his loathsome core.

    Black teeth bristled vilely from the lanky figure¡¯s flattened, snout-like mouth as he opened it to shovel a handful of frozen, fragmented bones inside. There was a sickening crunch as he crushed the beast¡¯s remains right in front of him. Long, winding horns shone dimly above his head. Silvered antlers that were sharp, jagged and weapon-like and ready to pierce anything that got too near him. His entire body was shrouded in a large, furry cape that whipped wildly with the wind, revealing a nude form covered almost entirely in thin, black hairs. The skin around his chest was completely missing, revealing a ribcage of sizable, bony protuberances that interlinked to protect the strange, nebulous organs made of black ice that beat oddly underneath.

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    The beast rushed at him once again, but met with resistance as the lanky figure reached out both hands and pushed against his charging shoulders. Despite trying to hold his position, the oncoming force was enough to slowly shift his webbed, lupine feet backwards, trailing against the snow. The beast¡¯s mouth was dangerously close, his guillotine teeth, chittering and gnashing, trying viciously to bite at his face like a rabid animal. Expression unchanging, the elemental slowly blew air from his eldritch lungs that froze rapidly as it filled the beast¡¯s mouth, expanding and distorting it, faster than it could bite or break through it. Ice formed quickly around the humanoid figure¡¯s fingers, turning into piercing claws that began digging into the beast¡¯s rubbery skin. They extended rapidly, boring deep into the creature and tearing through the fibers in his muscles. The beast was now visibly struggling to stay up as the sharp icicles kept him pinned to the spot. The distorted mist around the humanoid being began to solidify into a thick haze before hardening into small, pointed pellets that floated all around him. Finally, he broke away and launched himself skyward, while at that same moment, the newly-formed ice that had surrounded him extended with explosive force, crisscrossing in various directions, becoming long, deadly spears that stabbed through the beast''s hulking body and skewered his desiccated, unnatural organs.

    The beast grunted weakly, feeling his body finally shutting down. The eldritch humanoid had landed behind him and continued watching him silently, without a word, through his piercing, opal eyes. The beast relaxed his struggle, realizing that through this clash, he was finally, truly free.

    The spears that had entered him began to grow barbs that grew into large spikes that continued stabbing through his insides, finishing him off. Each one pierced him from the inside-out giving the appearance of a reverse pincushion, deforming and flaying him like an animal. His body, mostly obliterated, remained frozen in place, now at one with the elements. The elemental¡ªthe victor¡ªcoldly came upon his spoils. Reaching his large hand into the gaping backside, he tore an unknown organ away from its impalement and greedily devoured it, staining his hands and mouth in old, iridescent cruor.

    He let loose a remarkably low, feral droning that shook the trees nearby before turning his attention to a freshly formed snowbank. Leaping over to it, he reached deep into the pile and produced an unconscious Zulema, armor coated in frozen blood. He studied the young priestess¡¯s body for a moment, eyes unwavering, then scooped her up under his arm and jumped high into the air. There was a sudden sound of the breeze billowing past space, after which there was no more sign of either the eldritch stranger or the girl he took with him.

 Chapter 34: Mischief Makers

    ¡°Damn fae!¡± Alma spat, cocking her rifle and aiming it at Hwal¨ªn. ¡°You can¡¯t fool me!¡±

    ¡°Alma?¡± Hwal¨ªn had both her hands raised. ¡°What in the bloody berylands?!¡±

    "Don''t Alma me you little turd.¡± Her brow glistened with sweat. ¡°I''m not like normal humans. I can see your true face as clear as day."

    True to her word, from Alma''s perspective, thanks to her enhanced visual acuity, the face of the elfwin across from her was juxtaposed atop a much more clearer visage. A slick face formed from bulbous, black eyes with slit-shaped sideways pupils that seemed to absorb no light. Below that, where a nose would normally be, was a flat surface occupied by two large, sunken nostrils. A row of tiny, sharp teeth contorted into a mischievous smile.

    Alma wasn''t too sure when exactly the switch had occurred, as she was focusing most of her attention on following the river down to where she suspected her friend might have gone. It wasn''t until she noticed that Qu''l-Nia had disappeared that she had turned to question Hwal¨ªn and saw one of the devilish forest faeries in her place. The forest faeries, or neraides as they are commonly known, inhabited the older parts of the forest, where darkness looms. The abundance of large, ancient trees helped in blocking out the sun, allowing them to set traps of light patches that capture lost travelers who try to use the light to shine their way.

    ¡°That¡¯s quite unfortunate,¡± hissed the fake Hwal¨ªn. The voice that came out had drastically changed tone. ¡°We could¡¯ve used another cutie like you.¡±

    "Ain''t no way I''m letting you sluts use my face to lure in men to your dumb forest." The notion made her groan. It''s not like she would be getting any of that action anyway. She shoved the gross thought aside. "Now tell me where my friends are or I put a bullet through that freaky face of yours."

    The faerie frowned.

    Alma forced a reluctant smirk. "Geez, no wonder you have to borrow ours. That''s a face only a smother could solve."

    Growling in anger, the fake Hwal¨ªn sprouted a pair of glittering, translucent wings that began vibrating to the extreme. Reaching for the stolen swords she had taken from the original, the neraide charged at Alma before almost immediately exploding in a pink puff of smoke¡ªthe illusion shattered by a bullet from Alma''s rifle as it bore through her form.

    Alma immediately reached her arm into the pile of stolen clothes and pulled out a small, furry being with wings. It had the same weird face as before, but with long, drooping ears and a tiny nude body covered entirely in blue fuzz.

    "Put me down! Put me down!" it cried annoyingly.

    "Heh. You guys are a lot cuter in this form." Alma was holding it by the scruff of its neck, like a small animal. She poked its belly. "Where. Are. They?"

    The tiny faerie hissed in an act of defiance. She had failed her mission spectacularly, not expecting to run into a freak of nature out here in the wilderness. She covered her mouth with her tiny hands.

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    "That how you wanna play it?" She knelt down and held the flailing faerie above the rushing water of the river. Dunking her underneath for a few seconds, she repeated her question. "Where are they? I''m sure Hwal¨ªn will appreciate her clothes back before pinning you to a tree with one of her blades. But I might be able to convince her otherwise if you make this quicker for me."

    The neraide screamed as she was dunked once again, shivering from the unsolicited dousing. "Okay! Okay! I''ll tell you! I''ll tell you! Just stop torturing me!"

    Alma crossed the river, following the neraide''s directions to a hidden area full of enormous, tubular plants.

    "What is this place?"

    "Place to drop off the trash once we''re done with it."

    Alma pondered for a moment before shaking the faerie in her hand angrily.

    "You little punk! Next time I''ll sic Heloise on you!"

    The small neraide agonized at the sound of that name. Alma remembered Heloise telling her a method of knocking them out relatively safely by flicking their little heads repeatedly.

    Afterwards, Alma took one of Hwal¨ªn''s blades and began cutting swaths off the large plant that seemed to contain something big at its core. Cutting through to the center revealed at once the slime covered body of her partner, her umber skin now peppered in light burns along with old scars, unconscious and in a state of undress. Grabbing hold of her shoulder, she frenziedly shook her awake.

    "Hmm? Wha¡ª?" Hwal¨ªn mumbled groggily as her eyes traced her surroundings. "What the bloody fuck?! Alma?! Where¡ª? My clothes!"

    "T-They''re right here." Alma looked away embarrassingly as she spoke. "Please get dressed. Your clothes are right here. I''ll explain after."

    "Yuck. What''s this slime? I can''t get sodding dressed like this! Ow! This stuff burns?!" The elfwin, still completely naked, scrambled off towards the river.

    "Wait¡­" Alma looked around hesitantly, the giant plants surrounding the area were humming vibrantly. The strange flora was alien to her and it reminded her that her world had its own sprinkle of weirdness. But there was a more familiar weirdness that was strangely missing at the moment.

    "Q?" Alma wandered around the area, trying hard not to get too close to the exotic maneaters. It''s true that they''re nothing but dumb, oversized plants and even though she had just cut one to ribbons, she couldn''t help keeping her guard up. She inspected them at arm''s length as well as she could, looking for Qu''l-Nia''s very plain-looking silhouette, but in the end found no sign of her. Trotting back toward the river, she found a still nude Hwal¨ªn¡ªhalf-submerged in the flowing water¡ªwashing off the devouring plant''s digestive gunk. Still averting her gaze, Alma questioned the elfwin about Qu''l-Nia''s possible whereabouts.

    "Haven''t seen Nia since I conked out." Hwal¨ªn was leering at the burns on her skin. "Reckon she''s off exploring more of the woods. Doubt those pests could get the jump on her. Not that I know how they got me."

    "Those were neraides. Pesky little vermin that sting you with their pointy tails and use their weird little magic to take on your appearance to lure in some breeding partners. Lucky we aren''t dudes since they tend to use force if they don''t get their way."

    Hwal¨ªn chuckled. "Doubt any guy would say no to that, Alm."

    "Ew¡­"

    "Hey, hand me my shorts wouldja?"

    ¡°Here.¡± Alma, eyes glued to the forest, leaned in the direction of her voice.

    ¡°Least they weren¡¯t fleshgaits. Those things¡¯ll straight up wear your skin,¡± she continued, shuddering as the random thought frightened her the moment it escaped her lips, but Alma felt more comfortable talking about monsters over lewd things. "L-Let''s go find Qu''l-Nia¡­"

    "How''d you know it wasn''t really me out there?" Hwal¨ªn wondered after getting semi-dressed.

    "I could see through her illusion. Which is weird, because I couldn''t do that before. Me and Heli have run into them before, and their magic is usually perfect. My¡­ ability''s been acting up ever since I ran into you two. It''s changed somehow. More intense. Bigger headache..."

    "Ain''t that something. Perhaps maybe you could use it to track down Nia somehow."

    "Kill me if I ever start seeing glowing footprints anywhere."

 Chapter 35: She Who Dances

    The eldritch woman in question meanwhile had almost immediately gotten herself lost. Not one to yell out, she quietly surveyed the environment for any sign of her companions. At one point during which she had run into a curious forest fae that had tried to accost her, only for it to become entranced and follow her around at a curious distance. No matter how hard it tried, it seemed unable to assume her form. And that made it wonder, what could possibly be hiding behind that hauntingly beautiful face?

    Furtive yet inquisitive, the neraide, who went by the name of Aglaia, parked herself on a leafy branch on high and watched as the mysterious woman explored her surroundings. The vast trees grew thicker the more the woman pressed on, walking past moss-covered wood and dense, fungi-infested groves. She treated the sights as if they were all unfamiliar to her. New experiences that seemed to call to her in a dreamlike captivation. She didn''t even seem to be the least bit worried about her missing companions anymore. Maybe it was that she sensed something more. Almost as if she knew things would turn out alright¡ªfor the time being.

    The woman reminded Aglaia of the ancient elder neraide who had lived longer than anyone could remember, her wisdom always respected among the others, whom everyone loved and revered her as she did the forest. The stranger seemed to hold that selfsame fondness for every mammoth tree and weathered boulder she had come across. She would run her elegant fingers along the timeworn bark and, pressing her head against it, sing to it in some silent, alien exchange of honeyed communication. And as she moved deeper, the faerie followed¡ªfluttering at a safe distance.

    The more Aglaia observed the woman, the stronger her peculiarities stood out. Once more, after peering around the corner, the ghostly beauty began to move and spin and twirl about the grass while miraculously avoiding bumping into anything around her. Intricate leaps and twists that matched the rhythm of the forest, as if all of nature were dancing along with her. Flowers bloomed and stems glowed with a pleasing phosphorescence, swaying through invisible wind and leaving spectral trails of light in her wake. Aglaia seemed to be witnessing an act unknown to man¡ªa performance only fully seen outside the confines of boundless time and infinite space. But what could she possibly know of the art of higher beings? What could she hope to understand of the beauty and grace of a goddess given form?

    Platinum hair whirled and wafted as she moved, tiny twinkles of light emanating from every soft strand in a mesmerizing randomness. Whispered words sung faintly escaped delicately from her lips. A cryptic, alien chant expressed only to herself, that no other mortal should hear.

    As much as Aglaia wished to listen to her enchanting melody, she knew to stay out of earshot, for according to ancient tales read by the elders in aged scrolls, the music of gods would surely drive an unblessed mortal mad.

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    There was a forbidden feeling in watching her, like privately spying on the tantric acts of gods not meant for man. But this taboo only excited the small neraide even more. And the more this goddess danced, the more the world around her seemed to warp and transform to her whim. It started with her hair that began to shine in mysterious lights, illuminating itself across the whole of her head, followed by the enveloping of her body in a radiant glow. The Dancer, now a silhouette of living light, continued to move rhythmically around the luminescent pastures that surrounded her.

    The faerie was in awe of this dazzling spectacle. Excitement had replaced fear as she watched from afar the world around the Dancer swirl with otherworldly energy. The mystic light of her being lighting up the forest dark and casting white shadows that moved along with her. And so bright was she that small Aglaia had to avert her eyes from the Dancer¡¯s flare because even her shadow of light had begun to singe the crimson-gold foliage around her, the colors dissolving from their leaves. And fascination once again turned to horror as more colors swept and dispersed into the ether. The Dancer, whose body was almost pure light, began to burn in a flawless, unadulterated display of luminosity that ended in a bright flash that melted away to once again reveal a ghostly human beauty in a plain white shirt and pants.

    The woman, hands on her knees and out of breath, turned in the direction of the small neraide and seemed to almost smile at her. As if the entire time she knew there had been an audience. Seeing this, Aglaia flew off and returned home¡ªwith a story no other fae would dare believe.

    Evidently satisfied, the dancer known as Qu¡¯l-Nia ran off in the direction of the river, hopping with a splash into the water and began waiting patiently.

    ¡°Yo! Big Q!¡± cried the voice of a familiar gunwoman. ¡°What are you doing out there in the water?¡±

    ¡°Alma. Hwal¨ªn. I was merely meditating while awaiting your arrival.¡±

    ¡°What? Why didn¡¯t you come look for us?¡±

    ¡°Well, since we had become separated, it was safe to assume that staying by the river would be the smartest option. Were we not initially following the river downward to find your friend?¡±

    ¡°I¡­¡± Alma pondered for a second. ¡°Good point.¡±

    ¡°You did not see anything unusual, did you?¡±

    ¡°Schyeah,¡± replied Hwal¨ªn. ¡°We came across some really annoying vermin, Nia, that tried to feed my arse to some plants. But Alma found me, luckily. And now I¡¯m getting really sick of these bloody forests already. It feels like everywhere we go, there¡¯s gotta be a fucking tree somewhere nearby. It¡¯s¡ª¡±

    The red elf paused mid-sentence as her ears began to perk up to the sound of something only she had heard.

    ¡°What? What is it, girl? Did ya find something?¡± Alma¡¯s expression was one of hopeful surprise.

    ¡°Alma, I swear I¡¯m going to bop you one one of these days.¡± Hwal¨ªn sneered. ¡°Yeah, I heard something. Not exactly sure how to describe it but it might be your witchy pal.¡±

    ¡°Yes! I knew it! Lead the way!¡±

    As the two ran across the river, Qu¡¯l-Nia hummed a quivering tune to herself¡ªthe slick moisture slowly evaporating from her previously drenched clothing as she walked along behind them.

 Chapter 36: The Fair Witch Project

    The thundering roar of hooves shook the grounds as they charged forward. A beast on four legs was chasing down a small girl in a flowing, white robe. Marred with dirt and grime from days out in the elements, the dress offered little to no protection from the forest or the monsters that thrived there. Hiking up her robe in one hand as she ran on bare feet for dear life, her other hand gripped tightly to her gnarled, wooden staff. Adorning the top of her lustrous blonde hair was a shaking crown of thick, dead twigs.

    Radices Invasor Ex Natura!

    At her command, thick roots cracked open from the ground and began coiling around the legs of the galloping beast, forcing it to a violent stop and binding it in place. Magic compelled the restrictive roots to constrict every moment the beast struggled. The girl chuckled, raising her clenched fist while slapping her bicep with the other in a mocking gesture.

    "Wow, like, did you seriously fall for that? Again?¡± The witch taunted the growling monster in front of her. A look of malice on both its heads expressed how much contempt had been building within. ¡°It''s not like we haven''t been playing gat and rattin for the past couple days now. Well I gotcha now, you knuckle-dragging freak! And you better stay put this time!¡±

    Caught within her vines was a nuckelavee. A dangerous magical creature that is part equine and part humanoid, it mimics a rider on his mount in silhouette but the two are in reality one and the same. The thing was a skinless abomination that pumped obsidian blood through jaundiced veins¡ªits bleached tendons and monstrous muscles pulsating disgustingly visibly. The creature stood on four jaggedly coarse hooves with a man-like torso sprouting from its lower body connected to two long, pendulous arms dragging along the ground as it moved. There was a lower head, that looked quite animal-like, albeit crudely, which gazed malevolently from a single, searing red eye and another more human-like head that sported a pair of demonic looking horns. It was these forbidden horns that the witch seemed to have set her heart on.

    ¡°C¡¯mon, honey. Let me just get a little of that horn action.¡± She raised her staff confidently.

    Solis Fulmen Natura!

    The red of her staff¡¯s ruby began to glow with a fiery heat before violently discharging a ball of orange flame aimed directly at the nuckelavee¡¯s horn.

    The demon jerked its upper head violently, dodging the nuisance fireball in one swift, erratic motion. The head dangled lifelessly on its neck, yet its gleaming humanoid eyes continued focusing solely on the witch.

    "Stay! Still! I don''t know how many times I have to yell¡ª"

    The nuckelavee raised its dangling head and began building up a dark energy between its horns. A power that coalesced into a volatile orb of its own that was fired straight at Heloise.

    "Shit!" cried the ragged girl as she jumped away with all her might to avoid the blast. "Please! I could put that thing to a lot better use than you!"

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    The demon''s upper head was ominously quiet after that, watching Heloise as a small cloud of toxic fumes escaped slowly from its mouth. The lower bestial animal head suddenly expelled a vicious, high-pitched roar. Then suddenly, it shot its massive arms towards her, stopping just short of her face, barely out of reach.

    "Shut the fuck up!" roared back Heloise, struggling to get back up off the ground. "You''re a joke to me, you know that? This is my forest! Not yours! You don''t belong in this world! Argh! This is so frustrating! I can''t stay like this! I have to get better! I need to..."

    She mumbled those last few words miserably, clutching at her shoulder. "What would she think of me if she knew?"

    Would she see just another monster?

    The abomination remained indifferent to her words and watched as she clumsily got back to her feet. It moved its legs ever so slightly as the moments advanced, enticing the vines to tighten every time, gripping and squeezing the membranous body of the creature. If not for the nuckelavee''s demonic strength, the vines would have already ripped into its bones.

    "Keeeep struggling. Just makes it easier for me if you hurt your own self." Heloise dusted herself off then turned her back on the beast in boast, mustering back some confidence. "Course it''d be my victory. You forgot who truly owns this forest, hon-ey."

    The bestial head grumbled and snorted, the monster slowly dragged back its noodle-like arms, its fingers creeping silently onto the strangling vines at its feet. Choking them with its horrifying grip, snapping them off, piece by piece.

    The witch turned back proudly, staff triumphantly held high in the air and attempted to make her proclamation, ¡°This time! For s¡ªNO! ARE YOU TRYING TO PISS ME OFF?! STOP!"

    The nuckelavee had broken free from her vines and was now pacing around cautiously.

    Merde ! I''ve been at this almost two fucking days. If it weren''t for this river, I''d be dead already. Remind me to practice some water magic after this, me. Azotha''s wounds I''m stupid. Why didn''t I study this thing a bit more? It hates water? What kind of stupid asshole can''t stand water?! What idiot would summon this useless thing?!

    As her brain regurgitated a string of pointless thoughts, the nuckelavee began another demonic charge toward her, causing her to scream out another spell in haste.

    AAAARADICES INVASOR EX NATURA!

    More roots broke through the forest floor and slithered their way towards the rampaging demon, only to fail in ensnaring it. The monster had jumped and avoided the striking vines and continued its gallop apace, chasing down the witch who was again running for dear life.

    Heloise ran to the nearby river as fast as her feet could take her and leaped into the relative safety of the water, expletive after expletive escaping her foul mouth as she stomped around in the freezing cold. Dress soaked and makeup running, she angrily scooped up some water and threw it at the oncoming beast. The small handful of water splashed at its feet, tiny droplets landing on its skinless meat and leaving behind small burns. While this only served to annoy the nuckelavee, she continued her act of defiance of slapping the water repeatedly, trying to splash the demonic beast with as much of the cold river as she could by using just the power of her small, dainty hands.

    "Take this! And that! Burn for me, you chimeric salaud! Va te faire foutre ! Encul¨¦ de ta merde ! Mon dieu, ?a me fait chier !!" The witch continued her verbal assault as her miniscule efforts to drench the beast continued. The nuckelavee, frustrated, began to back off, but continued watching menacingly from a nearby distance.

    The two haunters of the forest were apparently stuck in a stalemate, staring each other down with the intent to kill.

    As this was happening, the witch noticed her staff slowly being carried away by the river''s current from the edge of her vision. Twisting around, she cried out for it as she desperately struggled to wade through the water to reach for it.

    ¡°Zut alors !¡± she groaned.

 Chapter 37: The Haunter of the Forest

    The tip of her roseal fingernails had just barely scraped the handle of the runaway staff before a sudden burst of energy blasted the water in front of her.

    The explosion had separated her from her weapon, throwing her further upstream. Seemingly defenseless, the witch struggled to pull herself up from the raging river and onto dry land where she could move more freely.

    "Salaud¡­ Cheap shot!¡± growled the witch on her knees. She forced a smirk. ¡°If Alma were here, she¡¯d have come up with a badass strategy and I¡¯d have been swimming in horns by now.¡±

    Wait, what am I saying? That pasty-faced bitch is gone. We went our separate ways and I¡¯ve become a better person for it. And now I¡¯m probably gonna die. Well, I was probably gonna die anyway with this shit coursing through my veins. And now¡ª¡±Wait! My bag! Where did I put it?¡±

    Heloise looked around restlessly, taking great care to watch for the flayed abomination¡¯s next move. After its last attack, it had simply continued staring ominously at her from both its heads. The witch spotted her bag¡ªa wicker satchel¡ªa small distance away, which unfortunately she had forgotten she set down on the other side of the river. Another string of swears followed.

    "Easy boy¡­ Good boy¡­ You want to keep this fair, no?" She inched closer to the edge of the river across from where her satchel was. The monster was creeping closer at the same time, the pressure from its presence growing denser and heavier. "Don''t move another tenebrous muscle. I will hurt you. I¡¯ll¡ª¡±

    Heloise leaped at her satchel, immediately rummaging through its contents right before the nuckelavee charged at her, ramming into the witch and sending her flying back across the river. She had tried blocking the impact with the bag in her arms, causing the bottled liquids inside to shatter and spill all over.

    The witch let out a series of agonizing grunts as she doubled over in pain. There was a spell she had learned recently, to increase the sturdiness of her body, to which she immediately regretted not casting earlier. Like usual, her cockiness had gotten the best of her. She pulled herself to her knees with ragged breath and dug her hand into the beaten satchel trying to see if there was anything she could still salvage to save her life. Luckily, one bottle still remained intact¡ªa potion with a dazzling purple hue that swirled mysteriously. At one time, she was against the very notion of brewing potions, but desperate times called for desperate measures. She pulled her arm back, and with a pained grunt, threw the bottle at the ravaged roots she had summoned earlier.

    The liquid seeped deeply into the once-living vines, causing them to throb menacingly. All at once, the vines grew and mutated, wrapping around each other to form a tangled beast of a plant. A large string of vines that had stretched and shaped itself into an elongated barrel shape. From its mouth dripped a searing green liquid that burned the ground it touched. A floral weapon that seemed to be Heloise''s last resort.

    The cannon formed of vines faced towards the nuckelavee and spat a glob of green acid at it, coating some of the beast''s arm and backside. The liquid bubbled and burned as it reacted with the touch of the skinless hybrid. The nuckelavee however, seemed unaffected by the acid fizzing off its surface as it walked closer to the monstrous plant. Heloise watched in horror as the demon''s human head yawned, expelling a foul looking gas from its mouth that came down upon her living weapon and melted it like butter.

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    "No¡­ No! That''s not fair! That''s not fair! If only I could do that again¡­" She grabbed onto her shoulder, where she could once again feel a slight throbbing pain. "If only it were that easy."

    The witch looked down the river desperately.

    "I need my staff... Where did it go? I''m helpless without it. My staff¡­ is all I need. It was my decision.¡± Tears had begun blurring her vision. ¡°Why can¡¯t I just run away? Running away would be so much easier¡­ but I''ll still be stuck dying. I don¡¯t wanna die¡­"

    Heloise crawled pathetically downstream, eyes stinging, the pain from her broken nails ached as her fingers dug into the mud. She searched for her last bastion of hope, which had already seemed long gone. She could hear the sparks and crackling of the nuckelavee as it charged up another ball of dark energy, ready to finish her off. She continued crawling with all her might, helplessly hoping something or someone would come along and rescue her.

    ¡°Alma¡­ Please¡ª¡±

    The witch whimpered as the orb struck her torso, flinging her back. The orb, however, had strangely failed to explode on impact. The jolting hum of its radiating power seemed to be dying down instead. In the aftermath of the blast was a stooped-over witch, breathing intensely through grit teeth and radiating with an unnaturally dark essence¡ªpulsating in her hand was the nuckelavee¡¯s dark ball of energy.

    Her intense breathing slowly turned into a bout of haughty laughter. ¡°What timing,¡± she cooed before bringing the aphotic ball to her lips and slowly sucking out its energy with what looked like a gentle kiss. After a few seconds, the orb smoothly dissolved in her hand as she consumed the last of its concentrated magical essence. An inky darkness slowly encroached the sclera of her eyes while the tips of her hair singed themselves black. An evil grin creeped along her face.

    ¡°I knew if I put myself into a heightened state of anxiety this power would reawaken,¡± she lied to herself. Her stumbling had turned into a prideful walk back over to the water where the beast was waiting.

    Natura Pontis Terrae.

    A solid bridge of compacted dirt formed below her feet as she flawlessly walked across the flowing river. As she neared closer, the nuckelavee, whose head had been flailing wildly, stiffened up and readied another malevolent orb. The crackling ball of dark energy shot forth from its horns and vanished in a blur of motion right in front of Heloise. In her hand, once again, was the demonic orb of energy and just as she had done with the last one, she brought it to her lips and sucked away its essence.

    ¡°Feel free to keep giving me more ammo, creep.¡± Heloise burst into another fit of laughter, growing more delirious as she continued walking headlong into mortal danger.

    The bestial head of the nuckelavee brayed demonically, its cries reverberating strongly as it picked up its serpentine arms and stretched them forth toward the oncoming witch.

    Natura Me Protego~

    As she whispered another spell, the ground in front of her feet rose upward and formed an elongated shield, blocking the powerful strike of its arms. Its fingers curled around the edges of the earthen wall, digging in and causing trailing cracks to gradually form from the pressure.

    The witch merely chuckled as she touched the tips of those demonic fingers with her hands.

 Chapter 38: Toxic Positivity

    "You think you can touch this that easily?" Heloise gestured to herself while speaking in a singsong tone. "Better looking men than you have tried and failed."

    Naturae Spinosa Hedera.

    Barbed vines rose up from her feet and glided up the pale calves of her legs, leaving a soft red trail of blood where the thorns sliced into her skin. They slithered along her body, reaching her arm before swiftly spreading out onto the demonic fingers she had her hand wrapped around. The sentient ivy had wound itself throughout the dark body almost instantly and had encased itself around the entirety of the nuckelavee''s pulsating mass of black muscles, squeezing them mercilessly. Sharp thorns slashed and shredded through layers of muscle as the vines twisted around the nuckelavee, causing it to twitch in visible anguish as well as release a deep, monotonous moaning.

    Naturae Strangulatus Venenum Incursio.

    The thick spines embedded in the creature pumped out a hazy black liquid. A strange poisonous mixture made of magic meant to melt the insides of any creature that absorbed it. For a powerful beast of magic like the nuckelavee, that meant a searing, uncontrollable pain. The black blood rushed through its spasming veins and bled out through the small punctures in its body, mixing with the toxic fluid that was being injected in. The monster let loose a piercing cry that would cause any normal human to wince. It scraped its craggy hoof against the ground and instead of retreating, prepared to crash into the earthen barrier erected by the witch.

    Still grabbing onto it from both sides, the monster slammed its bestial head against the solid wall like a slingshot in a blinding burst of speed. The dirt that formed it crumbled even more as cracking streaks invaded and broke it apart.

    Heloise simply watched arrogantly, awed by the beast''s tenacity. As it finally broke through her barrier, the witch made a swift gesturing sign with her hand, signaling more thorned vines to group together, twisting itself around her waist and forming a seat under her, pulling her away from the oncoming danger. The same purple venom oozed from the barbs and slid across her skin, harmlessly neutralized as it came in contact with her blood.

    ¡°What in nature¡¯s name are you even trying to accomplish?¡± The witch said, from her briar perch above him. She chuckled loudly at the monster before sinking her lips into a frown. ¡°Just lie down and die already.¡±

    She made another gesture with her finger, sending one end of the thick commingled tentacle of vines hurtling toward the beast and attempting to skewer him only for it to pierce the ground where he stood. This continued over and over again, with the nuckelavee dodging her barrage of poison plants and her growing only more frustrated.

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    "You know, you''re pretty lucky! Not many have gotten to see this side of me." The witch struck a perky pose. "It''s pretty gorgeous, don''t you think?"

    A loud blast reverberated in front of her. The nuckelavee had fired another shot of its dark energy, only for it to be immediately blocked by her living amalgam of vines. Heloise delicately reached for the stopped orb embedded next to her and drank from it. "Not very smart, are you? Trying to get me drunk? Can''t exactly say you''re my type."

    The nuckelavee glared malevolently at Heloise before turning away. The witch watched on, eyes widening in gleeful expectancy while still grinning from the safety of her throne of thorns. The demon pulled back its arms then raised its hands upwards, an ebony static vibrating through the air around them. A different type of dark energy gathered around its arms, materializing into two very long blades of pulsating black mass, appearing as grim extensions stretching out of its body.

    Before it could attempt its next move, the witch angrily sent her briar tentacle slamming down onto the demon, only for it to be parried by a crossing of its throbbing blades.

    "You''re kidding! I''m trying to be the cool one here and you''ve been mucking it up every step of the way!" The blaze in her emerald green eyes burned with a caustic bitterness.

    The nuckelavee swung both of its arms in a wide arc, bringing the sharp blade of each black sword slicing into the trunk of Heloise''s living vine.

    "Stop!" she yelled, her breath angrily catching in her throat. The witch grasped the briar crown on her head and as she readied to throw it at the demon, recited an incantation.

    Virgo Ignominiosa.

    The circular crown grew large enough to land around the beast, encircling it and pinning down its arms. Almost immediately after touching the ground, the entwined twigs grew upward and formed a dome-like prison around its body. Heloise smirked and with a quick snap of her fingers, the thorny twigs pushed inward, sending dozens of wooden spikes to impale the nuckelavee trapped inside. As they made impact, the various squishing sounds of impaled meat was like music to Heloise''s ears. With a morbid grin and sickening delight, she gestured her plant to place her down and excitedly ran up to her brambly death trap. But just as she started to listen in for the last remaining death gurgles of her demonic opponent, the worm-like appendages that had been pinned down by the wood swung back towards her. With hardly any time to think, she made a mortal gamble and pushed against the rushing blades with her bare arms. Rather than cutting her in half, she had successfully deflected the blade with the strange power that was emanating from within her. The impact however, was still powerful enough to send her flying backwards, tumbling into her own wooden death trap and causing it to collapse¡ªfreeing the demon.

    She could feel the nullifying energy within her body begin to waver. The power she had used to block those magical blades had drained a lot from her, and because she wasn''t quick enough to absorb it, she was now feeling the pangs of mystic hunger that had been driving her.

    The demon roared behind her, preparing to slice at her once again.

    Looking over her shoulder, the witch, out of breath, struggled to get another strained word out. "I can''t¡­ I can''t do this anymore!" Body quivering, she was prepared to give it one final push. She raised one hand out in front of her just as the nuckelavee raised its blades above her, ready to bring them down. As her lips parted to recite her last attempt at saving grace, the thunderous crack of something familiar splitting the air rang out before the words could leave her mouth.

 Chapter 39: I Need a Hero

    Forests are connected in an amazing harmony of life. Fungi form a large interconnected colony underground and attach themselves to the roots of trees through tiny threads called mycelium. Through this bond, trees can help their other fellow trees connected to the same network communicate with each other in complex ways all by feeding a little energy into these fungi who give them nutrients right back. It¡¯s like, the forest has its own natural form of the internet! If a Red Jacaranda tree is being harmed in some way, either by humans or fire or even some hungry insects, it can signal this to a Delonix tree yards away. Even trees right next to each other will avoid entangling each other¡¯s crowns and bask in the sunlight together as a canopy, depending on each other like two best friends.

    Some really close trees will even fuse themselves together. There''s an unspoken partnership between them. Their root systems are so closely connected that when one dies, the other usually follows because of how much they rely on each other. It¡¯s almost romantic. The beauty and wonder of nature simply cannot be understated. Trees are always there for each other. It¡¯s not like they can escape each other, so it makes the most sense to form a friendship, right? That¡¯s how I knew she would come for me. I called for her and she came, like a gallant knight rescuing her princess.

    My sweet and dearest Alma.

    <hr>

    Heloise''s eyes lit up as she watched the bullet pierce the nuckelavee''s neck, sending it stumbling to the ground. In its frenzy, its serpentine arms crashed into her, flinging her to the ground. Her energy spent, the form that was protecting her was slowly dissipating. The murky darkness dissolved from her eyes and the black tinge on her hair reverted back to its silky chiffon blonde. The living vines she had been controlling to defend her were withering and crumbling away.

    ¡°No! Heli!¡± cried a voice from a mound behind the trees. ¡°I¡¯m here!¡±

    Another loud shot cracked through the air and bore into the demon¡¯s head, causing it to convulse uncontrollably. A sharp cry of anger rang out from both its mouths, harmonizing into a dissonant clash of sounds. Mismatching high and low voices that expressed a new form of seething acrimony.

    Alma watched the dangerous monstrosity from the scope of her rifle, analyzing several dozen ways her team could handle it. She knew nuckelavee were incredibly dangerous and she wondered why on Sarracas Heloise thought she could handle one alone. Alma, having never faced one in the caliginous flesh, couldn''t fully commit to any immediate strategy. As she waited for an opening, a flash of blades caused her to momentarily shift her gaze. The Hecatian had jumped into the fray as the nuckelavee wailed its demonic battle cry to the limitless pink sky.

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    "Hwal¨ªn?!" cried Alma, the eye focusing through her scope widening in shock. She surveyed the increasingly tension-fraught situation.

    The elf struck hard against its side with her twin blades, clashing against the sinewy black meat of its body. Her swords had barely sliced into the outer surface, causing her to leap back as the demon whirled around. It brought its arms together almost immediately into a deadly embrace of clashing flesh knives. Hearing the whistle of its sharp weapons slice the air around her, Hwal¨ªn barely managed to block both swords with a crossing of her arms, blade against blade. The feeling of the sharp, pulsating edges pushing against her curved swords was enough to make her gag.

    "What is this bloody thing? Its anatomy is all kinds of wrong! I can barely stand to look at it." Her muscles tensed up as she pushed the demon''s swords away, its arms wobbling erratically through the air, trying to regain momentum. Before it could right itself, Hwal¨ªn dove straight toward its body, both swords held in a piercing thrust and skewered the man-like torso clean through.

    The demon¡¯s upper head tensed up before dark green venomous gas spewed out slowly from between its bared teeth, wafting toward the red elf.

    ¡°GET AWAY!¡± yelled Alma and Heloise in unison, the witch struggling to hold herself up from the ground with just an elbow continued, ¡°DON¡¯T INHALE ITS GAS!¡±

    The warning arrived slightly too late. Hwal¨ªn had hopped away at lightning speed at the witch¡¯s words but not before a plume of the noxious fumes had reached her nose. The elf immediately dropped her weapons as she was forced to her knees, choking and coughing violently. Her throat burned from the vicious vapor, her hand clutching deep at her throat.

    Another crack pierced the air as a third bullet was fired from the trees directly into the maw of the smoking creature¡¯s humanoid head.

    As Heloise watched helplessly, she suddenly noticed a presence right beside her casting a looming shadow over her torso. Craning her neck up towards the source, she focused her gaze on a strange pale woman blocking out the sunlight behind her.

    ¡°Hello,¡± came an unpleasantly robotic voice. ¡°You must be Alma¡¯s friend. She has instructed me to give you this.¡± The mysterious woman held out Heloise¡¯s staff to her, which shaking hands grabbed uncertainly.

    ¡°T-Thanks. Wait, who in Azotha¡¯s wounds are you?¡± Heloise eyed the woman warily. The stranger¡¯s relationship to Alma had only given the witch greater cause for suspicion.

    The woman simply smiled, her hands behind her back, and shifted her gaze to the demonic creature eyeing them both with its malevolent gaze. ¡°I believe you have more pressing concerns at the moment.¡±

    ¡°Huh?¡± The witch staggered to her feet, wiping the sand and mud from her dress. She cast a sidelong glance at the woman before turning her attention to the nuckelavee, staff raised. ¡°This¡­ This isn¡¯t over.¡±

    Radices Invasor Ex Natura!

    Creeping roots tore up from the ground and tethered themselves to the demon¡¯s thrashing arms, anchoring them down. The Hecatian that had previously been incapacitated by its poisonous gas had already vanished. Heloise turned, looking for any sign of her and realized the other strange woman who had been standing behind her had also disappeared from sight.

    ¡°Who¡ª? Alma, what crazy mess have you gotten yourself into?¡±

 Chapter 40: Third Eye Grind

    A glint in the trees revealed Alma¡¯s location, still completely focused on the monster with her rifle.

    ¡°Hwal! Right arm!¡± At Alma¡¯s command, the red elf jumped out from the trees and brought down both of her blades, sinking them straight into the nuckelavee¡¯s restrained flesh. The eagle-eyed sniper followed suit, firing her rifle directly at the spot right under Hwal¨ªn¡¯s blade, the powerful bullet tearing directly through the beating black muscle of the appendage and pulverizing bone¡ªdemonic blood spilling from its damaged limb as the rest of the blade plunged deeper, finally cutting through globs of sinew and meat and marrow.

    ¡°Now that¡¯s some fancy bloody shootin¡¯.¡± Hwal¨ªn took a step back, trying to avoid the torrent of blood shooting from the nuckelavee¡¯s arm. She grinned and yelled excitedly. ¡°Damn! Wouldn¡¯t trust anyone else to take that fucking shot. Even if she did promise to shoot me one day.¡±

    The nuckelavee screamed angrily in torment as its sundered arm flailed wildly in the wind. It stomped the ground and bucked trying to rip its other arm from nature''s grasp. Then it suddenly stopped, its human head bolting upright once again¡ªgaze snapping toward the trees where the shot had originated from as a large river of murky blood oozed from the wounds in its neck. Despite the stopping power of the ex-soldier''s rifle, the demon''s head remained relatively intact. Dark bolts of raw energy crackled and sizzled from nowhere as they converged on an invisible point between its horns. The next attack seemed to be aimed at Alma.

    ¡°No you don¡¯t!¡± shouted Heloise before reciting another spell to launch her roots at the demon, slithering tendrils twisting rapidly around its conduit horns and yanking back on the nuckelavee''s head in an attempt to disrupt its aim. "Your slimy mind is not allowed to even think about her."

    The demon thrashed against the forces bearing down on it. Its head and arm twitching and struggling against the roots restricting its movements. It continued trying to aim its dark orb in Alma''s direction, finally firing an intense blast right into the trees.

    "Shit! Alma!" Heloise jerked her staff upward and aimed in the same direction.

    Natura Te Protegere!

    An earthen wall of dirt and stone rose up from the ground right in front of Alma, blocking her view of the battle. She sensed the monster had been charging up some type of attack but had hoped the witch''s spell could interrupt it before it could finish. Only then did she realize too late that the attack had been aimed at her. The sniper had little time to react and was sure she''d be getting blasted away by the thing, but luckily her best friend had protected her with a shield that bore the brunt of the explosion as she took cover. Alma felt stupid having to rely on the person she came to save. Doubt was hitting her like a sack of bricks.

    "Heli, saving my ass¡­" she mumbled. "I guess you really have gotten a lot stronger without me." There was a hint of loneliness in her voice. Alma grabbed her rifle and used it to stand up, trying to peer around the edge of the newly formed barrier cutting her off from the others.

    "I have to show her that I''ve changed too. I need a reason for her to think of wanting me back in her life." Alma felt a little guilty voicing her selfish thoughts. She wondered if she was being too greedy, asking the friend she had lost to come back to her rather than just her help. After all, she was the one that had driven her off with her nagging and overprotective nature. Traits that were better suited to her sister and her overbearing nature that seemed too much for even her sometimes. Alma cringed internally as she realized this.

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    The nuckelavee, meanwhile, had become even more crazed now that it realized how dire its situation had become. With its tactics failed and its attacks countered, its blood now boiled with a violent new transformation. The lower bestial head had torn and gnashed at the air in a frenzied fit.

    "Hey, you there. Strong-arm." Heloise awkwardly called out to Hwal¨ªn, who had been standing back, swords at the ready and trying to avoid colliding with the rampaging demon. "It''s not over yet."

    She glanced over at the witch silently.

    "I guess since you''re with Alma, that makes you some kind of soldier, right?" the witch continued. "Doesn¡¯t surprise me that Malachias has some Hecatians in their army. So what kind of reward did Alma promise you to follow her here? Some flowers maybe? An epic fight? I know how much your kind likes combat. Or maybe you¡¯re a fan of mine?¡±

    ¡°Oi, Alma!¡± Hwal¨ªn yelled to the wind. ¡°After we save your friend here from that monster, you¡¯re gonna have to save her from me!¡±

    Alma could hear the two girls talking about something, but she hadn''t really been paying attention. She was searching for a better vantage point to watch the nuckelavee from, which seemed to be about to attempt something horrid. And as if on cue, the moment Alma peered through her scope, the demon froze in place. It seemed to be staring straight at Alma with its creepy, deformed visage.

    Hwal¨ªn, taking this as her signal, attempted another twin piercing with her swords, only to be deflected by something familiar.

    The blood spouting from the nuckelavee''s severed arm had solidified into a sticky new blade. Despite the appearance of looking like congealed jelly, it clanged surprisingly loud as it clashed against the red elf''s blades. After forcing her to leap back in retreat, the demonic beast committed another unspeakable act. It brought down its newly formed blade onto its other arm, still bound up in the witch''s roots. The fountain of blood gushing from its newly dislodged, amputated arm quickly coagulated midair into another dangerous blade. It brought both its arms forward and crossed them together over its chest before letting out a disturbing mumbling that could only be described as unhallowed chanting. Whatever words it was reciting to itself seemed to put the other girls in a state of revulsion.

    Heloise once again tried to wrap the demon''s upper body in writhing vines only for them to be shredded instantly by the clotted blades.

    Alma found herself panicking slightly at the monster''s sudden transformation. It wasn''t something she was aware nuckelavee could do. She spent countless nights on her computer reading up on goetic monsters summoned to this world by idiots consumed by their lust for power¡ªrunning simulations in her head on how to take down each one. She studied lists of them, usually right before hunting them down with Heloise for whatever secret purpose she always seemed to have in mind for them. Alma never really questioned her friend''s intentions in times like those, considering she would know better about magical fauna and the like. She simply enjoyed the fun they had together and would probably be swept up in a state of nostalgia if not for the urgent situation. Now it was up to her to save her friend from another monster, just like old times.

    ¡°Damn it, kid. Put these fucking eyes to use somehow. Come on. It has to have some kind of weak point I can shoot.¡± Alma narrowed her eyes, observing the thing¡¯s movements as it traded blows with the other two women, looking for anything unique, any sign of cracks in its mass of armored muscles. If it could shake off her bullets and even losing its limbs so easily like that, then any hope she had of killing it were quickly dwindling. Her friends were in danger and her head intrusively filled with the countless ways imaginable they could die gruesome deaths fighting against it. Magical beasts were dangerous enough, but among them, the demonic ones were the ones to really watch out for. They kill indiscriminately and haven¡¯t an ounce of mercy, tearing any living thing they see to pieces.

    Alma gripped the barrel of her rifle tightly and focused, burning a hole through her gun¡¯s telescopic sight. Her gaze flicked wildly over the enemy, until finally a phenomenon imperceptibly resonated before her. A hazy new energy was emanating off of the nuckelavee¡¯s body that was gradually causing her head to ache. Was it powering up another new attack? No. This was something else entirely. As the young sniper concentrated harder, the haze building up over the demon came into focus more clearly. Bound tightly around the nuckelavee¡¯s murky, throbbing flesh was what appeared to be an obscurely shining blue chain.

 Chapter 41: Stuck Between a Rock and a Hard Place

    "Is that¡­a chain? I don''t remember any mention of that on any of the sites. Why do I trust those blogs?¡± Alma was stuck pondering what to do about the eerie new addition to the demon¡¯s body. Why did it suddenly appear like that? She knew for certain it definitely hadn¡¯t been there a few minutes earlier. It couldn¡¯t be some new attack, right? It would¡¯ve done something with it by now. But¡­ it looks like it¡¯s crushing him. Those chains are digging in pretty tight. Did Heli do this? No. This doesn¡¯t seem like her kind of magic. What if I shoot it? Can I shoot it? What if I end up making it stronger? That would be embarrassing. Instead of saving my best friend I end up getting her killed. She¡¯d probably haunt me for that. Then I¡¯d never get her stupid voice out of my head. That¡¯s the last thing I¡¯d need.

    ¡°Heli!¡± cried Alma after much pontificating.

    ¡°Alma?!¡± Heloise shouted back, in the midst of conjuring a spell to launch Hwal¨ªn into the air with a risen block of dirt per her request. The Hecatian came down on the demon¡¯s back with explosive force, barely scraping by the swing of its blades. ¡°You¡¯re okay! I¡¯m so glad! ¡ªWait¡ªI mean-What are you even doing here? Can¡¯t you see I¡¯m in the middle of a hunt?! Nobody¡­Ngh! Asked for your help!¡±

    ¡°Cut the crap, Heli! Listen! What do you know about that weirdly glowing chain wrapped around the nuckelavee?¡±

    ¡°The what?! Chain? What the fuck are you talking about, connasse? Ta gueule !¡±

    Huh? It¡¯s right there! Does she really not see it? Alma squinted. Am I the crazy one? Wait¡­

    ¡°I don¡¯t know! I think it¡¯s my eyes! I can see something there, clear as day! Some kind of long chain wrapped around its body! Binding him maybe?¡±

    ¡°Binding him¡­? Wait! That¡¯s it! That must be the magic tethering it to this world! Alma, you can see that? Azotha¡¯s wounds! I could kiss those eyes of yours! Shoot it, Alma! Shoot it!¡±

    ¡°Are you sure? It¡¯s not like, suddenly gonna get stronger, is it? Maybe it¡¯s holding its magic in check?¡±

    ¡°Alma¡­!¡± roared the red elf.

    ¡°Just do what I say, bitch! I¡¯ll explain later!¡± Heloise then signaled to Hwal¨ªn to take cover so she could cast something big. Digging her staff into the ground, she tapped the ruby crystal atop it with the bottom of the second ring on her middle finger.

    Terrae Murus Moliti Ex Natura!

    Two towering slabs made of dirt and stone rose upwards towards the sky, one on each side of the demon. The witch raised both her hands and swiftly clapped them together, bringing both walls rushing towards each other with the nuckelavee caught in between.

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    The demonic creature stretched out both of its bladed arms and pushed back against the charging walls, the point of each blade penetrating deep into the stone, preventing the walls from completing its pulverizing duty but also confining the demon in place.

    A deafening bang accompanied by swirls of fire belched out from Alma¡¯s rifle as she fired, the clip pinging as it ejected outward. A well-placed shot drove home right between a link in the ethereal chain and somehow hit, breaking it in two. A kaleidoscopic pattern disseminated impossibly along the demon¡¯s body, freezing it in place. Starting from its lower hoof, small shards gradually chipped off and dissolved into nothing¡ªits body slowly disintegrating from their current plane of existence. The nuckelavee rose its head and looked over at where Alma was crouching, staring directly at her position despite hiding behind multitudes of branches and leaves. Alma shivered under its demonic gaze. A string of unknown words spewed from its mouth, seemingly directed at Alma. What it tried communicating to her, none of the girls could surmise. Had it been gratitude for freeing it from its binding summon? Or a threatening curse to never call upon it again? Before she could hazard a guess, the fragments making up its head had already begun breaking apart.

    "Ah! Wait! Its horn!" yelped Heloise, unleashing a quick sunbolt towards the nuckelavee¡¯s horn only for it to pass through harmlessly as the last of its form dissolved into the ether. She was too late. Pulling at her hair, she swore as loudly as she could, ¡°FUCK!¡±

    Alma breathed an exasperated sigh, sitting up and watching the last remnants of smoke wafting up from the end of her rifle. A rustling of leaves next to her alerted her to the presence of Qu¡¯l-Nia standing next to her. How long had she been there?

    ¡°Quite impressive, Alma. I did not think your ability had evolved to such a degree.¡±

    ¡°Whaaat? T-That was nothing.¡± Alma bashfully pushed a strand of hair behind her ear. ¡°I wouldn¡¯t say it evolved¡­ Wait, where¡¯ve you been?¡±

    ¡°My power would have been a bit too much for this fight. I sensed that you had this battle well in hand and therefore reasoned I keep myself in reserve. A simple magical creature would scarce warrant my intervention compared to say, an eldritch being, and while I am in agreement that they do share certain commonalities, that is, being foreign to your dimension for example, the former still being something that was born within a common universe, as opposed to the latter, there is more than a slight incongruence in the inherency of capabilities, such being¡ª¡±

    ¡°Okay, okay. I get it. You¡¯re better than us. Just¡­ let me know next time?¡±

    ¡°Very well. On another note, I do believe there was a caveat for our little excursion here?¡±

    ¡°Wha¡ª?¡±

    ¡°Your friend is waiting for you.¡±

    Alma picked up her gun and peered through the scope, searching desperately for the witch she had come to rescue. She thought she had heard her scream a certain word earlier but that was usually to be expected from her during a hunt. She finally spotted her saying something to Hwal¨ªn¡ªrather than chatting with her, since it seemed like the Hecatian wasn¡¯t quite listening. Alma felt like she should probably go down and meet with her as soon as possible.

    Clumsily making her way down the grassy knoll, Alma called and waved towards Heloise. The witch turned to her with a look of growing elation before running towards her with the energy of a puppy. The sniper greeted her old friend with open arms only to feel a sudden impact against her chest.

    ¡°D-Did you just slap my boob?¡± stammered Alma.

    ¡°Well, I would have slapped your face if my nails weren¡¯t fucking broken!¡±

    ¡°Aww. You do care.¡± Alma craned her neck and smiled.

 Chapter 42: Lifes a Witch, Then You Sigh

    ¡°Aww. You do care.¡± Alma craned her neck and smiled. ¡°You¡¯re not looking too hot actually.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s impossible,¡± the witch snorted. ¡°And¡ª¡± But before she could veer into one of her annoying tangents, her eyes widened in horror as she grabbed Alma¡¯s face and brought it close for inspection. ¡°¡ªOh my Dark God, Alma! Your beautiful, brown eyes! What happened?! They¡¯re so common! They¡¯re so pedestrian?! They¡¯re so... yellow! Ew!¡±

    ¡°Yellow¡­?¡± The sniper snapped her eyes toward Hwal¨ªn, who had been standing just a few feet away and was now talking to Qu¡¯l-Nia. ¡°Yellow?! Why didn¡¯t you guys tell me my eyes freaking changed colors?!¡±

    The two exchanged a look before turning back to Alma.

    ¡°Well, Alm. Ya see¡­¡± Hwal¨ªn scratched her neck awkwardly. ¡°I¡­ didn¡¯t actually notice. Far as I remember, your eyes were always like this.¡±

    Alma stared at her, mouth agape, before turning to Qu¡¯l-Nia. ¡°And you?¡±

    ¡°You did not ask.¡±

    "How long?" Alma growled. "HOW LONG?!"

    "I believe it is a product of your ability''s natural progression. A latent stage unlocked after you came into contact with my¡­ singing."

    Heloise laughed loudly from behind Alma.

    ¡°So this is who you¡¯re relying on these days, babe? That¡¯s incredible.¡± Heloise scoffed. ¡°How¡¯d you even find me?¡±

    "Your brother."

    "Shit. I did leave him all alone, didn''t I?¡± She clicked her teeth and put her hands on her hips. ¡°How¡¯s he doing? Was he the one that called you? Wait, you¡¯ll come for hm but not for me?¡±

    ¡°I did come for you! Clearly you wanted to see me bad enough so why didn¡¯t you just call me?¡±

    ¡°Why would I call a bitch? Besides, you were supposed to call me!¡± The witch traced an invisible path between them with her fingers.

    ¡°I did!¡± Alma scowled ¡°You seriously think I haven¡¯t tried getting back in touch with you? I¡¯ve called like crazy and you never answered!¡±

    ¡°Thanks. You did the bare minimum.¡±

    Alma scoffed. ¡°Do you know how worried sick I¡¯ve been about you?!¡±

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    ¡°Not worried enough apparently¡­¡± Heloise mumbled, remembering the sleepless nights she spent crying her eyes out.

    ¡°What was that?! Are you really still being this petty? It was just a fucking staff. Get over it.¡±

    ¡°Who¡¯s talking about a staff? Would it have hurt you to just stop by to check in on me? You don¡¯t know how I¡¯ve¡­ You don¡¯t know!¡± Heloise instinctively rubbed her shoulder.

    ¡°What don¡¯t I know? How to puzzle out your every whim? Oh, I get it. This was just another of your manipulative ploys to get my attention. Macha¡¯s sake, you¡¯re such a fucking child!¡±

    ¡°Why the fuck are you here, Alma?¡±

    Alma closed her eyes and breathed in deeply through her nose. After a few seconds, she said to the witch, ¡°We need your help. It¡¯s extremely important. Qu¡¯l-Nia here¡ª¡±

    ¡°Oho! The great Alma needs my help, does she? Made some useless new friends, has she?¡±

    ¡°There she is! The jealous queen of cuntdom makes her appearance! Come on, girls. Everyone bow to her majesty!¡±

    Heloise gasped dramatically.

    Hwal¨ªn, who had been observing quietly along with Qu¡¯l-Nia, placed her hand on Alma¡¯s shoulder. ¡°Alma, maybe this wasn¡¯t such a good idea after all¡­¡±

    "Better listen to your brawny friend here." The witch grimaced before turning to Qu''l-Nia. "And who''s this freak?"

    "Oi." Hwal¨ªn raised a fist balled in rage. "You watch your bloody mouth, you bitch."

    Contrary to the smile she was always wearing, Qu''l-Nia now had a serious look on her face as if to reinforce the gravity of the situation. It seemed to be more like her default state than an expression worn out of anger. "Heloise, we have sensitive matters to discuss with you that pertain to the end of the world. Alma has informed me that you can be of help in times of crises like these and I believe you to be very much against the idea of a threat to your very existence. I would like to enlist your assistance as I previously have with both Hwal¨ªn and Alma. It is imperative to this star''s fate that you cooperate or it could very well spell doom for us all."

    "End of the world¡­?¡± Heloise gawked at Alma before laughing obnoxiously. ¡°Alma, don¡¯t tell me you fell for this spiel? Do you know how many idiots have prophesied an apocalypse over the centuries only for them to be proven wrong again and again? And now you¡¯re blindly following another one of these hacks? What kind of wives¡¯ tales has she been peddling to you? And hello? Aren¡¯t you, like, in the Crusaders now? Since when can you afford to go along with any of this shit now?¡±

    ¡°With all your stalking, I¡¯d figured you¡¯d heard.¡± Alma sighed before biting her lip nervously. ¡°I¡¯m¡­ They kicked me out, Heli. I was dishonorably discharged. It''s a long story. Some¡­ incidents led me to go AWOL on my first day. They didn''t even bother listening to my excuses. It was an immediate court-martial. You know how it is back home. They take this stuff extremely seriously."

    A look of confusion spread across the witch''s face. "What? How could you let that happen? I thought the Crusaders were your dream." She looked away and mumbled, "Even despite how against it I was¡­"

    "Heli, I didn''t come here to fight. I know how it may seem to you, but I really missed you. And I''m sorry I didn''t try coming to see you sooner."

    Heloise stared at the ground while Alma spoke. After a few seconds of silence, she looked up, first at Alma, then at Qu''l-Nia and Hwal¨ªn, then back to the ex-soldier.

    "I guess I might''ve¡­ gotten a bit¡­ carried away." The witch struggled to get her feelings out. ¡°I¡¯ve been dealing with a lot lately.¡±

    ¡°Yeah, Bert mentioned as much.¡± Alma crossed her arms and curled her lips into a sympathetic half-smile. ¡°You wanna talk about it?¡±

    ¡°No.¡±

 Chapter 43: The Witchs House

    ¡°Oh, uh¡ª¡±

    ¡°Walk me home? Your friends can come too, I guess.¡±

    ¡°Wait, so you¡¯ll help us then?¡±

    ¡°That depends. How are you planning on paying me back for the NUCKELAVEE HORN I DESPERATELY FUCKING NEEDED?!"

    "Was the horn really so important you had to risk your life for it? What kind of spell was it for?"

    "You need my help? Then zip it with the questions. We''ve got a couple hours walk back and I''d literally rather talk about anything else."

    "Okay! Sorry! Let''s just get going already."

    "One moment." The witch had walked over to her torn up satchel and tossed it in the river. She mumbled to herself, "You''re someone else''s problem now, damn useless potions. Wasting my precious time brewing you. Can''t even return that cauldron now. Just had to go old school¡­"

    Hwal¨ªn leaned over toward Alma. "Boy, you weren''t kidding. She''s a bloody handful and a half. No wonder you broke things off with her."

    "I didn''t ''break things off with her.'' She left to do her own thing then we both just¡­ got really busy." Alma swallowed, barely able to believe her own words.

    "Precisely why you must avoid any further unnecessary aggravation,¡± chimed Qu¡¯l-Nia. ¡°As long as we secure her cooperation, then all will be as it should be.

    ¡°Please don¡¯t talk about Heloise as if she¡¯s just a means to an end for you. I know her help is important but she¡¯s still my friend. I¡¯m doing my best here to re-earn her trust. She¡¯s prickly. I have to be careful.¡±

    ¡°Why walk on eggshells for this dodgy nutter?" questioned Hwal¨ªn.

    "I''m not sure what that means but seriously can you two just stop? Just leave her to me."

    "What are you guys mumbling about over there?" The witch made her way back toward the group before ushering them to start moving. "Did Alma tell you about all those times I saved her ass while hunting monsters like those? This forest is totally treacherous. Not just the creatures but this place is full of ancient, unknown energies. Like, step off the beaten path around here and you''ll end up vanishing without a trace. Sometimes I''ll find someone''s abandoned clothes out here and not a single piece of evidence that they were forcibly removed. People go missing up here all the time and not even I''ve ever seen where most of them vanish to."

    "I think I have an inkling¡­" Hwal¨ªn scowled as she recalled her short stint inside that loathsome plant.

    "What do you mean?" asked Heloise curiously.

    "Neraides." Alma simply said.

    Heloise let out a slight chuckle. "Oh, Alma. You have to tell me all about the shit you went through just to find me."

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    <hr>

    It was late afternoon by the time they arrived at the witch''s house. The ex-soldier was finishing up her regaling of how she met the other two members of her party, with a few liberties here and there.

    "Figures," stated Heloise. "Alma always has to be the savior. I think it''s her fetish or something."

    "Shutup!" shouted Alma. "It''s not like that! You''re the weird one here."

    "She saved us, we saved her," said Hwal¨ªn. "It was mostly a team effort. Gotta say, Alma sure is reliable for getting others out of messes."

    Heloise swept her hair aside with a dramatic flair. "Sure, sure. She''s always rescuing others while asking nothing in return, but who do you think is really gonna be there to rescue her when the time comes?" The witch looked at Alma expectantly, waiting for her to give the only correct answer.

    But before the sniperess could open her mouth to respond, the eldritch woman who had been trailing behind finally spoke up.

    "It appears we have finally returned to where we began our journey." Qu''l-Nia pointed to the large cottage nestled picture-perfectly under the giant bough dotted with red and gold leaves that trailed down from the tip like a waterfall of leaves. "It leaves quite the puissant impression on one''s aesthetic perception."

    "Really?" Heloise perked up proudly. "I was going for that whole liminal space vibe."

    "Wow," Alma said with exaggerated astonishment. "I never thought I''d hear a compliment coming from Q that wasn''t somehow backhanded."

    Heloise grinned and skipped toward the big wooden door with the heart carved in it. Tracing the bottom of the carving with her slender fingers, she chanted a quick couple of words causing a large brass key with a heart-shaped handle to materialize inside the lining of the heart on the door. She turned the key and with a loud click, unlocked the entrance to her house. "Well? Come on, come on! Wait until you see the inside!"

    "Heloise?" a voice called from inside. "Is that you?"

    "Who else would it be, you little shit?"

    "Casse-toi ! Why are you always so mean?"

    "Je m''en fous de ton avis ! Ta gueule ! We have guests! Get your butt out here!"

    Bertrand came running out from deep inside and hugged his sister, despite her attitude toward him.

    "Yeah, I missed you too," the witch whispered affectionately. "I''m assuming you were expecting them to come carrying my pretty little ass back home, huh?"

    As Bert looked up from the embrace with his sister, he noticed Alma and the other two from earlier standing in the doorway.

    ¡°What¡¯d I tell ya?¡± Hwal¨ªn winked at him. ¡°Your sister¡¯s back in one piece, just like we promised.¡±

    "Thank you. And thanks Alma." The boy flashed them a smile. "I kinda missed having you around."

    "Yeah, yeah, yeah." Heloise pulled the boy aside. "Come, ladies. Step into the parlor while I make a quick stop into my boudoir."

    The witch''s house was richly decorated on the inside, with fancy patterned wallpaper and elegant, damask curtains hanging from the wall. Tapestries of unknown galaxies lined the interior directly facing the entrance. Even the hardwood floor looked rather stately to the eyes. A small and intricate spiral staircase led up to the floor above.

    Hwal¨ªn whistled as she looked around. "Didn''t get a good look in here the first time but damn, this witch sure knows how to live it up."

    "It took an awful lot of work and hunting, but this place turned out pretty great." Alma smiled warmly as the memories flooded back to her. She walked slowly over to one of the hanging tapestries. "Wait¡­ isn''t that¡ª?"

    "One of Zosimos''s?" interrupted the witch. "Yeah, I went back and nabbed it. You didn''t actually think I''d pay good money for that map and not loot the shit out of his lair after what he put us through."

    Heloise chose her words carefully. While she did return to the dangers of that foreign abode, her true aim was for answers rather than treasures.

    "Make yourselves at home," she continued. "Bert, go fetch us some tea. Alma, you know the way to the parlor."

 Chapter 44: Elf-Reflection

    "Right." Alma looked around as Bert excused himself and retreated to the kitchen. "I missed the ambiance of this place. It''s so¡­ comfy."

    "Fancy digs is right. No expense for comfort, eh?" Hwal¨ªn grinned. "I can even hear music playing in the other room. Bet even the tea is some kind of imported. Right, Alma? Am I right?"

    "She¡­ does have a taste for the finer things."

    "I''ll take that as a yes," Hwal¨ªn huffed proudly. "I''m guessing most of this stuff is the fruit of your labors? Dungeon crawling and all that?"

    Alma lowered her voice and smiled smugly. "Mostly thanks to me, yeah. Check out the parlor here. Half the dusty tomes on this shelf? Every three or so is a different souvenir of one of our grand adventures. You''d think it''d be some shiny trinket but books are usually her favorite haul. She might not look it but she really loves to feed her knowledge."

    ¡°Heloise is surprisingly well read it seems.¡± Qu''l-Nia had been browsing through one of the many large bookshelves adorning the wall of the room. Finding a book on moral nihilism, she picked a spot to sit down and immediately soaked up the information inside.

    ¡°Actually, I don¡¯t think she¡¯s even gotten through half of these books.¡±

    "So it''s mostly you give and she takes, is it?¡± Hwal¨ªn asked, veering back to the previous topic. ¡°Sounds like an interesting friendship."

    "It really is." Alma chuckled. "We each get our fair share of things. I just happen to be more interested in the hunt. I mean, we call it treasure but at the end of the day it''s mostly just junk antiquities that aren''t really worth much. she makes due by scrounging up any magical artifact that a normal person would just scoff at. You think she paid for this house? It was built with magic. It''s all just wood and stone and that kind of magic is her specialty. If you look real closely at certain spots, you''ll notice a lot of weird imperfections that magic can''t get quite right. She¡¯s too proud to admit it though, so don¡¯t tell her I told you. She¡¯d scream my head off."

    Hwal¨ªn observed the surrounding structure. Just as Alma had said, she noticed the wood weirdly jutting out of frame in certain places, weirdly shaped supports, beams of arcane lumber poking from the ceiling. She hadn''t noticed the haphazard jumble of magic¡¯s architecture until Alma pointed them out, causing her to feel extra cautious of where she was standing.

    "Hwal, never had the urge to explore a cave or secret grotto? Never wanted to go adventuring or exploring?" Alma plopped down on the seat next to Qu''l-Nia and clasped her hands, bringing her two index fingers up to puckered lips before pointing them at the Hecatian. "Give me the lowdown. Tell me more about Hwal¨ªn."

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    "Who do you think you''re talkin'' to?¡± The Hecatian pondered for a moment, then flashed a sharp-toothed grin while pointing over her shoulder. ¡°I ever tell you how I lost my tail?"

    "No, but I''d be lying if I didn''t admit I''ve always wanted to ask.¡± Alma glanced toward the exit. ¡°And Heli is definitely gonna hop in the shower so it¡¯s gonna be a while."

    "I was still young and brash when it happened,¡± recalled Hwal¨ªn. ¡°Not quite an adult yet but not quite a kid either. See, my pops has spent most of his life sailing out at sea. Mostly raiding and pillaging."

    "Holy shit your dad''s a pirate?"

    "Well. For a time. ¡®Fore I was born. They later commissioned him as a privateer. That was when he met my mum. She worked for the town guard of my place back home. Nothing so prestigious like your Crusaders, mind.¡±

    ¡°Hwal! You¡¯re basically an army brat! Why haven¡¯t we talked about this?!¡±

    ¡°A daughter of both land and sea,¡± noted Qu¡¯l-Nia, her gaze still glued to her book.

    How does she expand her focus like that?

    ¡°Yeah, I mean, kind of, but not really.¡± The red elf chuckled modestly. ¡°It¡¯s not like I ever saw much of either of them anyhow. Spent most of my life being took care of by my mum¡¯s brother. He was sweet if not a bit rough around the edges. Had to give up merc¡¯in¡¯ once he took me in. Never seemed to resent me for it though. That wise ass taught me so much about life.¡± There was a dreamy look in her eyes. A gleam of better times.

    ¡°Sounds exciting. More than I can say about my life.¡±

    Hwal¨ªn smirked and made a gesture with her hands as if to emphasize where they currently were.

    ¡°Not something I¡¯d have been able to attest to without you guys.¡±

    ¡°Tea?¡± Bertrand entered the room holding an old-fashioned silver tray

    ¡°Oi kid. I¡¯m a bit knackered. You got anything to, err, spice this up with?¡± asked Hwal¨ªn, making a pouring motion with her free hand.

    The boy tilted his head, confused.

    ¡°Heli doesn¡¯t drink,¡± stated Alma.

    ¡°I knew this place was too good to be true.¡±

    Qu¡¯l-Nia wordlessly grabbed a cup of tea from the tray and set it down. It would eventually grow cold and remain untouched.

    ¡°I getcha. I¡¯d have preferred a soda but Heli doesn¡¯t care for it.¡± Alma grabbed a tea cup from the tray and quietly whispered to Bertrand. ¡°Ligerberry and rhizeric, right? I need to shake these bad vibes.¡±

    Bert nodded silently.

    Alma smiled and took a sip, satisfied.

    ¡°Where was I?¡± the Hecatian asked herself. ¡°I was gonna tell you about¡­. my uncle Beleth. That¡¯s right. Decent man when he wasn¡¯t being a complete tosser.¡± She unsheathed one of her swords and looked at herself in its pallid reflection. ¡°Pops gifted me these swords as a child and when I was big enough, uncle Bel taught me how to swing ¡®em. You might be a fan of your guns, but I¡¯ve always liked the old-fashioned ways of fighting.¡±

    ¡°Guns are plenty old-fashioned! They¡¯ve been around for a couple hundred years. Don¡¯t knock it ¡®til you tried it.¡±

    ¡°Be that as it may¡­¡± Hwal¨ªn chuckled, gently twirling her blade through the air. ¡°There¡¯s something about solving your problems in dick-swinging distance that beats ranged combat anytime.¡±

    Alma groaned.

    ¡°Metaphorically speaking, of course.¡± The red elf flashed another sharp-toothed grin.

 Chapter 45: Swingers Club

    ¡°It¡¯s something one of my exes used to say,¡± she added quietly.

    ¡°You just keep your swinging to yourself.¡± Alma stroked her rifle, as if shielding it.

    ¡°Uncle Bel taught me a number of things. If I ever hurt myself with a blade, he¡¯d glare at me and tell me I¡¯d learned a valuable lesson. He wanted it ingrained that those swords weren¡¯t toys to swing around and any fun expectation I¡¯d have of them would always be secondary to their true nature as weapons to kill. He showed me how to properly slice, dice, slash, cut and hack any target that was deemed an enemy.¡±

    ¡°I guess you were too good to learn stabbing too, eh?¡±

    ¡°Stabbin¡¯s an art. You can¡¯t just learn it. It¡¯s not as simple as firing off a little peashooter.¡± Hwal¨ªn laughed while stabbing the air in three quick successions.

    Alma scoffed and playfully nudged Qu¡¯l-Nia¡¯s shoulder with her own. ¡°What? No crumb of wisdom to add?¡±

    ¡°Both are rudimentary weapons to one such as I whose singing can cause ripples in gravity or tears in space.¡± The eldritch woman turned a page in her book before continuing, ¡°And that is only surface level of the kind of repercussions that could quantifiably happen.¡±

    ¡°Wow. Calm down there miss supervillain. If that¡¯s true, why haven¡¯t you unleashed this doomsday weapon already and gone scorched planet on all of us?¡±

    Qu¡¯l-Nia finally reacted, knitting her brow. ¡°I believe I had already made myself expressly clear about the lack of power in my diminutive state. And were it not so, you would not wish me to destroy your planet before we have a chance to save it. Would you?¡±

    Alma pondered for a moment. ¡°So, Hwal. You were saying about your uncle?¡±

    ¡°As a child, I was always getting into scraps,¡± continued Hwal¨ªn. ¡°Would always get rowdy with the boys. There was this one kid, would always force him to wrestle me. And every time he lost, I¡¯d make him propose to me. We¡¯d have this cute little wedding ceremony in the forest playground. I¡¯d wrap myself in a blanket and pretend it was the most lavish dress and he would walk me down the aisle of flowering greenery. But when it got time for him to kiss his bride, the li¡¯l bastard would always run for the hills. Then the next time I¡¯d see him, we¡¯d do the whole thing over again. Uncle Bel put an end to that once he found out though. Told me I shouldn¡¯t throw myself at any strapping lad I came across. That he should be able to beat me in a fight or he wouldn¡¯t be worth joining in the family. Course once I got into my teens, I started going after them bloody bad boys.¡±

    "Oh no. And you didn¡¯t have an obstinate, doting older sister pressuring you into not making what she claims were the wrong decisions?"

    ¡°Just my uncle, and there was no way I was gonna let him know what I was doing.¡± Her lips squeezed into a melancholy smile. "I was in a gang for a while, you know. Invited by my then-bastard-of-a-boyfriend. Made quite the name for myself. I was known as the Yazata of Mitra.¡±

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    ¡°The Ya-who-ta?¡± Alma noisily slurped the tea from her cup.

    ¡°It is a Hecatian term,¡± explained Qu¡¯l-Nia. ¡°A venerative title of worship. I surmise Hwal¨ªn was held in high regard by her peers.¡±

    ¡°Wait, you didn¡¯t know about this?¡± asked Alma.

    ¡°I am in the dark, so to speak, as to Hwal¨ªn¡¯s personal history. I know about as much as you, Alma.¡± She looked up at the Hecatian with a warm smile. ¡°That is not to say I am not interested in hearing more. If your entire lives were both written down in a book for my perusal, I would be extremely excited to read it from end to end.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s¡­ touching, Nia. Although I have always wondered how in the world you know so many languages.¡±

    "She probably used her brain worms to suck the info from some poor red elfwin head." Alma struck with her usual teasing.

    "Are you referring to my hair?" Qu''l-Nia''s silky, platinum hair glittered like usual. "Would you perhaps like a demonstration?"

    "I want to say yes¡­ but I also don''t want you to literally infest my brain."

    "Alma. You are only partially correct. I believe I have touched upon this before but my ¡®brain worms¡¯ as you like to call them absorb and process the latent information around me. As for how I know Hecatian, however, it is quite the simple thing to listen to a language being spoken and using an algorithmic approach, to learn how to speak it. The same holds true for how I learned your language as well. There is no infecting of anyone¡¯s mind.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re like a pretty, little black hole.¡±

    ¡°That was keener of an observation than you realize.¡±

    ¡°Wait, shit.¡± Alma smacked her forehead. ¡°Sorry Hwal, my head gets distracted so easily.¡±

    ¡°S¡¯cool, mate. I don¡¯t even question it anymore.¡±

    Alma opened her mouth to speak but failed to come up with a witty response.

    ¡°Weren¡¯t no halcyon days,¡± said Hwal¨ªn. ¡°Despite how much I try to paint them as such in my mind. Sure I had fun sneaking out to get smashed and party hard with the boys, but that was nowhere near the worst of it. We weren¡¯t kids and the lot of them were always up to no good. It started out innocently enough, I reckon; Stealing from shops and getting past that dangerous threshold whenever we got high off some of the stronger stuff. And that¡¯s not even getting into the shitfest of personal drama that was always choking the lifeblood out of our little group. I dated at least three of the blokes in our gang at different points in time. Including our leader, Karam. Two of ¡®em even fought over me once. They ended their little bout saying they¡¯d ¡®take turns.¡¯ Told them both to go fuck each other instead seeing as how desperate they were. They all used to joke about how often I¡¯d get passed around, fucking my way to the top. I laughed it off back then, but now¡­¡± she trailed off, the color draining from her face as she remembered something she wished had stayed forgotten.

    ¡°As we got older,¡± continued Hwal¨ªn, picking the pace back up. ¡°Couple of the lads started pushing red viris petals laced with some foreign drug I ain¡¯t ever heard of. Shit straight sent us into a hardcore tizzy like we never felt before. Now I should mention that lacing flowers with any sort of drug is all kinds of illegal back home. Even my mum wouldn¡¯t be able to save my ass if I had been caught with the stuff. I¡¯m honestly surprised I avoided prison at all the way I lived."

    ¡°Wow, uh¡­ Sounds like you had a hard life. I¡¯m¡ªI¡¯m sorry.¡±

    ¡°It is what it is, yeah?¡± The Hecatian shrugged. ¡°I don¡¯t suppose your witch has any smokes I could bum, does she?¡±

    ¡°Just some weird long pipe thing that gives off some fruity smell when you smoke it. She doesn¡¯t actually use the thing, she just thinks it makes her look cool.¡± Alma tried to stifle a smirk. ¡°Actually, you could say that about a lot of the things here. It¡¯s charming, until it¡¯s not. I¡­ don¡¯t think it¡¯s what you¡¯re looking for.¡±

 Chapter 46: Sand Hassle

    Hwal¨ªn turned her head, ears raised but looking at nothing in particular. ¡°You know she sings in there?¡±

    ¡°In the shower? Yeah, I know.¡±

    ¡°She ain¡¯t very good.¡±

    ¡°Is anyone?¡± Alma shrugged, before narrowing her eyes. ¡°Don¡¯t tell her you think that. Not that she''d believe you if you did. But then she might bust out the karaoke machine to prove you wrong and then you¡¯ll really have hearing problems."

    "Noted. Anyway, the lads, as I was saying, had started really pushing this new monster of a drug. But that wasn''t stopping them from skimming off their own supply. Half of them was hooked on this shit all the time I''d seen them. And it made you angry. Really boiled the blood and sent you into fits of ritualistic violence. I''m talking shirts off, bare-knuckled, sweaty chest-puffing bloodsport. Pride staining with every careful step you take. It was like the ancient tales where our ancestors would imbibe before they tossed around in the sacred art of arse-kicking. That''s one of my good memories." The Hecatian licked her lips as she spoke.

    "I''ve always wondered why red elfwin are so violent. Always thought it was something in the air. Guess it''s more like something in the ground."

    "We''re bloody warriors." Hwal¨ªn grinned. "I''m just lucky the bruises didn''t show so well or I don''t know what my uncle woulda done. Well, I never got as hooked on the stuff as much as the other fellas. And eventually demand got so high that we had to start scoping some really weird spots for the extra virises. Remote areas on the outskirts of town that hadn''t seen the presence of any living elfwin since the days of the ancient ones. Deep, dark places that are said to be guarded by old¡ªI¡¯m talking really old spirits. Watch out if you ever spot one yourself because they¡¯ll try to lead you deeper into the sacred emptiness of the sands. No one knows particularly where, but they say you always come back changed. And those people all say the same thing, that you get led to a place that beggars belief, beyond your wildest imaginings. Course I¡¯ve never actually met those people and it¡¯s probably more of a cautionary tale seeing as these places are off-limits to everyone. So naturally, those lands are the kinda place that attracts lots of old folklore and ghost stories¡ªIf you believe in that sorta thing. Which I suppose you do. Well, that wasn¡¯t gonna stop me ¡®n¡¯ a couple of the boys from intruding to get our hands on them flowers. Stupid of us in retrospect, on account of how easy it is to get fucking lost. I never saw any sort of bloody spirit, but I swear something was leading me by the nose that day. Or ears, rather.¡±

    ¡°Really? What do you remember?¡± asked Alma. ¡°Could it be you were just confused because you were a little¡­?¡± She censored herself by making a small whistling sound.

    ¡°Alma, please. It¡¯s not something as vulgar as just ¡®getting high.¡¯ The elder priests believe flowers and herbs were a gift from the Trifather. We have a whole culture behind it, yeah? I know I made it seem like we revere any old plant. And in a way, we do. But each one has a special meaning to us. And it¡¯s kinda like a weird opposing nature to our usual violent tendencies.¡±

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    ¡°As represented by the leftmost head of your celestial trinity,¡± replied Qu¡¯l-Nia. ¡°The frozen face enshrouded in darkness that symbolizes empathy, temperance and mindfulness, who always watches the past to forever learn from his mistakes.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s right,¡± said Hwal¨ªn, crossing her arms with a profoundly pleasing look on her face. ¡°Since you seem to know everything about this, Nia, why not tell us about the Trifather¡¯s other aspects?¡±

    Qu¡¯l-Nia nodded. ¡°The rightmost head, perpetually aflame and shining with unnatural light, represents rage, daring and love. He faces beyond, charging ahead into the future through impulse and desire.¡±

    Alma¡¯s lips parted slightly, noticeably interested.

    ¡°Finally, there is the center head of red stone, who faces the present, standing for life, death and affliction. His dozen eyes see all of his children. Their burdens, struggles and triumphs and judges all impartially. He rules alongside his wife Hecatia who¡ª¡±

    ¡°Yeah, alright. Don¡¯t wanna get too deep into that mess,¡± interrupted Hwal¨ªn. ¡°But you get it. We¡¯re raised to take these things seriously and respectfully. Only I didn¡¯t care so much back then. And that was probably my biggest mistake.¡±

    ¡°I get it,¡± said Alma. ¡°But then what made it worth trespassing where you weren¡¯t supposed to?¡±

    ¡°Never done any kind of drug before, have you?¡±

    ¡°No. Drinking''s my only vice. I really don''t like drugs. Don¡¯t like how fucked up it can make a person. I know it''s different for you red elfwin. Your bodies are tailor-made for that stuff.¡±

    ¡°True enough. For us, it¡¯s not that it¡¯s unhealthy¡ªIt''s even encouraged as part of certain meditations. But mixing any type of foreign element is just beyond disrespectful. And pissing off the gods is like, the one thing our people really abhor.¡±

    "What ended up happening that day?"

    ¡°Well, things started out normal enough. Aside from the large port that leads out to the ocean, the rest of our town¡¯s surrounded mostly by desert. There¡¯re a few hidden valleys darting the wastelands off in the distance. It¡¯s usually those places that are off-limits. I think back in the day they were used for ceremonial gatherings and shit like that. The one we went to was the biggest one. Lots of bluffs and outcroppings sticking out from high cliffs that cover most of the valley below. It can get pretty dark in some areas. Definitely not a place you want to hang around at night. Desert may not seem scary at first but there¡¯s just as much unexplained shit hiding out in those sands as in any forest. Most people will tell you it¡¯s a trick of the heat and sand but after that day, I knew better. We went close to dusk that day, kinda stupid I know, but it seemed the best chance not to get caught at the time while there was still just enough sunlight to guide us. The entrance to the valley wasn¡¯t too bad, before it started descending deep down the further it went. There was even a viris growing here and there near the cliffside, but apparently the real jackpot was much further in. Obviously, I was against it at first but the lads were hearing none of it. They didn¡¯t want to travel through the grueling sands just for a meager handful of flowers, so eventually I relented and we decided to go deeper. Now this is when things started to get a touch weird. It began when we first spotted some odd formations carved into the cliff walls along with hanging pennants of tattered cloth billowing in the desert wind. Faded patterns and eroded symbols all around that made no sense to any of us. Ritualistic marks left by our ancestors, no doubt. As we pressed on, the markings began getting wilder and more erratic, as if carved in a frenzy. The one squeamish member of our group started getting the shakes and complaining about headaches. The rest of us ignored him. The excuses of a coward, we thought. It had been a while, without much flowers in sight, and the sun was getting very low on the horizon, when the headaches started to strike me too. It felt like a strong vibration in the air that shook through my eardrums and slowly turned into an intensely low humming sound.¡±

 Chapter 47: Paradise Lost

    ¡°Oh! I know!¡± interjected Alma, hand raised in inquisitive excitement as if she had interrupted a lecture. ¡°It was a djinn, right? Maybe an ifrit?¡±

    ¡°Alm, I have no idea what you¡¯re talking about. I told you I didn¡¯t see any weird spirits that day." Hwal¨ªn pressed her hands to her hips. "Although, hang on. Maybe you are onto something. Things did end up getting really weird.¡±

    ¡°A marid maybe?¡± Alma¡¯s encyclopedic knowledge of monsters knew no bounds.

    ¡°You read too much mythology wank online, mate.¡±

    ¡°Yeah. What? Is that not something to be proud of?¡±

    "Maybe if you surround yourself with weirdos."

    Alma stared silently at Hwal¨ªn. Then turned to Qu''l-Nia. Before finally looking back at the doorway facing Heloise''s room. "You don''t say¡­"

    As she turned back to Hwal¨ªn, Alma let out a sudden yelp.

    ¡°What was that?! Why¡¯d you scream?¡±

    The sniper brought a horizontal finger to her lips and bit down, slightly embarrassed. ¡°Look over there. At that corner. What do you see?¡±

    ¡°What? Not much. A bookcase filled with old books. A table?¡±

    ¡°You don¡¯t see it¡­¡±

    Alma,¡± called the eldritch woman. ¡°Are you referring to the disembodied face protruding from the wall?¡±

    On the wall behind the group, bulging invasively from the corner, was the grossly shaped figure of an apparition¡¯s face. A lipless mouth stretched into a ghastly rictus all the way around its head, the jaw seemingly connected by strands of flesh. Atop its head were thin antennae connected to a pair of granule-sized eyes.

    Alma turned to Qu¡¯l-Nia swiftly. ¡°You see it? You see it, right?!¡± Her voice shrunk to a whisper. ¡°What the fuck do we do? Hwal! Quick! Your swords!¡±

    Hwal¨ªn unsheathed her other blade and readied them in front of her.

    ¡°There is no need to disturb our intrusive visitor. What you are seeing is a spatial projection of a being from a separate dimensional wavelength than our own. I did not see it initially until you brought it to our attention. Once I knew what to look for, I saw its form begin to manifest before me. It poses no tangible threat to our reality; it is simply a ghost."

    Alma looked at the horrifying face once more. Its antennae squirmed grotesquely, some unknown purpose crawling around the gulfs of its mindscape.

    ¡°I don¡¯t want to see that!¡± she screamed. ¡°Wait. If Hwal¨ªn can¡¯t see it, then¡ªNo. Don¡¯t tell me. My eyes have gotten worse. I was fine with just seeing the small ones but¡ªthese are getting a little harder to ignore!"

    "It appears your metalateral perception has begun developing at a rapidly increasing rate. I am not sure what to make of this."

    "That''s some shit luck, mate. I don''t think I''d be able to suffer seeing those ugly mugs that you do."

    "It''s not easy. It was never easy. And now¡­" Alma sighed, then groaned. "Metalateral perception? Is that what we''re calling it?"

    "It is a close approximation of what you describe this ability as."

    "And this thing isn''t going to hurt us?"

    "It exists on a completely separate plane from ours. It does not even realize this space exists."

    Alma buried her face in her hands. "It''s so creepy looking. It doesn''t even look remotely natural. I thought the chthonae were bad." Alma got up from her seat and moved to the other end of the room. The girl kept her face covered and spoke from behind her hands. "I''m sorry. I just can''t. Why is my life such a major shitfest? Hwal. Please, continue with your story."

    Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere.

    "You sure? You didn''t seem this scared when we fought that monster earlier."

    "It''s not the same," she said flatly. "The nuckelavee isn''t just sitting in the middle of my living room wall staring at me flat in the face. Or whatever the fuck it''s looking at me with! You don''t just relax around these things. Especially when they''re this close! They are not the same."

    "Nia," said Hwal¨ªn. "Can''t you¡­ do something about it?"

    ¡°It is not within my purview or ability to exorcise this poor creature. It is a denizen of your planet, in a neighboring dimension, minding its own business. Perhaps, Alma, you would benefit from extricating yourself of your long-held prejudices.¡±

    Alma took a deep breath and slowly raised her head. ¡°Okay. It¡¯s fine. I¡¯m good. It¡¯s not like it can hurt me anyway, right? It¡¯s the same as it¡¯s always been. Just an unexpected development. My sight has gotten a wee bit stronger is all. I¡¯m not gonna gouge my eyes out or anything¡­ yet.¡±

    ¡°Should I continue my story another time then?¡± asked Hwal¨ªn.

    ¡°No! No. Keep going,¡± said Alma nervously, eyes darting back and forth between the corner of the room. ¡°I really want to know what happens.¡±

    ¡°Okay¡­ So, that day, right?¡± she began again. ¡°I was hearing a buzzing. Least that¡¯s how it started. I¡¯d like to mention that before this I never had anything weird going on with my ears. The others felt the pain, but they didn¡¯t hear anything like I did. And we¡¯d come this far, I didn¡¯t want to like the coward all of a sudden so I did the stupidest thing I could¡¯ve ever done. I kept going. And the further into the valley we went, the more intense this noise got. Until eventually it wasn¡¯t a buzzing at all. It turned into this strange thumping sound. Thump, thump, thump every second. Almost like a drumbeat. I figured if it was getting louder, it just meant we were headed the right way, yeah? Eventually the sound stopped when the valley got deep enough to form a canyon. The cliffs were so high one couldn¡¯t even see the horizon anymore¡ªonly the shadows of dark, voiceless birds. It felt like quite some time had passed, but I noticed we hadn¡¯t lost any sunlight since the whole headaches started. I still can¡¯t quite make sense of it. It was as if time had frozen. I thought maybe the heat had just been playing tricks on me. Well, at this point I hadn¡¯t even been thinking of the flowers. It was the noise I was curious about. Were there people down there performing some kind of ritual involving drums? I had to see for myself.¡±

    ¡°You wanted to prove to yourself you were brave?¡± asked Alma. ¡°Or just not crazy?¡±

    ¡°I wanna say the former, but thinking on it now, I think the latter.¡±

    ¡°And what about your partners? They weren¡¯t the least bit scared of traveling this far into no man¡¯s land?¡±

    ¡°Guess we were all trying to prove something to ourselves at that point. Or maybe they just chocked the headaches up to withdrawals and had convinced themselves that we were still gonna find something. At that point, I wasn¡¯t sure what we were going to find. Some ancient herbs, or maybe a long, forgotten temple to bloodthirsty gods. Something intangible was pushing me to keep going. We could''ve vanished down there and no one would have ever found us. Once again, I started seeing evidence of ancestral activity in the form of crude effigies and markings all over the walls. Finally, we see it. Growing from the cracks and crevices of the walls of the canyon were the flowers we so desperately wanted. The crunching of sand beneath our feet was so loud as we scrambled all over ourselves to pick what we could. Seemed like a mission accomplished, right? Nah. I just couldn''t leave it at that. ¡®A quick peek,¡¯ I told them. We¡¯d come all this way. Would be a waste not to investigate. Might even find us some antique treasures. So they all followed my lead to the end of the canyon. Didn¡¯t take long before the canyon opened up into a closed off oasis. An incredible looking spring surrounded by hundreds of the most vibrant flowers we¡¯d ever fucking seen. It was a blasted paradise. Everything¡¯s kinda a blur from then on. I vaguely recall seeing some sorta entrance to the inside of the rock on the other side of the oasis. Never did get a chance to check that out since that was the moment when everything took an insane turn. I¡¯m still not sure how things turned out the way they did.¡±

    ¡°A marvelous sunset paradise beset by an inscrutable feeling of dread,¡± observed Qu¡¯l-Nia. ¡°It is heartening to know you overcame whatever enigmatic obstacle was presented to you to make it here, to this moment.¡±

    ¡°You caaare,¡± teased Alma, smiling. ¡°We¡¯re really growing on you, Q, you cosmic weirdo.¡±

    ¡°I admit, you two childlings have made this journey considerably more amusing and entirely more possible than if I had remained alone.¡±

    ¡°I suppose being a God¡¯s pet is better¡¯n being on their bad side,¡± mused Hwal¨ªn.

    The eldritch woman frowned. ¡°You are not my pets. You are the ones I have entrusted with a tenable future. I have watched you all for a very long time. You are creatures that carry an indomitable semblance of spirit. You struggle. You fight. You survive. Hwal¨ªn, you have guided and protected me. You have shown me how to connect and relate to you childlings and made me feel like one of your own. Alma, you stopped and helped us to fight a battle that was not yours without even a second thought. You had your reservations but you stepped up in the end, and that matters more than you know. I thank you for that. We will contest this planet¡¯s doomed fate. We will correct the course of things. Now, Hwal¨ªn, I believe you were about to reach the climax of your tale.¡±

 Chapter 48: Tails of Suspense

    ¡°You know, you almost make it sound possible.¡± The Hecatian shrugged. ¡°Saving the world, I mean.¡±

    Alma jumped forward and wrapped her arm around Hwal¨ªn¡¯s neck, smiling widely and trying subtly to keep her gaze away from the hauntingly occupied corner. ¡°Alright. Enough mush. I¡¯m dying to hear how this ends. What happened at the oasis?¡±

    ¡°We all ran towards the flowers, naturally. They were dotting the water¡¯s edge the whole way around. Virises, Hasters, Tencellas, Clupines¡ªa bloody smorgasbord of the finest desert blooms you¡¯ve ever seen. It didn¡¯t stand out to me at the time, but I recall these bloody ominous pillars bleeding into the canyon walls. Maybe if we had observed the area a little harder¡­ But instead, first thing I did was lap up some of that shimmering water. Thought maybe the hydration would ebb the headache. Instead, we got an earful of a strange, new sound. It was some kind of intensely¡­ impossible noise. There¡¯s no way I can find to describe it. All I remember is the blaring heat suddenly coming down from the sky and the feeling of my blood hackles on edge. You ever wonder what it¡¯d sound like if the sun made a noise? That¡¯s the feeling I got that day.¡± Hwal¨ªn let out a pained sigh. Unpleasant memories were slowly flooding back and it began to feel as if she were pushing herself to finish her story. The others that were listening to her story were no longer smiling. ¡°The ache from that sound was so much. It felt like it was trying to kill us. Slaughter us for trying to encroach on its sacred land. I remember a hot trickling from my ears as the blood dripped from inside my head. Everyone but me fainted¡ªor died. I¡¯m not sure anymore. I tried to wake them. Rouse ¡®em from whatever bloody ailment had knocked them out. But the sound. It was killing me to stay there. I was scared and I didn¡¯t want to stick around there any longer than I had to. So, like a coward, I took their flowers for myself and finally just tried to run outta there. But I think that final act of gutlessness finally managed to wake ¡®em up. Because as soon as I was on my way out, they were all suddenly on me. Loony, mindless bastards. I thought maybe they were just angry at me, but as I looked at them, it were as if their souls were missing. Just¡­ gone. Their eyes rolled back in their heads, scrambling across the sands to get to me. I screamed. Yelled at them to snap out of it. They just kept scrambling, silent as the grave.¡±

    ¡°Holy shit, Hwal. What the fuck kind of mess did you get yourself into? Or rather, get your ass out of?¡±

    ¡°Aw, mate. I¡¯ve been through the thick of it. Them lads, whatever was left of ¡®em, wouldn¡¯t let up. Closest one grabbed hold of my tail. Squeezing it in a death grip. Weren¡¯t for the adrenaline¡­ I don¡¯t know. Well, being the big brain that I am, I had left my swords at home. They were precious gifts from my parents and I wasn¡¯t about to lose them in the middle of nowhere. All I had was a sharp dagger I¡¯d been using to cut away the flowers with. So, I stabbed ¡®im. Repeatedly. Stabbed his hands all over, his grip didn¡¯t weaken. I remember aiming for his face a few times too. Gruesome sight that still haunts my dreams. Whatever curse had taken them over seemed to make them forget what pain was.¡±

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    And that¡¯s when you decided to¡­¡± Alma grimaced. ¡°That must¡¯ve been painful.¡±

    ¡°Yep. Cutting through bone and dragging him along while I ran for what seemed like ages. Looking back, I¡¯m not even sure how I did it. There¡¯s still a bit of a stub there, covered up by my shorts. Won¡¯t catch me griping about it. Least my perfect arse ain¡¯t covered up anymore,¡± said Hwal¨ªn, rubbing and spanking her behind. ¡°Speaking of my arse, I¡¯d gotten my bleedin¡¯ one outta there after that. Never looked back. Never heard from or saw those lads ever again. The whole thing was pretty traumatic. Lotta blood loss, pretty much fainted when I got home. Woke up with a shaman telling me if it weren¡¯t for the rare flowers they found in my pockets, I might not have made it.¡±

    ¡°Fascinating. All of these incidents happening at once, sewing discord in their wake. An attack¡ªor defense¡ªusing former comrades to eliminate the unaffected party. A trap, perhaps?¡±

    ¡°What? You cookin¡¯ up a theory about my infernal descent there, Nia?¡±

    ¡°I have a few. Of which I do not believe will make any sense within your limited context. I will say, however, you are very lucky. And that brings us to the question as to why you were solely unaffected.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s the lingering bloody question of my life, innit? I have no idea. There weren¡¯t anything special about me. Not that I know of. The only thing I could think of was that I took a sip from the water.¡±

    ¡°That would explain some things,¡± noted Qu¡¯l-Nia. ¡°And I surmise that was also the day your hearing had undergone a difficult change. Much like Alma¡¯s vision, the mystical properties of that water attuned your hearing to a level beyond your comprehension. And I recall that impairment is what had plagued you until I re-attuned your aural sensitivities and shared with you the othering as my chosen.¡±

    ¡°Huh? Re-attuned? But I thought¡ª¡± Alma¡¯s confusion had gotten cut short by the timely sound of someone slapping the door open.

    Alright, Alma,¡± said a loud voice from the entrance to the parlor. The witch Heloise had returned, now swaddled in a soft, silken bathrobe that clung intimately to her body. Her blonde hair was wrapped in a towel atop her head and her face was covered in a sickly green, exfoliating facial mask. ¡°I¡¯ve given it some thought, and even though I¡¯m strangely agreeing to all of this awfully fast, I¡¯ve decided to help you on your quest.¡±

 Chapter 49: The Eyes Have It

    ¡°Heli.¡± Alma stared at her awkwardly for a moment, her eyes then darting around the room. ¡°You sure look¡­ comfortable. In front of guests.¡±

    ¡°You better believe it. A cleansing like you wouldn¡¯t believe was due after spending days out in that dirty, bug-infested shithole of a forest.¡± She turned and examined Qu¡¯l-Nia. ¡°Hey, I know I called you a freak earlier, but I actually really like what you¡¯ve done with your hair.¡±

    ¡°You just missed traumatic story time, love,¡± remarked the Hecatian. ¡°You want a recap?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m good, thanks,¡± the witch said dismissively. ¡°So, you¡¯re Alma¡¯s new posse?¡±

    ¡°You could say that. She¡¯s told us a lot about you, yeah?¡±

    ¡°Great things, I¡¯m sure.¡±

    ¡°In her eyes, apparently.¡±

    ¡°Hwal¨ªn.¡± Qu¡¯l-Nia looked at her while Heloise glared at her.

    Hwal¨ªn shrugged in response.

    Alma chuckled nervously. ¡°I think it¡¯s about time we got this all out in the open.¡±

    ¡°Yes,¡± The witch hissed in response. ¡°I think it¡¯s about time you did.¡±

    ¡°Qu¡¯l-Nia here¡­¡± Alma tried slowly to form her jumbled thoughts into a coherent story. "She''s a¡­ being. From outside our universe."

    "What?" The witch scoffed. "Like a goddess?"

    "Not a goddess per se¡­ but sort of?"

    "Alma, gods don''t just casually hang out in your living room drinking a spot of tea. That''d be like me saying Azotha and me are old gaming buddies. I know there isn''t much love lost between you and Macha, but this isn''t exactly a healthy replacement." She turned to Qu''l-Nia. "I don''t know what kind of cult nonsense you''ve been spouting at my girl here, but I think it''s time for you to leave. Go peddle your bogus religion or whatever crap to some other poor sap."

    "You said you''d help us, Heli!" Alma protested.

    "Heloise," stated the eldritch woman. She appeared emotionless except for a mysterious glint in her eyes. "I realize all of this is much to take in, but everything I have communicated to Alma is the truth."

    "Just hear her out, Heli."

    Heloise frowned, wanting to say ¡°no¡± but biting her lip. She gave a slight nod.

    The author''s tale has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.

    "My kind''s reach extends far beyond your universe. We have been around since before you were in your infancy. Before the spark of life was ignited within the womb of the apeiron."

    "The what? You never mentioned that part."

    "You were distraught. I had to simplify things for you."

    "So, the universe is born like some kind of living baby?" asked Heloise.

    "It is much more complicated than that. But your universe¡¯s cosmogony is superfluous information at the moment. What concerns us is what is currently happening right now. In a certain part of the world, dark powers conspire to bring an end to all things. This is no paltry prophecy, as you have said. From an outside perspective, it is plain to see the misalignment of this universe¡¯s cosmological structures. Your world is being used as a catalyst for something inordinately complex. Alma has graciously offered her assistance in helping me stop this ritual from continuing. And by extension, she has also offered yours.¡±

    ¡°What?!¡± Heloise glared at Alma. ¡°I can¡¯t believe I have to tell you not to offer my services to just any weirdo you meet.¡±

    ¡°Yeah,¡± the ex-soldier chuckled nervously. ¡°That¡¯s why we¡¯re here. I swear I didn¡¯t make any promises. It¡¯s not even something that hard. I just¡­ You were the first person to come to mind.¡±

    The witch let out an exhausted sigh. ¡°And you really believe what she¡¯s saying? Has she even shown you any proof?¡±

    ¡°Oh, Heli. If you¡¯ve only seen what I¡¯ve seen.¡±

    ¡°Alma, you¡¯re scaring me.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m serious! I can see things now. You know how I¡¯ve always been able to see things? Well, now I can really see things. They aren¡¯t just blobs of aura anymore.¡± She pointed at the corner of the room occupied by said things. ¡°There¡¯s one right there. I can see it plain as day. It¡¯s fucking ugly. I¡¯m definitely gonna have nightmares tonight, but my point is, she can see them too. She¡¯s done a lot of weird shit that I just haven¡¯t been able to handwave and it¡¯s opened my eyes. So to speak.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯ve always been a sucker for this shit, huh?¡± Heloise rolled her eyes. ¡°Wait, so like, you can see even more spooky stuff now?¡±

    ¡°Yes. Not just living things either, you know? I¡¯ve told you all the stuff I could see before. But remember earlier? The nuckelavee?¡±

    ¡°You saw the magic binding it. Right. I almost forgot. You¡¯re saying you can even see magic now?¡±

    ¡°Something like that? The only thing I can see now is that monster in the corner though. Maybe it¡¯s just specific kind of magic?¡±

    ¡°Like¡­ dimensional magic? Wait, when did all this start? The change?¡±

    ¡°Think it was right around when you met us, Alm,¡± interjected Hwal¨ªn.

    ¡°That¡¯s right! I couldn¡¯t see those chthonae until after¡­¡± Alma slowly turned to Qu¡¯l-Nia. ¡°I heard your song. And it¡¯s been getting worse every day since then.¡±

    ¡°She did this to you?¡± Heloise pointed to the eldritch woman. ¡°And you¡¯re JUST NOW PUTTING THIS TOGETHER?!¡±

    Alma shrugged her shoulders awkwardly.

    ¡°Alma!¡± the witch scoffed. ¡°You¡¯re supposed to be the smart one! Aren¡¯t you mad? She¡¯s messing you up!¡±

    ¡°I am! I am mad! But there are bigger things at stake right now!¡±

    ¡°This is your proof? It¡¯s just magic, you idiot! I probably could¡¯ve come up with a spell to do the same thing!¡±

    At that moment, the cosmic being known as Qu¡¯l-Nia whistled a small, incomprehensible tune. A dull, penetrating sound completely unlike a whistle that had the added benefit of causing a bottomless churning in the pit of one¡¯s stomach. Strange waves rippled through the air in front of her, causing the other three women to stare at her in shock. Before any further word could be said, there was a slight rapping at a nearby window.

    On the other side was Heloise¡¯s winged familiar, Carthas.

 Chapter 50: Force Majeure

    ¡°You. Why are you interrupting us, you little bastard?¡± cried the witch as she opened the window.

    ¡°I was summoned, you big, swampy-faced bitch,¡± replied the bird sardonically.

    ¡°Whoa, who shat in your bird seed? Wait¡ªWho summoned you?¡±

    The large, black bird tilted his head and looked directly at Qu¡¯l-Nia.

    Heloise followed his gaze. She was screaming internally.

    "I heard a strange, unplaceable melody calling to me and I wanted to investigate," replied Carthas before greeting the others. "Heyyy Alma. I see you guys have all met."

    "You aren''t allowed to leave your post unless I call you." The witch then turned to Qu''l-Nia. "And you. What was that? That didn''t seem like a normal magical reaction. That was¡­ unnatural."

    "You can¡¯t tell?" asked the bird. He then chuckled in his strange avian way. "Of course your kind wouldn''t know."

    "What are you babbling about? Know what?" The witch''s eyes narrowed suspiciously. "You know it pisses me off when you get all cryptic. Alma, what does he mean?"

    "I thought a witch of your caliber could sense something was amiss," he continued. "Well, I can''t really fault the beings of this universe for not having the etheric aptitude to detect these things. Although¡­" He glanced at Alma.

    "You''re saying she''s actually divine?" whispered Heloise.

    "In the holy, bonafide flesh."

    "I would object to that assessment," interrupted Qu''l-Nia. "But I did attempt to request his presence. Your ''domovoy'' understands what I am and I thought it would be simpler for him to confirm it to you."

    Heloise gave her a sidelong glance and cocked her eyebrow before proceeding to address her familiar in an even quieter whisper, "You''ve been watching Alma for a while now. Anything I should be wary of? You''re saying this freak''s the real deal, then why''s she palling around with Alma? No, something¡¯s not right.¡±

    ¡°Have you considered that maybe this is all bigger than your dumb relationship drama?¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s not what I asked.¡±

    ¡°Nothing that strange, far as I know. They¡¯ve only been together a few days from what I¡¯ve witnessed. But that woman is definitely not human. Let¡¯s just say the resonance of her soul reads different. Not to mention she knew my true form almost immediately.¡±

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    She shook her head disappointingly. ¡°And? You couldn¡¯t have like, told me that Alma got kicked from the army? I think I should at least be privy to the devastating crushing of dreams.¡±

    ¡°Did she? You know, I thought it was strange she had only shown up for a single mission¡ª¡±

    Heloise slammed the window shut before turning to the others.

    ¡°Are you finally convinced?¡± asked Qu¡¯l-Nia. A smile creeped along her face.

    ¡°No. I don¡¯t trust you. I don¡¯t know how you got Alma to trust you. Maybe you threatened her with some muscle.¡± She glanced over to Hwal¨ªn, who simply sneered.

    ¡°Heli¡ª¡±

    ¡°But!¡± She cut Alma off. ¡°It doesn¡¯t look like I¡¯ll be able to convince my bestie here otherwise. So, instead of kicking her out into the cold with you weirdos, I guess I have no choice but to help.¡±

    ¡°Gosh. Treat me like a baby, why don¡¯t you?¡± joked Alma. ¡°But thanks.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re not getting rid of me that easily,¡± she muttered. ¡°What exactly do you need from me, anyway?¡±

    ¡°We require your assistance in locating someone,¡± said Qu¡¯l-Nia. ¡°Someone who does not want to be found.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s it? Guessing you weren¡¯t smart enough to just exchange contact info.¡±

    ¡°Can you do it?¡± asked the Hecatian.

    ¡°Well, I can certainly try. But if this supposedly all-powerful goddess couldn¡¯t do it, then like, I don¡¯t see why you would think I could. Alma places a little too much faith in me, that sweet girl. Can¡¯t say I blame her though!¡±

    ¡°Well, yeah. Why wouldn¡¯t I?¡± The ex-soldier had a sincere smile on her face. ¡°You''re my best friend. I can always trust you most when I need someone.¡±

    Alma''s frankness caused the witch to look away in embarrassment, blush tinging her covered cheeks. She cleared her throat before speaking again,

    ¡°Of course. Who else but me can solve the problems of the divine?¡± She shrugged and flashed a half-hearted smile. ¡°Come with me. Let¡¯s head to the other room and I can perform a little something-something.¡±

    Heloise led the other three down the hall, where they stopped in front of an intricately decorated door. After reciting a few magical words, the door came apart into slithering roots that untangled themselves and granted access into the witch¡¯s chamber. As they stepped into the room, a strong, earthy smell hit their noses. It was the scent of wet dirt and herbal plants that gave the room a distinctly calming aroma. This room was amazingly different from the rest of the house. Dangling ivies serpentined down from the ceiling all around the room while large tree trunks carved into shelves were spread along the perimeter¡ªeach lined with potted plants and jars brimming with various herbs. A mystic garden of immense, human-sized plants filled the area, giving it an outside feel. The air of the densely populated greenhouse-like room was moist, in the same way rainforests tend to be. In the center of the room, near the wall, was a large desk topped with strangely green burning candles on candlesticks wrapped in vines and a couple of potpourris filled with specially dried leaves and blended spices. Behind the table sat a fancy, wooden throne, and further behind that, on the wall, was a grand wreath of thorns.

    ¡°Please don¡¯t touch anything. Grab one of those chairs and have a seat.¡± Heloise grabbed her phoneslate off of its charging station. It was a lot like Alma¡¯s wristband, in that it could make calls and run apps, but specifically handheld. Despite the humidity of the room, it worked completely fine thanks to the witch¡¯s magic. She fondled it lovingly. ¡°Boy, did I miss this thing. I couldn¡¯t risk it getting damaged while I was out.¡±

 Chapter 51: Based on a Tree Story

    The red elf let out an impressed whistle as she looked around. ¡°That''s some real freaky floral furniture.¡±

    Alma grabbed herself a seat from one of the wooden chairs and carried it over to the large central desk. The wood was moist and a green leaf was still poking out of one of the arms. She ran her fingers along the desk, recalling a memory from long ago.

    Qu¡¯l-Nia, with a strange smile on her face, was very closely examining one of the giant plants in the vicinity. It looked almost as if she were communicating with it.

    Heloise had followed Alma, who was currently fidgeting around in her chair trying to get comfortable. The witch had quickly propped herself onto the desk next to her friend. Legs crossed, she continued to scroll busily through something on her phoneslate. Its cutely decorated pattern and many dangling charms were as eye-catching as the witch herself. The loud clacking of her overtly designed nails could be heard as her thumb ran paces along the screen. It seemed she had applied a set of new ones at some point after her shower.

    ¡°Would you look at that? @StricklyWitchness just posted a new fancy shortcake!¡± She leaned over and shoved her phoneslate in Alma¡¯s face. ¡°You know, she makes these darling little confections with a drop of magic that are just oh-so charming. One of these days, I¡¯m gonna learn to bake and¡ªWait. I¡¯m still mad at you.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m glad you haven¡¯t changed.¡± Alma chuckled softly. ¡°I can throw just about the weirdest, most far-fetched crap in your face and a few minutes later you¡¯ll be looking at silly little posts online.¡±

    ¡°Silly?! This account has over three-hundred thousand followers!¡± Heloise crossed her arms in a huff. After a few seconds, her stiff expression cracked then broke out into a giggle.

    Alma held up her wrist, pointing to her All-Strap. ¡°I¡¯d been keeping up with most of your posts. It¡¯s not really my thing, but there were times when I was wondering how you¡¯d been doing. I started getting worried when you hadn¡¯t updated in a while. But what could I do about it?¡±

    ¡°Alma¡­¡± she cooed. The witch then let out an awkward sigh. ¡°You really are an idiote.¡±

    ¡°Heli, what¡ª"

    ¡°Oi,¡± called Hwal¨ªn. ¡°If you two boneheads are done reminiscing, I¡¯d very much like to get this show on the road.¡±

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    "Just as well," said Heloise, hopping down from the table. "The sooner I get you people out of my home, the better."

    "Actually," said Alma somewhat excitedly. "I was thinking that after we figure out where to go, maybe you could come with us. You''d be a big help and we can even catch up on everything we''ve missed out in each other''s lives."

    "Really? Yeah, totally! I''d love to¡ª" Her smile faded as she stopped herself from answering completely. Thoughts of the eldritch poison flowing through her veins clouded her path to happiness. "¡ªbut. I can''t.¡±

    ¡°What?! Why not?! Weren¡¯t you just complaining about how I should¡¯ve come to see you sooner?¡±

    ¡°Alma, please,¡± Heloise said with a pained frown. ¡°Clinginess is not an attractive look.¡±

    ¡°Macha help me, why are you like this? After all that arguing. And that whole speech about protecting me. It finally felt like we were patching things up,¡± Alma whined.

    ¡°Why do you always ask questions you already know the answer to? A bitch can¡¯t change her spots any more than a grumpy soldier can quit being a stubborn dope.¡± She went over to one of the large arboreal shelves and grabbed a small pot stationed there that looked to be housing a group of miniature looking trees. ¡°Just trust that I have my reasons.¡±

    Alma clicked her teeth rather loudly.

    ¡°Perhaps it is best we not pursue this avenue, Alma.¡± Qu¡¯l-Nia had said finally. ¡°If she does not wish to accompany us, that is her prerogative.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m with Nia, Alm. I just don¡¯t see us meshing well.¡±

    ¡°The talking thesaurus and her burly friend are finally making sense.¡± The witch placed the plant along with an intricate looking dagger down on the desk while parking herself on the large wooden throne. ¡°Now, this little trick I like to call an occultic coppicing ritual. I slash away at the little copse here and from it will grow your answers.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry,¡± Alma cut in. ¡°Did you say ¡®corpse¡¯?¡±

    ¡°What? No! Ew! I¡¯m talking about chopping plants. Why do you think I pulled these out?¡±

    ¡°We¡¯re not looking to have our fortunes told here, love,¡± said Hwal¨ªn with a chuckle.

    ¡°Indeed, to most amateur spell-slingers, this would normally be a method of your standard divination. But if you¡¯ve got the insight into nature as I have, you can gleam so much more!¡± She tapped the handle of the knife onto the desk, as if to make sure the tool was prepared to be used. She rested her chin on the back of her other hand and looked toward Qu¡¯l-Nia. ¡°I¡¯m afraid to ask, but like, this¡­ person you¡¯re searching for. Do you have anything personal of his in your possession?¡±

    ¡°I am afraid not. This would be our first meeting in tens of thousands of years.¡±

    ¡°No, of course you don¡¯t. Can¡¯t make this too easy.¡±

    ¡°Is that going to be an issue?¡±

    Heloise closed her eyes and let the air escape from her nostrils. Her eyes then shot open with a smirk on her lips. ¡°Not for me.¡±

    Alma and Hwal¨ªn breathed a sigh of relief.

    The forest witch gripped the knife in her hand and traced it gently along the leafage while contemplating the correct way to begin her task. "This is the part where you tell me more about this person you''re so desperately looking for."

    "He is of the same elder race of beings as I."

    The witch, this time, stared at her plant in deep concentration.

 Chapter 52: The Iceman Derleth

    There was a loud sound of crashing. The agony of scorching, electric pain simultaneously exploding and erupting. Piercing cold mixed with the steaming hot fluids of the human body. Then nothing.

    The burning chill of ice on her bare skin jolted her awake. It was a sharp pain that came all at once. Sleeping in the snow wasn''t exactly advised, but at the moment it had held a strange comfort for her. Not that she had made the decision to pass out on the bitter ice, and when she tried with great difficulty to recall her last memory before everything had gone black, the throbbing pain on the side of her head had unfortunately made her give up quite quickly. Her delicate fingers stroked her cheek and temple, before quickly realizing something was amiss. She panicked and rubbed the rest of her face in a frenzy, noticing exactly what was off.

    The side of her head that was in pain was covered in strips of bandages. Poking around only caused more sharp pain and it took several minutes before she finally accepted the fact that her right eye had also been completely bandaged over. It was when her mind had settled down a bit that she noticed a distinct lack in the depth-perception that was usually there. Half blind and unable to gauge the distance of the things around her caused her a sickening dizzy spell that forced her to lie back down in an anxious fetal position. Reposed once again in the cold snow, a dark realization had struck her. The snow¡ªthat was covering the entire floor around her¡ªdidn''t feel as frigid as it should be. Her body also didn''t feel as mind-numbingly frozen as it should be. The white powder clung to her bare arms and legs, biting her only a fraction of what it should. Finally, another sinking realization made itself apparent¡ªthe gilded armor that had encased her in warmth and almost choked the life from her body before she had passed out had been completely removed. Replaced only with a single white robe that had no way of keeping her as warm as she was.

    The comfort of knowing she wasn¡¯t a frozen popsicle quickly dissipated, replaced by a palpable wave of fear that crawled along her body and mind.

    Where in D''rotta''s gelid moon am I? thought the confused Zulema.

    The figuratively burning question caused her to shoot back up¡ªa motion she regretted immediately. She felt the pain redouble throughout her entire body, causing her to shout miserably. She was no better off than before. The agonizing pain she was feeling from the injuries she sustained caused the memories to come rushing back to the forefront of her mind. The mission¡­ the invisible beast¡­ her dying comrade¡ªand ultimately what should have been an untimely fate. But Zulema¡¯s path now took a new turn. She had been saved somehow¡ªimpossibly¡ªagainst a creature that had pushed against the black boundaries of sanity and reality. But how? And by whom? Who had the power to create such a miracle? Had Macha, in her divine madness, truly chosen to save one of her mewling priestesses? It was a painfully comforting thought. A contradiction that just served to confuse her more.

    The priestess finally stood up, bare feet sinking into the snow¡ªbecause of course she was¡ªand tried to make sense of her surroundings. Her long hair spilled over her face, covering her good eye and almost making her tumble back into the snow. Her graceful movements causing her to narrowly avoid crashing into what felt like a desk and instead, using it to regain her balance. The slush between her toes felt oddly refreshing, but the unnatural feeling once again made way for anxiety.

    The room was oppressively dark save for a few strands of light beaming their way into the room from a barred opening set into a wooden door. She rushed over and jiggled the knob with all her might. A pointless exercise. The priestess had been locked in. Worse than simply being lost, it seemed she was a prisoner as well. She looked out through the opening to see if she could get any sense of her location. Gargantuan trees of white filled the scene, staked in rows through the snow, racing toward a boundless ashen void. The desolate scene completely drained all hope from her soul.

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    Was this still the Akhlut mountains?

    Zulema desperately kicked the door, but ended up only hurting herself in the process. Her foot vibrated with the searing pain of her failed kick. After the stinging subsided, she rushed back over to the familiar frozen spot she had woken up from and dug her fingers deep into the snow, searching for something in a frenzy. The last bit of hope she didn¡¯t realize she had melted together into the snow. Her scythe was nowhere to be found.

    The captive priestess thought maybe with a blade she could at least try cutting through the door, but whoever kidnapped her appeared to have had the good sense of not leaving her any means of escape. Her hands and knees sunk pitifully into the snow. She stared at the tips of her fingers in the shallow light¡ªbloodless and pale. It was as if her heart had already stopped beating. She slammed her fists into the snow repeatedly in frustration. Zulema had felt a strange pressure on her knuckles during that last punch, but found no evidence of anything strange in the snow or on her hand. She screamed madly into the abyss. Glaring into the yawning blackness, waiting for it to engulf her. Her eye widened in shock, letting out a small gasp before quickly covering her mouth. Too late did she realize it would be incredibly stupid of her to alert anyone to her revived state. Especially if the ones that had taken her were enemy soldiers waiting to interrogate her.

    Zulema had been trained for moments like these. It was improvise or die. She combed through the desks and tables inside the almost completely lightless room for anything she could use as a weapon. What madness compels someone to live like this? Certainly not the good kind. Was this some kind of makeshift office or garrison set up in the middle of nowhere? To what end? She grew frustrated as she found nothing atop the wooden furniture. Whoever had locked her in had also cleaned house before doing so. Logical.

    Who could even stay here for any prolonged period of time? There didn''t seem to be anything set up outside from what little she could see. No guards or anything. No food was left for her, not that she could really think of eating at a time like this.

    Suddenly, the sound of footsteps crunching over snow had seeped into her ears. Shit! Had they heard her scream? Or perhaps kicking the door wasn''t such a smart idea. She rushed over to the locked entrance and backed up against the wall next to it. It was remarkably cold to the touch and felt like frozen wood. This room was not meant for any living thing to thrive in.

    The footsteps ended right at the foot of the exit. A looming shadow large enough to block out all the light that had been peeking in from the aperture of the door made Zulema begin to sweat bullets. She had planned to ambush her would-be jailer and escape, but her prospects were now looking worse and worse. Maybe she could use the cover of darkness to her advantage and simply hide herself in the shadows until the right moment.

    She held her breath as the door slowly creaked open. The broad shoulders of a large man poked through first. He was forced to turn his body and then duck to fit through the opening of the room. Albeit, the door was not very big but his sheer size was still impressive enough that Zulema couldn''t help but drop her jaw. There was just no way she would be able to squeeze between him and the door. At this point, she considered simply throwing herself at him. Disorienting him seemed as good a plan as any.

    "I know you''re in here," came a deep, gravelly voice that echoed powerfully inside the small room. "There''s no need to be afraid."

    Easy for you to say. I''m not the 6''5" monster towering over the only escape route.

    "Orphan of Macha, I have specifically chosen you to assist me in a task of dire importance." His voice had an unnatural quality to it that she couldn''t explain. Radiant in its presence, but guttural like a roar. A voice that chilled her to the bone. "For the present, you may address me as Derleth."

 Chapter 53: Burning Feet of Fire

    Zulema remained silent. Despite knowing her language, the presence before her was dangerously inhuman. There was no emotion in its voice, almost as if it were a creature mimicking human speech. Its movements shifting and deforming the intrusive darkness around it. She kept herself pinned to the wall, rapidly trying to formulate a plan of escape.

    Before long, the entity standing in the atramentous shadows of the room finally cast its suffocating gaze on her. Twin pinholes of silvery white felt as if they were suddenly pushing down on her chest, narrowing to a point where it pierced her body like a knife plunging into her heart¡ªcausing her to forcibly stifle a blood-curdling scream that continued to ring in her head long after. She was sure he could see her, somehow, in the deep dark.

    "Come out from the black," the sundering voice bellowed.

    Panicked, she broke into a sprint, aiming toward the brief space between the sinister aberration and the door. Unexpectedly, she succeeded in squeezing through. The figure''s lumbering form moving very little to impede her. But a few steps from the exit, she found herself crashing into a pillowy wall of snow that appeared seemingly from nowhere.

    "There is no need to run. It would not avail you to lose yourself in the wilderness instead of where you know it is already safe."

    Zulema spun around and pressed herself against the wall behind her. Her heart was racing and despite her shallow wheezing, she was still able to shout through rapid breaths.

    "Get away from me!" Her throat had quickly dried out from the frigid air, causing her to cough uncontrollably.

    "Take note of your surroundings. There is no other life around," the shadow from within the small room spoke ominously. "You should understand you have little recourse. However, I mean you no harm. I require one of Macha''s touched such as you to assist me in an important endeavor."

    "What are you talking about? You need a priestess of the Scarlet Church? Why didn''t you simply come to the city and ask directly? Do you think I''d aid someone who would kidnap and imprison a Scarlet Sister?!"

    "It is not that simple. These things never are."

    "Goddess damn you, at least have the decency to show yourself when you ask for my help!"

    The shining ivory gaze of the impending figure standing in the dark watched her for a few moments before deciding what to do. He seemed reluctant about something, despite his previous forwardness.

    "You''ll listen earnestly? You won''t attempt to run this time?"

    Zulema''s fingers pressed angrily into the snow behind her. "That depends."

    "Very well." Crouching once again under the doorframe, the stranger emerged from the darkness and into the gray light of day. For the tiniest fraction of a second, the priestess could swear she saw a hideously monstrous visage on his massive shoulders as he turned to look at her. But in the instant after she blinked her single eye, he looked no different from a man. A rough complexion almost as pale as the ice itself, a chiseled jaw and rugged brow. His hair and eyes were as completely white as the snow, but he lacked the defining wrinkles of an elderly man. He looked only a decade older at most. As his sturdy frame inched closer with heavy, gradual steps, a powerful arm reached out from beneath the darkness of the all-encompassing fur cloak that surrounded him. What initially appeared as a frightful behemoth to her, now revealed a stately, well-built man.

    The priestess''s grip on the snow loosened, somehow causing the wall of snow to come tumbling down behind her. Now that she could see him clearly, she found him surprisingly handsome. As she reached out her hand to his, a momentary detail caused her to immediately recoil. Through the frosted white of the snow around them, her lone functioning eye finally focused and glimpsed the antlers growing from his head.

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    The contrasting beauty of the oddity left her awestruck. Twisting, outward bones reflecting nethermost lights from an unknown, ethereal sea¡ªthat for a second looked almost beautiful, like a halo made of glacial light. Slowly, once again, she reached for his hand. Her delicate fingers found no warmth in a grasp that seemed powerful enough to pulverize her into dust. She allowed him to pull her closer, watching him with rigid trepidation.

    "Who exactly are you?" Zulema''s words came out coldly.

    "I am the thing that walks on the wind.¡± A numbing gust coursed through the air as he spoke, forcing the priestess to hold down her hair and dress. ¡°The august exiled Ithaqua. Tempest-Shaper. He Who Lustrates in the Frozen White Silence of the Arrested Dawn and Begetter of the Ulter Hyaline Spheres.¡±

    ¡°Madness¡¯s sake! What kind of a fool are you? Did I ask you for your damned life story?¡±

    ¡°¡­Among many other names,¡± he continued.

    ¡°Right.¡± She eyed him awkwardly. ¡°In that case, I¡¯m Zulema. Or Zula, if you prefer.¡±

    ¡°There is much power in names. You should not give yours so freely.¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t recall asking for your opinion, you frozen fiend.¡± She pondered for a moment. ¡°¡­What do you suggest then?¡±

    ¡°An assumed moniker, perhaps?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll consider it.¡± She continued to glare up at him for a few seconds before turning on her heel and casting a depressive gaze downward. ¡°You saved me, didn''t you? Why?¡±

    ¡°You had a familiar scent about you.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s a very gross expression.¡±

    The suspicious man made a small grunt in response.

    ¡°Well, you aren¡¯t exactly the knight in shining armor I was expecting.¡± The priestess finally cracked a momentary smile. A certain nagging feeling had been surfacing in between the throbbing pains in her head. She gasped as another memory crashed to the front of her mind. The question of the final fate of her partner still hung in the air. ¡°Lucy! Where is she?! You saved her too, didn¡¯t you?! She was bleeding so much!¡±

    ¡°There was no one else there I could see,¡± stated Derleth. ¡°One of you is enough to serve my purposes.¡±

    ¡°What the fuck do you mean?!¡± screamed Zulema. She turned towards the endless maze of trees. ¡°I have to go find her!¡±

    ¡°That would be very ill-advised. The only thing you will accomplish is getting lost if you decide to travel out there.¡± Unbeknownst to Zulema, an ivory gaze was glaring at the back of her head. The wind picked up again. ¡°If she was bleeding as profusely as you claim, I sincerely doubt you would reach her in time¡ªif it¡¯s not already too late.¡±

    Zulema was apprehensive. She was unsure of how to continue. She clasped her hands together. ¡°M-Maybe Marie¡ªMaybe she was able to find her in time. Lucy is probably recuperating as we speak¡­ We¡¯ll be laughing about this soon. Surely.¡± The sound of her teeth grinding was blocked out by the wind.

    ¡°Come, Orphan of Macha.¡± He motioned for her to join him. ¡°There is much to discuss.¡±

    ¡°I¡ªNo! You¡­You¡¯re some kind of monster. For all I know, you¡¯re working with the enemy! You cannot stop me from saving who I must!¡± Zulema looked at him with a growing fear in her eyes, then quickly fled into the forest labyrinth, hampered this time only by several gusts of frozen air and snow. It didn¡¯t take long before her body finally inexplicably succumbed to the adverse effects of the frigid environment. All at once, the ice burned at her naked feet while her body shivered uncontrollably. She dropped feebly to her knees, suddenly finding it difficult to keep her body in motion. A set of rapid breaths escaped her as she struggled to feel even the slightest hint of warmth coming from the air in her lungs. Instead, she felt only more pain¡ªthe moisture in her mouth slowly freezing dry. She watched as her fingers turned blue before tumbling down onto her side, teeth chattering noisily as her body huddled stiffly in a pathetic attempt to survive the inevitable. Her eyelashes repeatedly froze over, making it painfully troublesome to keep her eye open. The priestess was finding it hard to find reason with what she had attempted to do.

    She heard something fall from a great height and land nearby.

    ¡°I warned you, did I not?¡± The young priestess heard an unsettlingly resonant voice calling out to her, in the direction she had run from. An odious, clawed hand¡ªbigger than any man¡¯s¡ªwrapped itself around her. A noisome stench attacked her nostrils. The insidious voice behind her now boomed right in her ear, becoming fiercer and more guttural as it continued. ¡°There is NO ESCAPE FROM THIS.¡±

 Chapter 54: Blizzard Preordainment

    Zulema¡¯s eye fluttered open. She awoke on the same fluffy bed of snow back inside the lonesome prison room she had just escaped from. The light filtering inside the room had gotten stronger and more vibrant. She gazed out the window and couldn''t believe the sight before her. How long had it been since she''d seen the beautiful azure colors that paint the sky at dusk? Her hometown skies had always been a drab gray and were never much to talk about. It was such an uncommon sight that it felt like she had been blessed by some sort of miracle. But she knew better. The divine ray of sunshine piercing through the barred window of the door was nothing but a cruel mockery to her. Did that man do this? There''s been something about him since he first emerged from the shadows that had felt off to her. Was he some sort of deity? No. There are no other gods before Macha. What if¡­? No. It''s impossible for him to be an E-class. Those monsters are incapable of human speech. Alma mentioned someone like this once, didn''t she? The last time they spoke face-to-face. Was this the same type of unnatural figure that lived out in the forest? It seemed odd to her that the Church seemingly had no knowledge of these beings. What should she do then? Play along? It seemed to be her only recourse at the moment.

    As the priestess stood up, the memory that she had almost just died again suddenly hit her. That was twice now in as many days. Should she be traumatized at the ordeals she had suffered or proud that she''d survived them? It all felt like a living nightmare inflicted by malign fate. Despite her resignation, her feet once again pressed comfortably into the snow¡ªthe burning sensation completely absent as if it had never been. She looked herself over, firmly believing that her skin now looked an entire tone paler. If she were a spirit now, it would be the least of the day''s surprises. The young priestess sighed, wondering of ways to reassure herself. Jokingly, Zulema placed a hand over her chest, searching for that undeniable certainty. An absolute thumping that should make anyone feel confident of their own mortality.

    Panic arose in her mind. No matter how much she focused, the sound and feel of her heartbeat through her breast was absent. There was a twisting knot quickly building in her stomach. A sudden growing anxiety in her mind that she tried forcing back with all her willpower.

    Don''t be an idiot, she berated herself for letting such a feeling of doom cloud her judgment. It''s just the cold. Your senses are dulled from the damned freezing snow. You wouldn''t be alive without your fucking heart! ¡­ But how is it I haven''t frozen to death yet?

    The fear having died down just a bit, she sat down and hugged her knees. She continually pushed herself to be strong, for her own sake as well as her sister''s. She hoped to find her way back to her eventually. And what of the church? Surely they think her frozen into an ice sculpture by now.

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    Oh Goddess, what if they''ve told Alma I''m dead? She would never forgive me. And what of Lucy? Did they save her? One can only pray for such miracles.

    As she lamented over her guilty regrets, the sound of Zulema''s stomach shook her out of her thoughts. She chuckled half-heartedly to herself, feeling silly over the fact that hunger meant there was still a part of her that was alive and functioning as it should. There was no longer any choice over what to do next. She jumped back up and rushed to the door, her hands wrapping around the bars in the window.

    "Hey! You!" she yelled before quickly mumbling to herself. "¡ªShit! What was his name? It was like seven sentences long¡­ D-Derleth! Let''s talk!"

    The priestess looked around the outside, wondering if he hadn''t up and abandoned her there. Beyond the trees, she could now actually witness the sun setting beneath the horizon. For a second, it had left her speechless. The breathlessly celestial view was quickly blocked by the massive body of her captor.

    "Has reason finally found its way to you?" he asked her.

    Zulema''s face pressed out between the bars. She narrowed her eyes at him and swallowed. "The only thing that found its way to me is hunger. But I might be inclined to listen to what you have to say on a full stomach."

    He pondered for a moment. "Very well. Allow me to bring you something to consume."

    "Not so fast. I do not take too kindly to being locked up," the priestess declared. "I would prefer to be out there, where I can see you."

    The inhuman stranger looked directly into her eyes, silently threatening her with the knowledge of what will happen if she tries to escape again. He then nodded in response and unlocked the door to her icy prison.

    Zulema stepped out into the light once again and looked around. "Is that your doing?" she asked, pointing to the rare twilight phenomenon.

    "Does it put you more at ease?"

    "It''s just not something one really ever sees around here. It''s beautiful¡ªthe sun especially. It is a fiery burst of madness that enraptures the sky and blinds anyone who dares cast its gaze upon it. But, is it a blessing or a warning? We''re taught to revere the moons and to fear the sun. Some say it is the pure, unadulterated essence of Macha¡¯s madness and that is why it is kept hidden from us. Common folk wouldn¡¯t understand, but for a priestess, this is close to blasphemy. About now, I would be donning my blinder if I had it, until it had finished setting. So, no. It does not put me at ease. Far from it. And the possibility that this is your doing only diminishes my already sour opinion of you.¡±

    Derleth uttered a grunt in response, raising a sharp, long-nailed finger and slashing the air in front of him. Enormous gray clouds converged on the horizon, shutting off the peeking azure lights and plunging the snowy forest into glittering night.

    Zulema continued staring into the dark of the horizon, deep in contemplation. ¡°But I understand it was not a gesture done in malice. Don¡¯t assume it¡¯s meaningless. I didn¡¯t forget you saved my life.¡± She looked over to him and clapped her hands, smiling. ¡°Well then, about that food?¡±

 Chapter 55: Cryomania

    "I don''t usually leave remains when I go hunting," he stated. "But oftentimes some meager creature will wander in close and before they know it, their blood has frozen right through their bones. They make quite the easy meal of themselves. Most are still out there, like crystalline statues against an ivory backdrop. I rarely eat living beings from this plane."

    "There was a time when food was brought to me." His face took on a dark expression as he continued after a short silence. "I''ve tried putting an end to those times."

    Zulema looked at him, momentarily stunned by his frightening expression. She decided not to press him about it. Whatever he had meant, she wished not to know. The priestess looked back toward her former prison: a door embedded into the giant roots of an enormous tree. It stood out as colossal among all the other trees in the forest¡ªa root alone bigger than her entire body. She wondered how no one had spotted it.

    "This land is deep in the mountains, and almost completely ignored by humans. There is nothing out here but untamed wilderness, for what reason would anyone have to come? Certainly, the tree is a seemingly apparent landmark, but the main body lies hidden among the clouds. It''s true shape shielded to most eyes."

    "You''ve never run into anyone up here?" she asked.

    "No one has dared come up this far. It is usually I who has come to them."

    "That seems like it would be an unpleasant experience for them."

    Derleth didn''t say anything. Instead, he turned toward a silent path among the forest and motioned for the priestess to follow him. A few feet in, he stopped at a large mound of snow.

    "What''s this?" The priestess circled around it, debating whether to touch it. "Some sort of snowy cairn filled with a magical cache of frozen food?¡±

    ¡°Not exactly.¡± He huffed and blew away the large pile of snow revealing a flash frozen ciervid, still standing upright in the snow¡ªits lack of antlers revealing it to be a doe.

    Zulema jumped back before scoffing. ¡°So, this is what you meant. You cannot be serious.¡± She inched toward it and knocked a few times on its body, every bit of its flesh was frozen solid. She knocked a bit harder. It seemed the tissue had solidified, down to the bone. The priestess shook her head.

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    ¡°Is there a problem? You wanted food, did you not?¡±

    ¡°Well, yes. But iced game wasn¡¯t exactly the first thing that came to mind when I asked. I was thinking something simpler like a sandwich or maybe some oatmeal. I trust you don¡¯t have a microwave out here.¡±

    "I am not as critical with my sustenance as you are. I need only consume things raw to get what I need from them.¡±

    ¡°Most people are known to cook their food. What are you?¡± She narrowed her eyes suspiciously. ¡°You never gave me a proper answer. You¡¯re not from Kuranes, are you? Rather, you¡¯re some kind of hermetic warlock that lives off the land? The antlers are a nice touch, I¡¯ll admit.¡±

    ¡°It is a long story.¡±

    <hr>

    Zulema had made a makeshift fire pit together with the enigmatic Derleth. The priestess had tied together a few pieces of wood to form a cross and had her eldritch captor string up the animal to hold over the flame. She watched as the ice slowly melted and dripped off its flesh into the fire. The thought that it still needed to be skinned to even be edible made her hang her head low in exasperation. There were times during certain missions where survivalist tactics had to be employed and temporary camps had to be made but things usually proceeded a lot smoother with the help of her Sisters. This was just troublesome. She groaned.

    ¡°I have¡­ so many questions.¡± Zulema scratched her head, standing in front of the fire pit and trying to keep her thoughts straight. ¡°First off, who are you, exactly? And please be clear.¡±

    ¡°I am what your kind would consider a god. An Elder One, who once existed beyond this plane. I once surveyed the actions of this universe, but have since vacated my post.¡±

    ¡°Vacated? Why? Was the work too boring for you?¡± The priestess held up her arm as her other hand supported her face.

    The man let out a grunt in response, in what seemed to her a tone of annoyance.

    Zulema smirked.

    ¡°That is no longer relevant.¡±

    ¡°Okay, maybe I believe you. In my studies of Ontotheology at the Scarlet Church, certain ideas do posit that lesser gods can exist, though I¡¯ve never seen one myself.¡± She held her chin quizzically. ¡°And what does an ex-god need with me, precisely?¡±

    ¡°There is an alien presence on this planet that has been left to run rampant for far too long, causing devastating consequences that have slowly been rotting the aura of this part of the universe. My contemporaries have failed to notice it in all their millennia of observance, but having spent so long toiling down here, certain etherical disturbances have come to my attention. For so long, I have been powerless to affect any change. But your history of connection to this Old One¡¯s influence may be just the power I need to stop this virus from within.¡±

    ¡°My history of connection¡­? Old one¡ªWait, are you referring to Macha?¡±

    ¡°That is how you¡¯ve come to know it as.¡±

    ¡°And you believe,¡± stated Zulema, knitting her brow, ¡°the power of my faith is the antibody required to fight off this intrusive, otherworldly presence?¡±

    ¡°Not your faith. Such a thing is but a hindrance now. The presence tainted you with its corruption. I have extinguished that connection,¡± he declared gravely. The flame of the pit appeared to reflect off his ivory gaze. ¡°It seems you were mistaken on one point. The presence we seek to pursue is the very Old One itself. Your Macha.¡±

 Chapter 56: Icebreaker

    ¡°You¡¯re insane.¡± Zulema spoke incredulously. She marched over and looked deep into his eyes in a sort of disgusted disbelief. ¡°Insane to think I would ever betray my guiding Matron.¡±

    ¡°Your ¡®Matron¡¯ is a blight. Your mad god¡¯s machinations deal in blood and corruption. None of Macha¡¯s chosen ever enter into her dark designs so willingly. Especially one so young. Her Scarlet priestesses are indoctrinated utterly, linked to her through deranged rituals. Surely, in your time at the Church you must have had your misgivings. Moreso once you had attained the rank of Scarlet Sister, where you become indirectly connected."

    It¡¯s true that there had been times when Zulema had had her doubts. But sacrifices were necessary when it came to faith. Weren¡¯t they? She shook her head.

    "This is utter nonsense." The priestess scoffed and grabbed the man by his arm. She focused her untethered rage toward the grip of her palm, trying to keep her doubts from bubbling to the surface. Zulema concentrated her thaumaturgy to try and disable the eldritch fool in front of her once and for all, but to her dismay, found the usual tingle of power missing. Her mind was blank.

    He watched silently as she pulled away with a horrified expression. She stared deep at the palm of her hand.

    "I can''t feel it! What did you do to me? Where is my power?! Why do I not feel cold? What''s wrong with my body? What did you do?!" The panicked priestess fell to her knees. "Macha¡­ why can''t I feel you?"

    "I severed her connection to you, Orphan of Macha. It had been slowly eating away at your psyche and would have eventually broken you completely to her will. Eventually you would have been consumed with madness without her constant voice in your head."

    "And I would have been happy for the blessing. I was fully prepared for that fate." Zulema glared at him with a pitiful look in her eye. "That wasn''t your decision to make."

    "Would you have preferred I had taken one of your Sisters instead?"

    "... No. If it has to be anyone, I''ll be the one to bear this sin." The priestess remained in a kneeling position on the ground, staring at the snow below her. "How¡­ How exactly did you ''sever'' my connection? Is that why my thaumaturgy no longer works?"

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    "That is correct. The Old One bestowed her othering onto you and it took the form of what you know as your thaumaturgy. The same as your other Scarlet Sisters. It seems these abilities always manifest as a method of control of the human mind." Derleth took a moment before continuing. "As for how I severed her mental link to you, I directed the flow of connection into a segment of your body. Such a method is often a traumatic process, but luckily for you the segment I concentrated it into had become obsolete and that made for a simple removal of the extraneous organ.¡±

    A small gasp escaped Zulema¡¯s mouth. She struggled to get the next words out, her breath hitched in her throat. ¡°What¡ªWhat did you remove from me¡­?!¡±

    ¡°When I collected you, there had been extensive damage to your right ocular nerve caused by the crushing of your helm. I did you a favor by removing it, for that useless eye would have caused you nothing but constant pain.¡±

    Derleth¡¯s words etched a curse on the priestess¡¯s heart that finally caused her to collapse. Zulema had never been in more pitiful a state, her now lone eye welling up with the bitter tears she had held in for so long. It was only now that she realized how easily she could break. It was one thing to fight for your Goddess and your Sisters¡ªbut to have your sole purpose in life ripped away from you was too much for her to bear.

    ¡°I believed now that her influence on you had weakened, you would be more receptive to hearing me out. It seems I require more time with you before you agree to assist me,¡± he stated as she sobbed quietly in front of him. He reached for the cross that held the animal that had been thawing beside them and stood it in front of her. ¡°Were you not complaining of hunger not too long ago? You should eat to put your mind at ease.¡±

    Zulema choked out one last sob before slowly looking up at him. There was a dead, faraway look in her eye. ¡°How the fuck do you expect me to eat this?¡± she growled. ¡°I don¡¯t even have the tools to skin it since you didn''t even bother to grab my scythe when you snatched me away.¡±

    He looked back at her strangely, as if there was something she should have already been aware of.

    "What is it?" she spat. "Are you so barbaric you don''t even have tools for cutting? Do I even want to know how you removed my eye?"

    "In order to help you survive, I bestowed you with my othering. Such a thing was not possible while you still carried Macha''s with you, so once I removed it, I replaced it with my own. While it is true you no longer carry your old ability given to you by Macha, you now have something new. Sharing my power with you protects you from the freezing cold and gives you a limited control over ice. In time, it might even still manifest in a new form yet unknown.¡±

 Chapter 57: Ice of the Beholder

    ¡°Othering? You said it had something to do with my thaumaturgy, didn¡¯t you? Is that some sort of magic?¡±

    ¡°It is a lot more than simply magic. While magic shapes itself using the universe¡¯s dark ethereal matter to affect itself, othering comes from the source power outside the greater cosmos. The space between¡ªthat my kind refers to as The Real. It is, in layman¡¯s terms, what you would call ¡®the power of the gods.¡¯ And as such, it is not something that can be fully understood by the children of men. This entire domain, for example, was created by me after analyzing which element suited me best. The ice and snow proved to be an ideal affinity for me, as they were similar enough to the cold winds of space that make up the frozen environment of my former haven. Once I had learned that she ruled over this side of the planet, I did my utmost to drown that Old One in snow where she lay. And I have been doing so ever since.¡±

    ¡°Then the endless frost that batters this region is all your doing? And all in an effort to what? Put a stop to my God who has done nothing but spread her message of good faith?¡± The priestess sneered. ¡°That still doesn¡¯t explain what that has to do with my thaumaturgy or why it no longer works.¡±

    He nods slowly. ¡°Old Ones and Elder Ones are able to share a fraction of their power to a few gifted of their choosing. In the case of Old Ones such as Macha, that power is inexact and unpredictable. It only manifests to a certain extent, which is why you Scarlet Sisters all have varying degrees of abilities and strength. However, Elder Ones are a league above and can bestow a soul with something more specialized and powerful. I had thought those in your order knew this. Were you not informed when you acquired your so-called thaumaturgy?¡±

    ¡°No. I was taken blindfolded into a large, cold chamber that held an extremely maddening aura. It felt as if Macha herself were in the room with me. A strange ritual was performed¡ªthe peculiars of which I was not privy to¡ªthat drove me into a temporary insanity. After which, I was trained into discovering and mastering my ability. It was the most emotional moment of my life. Until you took that all away.¡±

    ¡°You are destined for something far greater, Orphan of Macha. You are my chosen now.¡±

    Zulema glared at him weakly. As much as she wished she could hate him completely, he still rescued her from certain death. And there was still a part of her that did not want to leave this life behind just yet.

    ¡°If you have the energy to hold such hatred over me, then you would be wise to channel that hatred. You wished for a tool that could cut? Then manifest one from the frigid air.¡±

    The priestess nodded with conviction. She stared at her open palm and concentrated. She closed her eye and pictured in her mind the glacial energies around her swirling into a bundle of energy in her hand. She attempted to form the energy into the figure of a knife. First the handle, then the blade. Finally, she opened her eye¡ªto reveal a yet empty palm. Zulema sighed frustratingly. ¡°It didn¡¯t work. Are you sure I have this power?¡±

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    ¡°You have already manifested it once before,¡± he claimed.

    ¡°I did?¡± Zulema¡¯s eye widened in surprise. ¡°At what point? I-I don¡¯t recall¡ªsomething like that. I think I would have noticed!¡±

    Derleth looked at the young woman strangely once again. ¡°Your dress.¡±

    ¡°Huh?!¡± She looked down at the billowy white dress she had woken up in. There were miniature glacial patterns adorning it that she hadn¡¯t noticed previously. She blushed furiously. ¡°I thought you had put me in this dress! It¡¯s bad enough you undressed me, are you saying you left my nude body in the frozen snow?! And what¡¯s more¡ªyou¡¯re saying I somehow conjured this white dress from the snow around me?¡±

    ¡°That is correct,¡± he replied. ¡°I do not carry around things I do not need. I disposed of your armor and immediately began the intensive process of overwriting your system. It was either die from your injuries or freeze to death. I could not have you succumbing to either.¡±

    ¡°But I don¡¯t even know how I did it! Was it some kind of subconscious desire to remain modest? Why didn¡¯t I manifest some fucking armor?!¡±

    ¡°These things are not always clear. For now, Orphan of Macha, you should practice knowing that it is not entirely pointless.¡±

    She squeezed her eye shut. Her brow twitched as she tried to focus once again on creating something out of literal thin air. She grumbled loudly as she tried to picture the knife made of ice in her mind. But as she continued to focus, her mind couldn''t help but wander. She thought about home and how much she missed spending time with her family. Her father, who had his own short stint in the military before going on to become a teacher of history. And her mother¡ªa strong and hotheaded woman that taught her to keep a firm belief in herself. Zulema remembered Alma¡¯s smile and it made her smile in turn. She remembered how distraught her sister seemed immediately after her deployment and how she had spoken to her about very bizarre circumstances right before the priestess had to leave for her mission. This mission. If it hadn¡¯t been for this catastrophic mission, she would have spent all her time stalking her sister instead. Seeing what kind of problems she had run up against that had caused her to waver from her responsibility. Should she had taken her outbursts more seriously? It did seem like she was hiding more than she let on. Meeting an unusual woman and her elfwin companion in the forest¡ªshe thought maybe they were just more nomads, conducting a pilgrimage to the holy land like so often the strange ones do.

    Zulema¡¯s strong desire to protect her sister filled her mind. As it did, she gradually felt a weight build in her hands. This process wasn¡¯t at all like her usual thaumaturgy, which involved wanting to manipulate her target. She could feel her longing take form in her grasp. The priestess opened her eye. In her hand was a crude dagger made entirely of ice. She shot a smile at the eldritch man who had been standing before her, who nodded in approval. Using a newfound strength, she stood up from the snow and with almost inhuman agility, thrust the blade into Derleth¡¯s chest.

 Chapter 58: Your Own Medicine

    The eldritch man remained unflinching as he wrapped his fingers around the glacial blade embedded into him. The dagger¡¯s form gradually reduced into tiny flakes of ice that dissipated into the air. ¡°No ice can hurt me. What exactly were you hoping to accomplish with this ineffective act? A foolish reaction of emotion that cost you all of that hard work.¡±

    Zulema teetered backwards, a look of angry desperation on her face. ¡°Regardless of how long it takes, I will end you someday.¡±

    ¡°You and I are connected now, Orphan of Macha,¡± he said, as if it were the most natural thing in the world. ¡°Ending me would end you as well.¡±

    "It''s a risk I''m willing to take."

    "As of now, you can barely stand." Derleth turned and faced his home. "Take form of that blade once more and use it to survive rather than give in to your deep-seated wrath."

    Zulema watched quietly as he walked away, an expression of uncertainty was all she could convey. She looked at the dead animal beside her, wondering how many of her allies befell the same fate. As of now, he was right in his assessment. She had to build up her strength if she were to attempt to do anything. What mattered was that she was still alive and with that, there was hope for the future¡ªas uncertain as it might be.

    The dim night sky stretched over the bleak, dark landscape as the sun had finally set. With so many clouds overhead, the stars in the heavens remained obscured once more. Finding the strength to finally stand, the priestess''s feet crunched over the icy ground, her icy breath mixed with the frosty air around her. The chill wind was no longer an uncomfortable sensation to her as she adjusted to the new way her body worked. The only thing that hurt now was the icy grip of grief that clutched at her heart.

    A sharp pain cut through her as her tears froze solid over her cheeks. Was the ice around her getting colder or was it her body? The priestess wiped them away, only to feel another sharp stab of grief as the memories of everything she¡¯d been through come flooding back. She focused the pain from those memories, using them for a greater purpose.

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    Zulema held out her hands above her head, her eyes closed tight in concentration. A soft glow illuminated the air in front of her, and the cold, harsh wind turned auddenly into a strange feeling not unlike warmth. A gentle breeze passed over her skin, soothing the priestess and helping to calm her racing thoughts. She focused on the pain, letting it consume her as her emotions came spilling out into the world. Tears ran down her cheeks, only this time they did not freeze. The priestess felt a wave of comfort wash over her as the ice around her melted away and its sparkling waves ran down her arms, building itself in her hands. Her focus waned for a moment, and the light around her began to fade. So she focused harder and the dim icy glow returned. Ice crackled in her hand as its form bent and molded into something sharp, yet it did not break. She could feel a strange source of power flowing through it. A power she wasn¡¯t sure belonged to herself or the stranger that had cursed her with it. She opened her eye slowly and gazed at the still incomplete object in her hand taking shape. Her concentration continued and she willed the glacial object to take a more familiar form. Ice continued building and extending out, the weapon elongating into first a staff then curving out further into a blade. She saw that the weapon carved itself into a shape similar to the scythe she once wielded. The inky night sky reflected beautifully off the clear blade of ice. Though it looked cold to the touch, the weapon felt like a natural extension of herself. The icy blade glimmered with a power she had never felt before, and the grip was just as comfortable in her hands as the scythe had once been. While the new weapon had been crafted completely from the chill air, it still had the sharpness and speed required for lethality.

    Zulema exhaled a frosty breath, feeling accomplished at her work. She examined her newly formed weapon and gazed into the reflection of the glacial scythe¡¯s blade. The priestess could finally see herself again, along with the damage that had been done to her during her last battle. She noticed the white bandage that wrapped itself around the side of her head and missing eye was stained red with blood. Her face was ghostly white and her freckles almost invisible. The girl gasped in astonished horror when she saw that her familiar onyx hair was streaked with a long ivory stripe. The revelation caused her to hurl her scythe in surprise. Losing the mystical connection it had to its owner, the frozen weapon crumbled rapidly, joining with the rest of the snow.

    ¡°Fuck.¡±

 Chapter 59: Foolish Mother

    ¡°Psycho Superioress,¡± called Marie. ¡°Mother Fool would like to have a discussion with me about the report of my latest mission and the unfortunate loss of our¡­ assets.¡±

    The stern woman Sister Marie was addressing had been standing in a far corner of the inner sanctum of one of the bigger monasteries, admiring a chilling portrait on the wall depicting a group of savage women violently tearing out their eyes and offering them to an upside-down figure bound tightly inside of a human-shaped cage. She turned to look at Marie, eyes hidden behind a cross-shaped blinder.

    ¡°Yes,¡± she replied. ¡°Mother was not too happy about that. She found another use for the body you were able to recover. As for your missing third member who was presumed lost, it appears a very interesting revelation came about this morning. One that seemed to concern her most grievously.¡±

    ¡°What? You mean Zulie¡ªSister Zulema? Has she been found?¡±

    "That''s something you''ll have to discuss with Mother. Come."

    The Psycho Superioress led the fiery-haired priestess down a narrow hall. Various statues of prominent Scarlet Sisters stood in recessed alcoves along the wall, displayed proudly in a line all the way down. Marie admired them as she marched along, noting the accomplishments of each one. One such statue depicted a young Sister Maribel adorned in her regal Scarlet armor, holding high her sacred mace in one hand and her large decorated kite shield in the other. Another displayed Sister Mercedes, in her hauntingly beautiful armor, carrying a terrifyingly strange weapon. Said Sister was eventually nominated to join the princess''s elite security detail, as one of the more grimly dangerous members of the Sacred Seven. Marie had hoped to see a statue of herself here one day, admired by and inspiring the younger priestesses.

    At the end of the hall, a large stone door adorned in scarlet ornamentation greeted the two holy women. Atop the entrance, an ancient yet pristine message was scrawled in alien runes that read ¡°The One Who Sees None, Sees All.¡± As both women read the message aloud, an unknown mechanism caused the heavy door to open.

    Marie had only been past this sacred boundary a handful of times since her tenure as a Cuckoo ranked Sister, and thus still felt a hint of intimidation whenever she entered¡ªonly to be made worse as curious rumors from the other Cuckoo Sisters abound. Whispers of a divine chamber hidden deep within these very walls where Macha herself holds a throne.

    ¡°I had thought you would be ready for this kind of mission when I recommended you for a promotion.¡± The Psycho Superioress spoke, her back turned to Marie as they walked down a complex and suffocating hall. Each side was marked by rows of intricate stone pillars that stood the test of time. ¡°To think, you lost not only one, but both of your subordinate sisters. I cannot imagine Mother Fool being very lenient with you after such a major loss.¡±

    ¡°Y-Yes, Psycho Superioress. I understand. Forgive my carelessness.¡± Marie felt the burning flush of shame on her face. ¡°Both Sisters were under my watch. I had thought they could handle the situation better. I did not think they would go out to search for the E-class on their own. Especially under the pretense of mere rumor.¡±

    The elder priestess stopped and shook her head disappointingly. ¡°Do not apologize to me, Marie. Apologize to your fellow Sisters and the fate that now awaits them.¡±

    ¡°I-I don¡¯t understand. They died in service of Macha. Surely, she would¡­?¡±

    ¡°Mother awaits you up ahead. Do not tarry.¡±

    Marie held her head down solemnly as she passed by the Psycho Superioress, finally reaching the entrance to the Mother¡¯s chamber. Twin doors, each beset with a protruding ominous figure. Humanoid torsos, covering their eyes with their hands and appearing as if wailing in agony.

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    ¡°M-Mother F¡ª¡± Marie mumbled.

    Without warning, the twin bodies released a deafening screech, causing the priestess standing before them to flinch. Dual howls that reverberated throughout the entire room. Despite the pain, Sister Marie knew she was not allowed to cover her ears to block out the sound. She simply stood still, waiting patiently with both arms meekly in front of her for the maddening din to subside.

    After what seemed a small eternity, the wailing died down and the doors finally opened. Just beyond the threshold stood an elderly woman draped in a brimming black, pleated robe that touched past the floor, melting messily around her. Several crossing belts wrapped around her bust and waist, enclosing the dress and constricting it to her body while a number of smaller belts were plentifully bestrewn over the top half of her face, keeping her eyes concealed behind them. Hugging her head was a flowing, silk wimple as dark as the night sky, bejeweled with shining gems and golden filigree. Her silver hair peeked curiously from beneath it, drooping down over her shoulders, splitting down the middle and stopping just short of her feet. As she reached out in open arms to greet Marie, the sleeves of her dress cascaded downward, inviting the trembling priestess in.

    ¡°Come, child,¡± she beckoned in a motherly tone. Her elderly fingers wagged inward. ¡°Mother has been expecting you.¡±

    ¡°G-Glory be, Mother,¡± replied Marie, stepping slowly into the hallowed chamber.

    ¡°Come, little Marie. I won¡¯t bite.¡± The Scarlet Mother waited as Marie inched ever closer before finally embracing her in a tender hug, a gnarled hand grasping the back of her fiery red hair. ¡°I¡¯ve been told there were a few bumps in your last mission. Mortal losses incurred.¡±

    Marie buried her face into Mother Fool¡¯s soft shoulder, a sob escaping from her lips. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Mother. Please, Macha forgive me. My tenderhearted Sisters led themselves astray in an attempt to save their fellow man. I tried to dispel the rumors of the rampaging Eleutheromaniac¡ªkeep them distracted as I searched for the supernal mechanism. But our own weak soldiers¡­ they cried out to them for help! What were they to do?¡±

    ¡°I understand, young one.¡± Mother spoke softly as she stroked Marie¡¯s hair. ¡°Loss of life is very tragic. Our soldiers are fighting the good fight every day. Your Sisters were only doing what they thought were right. What they were raised to believe. You couldn¡¯t have stopped it, just as I know you couldn¡¯t have known the mechanism had already been plundered by the enemy. It was all something that could only come to pass one way, fated by Lady Macha. However, that was not why I called you here today.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s not?¡± Marie stopped sniffling.

    ¡°Our Matron of the Maddened has informed me of a blasphemy on her name. Your Sister Zulema is not only very much alive, but appears to have forsaken Macha and her gifts in favor of another¡¯s. You know as well as I do that heresy does not stand in the Scarlet Church.¡±

    ¡°N-No!¡± Marie jerked up and looked at Mother Fool with a horrified expression. ¡°That cannot be true! Zulie would never do such a thing!¡±

    Mother¡¯s mouth sank into a heartbroken expression. ¡°It has happened, my child. Sister Zulema was your responsibility and it is now your duty to take care of her in her time of need.¡±

    ¡°Yes. I understand. I will go and retrieve her. This must all be some huge misunderstanding.¡± Marie felt a strange sensation slithering up her spine. ¡°I-I will bring her back to our side. Re-educate her for her error in judgment. We¡¯ll both laugh about it later.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m afraid that isn¡¯t possible. Your former subordinate has been designated a Dromomaniac and must be taken care of.¡± Her expression returned to that of an eerie smile.

    ¡°A Class D? But that¡¯s a mortal designation! Apostates that are immediately sentenced to death. You want me to kill her?! No¡­ I can¡¯t!¡±

    ¡°Macha has willed it, Sister Marie.¡± Mother Fool¡¯s thin smile quickly snapped into a scowl. Two elongated, black tentacles manifested from behind the elderly priestess and wrapped themselves around Marie. ¡°There was never a choice in the matter."

    The alien appendage coiled around her neck, squeezing it tightly. Marie grabbed at it, helplessly struggling to keep it from choking the life from her. The other tentacle stared right into her face, as if waiting to strike. Marie cried through bloodshot eyes as the second invading limb attached itself to her head, miniature feelers digging their way into her brain. Her breathless screams were joined by the slamming of the wailing doors as they echoed throughout the chamber.

 Chapter 60: Witchy Business

    ¡°You¡¯ve been silently staring at those plants for thirty minutes now,¡± griped Alma. ¡°I didn¡¯t say anything when you quietly got up to remove your facemask. I didn¡¯t say anything when you went to go get some of that green coffee you like to brew. And as much as I wanted to, I still didn¡¯t say anything when you went to go dry your hair, because I know how much you hate when your ¡®process¡¯ is interrupted. But damn it, Heli, you¡¯ve gotta have something by now!¡±

    ¡°Right, let me just grab my handy cosmic god-finder.¡± Heloise sighed, mug in hand. ¡°What kind of place do you think I¡¯m running here? You should be glad I¡¯m doing this as a courtesy for you. This kind of service, I¡¯d be charging a thousand insania a head."

    "Alma is correct. Your process should have yielded any type of result by now. I am beginning to grow skeptical that your childling magic is not cut out for this job after all¡ª¡±

    ¡°Ah!¡± Heloise thrust a palm in Qu¡¯l-Nia¡¯s face. ¡°Let me stop you right there. Human magic, or whatever it is you people call it, is a lot more nuanced than you give it credit for. There¡¯re varying degrees of it and how it works on this so-called plane. I can¡¯t begin to imagine how your god magic works but I can assure you, the stuff of us lowly mortals is nothing to scoff at. I take it Alma filled you in on some basic stuff, am I right? Menial jobs, etcetera? It¡¯s technically used in trade work a lot. At least¡­ that holds true for the lower-class stuff.¡±

    ¡°Oh, boy. Here we go¡­¡± Alma rolled her eyes.

    ¡°Not to toot my own horn,¡± the witch huffed before spitting further, ¡°But my magic is like, in an entirely different league. You can¡¯t compare me to those duds at the academy. The mystagogues didn¡¯t know what to do with me! Advanced study. A dark god of the trees to pledge myself to. Mysticism of all kinds. Divination? Haruspicy? The correct pH level for your potting soil? I¡¯m a witch-of-all-trades. I am my sovereign self. The universe is my bitch to bed! You want a real job done real right? You come to me!¡±

    She took a loud, drawn-out sip from the mug she was holding. "Que sais-je ? Je ne suis qu''un humain," she added.

    ¡°Are you done?¡± asked Alma.

    ¡°Ya know,¡± interjected Hwal¨ªn, tilting her head in a mockingly exaggerated manner. ¡°I don¡¯t think Li''l Miss Witch here is all she¡¯s cracked up ta be. All that bluster and what¡¯s she got to show? Coupla sorry-looking plants.¡±

    ¡°Oh, I finished up a while ago.¡± Heloise took another sip from her mug of verdant coffee. It gave off an intoxicatingly earthy aroma.

    ¡°What?! Why didn¡¯t you say anything? What have you been doing all this time?¡±

    ¡°Well, since I already got them out, I figured I¡¯d also go lookin¡¯ for another nuckelavee since you so kindly disseparated the last one. No luck, by the way. You better pray I find one.¡± The witch sighed. ¡°You really did catch me at an awful time, Alma.¡±

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    Hwal¨ªn leaned over and whispered to Alma, ¡°I do have a lighter with me. Light one little plant and this whole place¡¯ll go up in smoke.¡±

    Alma gawked at the witch before shaking her head resignedly. ¡°Fine, whatever. What. Did. You. Find?¡±

    ¡°Something odd¡­ but something nonetheless. You¡¯re totes gonna wanna brace yourself for this one.¡± Heloise set her mug down and clasped her fingers together in front of her. ¡°So, as you know, trying to discern a concrete result from these newly grown saplings is much more of an art than a science. I want to say it¡¯s a real pain in the butt, but I really do love playing with the little ones. Plants, of course. Human children are awful, aren¡¯t they? Anyway, it¡¯s a bit complicated trying to explain how this works so I¡¯m just gonna talk and you can pretend to understand. Now, having looked closely at the uh-huh¡­ and the yeah¡­ also the mmm and ohh of that¡­ we sensed some strange fluctuations over near the Akhlut Mountains. Which I might have almost dismissed entirely as noise but there was a strange, more distinct aura I detected around there as well. It¡­ gave me the impression of you, Alma.¡±

    ¡°Me?¡± Alma looked visibly confused. ¡°You sensed me up in the mountains?¡±

    ¡°¡­Something like that.¡± There was a rare tone of concern in the witch¡¯s voice. ¡°More like something with a strong connection to you. It¡¯s definitely weird. It¡¯s like something¡¯s saying you have to go up there. I personally don''t like it."

    "Then that is where we must go," stated Qu''l-Nia. "Let us prepare to depart at once."

    Alma and Hwal¨ªn nodded.

    "You do have your delusions of world-saving, don''t you?" Heloise fiddled with her fingernails, indifference now marring her attitude. "Far be it from me to keep trying to stop you now."

    "The offer to come with us still stands."

    "No, no. I''ve more important things to deal with." Heloise waved dismissively. "You''ve got your thing, I''ve got mine. Our star-crossed paths were just meant to¡­ stay crossed.¡±

    Alma scratched her head.

    ¡°Besides, I don¡¯t think I mesh well with your new friends here. You know how some people will just never get your brand.¡± The witch shook the contents of her mug while smirking. ¡°It¡¯d be so much easier if you stayed here with me instead. We can kick back, relax and take in what I¡¯m sure will be a totally bitching apocalyptic light show from the comfort of my backyard.¡±

    ¡°She makes quite a tempting offer, mate,¡± said Hwal¨ªn, arms crossed. ¡°You gonna let it sway you?¡±

    ¡°What?! Of course not.¡± Alma slammed her hands down on the desk. ¡°Heli, if you¡¯re really not too keen on coming with us, then¡­ I guess this is goodbye. Thanks for helping us out. It really means a lot.¡±

    Heloise couldn¡¯t help but frown. She knew just how stubborn Alma could be. It was a trait they shared and it was one she understood well. The witch gently placed her hand over Alma¡¯s and looked away, sighing. ¡°You stupid bitch.¡±

    ¡°Yeah?¡±

    Heloise couldn¡¯t help but chuckle. ¡°Just be careful. I don¡¯t want to lose my best friend as soon as I¡¯d gotten her back. I mean, can you imagine? If someone I actually chose to make friends with just up and died on me? I wouldn¡¯t be able to show my beautiful face anywhere.¡±

    Alma placed her other hand on top of her friend¡¯s fingers and gave them a gentle squeeze. ¡°I¡¯ll be alright. You worry too much¡­ in your own unique way. But I know you. And I know you believe in me. You know I¡¯ll come back.¡±

    ¡°I¡­ believe you believe that I believe in you.¡± Heloise yanked her hand away before winking. ¡°But don¡¯t let it get to your head! I know my belief in you is all you need to move mountains, but that doesn¡¯t mean you can get all cocky and accidently shoot yourself in the face or something.¡±

    ¡°Alright then!¡± Alma pumped a fist in the air. ¡°Hwal, gather our things. Q, we¡¯ll meet you outside. I have one last thing I need to talk with Heli about. In private.¡±

    Heloise pressed her fingers to her chest while quietly mouthing "Me?"

 Chapter 61: Tree Hugger

    <hr>

    ¡°Just watch yourself, Alma,¡± shouted Hwal¨ªn as she stepped out of the greenhouse-like room. ¡°I don¡¯t want to be the one finding you inside a plant this time.¡±

    The various vines guarding the entrance slithered closed, leaving the two girls alone among the lush greenery.

    ¡°I have at least five plants that can eat a man alive,¡± stated Heloise, chuckling to Alma. The hedge witch leaned back and planted her butt against her desk. "But you knew that. You even named one of ''em. So I know that''s not what you wanted to talk about, is it?"

    "I know I tried asking earlier, but¡ªhas something been bothering you? Like, lately?"

    The sorceress'' s face stiffened. "Huh? You mean besides you traipsing back into my life after destroying a prized possession and acting like it never happened? Which you still haven''t apologized for, by the way. So yes, babe, something has been bothering me."

    "Really? Is that why you''ve been up at all hours conjuring who knows what? Hunting monsters way out of your league and all alone? What exactly is the horn for? Did something happen?"

    "Alma, stop. You''re worrying way too much about nothing. I mean, I''m glad you''re thinking about me, but I''m fine. I''ve been doing just dandy without you, and I plan on keeping the streak going. Besides, you''re the one someone should be worried about. I''m gone for a tiny bit and suddenly you''re mixed up in some crazy goddess''s plot. You really are hopeless without me, you know?"

    "I was really mad¡ªthe way we left things. I couldn''t even fathom apologizing for saving your life. You mean everything to me, Heli. You''re in the very exclusive club of people I would take a bullet for. And so far, it''s just you and family. Every other day, I would worry about you. Wondering if you were eating okay, or lost in a dungeon somewhere, or Macha knows what."

    "I have other friends besides you, dumbass." Heloise spat out with a giggle.

    "I know! But they also haven''t saved your life twice over. They wouldn''t know something is bothering you like I would."

    "Someone''s got a high opinion of herself. Have you always been this horny for me? I''m flattered, but I really have no idea what you''re talking about~!"

    "Damn it, Heli. Don''t play dumb. You''ve always been terrible at lying to me. It¡¯s also very unlike you to keep something from me. Actually, it''s really odd. You usually never shut up. So why don¡¯t you just tell me what¡¯s bothering you?¡±

    ¡°Alma.¡± The witch¡¯s expression turned sour. ¡°You¡¯re starting to get on my nerves. If I''m telling you nothing is wrong, it means stop asking questions."

    "Heli. If you''re lying to me and I find out you somehow ended up hurt because I didn¡¯t push enough, or worse, I''m going to be fucking pissed. It feels like we finally patched things up today and I don''t want to leave here now with any lingering regrets."

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    The witch hopped off her desk, bare feet slapping the ground as she stood up and without uttering a single word, wrapped her slender arms around her best friend.

    The tension in Alma''s body melted away as the witch''s warmth spread around her. The nostalgic fruity smell of her organic shampoo lingered off her silky hair as it brushed against the sniper¡¯s face, leaving her in a trance.

    "Girl, please." Heloise''s voice came out muffled as she spoke through Alma''s shoulder. "Just sto¡ª"

    The protesting witch cut herself off with a sharp inhale as Alma returned the embrace and held her friend tightly.

    "I want to trust you, Heli. I want to believe there''s nothing wrong. So why do I have this awful feeling that there is? I love you and would do anything for you. You know that. If there''s something you need help with¡ªsomething you can''t handle on your own¡ªI''ll do what I can to help."

    "I¡ª" The strong facade of the witch Heloise finally began to crumble. There was a trembling in her voice as she spoke and a hot, stinging sensation in her eyes. "I''ve missed you so much, ma ch¨¦rie.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ve missed you too.¡±

    Choking and sobbing, the witch continued struggling to get her feelings out. ¡°I''m sorry I got mad at you. I''m sorry I left you. I didn''t mean to run from you the way I did. I spent every day wishing I could see you again. But I was too stubborn. Too much of a bitch to just give you a call. I was scared. Terrified of so many things I wish I could''ve just talked to you about. Every night for a long time, I cried myself to sleep, regretting the words I said to you. Afraid I might¡¯ve lost you forever. Worried that you¡¯d die in some far-off country where no one would even be able to identify your stupid body. I never¡ªI never want to go through that again!"

    "I''m here now. And you aren''t gonna lose me again. I''ll make sure of that."

    Heloise pulled back and looked deep into Alma''s amber eyes through a bloodshot gaze of her own. She continued, still sniffling and sobbing, "You mean it? But¡­ you''re leaving right now. How can I be sure?"

    "I swear I''ll come back to you." Alma grinned at her friend, attempting to put her at ease with a warm smile. The tangle of emotions caused small tears to form at the edge of her vision as well. "This is only temporary."

    "You better mean it!" Heloise embraced her once more, pummeling Alma¡¯s shoulder with a small fist. "I don''t wanna have to come up there and bring your frozen ass home. And since I''m too tiny to carry all three of you, your dumb friends are totally on their own!"

    ¡°Well, I guess I¡¯ve got no choice then, now do I? Plus, theeey can take care of themselves.¡± The ex-soldier chuckled. ¡°Wow. Been a while since we¡¯ve had one of these big ugly crying moments.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t call me ugly.¡± The witch¡¯s voice came out muffled once again. ¡°And don¡¯t tell those two I cried. I have a reputation to upkeep. Don¡¯t forget, I¡¯m supposed to be the cool one.¡±

    ¡°Heli, I can¡¯t understand you when you¡¯re mumbling into my arm like that.¡±

    The witch remained silent for a moment before mumbling, ¡°Je t''aime.¡±

    ¡°Huh?¡±

    ¡°I said good luck.¡± Heloise planted a gentle kiss on Alma¡¯s cheek before letting go. ¡°Your friends are waiting for you.¡±

    ¡°Okay.¡± Alma breathed a reluctant sigh. ¡°But promise me that you¡¯ll talk when you¡¯re ready to tell me what it is that¡¯s bothering you. It¡¯s bad to keep things bottled up. Which I never thought I¡¯d be saying to you. Weird.¡±

    ¡°Yeah. If you really do love me, Alma, you¡¯ll trust that I¡¯m a big girl who can handle her own issues. And I promise I won¡¯t be too proud to admit when I need help. Is that good enough for you?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯ll have to be.¡± Alma gave her friend a pat on the shoulder. ¡°By the way, I didn¡¯t get a chance to tell you earlier but that¡¯s a really cool shoulder tattoo. Very ¡®witchy.¡¯¡±

    ¡°Oh, uh. T-Thanks. Listen. Go meet me outside. I have to go clean myself up.¡± The witch rubbed her eyes with the front of her wrists. ¡°Oh! Before I forget, let me go pack you some of that green coffee for you.¡±

 Chapter 62: Forest Gyre

    It was supposed to be a leisurely trek back through the Keziah Woodlands, back to civilization. Alma had traveled this path dozens if not hundreds of times, for secret rendezvous with her friend. It should have been impossible for her to get lost. But something felt off the moment she brushed past her friends in order to lead the charge back home. A change so imperceptible that it was almost non-existent. A shift in the air of reality. The trees surrounding her looked no different from usual, albeit with a dark sheen that seemed to stick to the outer layer of the leaves. As the young sniper moved unaware, the surrounding silence became deafening, forcing her to stop in her tracks.

    The ex-soldier, with bated breath, turned around slowly. Her two companions were nowhere to be seen. There was an odd reluctance, as the girl made her way toward the spot she had last seen them standing. With every step, a hissing sound. There was a vague, almost unnoticeable pulpous feeling to the ground she walked on that hadn¡¯t been there a few moments ago. As she observed the tracks she left behind, in each one there was a fine gray dust where dirt had once been. The ash marred her finger as she touched it, sliding it along the ground and leaving a visible path in its wake. There was a strange quality in the area of forest she was in, of something beyond death. Something she couldn¡¯t even begin to explain.

    Her attempt to call out for her friends was considerably in vain¡ªthe echo of her voice reverberating in an odd way that frightened her almost enough to cease from repeating the action. She paused for a while. Simply standing in place, marking her surroundings without the usual insistence of moving. She wondered if maybe she had ought to wait for them to come to her. A contrasting, frantic thought in spite of her role as the guide and navigator.

    And as she waited for what seemed like several minutes, she found herself increasingly afraid of sitting down to rest. Hesitant to destroy more of the earth surrounding her. As time passed, her legs began to ache and the churning in her stomach only worsened. After finally building up the courage, she decided to make her way toward a nearby tree and took note of the permanent shadows coating the leaves that left the impression of a burned-in chiaroscuro. There was a dreadful feeling of what came next. A wish not to know, but of what she had to do. She reached for a loose hung leaf, attempting to yank it away with her fingers.

    An action that ended in failure, as the moment her fingers touched the sensitive epidermal tissue of the charred foliage, it all came apart in her grasp.

    Repeatedly, she reached for one leaf, then another. Each time, it would be eaten away by the touch of her hands. In her frustration, a punch landed square into the trunk of the tree. But instead of the pain of solid splinters cutting her hand, there was only a soft thud as her fist left a crater of fine ash in its wake. There was a faint scent of burnt wood.

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    Terrified, the girl ran ahead, dashing through the maze of dead, ashen trees of a perilous forest that was now unfamiliar to her. Endless prints of gray chased behind her as she attempted to escape the ominous feeling sending shivers down her spine. On the edge of her vision, a slight shifting of shadow against the fallen wood, that against her better judgment caused her to finally come to a halt. A human figure had stood momentarily between the glancing thicket, that she believed must have been one of her friends who had finally found her way.

    Directly across from her, skirting around the end of the horizon, a humanlike shadow was roaming through the grassy void of the forest. Seemingly undisturbed by the vast maze of wooden pillars surrounding them. Afraid of being alone, Alma ran toward the only other presence she could see. Every loose shoot and twig dissolving into powder as she brushed past them. The shadow stood frozen.

    Salvation, at last, had begun crossing Alma¡¯s mind. She was afraid that if the sun had set, all would be lost for her. But the light remained burning in the sky, casting its unbearable heat through the canopy of trees and projecting her savior¡¯s shadow among the shade that she had been chasing after. It stood out, curiously darker than all the rest, and when Alma finally got close enough, the shadow itself seemed to turn to face her.

    The young sniper¡¯s elation turned quickly to horror as the realization struck that something about the lightless figure was not quite right. The girl could find no source for the shadow, no matter how hard she looked. Before her stood a living mass of darkness standing several feet higher than her. It did not move in the way a shadow normally moves. It crept in swift, erratic motions and seemed almost to project itself against the empty horizon instead of spreading along the ground. As it moved toward her, she noticed its proportions were also slightly off in a way that was impossible to describe. Finally, when it seemed almost to engulf her completely, its face¡ªwhich had been completely featureless until then¡ªsuddenly grew what appeared to be a grotesque set of eyes that formed an incomprehensible expression the girl was unable to read.

    Alma stifled a scream and remained paralyzed until the swaying of trees knocked her to her senses. And although the girl could not recall the feel of any wind, the dancing branches had caused the surrounding leaves to scatter and dissolve swiftly in mid-air in a beautiful display, leading to a strong smell of burning that engulfed the area around her. Backing away, the ex-soldier reached for her pistol and drew it against the living shade. And as she fired what she had, the entity remained unfazed to the feeling of searing bullets passing through it that cratered in the soft pillows of ash and clouds that they kicked up as they bored deep into the surrounding trees.

 Chapter 63: Shadow of a Doubt

    The shadow watched Alma through spectral eyes that made her feel as if her life had already reached its end. A tenebrous awareness that was forcing her to give up hope, that any movement she could make would end fatally. With almost blinding speed, the shadow being let loose a phantasmic tendril that shot forth from its body passing mere inches from Alma¡¯s face to one of the trees behind her. The appendage twisted and throbbed, sucking out unnamable juices from the monstrous trunk and reducing it to formless dust. A perversion of the natural order, the girl¡¯s only instinct was to run from the malignant shade while it devoured any remaining life from a tree already stricken with foul death.

    The small firearm still burning hot in her hand, the ex-soldier turned on her heel and fled as fast as she could from whatever formless being she had just encountered. It brought her no comfort that the spectral entity reminded her too much of the amorphous annoyances that once surrounded her in her daily life. Even though her power evolved just past the point for her to finally distinguish that they were actual living things residing in some alternate reality she could somehow perceive, this shadow was on another level completely. She turned to see if it had followed her, but the only thing that filled her vision was the same foreboding forest that surrounded her. The girl slowed her pace, gradually calming herself and taking another look around. The dark figure had vanished completely without a trace and Alma found herself completely alone once again. The only sign of life had been the gray prints she left behind as she ran. Everything she had rushed past had turned dark and brittle, dissolving in her wake.

    There was no way a single creature had caused all this destruction. Sapping an entire forest of life would have to take far more power than she could even imagine any single being wielding. Her mind turned to the godlike beings she was familiar with in her daily life. Had Qu¡¯l-Nia finally gone rogue and destroyed an entire area out of sheer spite? Had Derleth finally found out that they had been searching for him and is attempting to stop their quest with a stern warning? Or maybe Macha was finally coming down with her divine fury, punishing Alma for palling around with other gods. All seemed equally appalling. The situation had all been too much for her. It seemed like she ended up in these predicaments a lot more often than the average person¡ªrisking her life from one adventure to the next. In the end, what was in it for her?

    Alma snapped out of her thoughts after hearing what sounded like a terrible shriek from the trees. The girl froze in place and searched desperately for the source before it could find her. But again, she could see nothing but what should have been the familiar old woodlands for miles. And with that, she was on the move again. Away from the witch¡¯s house, away from where she had last seen her friends. Creating as much distance as possible between her and the alien creature that stalked her. There was something out there causing destruction on a massive scale capable enough to be able to kill a being like Qu¡¯l-Nia. And she could do nothing. For all her bravado and arrogance, who was she to attempt to stand against gods?

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    Below her feet, a leaden fog had rolled in at some point. Plumes of ash and smoke that had been there for who knows how long. Suddenly, an audible murmur from the edge of the forest, followed one by one with incessant screeches of varying intensity. The foul wailing of some inhuman darkness piercing her ears, calling out to her with its accursed omen of an enshrouded oblivion. The ex-soldier instinctively reached for her pistol, ready to draw at a moment¡¯s notice, despite knowing the futility of such an action. Then, when all fell silent, the girl stood her ground and waited for the shadows of the forest to dance their unnatural, sunlit dance.

    Alma focused her vision as best she could, straining her eyes for any sort of movement that felt out of place. Then, almost as far as her eyes could see, a spasmodic twitching of branches that shook the brittle leaves from their perch, and dissolving them into nothingness. And at a hauntingly fast pace, each tree ahead of the previous one began the same rhythmic convulsion. The girl glared at the chain reaction that would inevitably reach her, looking to see what exactly was causing it, until finally she could see the large, hazy mass of darkness that was skirting along the edges, racing towards her in a weird, horizontal motion.

    When the looming shade had finally reached her, it arrested all movement and watched her with its lurking eyes of darkness. The girl continued glaring, ready to face the inescapable malevolence before her¡ªunsure if this was to be her final moment. As her gaze lingered over the shadowy body, a new phenomenon occurred. A distinct, gaping hole formed within the spectral entity that seemed hazy at first glance, but as Alma¡¯s brows furrowed in concentration, the void inside collapsed within itself and formed a bulging mass of red flesh that peeked out from deep inside the shadow¡¯s core. The true monstrous organism that was casting its shadow from a higher plane.

    But as the ex-soldier poised herself to shoot, the shadow struck and projected its inky appendage directly at Alma, puncturing her shoulder. The sudden impact and subsequent pain caused the girl to drop her pistol to the crumbling grass below. Alma howled in agony as the shadow slowly began to drain her body¡¯s essence. In a few moments, she would suffer the same fate as the rest of the once-breathing forest around her.

 Chapter 64: Heat of the Moment

    Alma quickly scrambled for her gun, the strength rapidly draining from the muscle in her right arm as she remained hooked to the monster before her. It had gripped her in a deathly bite and refused to let go. The shadowy tether was preventing her from dropping too low to the ground, her gun merely inches from her fingertips. The pain was becoming increasingly excruciating, pushing Alma¡¯s psyche to the edge of sanity. Gritting her teeth through the torment, she leaned her body to the side, using the tendril to keep a shaky balance and was finally able to grasp the handle of her pistol. The sensation in her arm had already begun to grow numb in the mere seconds it took her to grab her weapon. In one swift motion, she aimed at the gaping hole in the shadow''s core and emptied the rest of her ammo. Bullets soared, puncturing the bulging flesh and tearing it apart in a bloody fusillade. The attack on its body managed to finally wound the shadow creature, causing it to relinquish Alma''s arm as it flailed miserably. Without a second thought, the girl broke into a sprint, refusing to check whether she had successfully killed it or not.

    After several minutes, Alma finally stopped to catch her breath. The rasping sounds escaping from her throat were the only sounds cutting through the dead, forest air. Her right arm remained limp at its side, causing her to wonder if she had permanently lost the use of it. With her single good hand, she pulled out a new magazine from her pocket and placed it between her teeth before awkwardly releasing the empty magazine from her pistol, letting it fall into a crater of soft ash on the ground. Easing the new magazine into the gun with her mouth and using her chest to push it in, she spent several more minutes trying to chamber a round as she finished reloading her gun.

    A dejected sigh escaped her lips as she swung her useless arm around, checking to see if any feeling had returned. The ex-soldier scanned her surroundings to get a modicum of understanding of her current situation. It had all happened so quickly that Alma had had no time to take in the confusing nature of the situation as it grew exponentially more dire. A completely dead forest with a dark being possibly from another dimension. She looked back in the direction where she had her confrontation with it, making sure it hadn''t seemingly survived and was still stalking her. The girl shook the fearsome premise from her mind and continued to move through the area, the strong smell of charred wood still permeating the air as she moved even deeper.

    The sun''s heat remained strong and Alma wondered when the snowy clouds of home would return. The air would usually have begun to chill by now as she neared closer to what should have been the border of one forest and the entrance to the other, but there had been no visible landscape shift in sight. It hadn''t been long before another sudden shriek caused Alma to figuratively shit her pants. She jerked her head back, trying to pinpoint the source of the sudden cry while gripping her pistol tightly. She had been able to fight one off already by locating the shadow being''s weakness, she was sure if it had come to it, she would be able to fight off another. At least until she could finally locate the exit and try to figure out exactly what had gone disastrously wrong for her to end up in her current situation. She wondered if maybe another summoning spell had gone wrong, bringing forth a creature as dangerous as the nuckelavee they had encountered not too long ago. The girl had at least felt a slight bit of relief that she had somehow found a new penchant for being able to eliminate these arcane atrocities.

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    A familiar rustling of leafy boughs disturbed the deathly quiet air. Alma knew what was coming. Digging her heels into the fine ash, she kept her gun at the ready. But as she followed the path of one trembling tree, another straight across from it had begun to mimic its convulsive dance. Followed by a third and a fourth.

    "Dear, sweet Macha. No¡­"

    Soon, dozens of the trees surrounding her had begun to shake uncontrollably. Before she knew it, Alma found herself sprinting at full speed away from what seemed like certain death. Her legs stretched far, taking her faster than the last time. The quivering trees followed at an increasingly alarming pace. Ahead of her, Alma could see no end in sight. She was on the verge of giving up hope, her body nearing its limit even as the adrenaline pushed her with all its might while she ran. The rush and the fatigue were battling it out inside of her, causing her surroundings to blur together and the world to grow smaller around her. In that exact moment, a small glint shimmered in the distance, pushing hope to flare anew in Alma¡¯s racing heart.

    ¡°That has to be the border¡­! I¡¯m finally there! I¡¯ll be able to get home! I¡ª¡±

    The sudden realization struck her like a bullet piercing her chest. Even if she had managed to cross the border into the Tindalos Forest, she wouldn¡¯t be away from the monsters chasing her. They were still after her and they were steadily catching up. She thought perhaps she¡¯d be able to find a place to hide among the snow. An optimistic fantasy that maybe even the cold would drive them off.

    But as she raced nearer to the boundary, something in the air changed. The sounds of shaking foliage had come to a sudden halt, just as Alma¡¯s body had finally begun to give out. Harsh jolts raced through her body, the pain of pushing it to its limit taking its toll. The girl did her best to heave harsh breaths past her throat, still trying to piece together what had just happened. Something had caused the apparitions to give up the chase and Alma was anxious as to what it might be.

    After several minutes of catching her breath, the ex-soldier marched toward the edge of what should have been the woodlands where her friend lived. But instead of the chill air that she was so familiar with, she was greeted with the stark tingling of oppressive heat pulsing around her. It was an uncomfortable feeling she wasn¡¯t used to, and it only served to make her anxiety worsen. As she pushed forward through the increasingly sweltering temperature, she was met by the monstrous dunes of a horrifyingly foreign landscape.

    Instead of the usual snow-covered forest that should have been, there was now a torrid desert with nothing but a broad expanse of dry, cracked sand. The heat grew worse as Alma neared the strange, new desert that replaced her home. But after a few steps, her instincts immediately forced her to stop. There had been something strange about this entire day, and she felt that something out there was somehow the cause of it all. Something dangerous enough to scare away the shadows that had been hunting her. It had seemed like hours, yet it felt like time wasn¡¯t passing at all.

    She crept closer to one of the trees teetering at the edge of the threshold. As she looked up at the sky above the desert, her heart skipped a beat. The heavens were tinted with an unfamiliar, searing white color. But it was the blazing star in the sky that had scared Alma most of all. The sun, along with all its tongues of foul flame, were dyed an otherworldly pitch black. Alma couldn¡¯t stand to glance at it for even a few seconds. It was a foreign body that seemed to burn a hole in reality. And as she looked on at the endless desert, she noticed the hazy, translucent smoke rising from everywhere the black sun¡¯s unholy light was touching.

    What eldritch dreamworld was this into which she had blundered?

 Chapter 65: Quantum Leap

    ¡°Nia? Did you just see what I saw?¡± the Hecatian cried, turning over nearby stones nervously.

    ¡°Are you referring to Alma¡¯s sudden vanishment right in front of us?¡± replied Qu¡¯l-Nia.

    ¡°A-Aye. So, I didn¡¯t just imagine Alma disappearing into solid air.¡± Hwal¨ªn¡¯s eyes darted around restlessly, recalling the vividly surreal scene in her head. The ex-soldier had seemed unusually giddy on their way back from the witch¡¯s house, skipping around and admiring the scenery despite the time crunch they were on. In her haste, it seemed she had forgotten she was their navigator, even so far as to offer to take the scenic route. What¡¯s scenic about being surrounded by miles and miles of trees? But Alma had seemed odd during the final seconds before her disappearance. Like there had been some sort of strange obfuscating force emanating off of her, coalescing into a nebulous portal directly in front of her as she marched until it seemed like she walked straight through the fabric of reality. Not a single trace remained of the sniper.

    ¡°No, but I would agree that it was highly unusual.¡±

    ¡°No kidding.¡± Hwal¨ªn stuck her head in a nearby knothole, investigating curiously. ¡°Should we go back and alert the witch? She probably knows what¡¯s going on.¡±

    ¡°There is no need.¡± Qu¡¯l-Nia gazed at the sky above her. ¡°I suspect that what we have witnessed was yet another new burgeoning stage of Alma¡¯s unique ability.¡±

    ¡°You mean her spooky vision? Like when we tussled with that nuckelavee? What? Did them monsters finally gobble her up?¡± Hwal¨ªn said jokingly, albeit with a nervous chuckle.

    ¡°Indeed, however it is much more than that. It appears that rather than just being able to recognize spatial oddities from other dimensions, she can now physically access these other planes¡ªunwittingly or not. Ever since we have met Alma, I have long held a hypothesis that her ability to perceive extradimensional interference is merely a by-product of something far more powerful. It is something that has brought some frightful assessments to mind, judging from the experiences she has divulged of her childhood and the odd coincidence of our meeting. A power that has long incubated inside of her since birth, that is now only beginning to take shape after the foment of my singing. If it is as I surmise, then she has yet to even reach the pinnacle of her transformative progression.¡±

    ¡°Wait, what¡¯re you saying? Exactly what kind of beast we lookin¡¯ at here? Is this shit caused by some kind of othering like what me and you have?¡±

    ¡°I believe so, and if it is, then it dwarfs anything I have previously bore witness to. Alma truly has massive potential and it is for that reason that we must watch over her.¡±

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    ¡°Whoa, stronger than you?¡± Hwal¨ªn slapped her friend¡¯s back, letting loose an unrestrained guffaw. Qu¡¯l-Nia somehow remained unflinching. ¡°Nonsense! There ain¡¯t no one more powerful!¡±

    ¡°Yes sense, I am afraid. For one¡¯s othering to be some form of spatial abstraction to the extent that it can give a mortal the ability to hold influence over dimensional space is equal parts astonishing and terrifying. Connecting one universe to another is already something beyond my means. It requires much too complex of a catalyst. I cannot even begin to imagine where or from whom Alma is channeling this power from. Whereas in our case, your body simply became a conduit for the planet¡¯s electromagnetic waves¡ªwhich improved your speed, your stamina and your senses.¡±

    ¡°Yeah, and it makes my swords all cool and shiny!¡± The red elf fondled the pommel of her twin weapons. ¡°Who knew using that power to attune the metal in my blades made it possible for me to cut down all those eldritch baddies? Don¡¯t sell yourself short, Nia. I probably wouldn¡¯t be standing here without ya.¡±

    ¡°Yet I still fail to understand why you would lie to Alma about your enhancements coming from those flowers.¡±

    ¡°What?! That wasn¡¯t a lie! Those things might really fuck me up, but the state they put me in¡­ I¡¯m literally attuned to the fabric of the universe.¡±

    ¡°They are simple narcotics and any effect they might have on your elfwin brain I can only perceive to be adverse.¡±

    Hwal¨ªn scoffed. ¡°So, uh¡­ Should we be worried about Alma or not? She is coming back, right?¡±

    The eldritch woman pondered for a moment. ¡°Alma may require our assistance. If she is not dead already.¡±

    ¡°You wanna run that by me again?¡± she asked, taking a double-take. The red elf was already afraid to hear Nia¡¯s disconcerting answer. ¡°Weren¡¯t you just saying we need to watch over her?¡±

    ¡°Alma may require our assistance.¡± Qu¡¯l-Nia said, running that by her again. She had walked over to the spot where Alma had crossed universes, examining the spot closely. ¡°There is no telling where she has jumped to, and if whatever universe she has found herself in is even hospitable to her human constitution. As far as we are aware, she might have been atomized instantly by a world that supports completely different physical laws from ours.¡±

    ¡°And how in Sarracas do you propose we do that?! You just said we don¡¯t know where she landed!¡± Hwal¨ªn rubbed her neck furiously, her gaze trained on the ground. ¡°Oh Gods. What if she is dead? What are we gonna tell her family? Or that crazy witch bitch?! I ain¡¯t going back to that bloody house to break the news! Get fed to a fucking plant? Plants don¡¯t eat me! I eat them!¡±

    ¡°Being that Alma is native to this universe, along with the slight connection of our thoughts, I may be able to detect a quantum fluctuation that still tethers her to this universe. Following that connection, I should be able to get a general idea of where she would be general to our location in this universe.¡± The eldritch woman traced her finger along the air in front of her. ¡°Barring vibrational frequencies, along with calculating the number of parallel universes currently in tune with this one at the time of her jump, I cannot imagine she has gone too far yet. Rather unfortunately, however, if we do not find her within the next decade or so, she may be lost to us forever.¡±

    ¡°Right, right.¡± Hwal¨ªn nodded along to Qu¡¯l-Nia¡¯s convoluted explanation, arms crossed in contemplation. ¡°I didn¡¯t catch a word of that.¡±

 Chapter 66: Dream Cycle

    "Theoretically, because Alma has a connection to this world, I should be able to find where she has gone. But without her here, it is completely impossible for us to slip together into whichever parallel universe she currently resides. I may be able to go alone, if I shed this form temporarily, but I will have to leave you behind for the time being Hwal¨ªn."

    "That''s fine, Nia." The Hecatian placed a hand on the eldritch woman''s small shoulder. "I know you can easily handle yourself out there without me. I reckon you''ve recovered enough of your power by now, yeah?"

    "It should suffice. If I am to leave, it must be immediate. There is no telling what kind of trouble Alma has found herself in." Qu''l-Nia studied the air in front of her, where Alma had departed the world from. There was something there, beyond mortal comprehension, that only she could perceive. The woman turned to Hwal¨ªn and an almost imperceptible smile spread across her lips. "Leave now. And do not forget to avert your senses from my transformation, my friend¡ªfragmentary as it may be¡ªlest the light burn the corneas from your eyes.¡±

    ¡°Aye. I know the drill, mate,¡± Hwal¨ªn replied. She had already turned away from the alien woman and was gradually making distance. While keeping her face forward, she yelled back, "Watch your arse, Nia. That''s unknown territory you''re waltzing into. Without you, we''re well and truly fucked. And I don''t think I can do this on my own."

    "It should not come to that,¡± came Qu¡¯l-Nia¡¯s voice in the distance. ¡°I promise I will return with Alma in hand. But if I do not return in a few days¡¯ time, then you must seek out Derleth in my stead. Find him and convince him to help you.¡±

    The Hecatian could feel a slight heat at her back, signaling her to shut her eyes tight and to block her sensitive ears.

    What started as a lambent light grew into a sudden, blinding radiance. The trees immediately surrounding the eldritch woman had become completely void of color or warmth. Qu¡¯l-Nia was spinning while the light shone from her body. An endless pirouette performed perfectly in a cosmic gyre of effulgence. As she spun gracefully, an eldritch melody rang from within her. A song of dreamlike worlds with crepuscule lands and mist-shrouded castles hanging high in the sky. Where strange cosmic creatures with bellies full of eternity roam under the radiant light of the thick crescent Banapis. And at the crescendo of her aria, the air in front of her tore open, revealing a strange space outside the universe. Qu¡¯l-Nia rose slowly above the ground, her form now twisting and bending, and shot straight into the swirling vapor of nothingness in front of her.

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    But the form that came out the other side was not that of a young woman with platinum hair. In her place was a glimmering gelatinous being garbed in alabaster white, with a bioluminescent crown shaped like an umbrella sprouting from her head. Trailing glittering tentacles of platinum fell from the rim of this crown, twinkling with an otherworldly hue. Strange white frills dangled elegantly from her arms and high from her hips, forming an ethereal tutu around her lower half. The chromatic light emanating from her body trailed off of her in swift ardent motions as she swam through the twilight skies of the realm between worlds that she called home.

    As she sped to her destination, following along an invisible trail that only she could see, memories outside of time filled her mind. Eons of missing memories came rushing back, of the past and events yet to come¡ªthe momentary glimpse of time she spent traveling along with her aeons-old friends, Alma and Hwal¨ªn, and the ultimate fate of their journey. A newfound fervor filled her. Hundreds of foreign emotions she didn¡¯t understand. Through mystic eyes, tears fell and were lost among vast infinities, remembering things better left dormant. A blighted future filled with arduous hardships and things not being as they seem. And him. If only she had seen things clearly from the beginning. She had to warn Alma as soon as possible, for the memories of things to come will fade once again.

    The eldritch woman moved at incredible speeds¡ªbeyond the cold wastes of the cursed plateau and past the city of Inganok that rests in the ethereal domes between the steep, endless mountains where a tribe of the elder ones slept. Far past that, Qu¡¯l-Nia finally reached her destination, where one of many seemingly innocuous orbs floated in an amniotic stasis among an obsidian desert. The vast skies were now as dark as midnight and in the infinite distance among the millions of stars shone the malevolent Dirge Star of Carthexi. It was a dark area that Qu¡¯l-Nia usually knew to stay away from. She rested an arm atop one of the celestial orbs in front of her and attuned to its energy, searching for a pinpoint location among the billion trillion stars of the universe inside the orb, still following the trail left behind by her dear friend.

    In the next moment, Qu¡¯l-Nia¡ªback in human form¡ªfound herself in a bright forest, surrounded by endless trees. Looking to her left, the woman came face to face with an enervated Alma who looked up at her from a crouching position on the ground. Her shoes and clothes were torn and crusted over with a layer of grey dust. A small pistol held firmly in her grasp. There was a cold, faraway look in her eyes.

    ¡°Q¡­? Is that really you?¡± She asked desperately. ¡°How many years has it been?¡±

    Qu¡¯l-Nia stared back at her gravely. ¡°This is no time for your jokes.¡±

 Chapter 67: â–ˆâ–ˆâ–ˆâ–ˆâ–ˆâ–ˆâ–ˆ

    Alma rushed to embrace the eldritch woman. ¡°Sorry. It sure feels like it¡¯s been forever. Thank Macha you¡¯re here. I think it¡¯s been a few days now actually. There''s no way to fucking tell. That¡­ evil thing in the sky just won''t set! I''ve barely been able to sleep. If it¡¯s not the constant heat that won¡¯t go away, it¡¯s watching out for those shadows out there in the forest! I was scared I might be lost here forever, but now you can lead me back¡ªWait. W-Where¡¯s Hwal?¡±

    ¡°Alma!¡± Qu¡¯l-Nia pulled her away and held her at arm¡¯s length, staring deep into her tired, yellow eyes. There was an increasing look of anxiety growing on the eldritch woman¡¯s face that Alma had never seen before. ¡°There is something much more important that you must know. I was blind. So very blind. Our focus was split. How could we have known?¡±

    ¡°Huh? What are you talking about, Q? Know what?¡±

    ¡°All this time. It¡¯s not your planet I should¡¯ve been worried about. We should have been looking for him. He¡¯s always watching. The D¡­" She trailed off. Qu¡¯l-Nia clutched her head with a frustrated grimace. ¡°W-What? No. Who was I thinking of just now¡­?¡±

    ¡°Q? Looking for who? Watching what? Derleth? Wasn¡¯t that always the plan?¡± Alma saw the fear slowly vanish from Qu¡¯l-Nia¡¯s otherworldly eyes, replaced by a confused searching through piercing white pupils lit by an iridescent color out of space. ¡°¡­Qu¡¯l-Nia? Should we not trust him?¡±

    ¡°Alma.¡± Her face returned to her regular serene look of calm. ¡°I seemed to have forgotten what it was that had me so rattled a moment ago.¡± She let go of the ex-soldier and looked curiously at her new surroundings. ¡°Fascinating. You say the sun never sets here?¡±

    ¡°What? But¡­ O¡­kay.¡± Alma was left befuddled by the woman¡¯s strange behavior. Then again, this was Qu¡¯l-Nia she was talking about. ¡°Right. That thing is not a sun. I don¡¯t know what it is, but it¡¯s definitely lethal to anything caught in it.¡± She unwrapped a dressing around her arm, revealing a searing patch of red skin. ¡°A small bit of its light touched my arm yesterday and the area is still weirdly scarred.¡±

    ¡°You are half correct,¡± she said over her shoulder, looking out at the strange desert just behind the trees. ¡°That is indeed a sun, that through some form of eldritch influence seems to have come to life. I do not completely understand the mechanisms behind it, but it appears to thrive on consuming all it can with its foul light.¡±

    ¡°Wait. If the sun is black, why does everything look¡­ not-black?¡±

    ¡°It does. I believe your eyes are simply compensating by showing you a world you are more accustomed to.¡±

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    ¡°Does that mean this isn¡¯t our world?¡± she asked. Alma took the long strip of fabric that was covering her arm and wrapped it around her forehead like a bandana. ¡°That¡¯s a relief. I thought maybe we¡¯d royally fucked up our mission and the world ended.¡±

    ¡°I would not celebrate prematurely. Do you understand how you came to be here in the first place, Alma?¡±

    ¡°No, actually. Been ruminating on that since I dropped here. Thought maybe we got invaded by one of your long-lost relatives. Maybe your mortal enemy finally tracked you down and obliterated you from space, taking the rest of the world with it.¡±

    ¡°That is a preposterous assumption. I have neither a mortal nor immortal enemy.¡± Qu¡¯l-Nia looked at Alma with a perplexed look. ¡°And any intrusion by my kin would be found to be in direct violation of what you childlings would refer to as our ¡®rules.¡¯¡±

    Alma¡¯s lips turned into a soft, amusing smile. ¡°I can¡¯t believe I¡¯ve missed that pompous attitude of yours.¡± For a fraction of a second, Alma thought she had caught a slight frown on the eldritch woman¡¯s face. ¡°Aren¡¯t your people supposed to protect universes? Space janitors and all that? Maybe one of them went rogue. It¡¯s happened before, hasn¡¯t it? Maybe you just didn¡¯t know about it.¡±

    ¡°That is simply impossible,¡± replied the stone-faced Qu¡¯l-Nia. ¡°This was not caused by my kind. I had to travel very far to find this universe, having found it interred in one of the cosmic necropoli. It seems this world has been designated doomed and subsequently abandoned. My guess is some greater outside force has killed its gestaltian, effectively destroying its quintessence.¡±

    ¡°This is a dead world? That¡¯s no surprise.¡± The sniperess clicked her teeth. ¡°Wait, what¡¯s a¡­ gestal¡­tian?¡±

    ¡°Alma, are you sure my explanations of the mechanics of your entire existence does not frighten you? You seemed so distressed when we first met.¡±

    ¡°Wow. Is Ms. Eldritch Terror having another one of her rare crises of conscience?¡± Alma grinned tauntingly. ¡°Relax, Big Q. I¡¯ve gotten pretty numb to it by now. You¡¯re not gonna scare me. I practically grew up around insanity.¡±

    ¡°Alright.¡± The woman smiled warmly at Alma. It had been a while since she got to enjoy explaining things to her friends. ¡°Then allow me to expound a few interesting facts! Each universe begins its life as a living entity. A macrocosmic, animate thing one brother of mine so affectionately dubbed Manayothni. We did not create these Manayothnies¡ªthey are native creatures of The Real that have thrived there far longer than we have. In fact, I believe I have mentioned this before but, I, too, was believed to have been once born from one.¡±

    Alma detected a noticeable copper taste along her tongue from biting her lip a little too hard.

    ¡°We rear these creatures, and when we believe the time is right, a member of our kind is then chosen to become its guardian. Said guardian must then¡­ rend it¡ªfor lack of a proper term. It is an extensive process used in the creation of a universe. Upon this universe¡¯s creation, it goes into an immediate decay that lasts¡­ a very long time. A gestaltian is something akin to its world soul. As I have come to understand it, it is a being born from this decaying process that collects the souls of all things once they undergo their final death in order to reconstitute itself once more. I believe it is most similar to the concept you childlings refer to as a reaper.¡±

 Chapter 68: Black Hole Sun

    ¡°What are you even talking about? I thought I made it clear that Macha has dibs on my soul when I take my dirt nap. Although I have no idea how the moon maidens are going to find me if I end up dying here in this shitscape of a universe¡­¡±

    Qu¡¯l-Nia let out a grumble. ¡°I do not know what the case is with your Macha. This is something that is usually settled between the gods of your planet and the gestaltian. I believe it to be an aberration, but Derleth should know more about your universe¡¯s workings than I.¡±

    ¡°Ha...¡± Alma let out a weird mix of a chuckle and a sigh. ¡°This is just too funny. Just a week or two ago I wasn¡¯t even sure if Macha was real. Guess I owe Zula an apology. And my parents. Man, deep down I always hoped this stuff was real. Crazy worlds, weird aliens, wrathful gods¡­ Careful what you wish for I guess."

    ¡°Alma¡­ I believe your kind requires physical sustenance in order to live. What exactly have you been doing in the way of food?"

    "It''s the damnedest thing. I really thought I was fucked, but when I reached into my pocket¡­" Alma reached into the pocket of her coat that had been tied around her waist and pulled out a small, torn-open wrapper. "I found a handful of my favorite granola bars! You know, the kind with little bits of candy in it? I swear I don''t remember packing it, but there they were. Good thing you found me when you did, I doubt these would''ve lasted me much longer. Absolutely nothing else in this place is fit to eat. It''s all ash and I don''t just mean the taste¡­"

    "I see." Qu''l-Nia wore a ponderous expression.

    "Hey, so like, have you met my world''s gestaltian? What are they like? Really snobby I bet."

    "I have, actually. I met with her when I was first assigned here. She¡ª"

    A sudden shriek came screeching from the forest, causing both women to turn toward the source of a frightening danger Alma was all too familiar with.

    ¡°Shit. Shit! Shit! Shit!¡± Alma grit her teeth. She had been fighting off those shadow demons for days now, barely surviving by keeping to the border of the black sun where they never strove too close. Some, however, proved to be braver than others and had almost forced the sniper out of her safe zone more than once already. And between the deadly rays of the eldritch light or death by having her innards liquified and drunk through a straw, she couldn¡¯t decide which fate was worse.

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    ¡°Alma, I am once again sensing you are in distress. Am I to believe that sound just now is the source of it? I was led to believe nothing could possibly survive in such a hostile environment.¡±

    ¡°Those are the shadows I mentioned earlier. They¡¯re these weird living shadows that I¡¯ve been fighting for my life against. This sun¡¯s been keeping them at bay so far, but I think they¡¯re somehow connected to it. Don¡¯t you think so?¡±

    ¡°Forgive me. My memory is quite limited in this form. I believe I am familiar with a creature like that which you have described. I do not know their true name yet I have heard them called the adumbrali in certain circles. They are not to be trifled with. You say you have done battle with them? I did not think a being of your level could even touch them."

    ¡°Right. Of course. Well, they were kicking my ass at first. Was pretty sure I was gonna die. That''s always fun. Until what I''m guessing was my eyes kicking in and suddenly I could see what I''m gonna call its weak spot. Few bullets was all it took after that!¡±

    ¡°Weak spot? Curious. What did it look like?¡± asked Qu¡¯l-Nia.

    ¡°A big fleshy hole opened up right in the center of its body.¡± Alma made a circle with her fingers and pressed it against her chest. ¡°I shoot it. Blood gets everywhere. Like every other fleshy thing. It was all really gross.¡±

    ¡°Alma, you must minimize all engagement with these entities. I am amazed you have lasted as long as you have, but you must not put yourself in any further danger. These beings will imbibe more than just your bodily fluids. And they will take joy in it as they do.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m aware! That¡¯s why I¡¯ve been holed up in this one spot. They''re all¡ªunsurprisingly¡ªterrified of the big black sun. I guess even shadowy oblivion monsters are scared of something. I''ve been basically stuck here with no real plan on what to do, so if you''ve got any solutions, I''m all ears."

    "If you are trying to avoid the decimating rays of the black sun, have you considered tunneling under the ground?¡±

    ¡°What do I look like? Some fuzzy little animal?¡± Alma chewed her thumb nervously. ¡°Where would we even go?¡±

    ¡°It would allow us some breathing room to speak without having to constantly watch our backs for unequivocal danger.¡±

    ¡°¡­Did you bring a shovel?¡±

    Qu¡¯l-Nia shook her head before pondering for a moment. She walked over to the edge of the threshold and looked out beyond the sea of dead earth. A low, haunting thrumming bellowed from her throat, gradually shaking the sands in front of her.

    Alma flinched at the sound of her song, still traumatized from her first experience, and watched as a deep hole cratered out before them. Sand and ash shifted at the threshold as the new hole yawned deeper in response to her singing. The ex-soldier noted how it wasn¡¯t that the ground had simply opened up for them, but rather it felt as if the intonations the eldritch woman had been making were actually pushing and forcing their way into the lifeless planet itself.

    The alien melody ended and the gaping hole now seemed more like a large burrow. Alma took Qu¡¯l-Nia¡¯s silent nod as the go ahead to make her way inside. The sniper, burdened with ash and sweat, placed her coat over her head and took the plunge.

 Chapter 69: Godforsaken

    "Bloody Beryllands, I¡¯ll never get used to that," the Hecatian mumbled to herself. The celestial lightshow that exploded behind her was now nothing but a wisp among a colorless patch of trees¡ªthe only evidence that something extraordinary had just blipped out of existence. "Just like that, I''m all by my lonesome again. Should probably set up camp before it gets dark. No telling when those two are gonna make it back."

    Hwal¨ªn busied herself by digging through the large pack she carried on her back, rifling through an assortment of supplies. Pouches full of plants, snacks, multiple packs of weapon polish, and a private periodical filled with beefy men in various states of undress that she liked to peruse on dark nights when the others were asleep.

    ¡°I guess it¡¯s a good a time as any,¡± she said with a lecherous smile. But before she could inspect its contents thoroughly, a rustling of the trees behind her forced her to stuff it swiftly back into her bag.

    ¡°Brazen one, aren¡¯t you?¡± A voice echoed from the treetops. ¡°You Hecatians sure are a lascivious lot. Haven¡¯t even been alone a few minutes and you¡¯re already besmirching the witch¡¯s front yard. Well, don¡¯t let me stop you.¡±

    ¡°Why don¡¯t you mind yer own business, you disembodied bastard?¡± Hwal¨ªn searched the trees for the source of the resonant voice. "I wasn''t plannin'' whatever you think I was plannin''. Sometimes a girl just wants to cuddle up with a good book, yeah?"

    The voice simply laughed. ¡°I knew Hecatia, you know? She wasn¡¯t all that different. Pretty brutal woman when she had to be though.¡±

    ¡°Show yourself, you git!¡± The red elf shook her fist at the red and yellow foliage. ¡°I ain¡¯t about to be having this conversation with a bloody tree!¡±

    After some insistence, a large shadow finally jettisoned itself away from the hidden bough it was perched on and landed on a nearby stone. A familiar majestic, black bird revealed itself in front of Hwal¨ªn. Crimson eyes glared smugly at her. It was none other than the witch¡¯s familiar, Carthas.

    ¡°I have one, simple job,¡± the bird said to her. ¡°To watch over Alma and make sure she stays out of trouble. It hasn¡¯t even been half a day.¡±

    "Well, see. About that.¡± Hwal¨ªn coughed. ¡°It turns out our little sniper is still just full of surprises. One minute she¡¯s here¡­ the next she¡¯s teleported herself to another dimension.¡±

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    Carthas let out the avian equivalent of what one would call a sigh. "You know that witch is going to kill us both as soon as she finds out."

    "Unruffle them feathers, mate. Nia''s already making her way over to Alma as we speak. She''ll have her back in no time and you can just forget this even happened."

    "You mean that pocket goddess you''ve got following you guys around? I wouldn''t say this to her face but I wouldn''t trust her as far as I can throw her. There''s just something off about her. Deities, you know. No moral compass." Carthas raised a wing and pointed to his head with the tip of his longest feather. "Lucky for you and me, they don''t tend to be too bright so there''re always ways to take advantage."

    "What are you on about with your squawkbox? Nia''s the smartest person I know."

    "Then again," the bird murmurs. "I''m reminded who I''m talking with."

    "I bet you''d cook up real nice. Better start figuring out why I shouldn''t eat ya.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m just saying.¡± He cleared his squawkbox. ¡°Keep your eyes trained on the enigmatic ones. You can¡¯t even begin to comprehend what¡¯s going on in their heads. Do you even truly share the same goal, for example?¡±

    ¡°Course we¡¯re after the same thing.¡± Hwal¨ªn began pitching the large orange tent she had been carrying on her back. ¡°She wants to save the planet from ending, and I don¡¯t want to die a fiery death. Simple as.¡±

    ¡°Riiiight. And how exactly does she plan to accomplish that?¡± The colossal bird hopped off his rock and began pacing around in front of the busy Hecatian. ¡°Where is she now, exactly?¡±

    ¡°You know¡­ Who are we to question the gods, eh? Aren¡¯t they nowhere and everywhere?¡±

    ¡°You have no idea, do you?¡±

    Hwal¨ªn tossed one of the steel poles used to pitch the tent straight at the bird, which he dodged with ease.

    ¡°Hope you¡¯re not expecting me to hand that back to you,¡± said Carthas.

    The red elf grumbled and staggered over to where it had landed. ¡°I trust Nia to know what she¡¯s bloody doing. She¡¯s somewhere right now using her powers to track down Alma as we speak. You think she¡¯d go to all that trouble if she didn¡¯t care about us?¡±

    ¡°Or she just can¡¯t accomplish this mission without her. While here, she just leaves you behind.¡±

    ¡°Did that godsdamned witch put you up to this?¡± Hwal¨ªn stabbed a pole into the ground with harder-than-average force. ¡°Trying to sow discord in our little group? I didn¡¯t take her for that kind of bitch.¡±

    ¡°Oh, no. This is all me,¡± he replied, chuckling. ¡°The less Heloise knows about my activities, the better. I just happened to chance upon you and wonder why you were still here.¡± The bird flew over to the top of the unfinished tent, now about a foot or two from Hwal¨ªn¡¯s face. ¡°I take it they won¡¯t be gone long? Why go to all the trouble of setting up camp¡ªand here of all places?¡±

    ¡°Said she won¡¯t be long, but who knows with that cosmic shite. Might as well make myself comfy. You know that witch better than anyone. Would you rather go back there?"

    The bird sneered.

    ¡°S¡¯what I thought.¡± Hwal¨ªn parked herself on the ground and pulled out the raunchy magazine from earlier. ¡°Stay or go, I ain''t really one to hide my vices.¡±

 Chapter 70: Journey to the Center

    The two had ventured down the underground cavern for several miles now and had been guided only by the cosmic light of Qu''l-Nia''s twinkling hair. The eldritch woman had detected something strange far beneath the planet with her singing and was convinced that it was imperative for them to uncover what it might be. Alma was just satisfied that she could finally see her old friend again¡ªthe blinding absence of light.

    Above her, the haunting peals of harsh rumbling pervaded her ears bringing to mind the howling of demons. The alien breeze blew strong through the desert above, causing wild sandstorms to shake the sands under the eldritch sun. Alma couldn¡¯t help but wonder if there was anything left living on such an inhospitable planet¡ªdemon shadows notwithstanding.

    Aside from the distant clashing on the planet¡¯s surface, things had been mostly silent since the beginning of their descent. Qu¡¯l-Nia hadn¡¯t said a word since her discovery of whatever it was they were now after. Was she even thinking of taking her back to own world? What possibly goes through that woman''s mind at times like this? At any time really.

    Qu''l-Nia finally broke the silence.

    "Here," she said. "This is what my melody revealed to me.¡±

    Alma looked to where she was pointing. Great stone bulwark surrounding crude, ancient architecture that hasn¡¯t seen or felt a living thing in hundreds if not thousands of years. Dilapidated ruins carved from roughly-hewn rock into small abodes that were once home to some unknown race of people that lived there at one time.

    The ex-soldier peeked in through a large open window in the wall of one of the buildings. Uncomfortable looking stone tables and stools littered the room. Everything about it screamed primitive to her and she found herself trying to imagine what kind of person could possibly enjoy living in such squalor. Not that shutting herself in her room for the longest time was any different. Perhaps creature comforts were simply in the eye of the beholder.

    "Big doors¡­ This place reminds me of Clan of the Cavern."

    ¡°What is that?¡±

    ¡°It was an old animated television show about a family of cave dwellers who would always get into these impossible hijinks. Cartoons were one of my saving graces as a child and yet, I can¡¯t even remember when the last time I watched one was...¡±

    Qu''l-Nia didn¡¯t respond. Instead, she had slowly been making her way straight toward a singular destination within the nameless city.

    Stolen novel; please report.

    "What exactly are you looking for in this kind of place?" asked Alma. "Shouldn''t we be figuring out a way back home? I wasn''t expecting taking a trip to the stone-age. Bad enough I get no reception on this planet. I haven¡¯t been able to contact my sister, my parents, Heli¡­¡±

    "Our return is up to you," she replied.

    "What in these crazy dead-end worlds are you talking about?"

    "I cannot use the same method I took to come here to bring you back. It was your power that brought you here and it can only be that selfsame ability that will take us back.¡±

    Alma frowned. "And you''re only telling me this now? Why not back up on the surface instead of rambling on about how my religion means nothing? Speaking of which¡ªdoes this mean there''s no afterlife? If Macha isn''t watching us from her throne in Cockaigne, then where is she?"

    "It is much more complex than that. The gestaltian is meant to collect the essence of your soul. Whether your consciousness remains connected to that essence is up to you. The conscious mind is not just the thoughts in your head. It is a complex manifestation of your inner voice that has evolved as a separate entity from your soul altogether. That is what travels to other realms if you so choose. Or it can choose to stay connected to your soul as it joins back into the world soul. But from what you have told me, it sounds like that is what your Macha consumes in this afterlife of which you speak."

    "Wait, so you''re saying you have no soul¡­?" Alma asked alarmingly.

    "I came about very differently. My race lived long enough to develop to this point. When it was discovered that we grew beyond conflict and needs, a greater being came to us and helped us to ascend. It has been so long and, in this body, my memories of such an event are fuzzy to me now, but it is definitely something that happened. My mind and soul were fused into something greater. But that is enough chatting about me. The short answer to your question is, yes. I have something of a soul, and yes, there is something of an afterlife. As I said, these are questions for Derleth, not for me.¡±

    ¡°Oh¡­¡± Alma scratched her head and looked around the empty city lost to time. Crumbling stone and cracks in the walls told a very long and empty story of a place that once was. "So, all religions are real?"

    "I do not know."

    "Come on,¡± cried Alma. ¡°I thought you loved talking about this stuff!"

    The eldritch woman¡¯s focus was elsewhere¡ªguided by some unknown and focused curiosity. Very soon, they had come upon another ancient building that decidedly stood out among the rest. It was much larger and its stone walls were made to look much more polished. Intricate structural pillars surrounded the front of the building, like the entrance to some grand hall or temple. Upon closer inspection, carvings near the avenue depicted what appeared to be some sort of worshipped deity¡ªa floating eye surrounded by a plethora of wavy lines. It almost looked like a sun.

    ¡°Q, exactly how old is this place? I still don¡¯t even know what we¡¯re doing here. Shouldn¡¯t I be¡ªyou know¡ªpracticing on how to get us back?¡±

    "In due time," she replied, fingers sliding gently along the cracks by the door leading inside. Qu¡¯l-Nia peered inside, lighting up the pitch-black area with the unnatural natural glow from her hair. ¡°I sensed this temple down here earlier. If it has any info on exactly what this universe has gone through, it might give us some answers on how to deal with things on yours.¡±

 Chapter 71: Blighted Path

    ¡°It clearly didn¡¯t help this world.¡± Alma tried to focus her eyes in the darkness, but her gaze kept pulling back to Qu¡¯l-Nia¡¯s glowing head in front of her. ¡°But I haven¡¯t exactly been dungeon diving in a while. This might be fun. If I could see a damn thing. Looks like these eyes only work when they want to.¡±

    ¡°You should have said so from the beginning.¡± The eldritch woman began humming a gentle tune. Every few beats, a small wisp of purple flame manifested in her upturned hand. It would then float slowly around her before she created a few more. As her melody reached its conclusion, five miniature balls of fire danced before her. She smiled gently at each one, then released them into the room around the two. As each one reached their destination, their blaze fluoresced and grew bright, illuminating a large portion of the temple.

    The ex-soldier marveled at the small but intricate display put on by her friend, the extradimensional songstress. The walls of the temple were now bathed in an indescribably otherworldly luminescence. Along the sides were long slabs of stone at waist level, filled with crude objects and strange tools. In the center of the room were rows of elevated rock that all looked very uncomfortable. In the very back of the ancient temple was a lone, tall cathedra¡ªsmall steps leading up to the seat. It was a throne sitting higher above the rest, that rested in front of an altar of stained masonry. Chills ran down Alma¡¯s spine as she imagined the kind of horrors that might have happened by the alien beings that lived before.

    ¡°They didn¡¯t have much to work with down here, did they?¡± noted the gunslinger.

    ¡°This place is quite possibly older than your entire world," replied Qu''l-Nia. She walked up to the throne at the end of the room. "On that note, for them to develop a religion this prematurely in their existence is astonishing."

    "I saw a carving near the entrance. I think they actually worshiped the sun out there. Which is kind of silly, since they lived underground." Alma chuckled. "Maybe they just lived in fear of it."

    "In fear, perhaps. But perhaps not. I do not think the star of this planet was always so corrupted. That indescribable energy I sense from it definitely comes from beyond this sphere. Regardless, it seems that this has caused some sort of extinction level event. I cannot imagine there was much hope for this planet.¡±

    This story has been stolen from Royal Road. If you read it on Amazon, please report it

    ¡°That¡¯s kind of a downer," remarked Alma.

    The ex-soldier walked over to an erect slab against the wall and picked up a stone slate that hadn''t been moved in eons. She shook, rubbed and blew on it, trying to get the dirt and dust off of it before finally giving it a good once-over. Ancient runic symbols had been inscribed on it from long ago. As she skimmed over the weird runes, it almost felt as if they had let off a small glow, causing her fingers to fumble and almost drop it. Inspecting it again, she realized she was now able to read the runes on the slate.

    "Skies are lies. In a thousean thousean time, parasite gods will descend through the aether. Awaken our light. Our light will awaken then. Turn off the dark. Bathe everything in light. Burn away the evil. The source slithers in. Darkness travels."

    It detailed what felt like some form of prophecy. Alma wasn''t sure what to make of the words she could suddenly somehow read. It felt like reading cryptic messages had started to become a habit. She then noticed behind where the slate had been placed was a miniature figurine of some kind of humanoid reptilian. It had a long snout and a small row of sharp teeth. It stuck out its little limbs and appeared to be sitting. Alma stuffed it into her pocket, thinking it would make a cute souvenir of her otherplanetary journey.

    "Q," Alma called to her eldritch friend who had been inspecting the stone throne with her tailbone. "You mentioned earlier about my eyes adjusting to this world. Do you think it could somehow translate other written languages for me? ...Because it literally just happened." She held up the strange slate she was holding.

    "Anything seems possible for you at this point, Alma." Qu''l-Nia had been adjusting her position in the chair, attempting to make herself comfortable. After a moment, she jumped from her seat. "Truth be told, I am not sure how you are even capable of breathing here. I am almost certain this planet no longer has much of an atmosphere."

    Alma lurched her head back at that statement and for a moment, her throat had started constricting almost instinctively. Her hand squeezed at her neck, and the feeling passed quickly. She swallowed.

    ¡°Let me take a look at that.¡± The eldritch woman motioned at the slate Alma was holding. Her sparkling eyes scanned the alien runes with ease. ¡°It appears that¡ª¡±

    The ground beneath them began to shake violently, interrupting whatever thought Qu¡¯l-Nia had been about to unleash. A large crack ran down the wall of the temple behind the altar.

    ¡°Q, watch out!¡± Alma ran toward Qu¡¯l-Nia, who had trouble keeping her balance. Small fractures began to form on the ground beneath her. The sniperess tugged on the eldritch woman¡¯s sleeve and pulled her away before the floor crumbled into a large hole where she was just standing, causing them both to tumble into a heap.

    ¡°We need to get out of here!¡±

 Chapter 72: Deep Dive

    ¡°No. We must go deeper in,¡± said Qu¡¯l-Nia, voice filled with both shaking and unwavering resolve.

    "Are you insane?" Alma struggled to steady herself through the intermittent quakes. "What could possibly be down there that isn''t trying to eat us?"

    "I do not have all the answers yet, but you must trust me." The eldritch woman walked through a dark passage that had been obscured by a rotting wall of stone. Her voice called soothingly from the dark. "Our journey here is not over. There are still things to be done.¡±

    ¡°Q? Where are you going?¡± Alma followed behind cautiously. ¡°You¡¯re lucky this ancient place is so fucking sturdy. I¡¯m surprised it hasn¡¯t come down on us already. W-Wait up!¡±

    The hidden pathway opened up into a cavernous room connecting to the back of the temple. The area was lit beautifully by an array of dazzling crystals. The luminous rocks surrounded what appeared to be a calm, silvery lake that extended far beyond where their eyes could see. As Alma''s curiosity pushed her to the edge of the dazzling pool, Qu''l-Nia called out to her in warning.

    "Step away from that lake, Alma. I can assure you that the liquid it is filled with is quite poisonous and even the fumes alone could burn out your insides."

    "I''ll be carefuuul," whined Alma. The sniper''s tone of voice mimicked that of a child.

    "Instead of lying to yourself, you should come and assist me with this." Qu''l-Nia was standing in front of a strange passage off to the side that was blocked off by elongated strands of a thick, sticky red substance. The alien woman pulled one of the strands out of place and watched as it rubber-banded back to its original position.

    "Gross," remarked Alma with a sneer. "What the fuck is this is stuff and what is it doing back here?"

    "Remnants of some unknown lifeform indigenous to this part of the planet. Help me dislodge it. I sense something irregular beyond it."

    "Are you sure that''s a good idea?" Alma asked despite already starting to yank at the tough red strings. "Irregular sounds bad to me. Won''t this just lead to more danger?"

    "That is a risk I am willing to take."

    <hr>

    The passage somehow led deeper into the planet. And the deeper they traveled, the darker it once again became. The quaking had gradually died down and again, the only light to guide them was the luminance from Qu¡¯l-Nia¡¯s hair. The eldritch woman had remained completely silent while Alma¡¯s mind raced, trying to figure out how they were going to get back out.

    Stolen from its original source, this story is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

    Alma squinted her eyes at the dark around them. Her brain fizzled, invisible gears screeching and sparking in the depths of her mind. She hoped she would somehow gain the ability to see in the dark with the arbitrary enhancements she kept gaining from her eyes. Imagine, her sniping ability would increase tenfold. Sadly, her efforts availed only a simple headache. The powerup of her dreams yet eluded her.

    "Q," Alma finally broke the languid silence. "You''ve been acting strange ever since you came here to rescue me. And I mean strange even for you. Is something bugging you?"

    Qu''l-Nia stopped walking. Without turning around, she spoke into the darkness ahead, "I know not what you mean. I am as I have always been. You should be more worried about saving your planet than my mental well-being. It is a waste of energy to try to understand me. You should know this better than anyone. It is a useless endeavor."

    "I¡ª don''t believe that." The ex-soldier followed as Qu''l-Nia started to march again. An uncomfortably warm and wet sensation caused her to pull her fingers away from the wall of the passage that now seemed to pulse gently. "You were acting really differently when you arrived. Despite your hysterics, the way you were talking felt weirdly relaxed and I don''t know how to explain it, but you just seemed more comfortable. More¡­ human? It didn''t last long but I think traveling here might''ve had a weird effect on you.¡±

    "Alma, I may consider you a friend but we are not close. My problems are not of your concern." Qu''l-Nia broke off into a sprint. ¡°Focus! We must search!¡±

    ¡°Hey! Where are you going?! You wait until now to act like a normal teenage girl?¡± The ex-soldier called out to her runaway friend. Down the endlessly long corridor, the farther Qu¡¯l-Nia ran, the dimmer her light became. Alma ran after her. ¡°Come back, damn it! I need your hair to know where I¡¯m going!¡±

    As the two raced down the dark tunnel, the air around them quickly grew warm and moist. Temperatures rose and it began to feel almost as uncomfortable as it did on the surface when they had been near the desert border. Alma¡¯s fears grew as she wondered whether the sun¡¯s eldritch rays had started penetrating the rock above them.

    ¡°Doesn¡¯t it feel strangely warm down here?!¡± Alma called out to her.

    ¡°That is normal when you are this far underground!¡± Qu¡¯l-Nia called back to her.

    ¡°Come on, Qu¡¯l-Nia! Where do you even expect to go? This is getting us nowhere and I swear it feels like this tunnel is suddenly getting smaller!¡± Alma dug her feet down and came to a halt before screaming as loud as she could into the gradually fading twinkle of her friend¡¯s hair. ¡°Can you just stop for one second and tell me what¡¯s going on?!

    A few seconds of silence passed as the twinkle faded out of view. Alma had hoped her words reached the ear of the eldritch women before she trapped herself in total darkness.

    Alma staggered around in the darkness, wallowing in sweaty confusion. She cursed herself for stopping, but she was hoping to make a point. She reached for the wall of the passage to grip onto, and remembered why she avoided doing so in the first place. The surface was covered in a disgustingly hot mucus that almost seemed to burn at her touch. The stuff pulsed beneath her fingers as she tried to wipe it off. Before Alma could puzzle out what strange microbes might have lived in the walls, the sound of rapid incoming footsteps snapped her out of her thoughts. It was Qu¡¯l-Nia. She was running back towards Alma.

    ¡°Thank madness,¡± said the ex-soldier, sighing in relief. ¡°I was getting a bit scared you weren¡¯t gonna stop running away. You ready to tell me what¡¯s going on now?¡±

    Qu¡¯l-Nia stopped in front of Alma, subtly trying to catch her breath. Her indecipherable expression glowed eerily under the light of her bangs. ¡°Run,¡± she whispered.

 Chapter 73: Tunnel Vision

    ¡°Huh?!¡± The markswoman pulled out her pistol. ¡°What did you see up there? Was it a monster? Please tell me it wasn¡¯t a monster!¡±

    ¡°We must escape,¡± stated Qu¡¯l-Nia. There was a catch in her throat Alma had never heard her make before. ¡°I was wrong to bring us down this way. I deliberately sacrificed your safety in order to satisfy my own sense of worth. What kind of a being am I? You must forgive me, Alma. But please, we must go now!¡±

    The two women ran back in the direction they had entered from. The walls of the tunnel began to shake violently as the temple had earlier. Everything around them shifted and vibrated. It seemed they had located the source of the quakes.

    ¡°You know,¡± Alma spoke to the eldritch woman as they fled. ¡°I don¡¯t think I¡¯ve ever seen you run! I¡­ don¡¯t know what I was expecting.¡±

    ¡°I could have flown but I did not want to leave you behind.¡±

    ¡°Wha... Seriously?! Wait, what is even chasing us? Can¡¯t I just shoot it?¡±

    ¡°Firearms are not the answer to everything. As I reached the length of the passage, I encountered strange growths protruding from the surrounding walls. As I paused to investigate, I realized the rest of the way forward was replete with them. I regret to admit that I might have continued moving but they then began to rotate rapidly before moving upon me. The growths appeared to be sharp and serrated.¡±

    ¡°You don¡¯t mean¡­!¡±

    ¡°Yes. I believe they were the gnawing teeth of an unfathomable, subterranean invertebrate. I made an erroneous assumption earlier when I believed only the entrance to be blocked by an unknown alien lifeform. In reality, it seems we inadvertently stepped into its digestive system.¡±

    ¡°What the fuck?!¡± screamed Alma, almost stumbling to the ground after what seemed now an obvious revelation. "What were you thinking leading us down here?! In the middle of some alien gods damned planet?! You should''ve known better! Why do I just blindly trust you? I try and I try to excuse all the crazy crap you do, but what is wrong with you?!" The ex-soldier''s voice echoed throughout the living tunnel.

    Qu''l-Nia couldn''t bring herself to respond to Alma''s panicked barrage of questions. Before Alma could say anything more, she had crashed headfirst into what was once the entrance where they had started¡ªcompletely sealed shut.

    "Qu''l-Nia!" yelled Alma, struggling to pick herself back up from the slime-covered floor. She helplessly ran her hands all over the new tough membrane that had replaced the entry hole. "Did this thing actually trap us inside? We''re about to be turned into mincemeat. Please tell me you can do something to get us out of here. Maybe some of that othering singing crap?"

    Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon.

    The eldritch woman stared at the wall in disbelief. "I¨CI do not know. Whenever I try to concentrate, I can feel my hands shaking and my voice trembling. Is this what they call fear? Alma, is this it? Are we going to die? Just like that?"

    The sounds of something rough grinding against stone grew louder as it approached.

    Alma steeled herself before reaching over to Qu¡¯l-Nia and slapping her hard in the face. There was a faint purple mark where she had been struck. It had almost appeared to be glowing.

    The ex-soldier¡¯s expression had turned stern. ¡°Snap out of it, Q! We need to figure out how the fuck to get out of here if we don¡¯t want to turned into mush and eaten!¡±

    Qu¡¯l-Nia¡¯s lips parted but no sound came out. She closed her eyes and shook her head. ¡°There are too many contradicting thoughts going through my mind, I am finding it hard to focus¡­ As if something were influencing my thoughts. It began when I first arrived to this universe. I cannot explain it. I am afraid I am all but useless. It is you who must get us out of here. You must channel that power of yours the same way you did to travel here. It is now or never, Alma.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s up to me?¡± She let out an irritated scream. ¡°That¡¯s just great! Why not? At least then the next time I can say, ¡®I¡¯ve survived much worse!¡¯ Where would I even begin? I don¡¯t have any fucking clue how I got here in the first place. If I did, I¡¯d have teleported back home already!¡±

    The eldritch woman swung her arm, slapping Alma in the face.

    ¡°The fuck?! Why did you hit me?! I didn¡¯t say I wasn¡¯t gonna try!¡±

    ¡°It worked to steady me when you did it. I believed it would have the same effect if I did it to you.¡±

    Alma groaned. ¡°I was. I was steady. I like to complain when things look bleak, okay? I¡¯m used to being relied on thanks to a certain witch. It¡¯s almost laughable how many times I¡¯ve been in this situation.¡± Alma closed her eyes, straining to ignore the increasingly loud grinding coming from the other side of the creature¡¯s bowels.

    ¡°Recall the first time you jumped between universes. What had you been thinking at that moment? What had you been feeling?¡±

    ¡°I was¡­ happy.¡± Alma smiled a bittersweet smile. ¡°Happier than I¡¯d been in a long time. The mission was going swimmingly and I¡¯d just made up with my best friend. I couldn¡¯t wait to get back to our adventure. It felt like I could finally enjoy that insanity of it all. Like I was ready to accept my role in all of this. I just don¡¯t know why it brought me here of all places.¡±

    ¡°Then if you wish to fulfill that role, you must survive. You must live to see all of our plans come to fruition. Please, Alma. Save us.¡±

    Alma placed a hand on her alien friend¡¯s shoulder and gripped it tightly. The yellow of the young sniper¡¯s pupils shone luminously. From the corner of her vision, she could see a movement in the darkness as the grinding sound now pierced her ears. The noise failed to break her train of thought, however. All she could picture was the two of them going home. To the familiar landscape of Sarracas where all her friends and family lived. Where this whole mess had started and where she hoped it all would end. The ground below their feet grew softer¡ªmushier. Their feet digging deep into the mucosal lining of eldritch intestines. Until eventually there was no ground at all.

 Chapter 74: Homecoming

    Both girls screamed as they suddenly began to fall from several feet high in the air. The pain of Alma¡¯s butt hitting the ground hard caused her to moan in pain, just as Qu''l-Nia came crashing down on top of her. A certain tint of color caught the ex-soldier''s squinting eyes. They were surrounded by the familiar red and golden trees of home. It seemed they had made it back home.

    "We¡­ did it?" questioned Alma through the groans. "We''re back? We''re back! We made it!" She placed her hand on the previously displaced Qu¡¯l-Nia''s back, who was sprawled across Alma''s legs and currently had her face buried in the ground. "Q! Holy shit, you called it. I teleported our asses to safety. I¡­ teleported! I''m a GOD! Wait. Did you just scream?"

    Qu''l-Nia raised her head that was now covered in dirt and tilted it towards Alma. "I never lost faith in you, Alma. I just wish I could say the same for myself."

    "Huh? What are you talking about?"

    Qu''l-Nia lifted herself off of Alma¡¯s lap and meticulously dusted herself off. "I am not worthy of being this world''s guardian. Nor of any world for that matter. I have fumbled, I have botched, I have mishandled many things since I have arrived here. My myopic view of the mission and the unessential need to prove to myself that I was worthy of this role endangered your life as well as mine. I am not a perfect being, Alma. And this is further proven by the recent feelings of inadequacy that have been plaguing my mind more and more¡ªboring into my mind as of late due to an errant single-mindedness that has driven me to despicable lengths to abate it. It all came to a head when I arrived to rescue you. I did not realize it then, but as I traveled between worlds, having finally regained my true form, I had not considered that because I was also outside of time that the memories of my entire existence would come flooding back to me. I remembered something that had left me distraught. I pushed it to the back of my mind realizing that the fragmented memories would only push to confuse me, but the nagging feeling never left. I knew that whatever it was, I was to blame. That I was not good enough to guide us through. The anamnesis is all but a blur now but I still recall things now and then. Like a sense of d¨¦j¨¤ vu. I had already lived this adventure with you. I had already had this conversation. I cannot imagine this will be permanent. It is all in patches now, seeing as how this limited form could not possibly contain eons of memory. However, I carry this distinct feeling that as things continue at this pace, the path¡ªour path¡ªwill lead only to tragedy."

    Alma was taken aback for a moment. She never believed Qu''l-Nia of all people to be able to fall into self-pity or despair. She wasn''t sure whether to yell at her or attempt a half-hearted cheering up.

    "Tragedy, huh?" reiterated Alma, leaning back in her sitting position on the ground. "I don''t buy it. You make it sound like it''s all fated. I didn''t take you for a believer in that sort of thing. What with your oozing of logic and all. But maybe it''s just a quirk of being omnipotent.¡± Alma shrugged with a single arm.

    Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

    ¡°We do not call it fate or destiny. But everyone and everything is governed by a predetermined inevitability. The future is not malleable. It cannot be¡­¡±

    ¡°Really? So, you knew I would save us back there?¡±

    ¡°I had a¡­ feeling. The memory was not there, but something told me that if I encouraged you, it would steer us on the right path.¡±

    ¡°Aha!¡± Alma yelled, pointing a finger at the eldritch woman. ¡°A feeling is not an acceptable enough answer for someone who believes time is like a river!¡±

    ¡°I do not believe you quite understood that phrase¡¯s meaning.¡±

    ¡°You know, it¡¯s funny. It seems like hooey to me now, but I actually did use to believe in destiny. But as I got older, I¡¯ve found my life and my beliefs steering itself more towards chaos. I¡¯m not even exactly sure why. It just feels right.¡± Alma sneered then laughed. ¡°You would know something about certain feelings, right?¡±

    ¡°Alma, please. Do not make light of my feelings.¡±

    ¡°Regardless. I still think there¡¯s a bit of leeway in deciding our futures and I for one am not just gonna sit around and let things take their course. I know Heli would laugh at me if I did.¡± The markswoman stood up and surveyed the area they had fallen in. ¡°We definitely would¡¯ve died back there if not for the divine intervention of my powers and I sure as shit plan to continue using these powers to set my own course. The future may be inevitable, but I have to believe that how I get there is my choice.¡±

    ¡°Very well, Alma. If that is what you choose to believe.¡± Qu¡¯l-Nia¡¯s iridescent eyes twinkled with a sense of something enigmatic. ¡°Let us set forth. I do not know how long we have been gone, but we left a certain third member of our group behind when we decided to pursue this dimension-hopping adventure.¡±

    ¡°Oh fuck! I completely forgot about Hwal¨ªn! Do you remember where you left her?¡±

    ¡°I am perhaps less familiar with this area than you are. Were you not once a reputable tracker and huntress? Where do you believe we are?¡±

    Alma hesitated for a moment before looking around once more. ¡°O-Of course I know where we are. But I don¡¯t know from where you guys left!¡±

    ¡°It was not far from the spot where you left us. Only some ways away from the witch¡¯s house.¡±

    ¡°Well, yeah. I know, but¡­¡± Alma scratched her head in frustration when suddenly a rough sound reached her ears. It was someone snoring. ¡°You hear that? I think we found her.¡±

    As the two followed the increasingly loud call of sonorous sleep, Alma finally began to make out the bright orange color of Hwal¨ªn¡¯s tent that blended almost perfectly into the surrounding forest. Alma immediately ran up to it, flipped open the front flap and yelled ¡°Surprise!¡±

    But to the young girl¡¯s horror, she found that not only was Hwal¨ªn not exactly alone, she was also visibly nude as well¡ªthe interesting bits covered barely by a brave blanket. Lying next to Hwal¨ªn was a man she didn¡¯t recognize. He had long black hair accompanied by a very attractive slender face with a ghostly pale complexion. At Alma¡¯s exclamation, both parties screamed in unison.

    ¡°A-Alma!¡± noted the nude gentleman. ¡°Shit! Uh¡­ Welcome back!¡±

    ¡°Oy, Alms,¡± called the Hecatian. ¡±Don¡¯t you ever knock?¡±

    ¡°Hwal! Who the fuck is this?!¡±

    Before Hwal¨ªn could answer, the strange man jumped up¡ªcovering his delicates with her delicates¡ªand hopped out of the tent.

    ¡°What? Don¡¯t you recognize your old pal?¡± asked Hwal¨ªn.

    ¡°Huh?¡± Alma, with a look of disbelief on her face, turned to look at the man, his ass to the wind. He slowly turned his head back and smiled nervously at her before disappearing into the woods, followed by the sound of flapping wings and rustling tree tops.

    ¡°Huh¡ª?!¡± she exclaimed even louder.

 Chapter 75: June Madness

    ¡°June!¡± cried the princess''s brother, Bart. The prince ran to his sister, who was being led back to her room by the Prioress. The all too familiar grimace of pain on the princess''s face marked the end of another painful ritual involved in extracting the visions that had seared themselves into her eyes.

    ¡°There''s no need to yell, Bart. The pain is unbearable enough without the added trill of your screeching.¡± June''s milky white eyes glared at the floor as the Prioress guided her to the inordinately cushioned seat by her bed. Without a word, the woman left, leaving the two in an uncomfortable silence.

    ¡°I''m sorry. I know it''s painful whenever you come back from those¡­ rituals. I just wanted to make sure nothing went wr¡ª¡±

    ¡°No! You don''t know! Don''t act like you understand what I go through. Imagine having your vision violently ripped from you every time they want to spy into your head, all because of¡ª¡± her voice lowered to a mumble, ¡°¡ªthat bitch Macha¡­¡±

    ¡°Don''t say that, June!¡± Bart stopped himself from raising his voice in panic. ¡°We''ve been blessed by the Matron of the Maddened. We owe our everything to her.¡±

    ¡°You don''t possibly believe I''ve been blessed, do you?¡± The words she spat were full of vitriol. ¡°What Goddess would allow her chosen to endure such pain every time she wants to make her presence known? It is not worth the torture. Do you know what I did the last time my vision came back¡ªright after I had that terrifying prophecy that I could not even make heads or tails of?¡±

    ¡°No,¡± he replied. ¡°I imagine you took to admiring your pretty features in the mirror, right?¡±

    June raised her head and faced the direction in which she heard her brother¡¯s voice. There was a hurtful expression on her face that very minutely changed into a bittersweet smile. ¡°I would kick you for that if it weren''t technically true. But no, idiot brother of mine. It was after that. I ran out to the balcony there that they usually keep locked for my safety, except I secretly had a key made for myself long ago. I stepped out, trying to appreciate the view of beautiful Malachias, but the only thought coursing through my mind at that moment was the ground directly below. I regret that in that moment, I had the sudden urge to throw myself from the ledge then and there. They''d write it off as an accident. ¡®The clumsy blind girl snuck onto her balcony and thanks to her overpowering curiosity, met her tragic end.¡¯¡±

    ¡°June¡­ Please don''t say such things.¡±

    ¡°And then they can subject some other girl to their abject cruelty.¡± She sat up and deftly made her way over to her bed. ¡°Does that make me an awful person? I wouldn''t wish this on anyone, but if I ever somehow became obsolete to their machinations, they would discard me and probably find some other poor girl to experiment on. Even if she isn''t cursed with these visions like I am.¡±

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    ¡°You''re not an awful person, June.¡± He walked over to her and sat on the bed with her, wrapping his arm around her shoulder. Her body felt pitifully small in his embrace. Her slight trembling filled him with unease. ¡°Anyone else would have probably broken by now. But you''ve stayed strong. No other girl could endure the kind of pain you go through. Your destiny is to be the conduit for our mad goddess¡¯s interventions. It is something you just have to accept.¡±

    ¡°How can you say that?!¡± June ripped herself away from her brother. ¡°Do you know what a nightmare it is to be a being without agency? To be simply a tool for this despicable militant country? I can¡¯t stand for it anymore, Bart. That¡¯s why I must leave.¡±

    ¡°What are you talking about?¡±

    ¡°That night. Out on that balcony.¡± She fell back into the deep confines of her mattress. ¡°I had a revelation as I peered out amongst the city and its walls. It was the only thing that kept me from jumping, really. At first, I dreamed simply of running away, but then I thought back to my vision¡­ Something about it left me visibly shaken¡ªmore than any previous time. That¡¯s when I remembered the man in the mask. In my vision, he was watching the events unfold. The watchers. From previous experience with my past prognostications, it usually signifies a mastermind. The hands behind the scene. And that girl at the end. She¡¯s special somehow. She appeared separately from all the rest. And only once. Her form was so clear to me. I¡¯ve not experienced a vision like that before. I thought perhaps she could be the key behind everything. I¡­ I decided I must find her and warn her. Before the church does. I¡¯ve been stewing on these thoughts for days while they performed their invasive rituals on me, and my convictions remain the same. I have to leave this place.¡±

    ¡°Are you mad, June?¡± Her brother scowled. ¡°No, of course you¡¯re not. Because then you¡¯d have the good sense of our Goddess to stay put. And how in D¡¯mona¡¯s infernal moon do you expect to even find this supposed key-girl? You can¡¯t exactly recognize anyone¡¯s face right now.¡±

    ¡°No¡­¡± She rubbed her chin while grinning a mischievous smile. ¡°That¡¯s where you come in!¡±

    ¡°Oh, Goddess. I¡¯ve got an uneasy feeling about this. Where exactly do I ¡®come in¡¯?¡±

    ¡°You come in by coming with me!¡±

    ¡°I knew it. I knew it!¡± He raised his hands in the air, waving them comically. ¡°Who do you expect to hold down the fort here then?!¡±

    ¡°Bart! You don¡¯t actually expect me to be able to run away completely on my own, do you?¡±

    He bit his thumb nervously. ¡°I mean¡­ A princess must have her own network of spies or some such nonsense, right? That are only loyal to her?¡±

    ¡°You¡¯ve been watching too many cartoons, idiot.¡±

    ¡°You realize if we leave, we¡¯ll be immediately hunted down by one of the Sacred Seven, right? Or worse, all of them.¡±

    ¡°Those seven are big softies.¡± She waved her hand dismissively. ¡°Why, just the other day I forced Abhartach to share a pint of ice cream with me. Of course, he didn¡¯t say a word the entire time we were eating, but I could tell he was smiling under that scarlet veil of his!¡±

    ¡°You frighten me sometimes, sister.¡±

    ¡°Everything frightens you, Bart.¡±

 Chapter 76: Psychosomatic

    The drab afternoon sunlight labored to shine on a menagerie of Macha¡¯s priestesses that stood huddled around right outside the rectory. Certain whispers traveled among them of a certain pair of siblings that appeared to have stolen into the city streets the night prior. No alert had been given, but suffice it to say the Prioress had been seen as ¡°distraught¡± and ¡°on edge¡± early that morning after returning from her chamber duties of the princess¡¯s bedroom. Of course, no concrete evidence had passed the gossiping gaggle of girls, but that never seems to slow down the rumor mill.

    ¡°I heard the Princess inexplicably got her vision back and ran off to Kuranes with her brother!¡± whispered Sister Claudia.

    ¡°You mean she eloped with her brother?¡± sneered Sister Iglesia as she adjusted the glasses she wore over the grey blindfold on her face. ¡°That¡¯s disgusting!¡±

    ¡°No, you idiot!¡± Sister Gabriela gave her a sidelong glare. ¡°She¡ªWell¡­ maybe? Claudia, where did you even hear a rumor like that? It¡¯s not like we ever see Princess June anyway. She¡¯s probably in her room right now!¡±

    "Wha¡ª?! Are you doubting me? I went out for a stroll after early morning prayer when I heard the commotion. The Prioress was screaming her head off all morning. I can¡¯t believe no one else heard it!¡±

    ¡°Sightless Sisters preserve me! So, you didn¡¯t actually see whether the Princess or the Prince were gone or not? You just¡­ assumed?¡±

    ¡°Gabby, what if Claudia is right?¡± Sister Iglesia fumbled around anxiously, fiddling with the hem of her habit. ¡°Oh, gosh. What if the princess defected? Malachias could soon find itself lying in ruin! How could she do this to us?!¡±

    ¡°Calm down, Iggy, you spaz.¡± Sister Valentina, who had been leaning against a wall in the shade, suddenly interjected as she walked up. ¡°If the royalty ever abandoned their post, nothing would change. You forget, the Scarlet Church rules this country. We make the rules and we make the decisions that keep us at the top.¡± The orange eyes hidden behind her blinder lit up with a passionate fury. ¡°That nitwit princess and that impotent prince were nothing but roadblocks standing in the way of our complete conquest of Kuranes. And those so-called visions she has. Have you ever heard anything about that? I think they only keep her around merely as an intimidation tactic. And why did we even have a prince for that matter? Now their mother, Princess Lucina¡ªThere was a princess of the people. Not to mention an amazing General. She always worked actively with the Church and got shit done! Why couldn¡¯t she still be around?¡±

    ¡°How would you know?¡± asked Gabriela. ¡°You were just a baby back then!¡±

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    ¡°Shut up! I read books, okay? It¡¯s up to people like me to chronicle the proud history of this country. That chronicler position in the Church library will be mine!¡±

    From a balcony high atop one of the looming minarets, the Psycho Superioress watched the young priestesses making conversation from afar. In her mind, a brewing tension had slowly been coming to a boil in her mind. A protocol had to be initiated. One she had wished she would never have to put into motion. There had been a very stringent conversation with Mother Fool after the entire situation unfolded. Without the princess, whose visions were critical to the support of the country¡¯s strategic military decisions as well as the approximate location of various undocumented artifacts of power that were better kept out of their enemies¡¯ hands, they were now flying blind, so to speak. Their next steps needed to be employed carefully and precisely. She had wanted to deploy the Sacred Seven for the recovery mission, but Mother Fool insisted on taking precautionary measures to prevent any of this from leaking out and insisted they hire the country¡¯s top tracker and bounty hunter. Even with a single person from outside, Mother Fool could easily control his mind as well as the narrative to ensure the performance of his duty stayed as private as possible. As for the protocol, it was now up to the Psycho Superioress to find a temporary replacement to fill in for the princess¡¯s public roles. One they could brainwash easily and transform into someone who could easily fool an entire country. Willing or unwilling mattered not, as the individual would be so deeply entranced that they would never even know they had once been someone else. The Psycho Superioress could feel a presence walking up behind her¡ªone of the Church¡¯s scientists, Antoine d¡¯Aulnoy. His glaring white lab coat seemed to almost light up the shadows around him.

    ¡°The preparations have begun to install a new figurehead as soon as a subject has been acquired,¡± spoke Antoine. He was a man in his forties with meticulously combed hair, whose work with the Church had been extensive enough to warrant an entire list of war crimes. A bristling blond mustache hid the unsubtle smirk on his face.

    ¡°Have you so little faith in the Church that we won¡¯t find the princess¡¯s whereabouts before then?¡± replied the saintly woman. ¡°I applaud the speed at which you and your men work. Your lack of empathy to the entire situation is almost commendable, and it serves the quality of your work well.¡±

    ¡°The work will always continue. I''d like to believe Macha appreciates the dedication I¡¯ve shown in her favor and that I¡¯ve earned a rightful place in her afterlife. If extensive measures need be taken while I am still here, then so be it.¡±

    ¡°The Scarlet Church thanks you for your services, Antoine. On an unrelated note, how goes the search for the Knights of the Lost Star? Have you made any progress? I don''t need to remind you of the sort of catastrophe they could potentially cause with the artifact they''ve acquired.¡±

    ¡°We have a few leads. The last couple of bases your lot raided provided some interesting clues as to what they might be up to. Of course, all I really care about is the research they''ve been working on. Papers on ancient rituals involved in the merging of matter upon the collision of celestial objects among various other subjects. I won''t bore you with the details, but I''m as eager as you on finding that artifact.¡±

 Chapter 77: Trappings of an Artist

    The man known as Ashton Clark had a singular purpose. To hunt down and retrieve the royal princess of Malachias. He is to use all available resources and his life-long training as a beast tracker to acquire the most dangerous animal of all. He currently finds himself at home, adorned in a large leather apron and sitting in the large workshop he keeps in the basement below his home, where he is always at work crafting the tools of his trade. Heads of dead trophies and large animal pelts line the walls of his private space. He is not simply a tracker and trapper, but a craftsman too. Traps, bait, and tranquilizers of varying potencies lay scattered all across the large workbench in front of him as he sat, almost transfixed, while tweaking and adjusting the traps he normally used to catch wily wildlife in an effort to make them substantially less lethal. He himself did not seem to understand why, as the orders he had been given were to simply bring her back as alive as he could¡ªin whatever state it might take to capture her.

    His mind was in a haze. He was hyperfocused on this mission, as it took priority above all others. Rescuing a princess was no small matter¡ªwait, no¡ªthe target was a regular girl. His memories of the entire ordeal felt scrambled. He had been given a file on her, including a picture. Her background seemed innocuous enough, but he remembered the photo of her bared a striking resemblance to Princess June. His target even happened to also share the same affliction of blindness that the Princess had. In fact, the whole situation seemed strange. But it was a job straight from the Scarlet Church¡ªand they were known to pay handsomely for their bounties. He tried to recall the initial meeting, only to be met with a surge of pain. As he pushed through it, a memory of a silent woman in red and gold came to mind.

    He had met that green elf woman at the pub. She was exceedingly beautiful, with skin as white as snow, radiant brown hair, plump ruby lips and gleaming golden eyes¡ªnot to mention very receptive to his advances. The only real hallmarks he looked for in a partner. She took him outside to a dimly lit alley, where he had been looking forward to a bit of action in the middle of a dry spell he had been having. Instead, the woman had vanished, and in her place stood a tall, narrow silhouette of something glimmering sinisterly in the moonslight. It moved toward him rapidly, like a wild beast, blocking the only path back to the light of the streets. Instinct forced him to break out in a run, away from civilization and out into the forest. He had been running rapidly through the outskirts of the town right outside the capital city. Beyond the gates where only wilderness lay, he had fled far to escape whatever was chasing him. Jumping impossibly onto rooftops and following him out into the dark woods. The tendrils of dead branches thrashed against his skin, as the footfalls of something heavy chased swiftly after him. A loud crack of thunder followed immediately after. The sound of a gun? Was he being shot at? ¡ªNo. Something was off about it, but he didn¡¯t have the luxury of turning around to investigate. All he knew was to keep running.

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    He spent a great deal of his time out in the Tindalos Forest, hunting game or helping the local barfly with the occasional wild goose chase¡ªassuming they paid for his services. Sometimes he would even do it just for fun, although there were times when a certain plucky now-ex-soldier made things more exhaustive than they needed to be with her excessive badgering over the right way to do things. And so, he knew the place like the back of his hand, and he had hoped he would find it easy to lose his dogged pursuer among the endless array of frozen forest. Unfortunately, no matter how much distance he covered, it only seemed to be gaining on him.

    Another loud crack of thunder made him stumble, and despite his quick reflexes to correct himself, it was just enough for him to get outpaced. Something had wrapped around his waist multiple times almost immediately, causing him to be yanked off his feet and back toward the direction he had been fleeing from. The pain had almost caused him to wretch, as he struggled to claw at the binding around him. Looking up, in front of him now stood a lithe, slender figure wrapped in ornamental armor of gold and scarlet. Its face completely obscured by an ominous knightly-looking helm. Its body half-covered by a red battleworn cape flowing from its shoulders. The gilded knight before him looked more like a monster than any gallant hero from a fairytale. It stood motionless, looking down at him without a word, as the footfalls of heavy greaves paced closer to him from behind. As he turned to look, he caught a glimpse of the exact same knight standing before him, only holding a rope in its hand. The same one that had kept him bound. It circled around him and walked eerily toward the knight standing over him. The two figures melded together into one, almost like a mirage. The figure looked down at him, and finally spoke.

    ¡°Mr. Clark,¡± said the imposing knight. The soft voice of a woman came from beneath the helmet. It was the voice of the same woman he had been hitting on earlier. ¡°When I release you, I expect you not to run away again lest I break your neck. Am I understood?¡±

    Ashton nodded, before sputtering out a ¡°Yes¡± in fearful reply.

    The mysterious female knight yanked on the rope in her hand, the force around his waist went taut before coming completely undone. The woman flicked her arm, causing another crack of thunder to ring out right next to him. It was no rope she was holding, but a whip.

    ¡°W-What do you want from me?¡±

    Without uttering a single word, the knight looked up and another set of footsteps could be heard closing in. As Ashton turned to look, he could make out another person stepping out from behind a tree. It was another knight, except this one looked much creepier in appearance. This one¡¯s armor sprouted a long, black dress around the bottom covered with fancy golden patterns. In place of a knight¡¯s helm, she wore only an eerie golden mask contoured to the shape of her face, leaving her fiery red hair visible from behind.

    ¡°Glory be,¡± came the voice behind the haunting visage.

 Chapter 78: Whiplash

    ¡°What¡ª? Who are you?¡± he asked, trying to keep the panic from rising in his throat.

    ¡°Who I am is none of your concern, Mr. Clark. What should¡ªnay¡ªmust concern you is who I represent: The Scarlet Church.¡±

    Ash looked around aghast, trying to comprehend what he just heard. The elf in the knight helm was eerily quiet as she stared menacingly at him. He had heard stories that the Church employed some kind of holy hit squad, but he never actually believed they existed.

    ¡°Are you gonna kill me?"

    The elf woman sneered beneath her helmet, trying to stifle a chuckle. ¡°The Church wouldn¡¯t waste its resources just to kill an insect like you.¡±

    ¡°Sister,¡± called the masked woman, raising a finger to the lips on her mask. She then looked back to Ashton. ¡°Mr. Clark, the Church requires your services. We realize you have extensive experience in hunting and trapping game out here in the wilderness. You also seem to have somewhat of a sterling reputation among the wretched at being quite the expert tracker. Tell me¡ªhave you ever considered hunting a bounty?¡±

    ¡°What? You mean like a human being?¡± He stood and straightened up. ¡°Must be quite the target if the Church is the one out looking for them. Why didn''t they just send in you broads? You''re definitely terrifying enough. They some kind of war criminal?¡±

    The woman in the mask turned her head and snapped her fingers, calling out to someone behind her. ¡°Sister?¡±

    Expecting to see a new face, Ashton¡¯s gaze widened in terror as an exact double of the golden knight¡ªthe one still standing behind him¡ªappeared from the darkness in front of him. She handed off some sort of important looking document to the masked woman who then offered it to him.

    ¡°What is this?¡± he asked as he took the document from between her sharp, armored fingertips.

    ¡°It is an extensive dossier and all the info you should require for this mission, as well as a significant stipend for aiding you in anything you may need to maximize your efforts in acquiring our asset.¡±

    Ashton flipped through the pages in the folder. Clipped to the front was a photograph of the target he was being coerced into looking for. It was that of a seemingly innocuous young woman with eyes as pale as milk. She had sustained some kind of trauma to her vision, snuffing the light from her gaze. A cursed souvenir from the past. There was a longing look in them. Some say the eyes are a window into the soul, and even blindness won¡¯t close them off completely. The messy auburn waves of her curly hair cascading down the sides of her face hid a meek expression. He couldn¡¯t help but imagine what the Church would want with someone like this. But more importantly, there was something else that caught his eye.

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    ¡°You know,¡± he chuckled nervously. ¡°She sort of looks like Princess June, doesn¡¯t she?¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s because it is her,¡± declared the elfwin woman.

    ¡°What?!¡± He thumbed through the pages skimming what information he could gleam in the dossier. ¡°You¡¯re joking, right? This says she was¡­ a priestess and her brother who skipped town with some kind of valuable artifact in tow.¡±

    ¡°Sister¡­¡± The masked woman whispered in a calm voice. ¡°Please do not divulge privileged classified information in such a casual manner. You never know where prying ears could be listening from.¡±

    The knight and her double both raised a hand to their mouths. ¡°Sister Marie! C-Cuckoo Captain! I¡¯m sorry!¡± The voice this time came from the knight standing behind Ashton. ¡°Please, allow me to self-flagellate for that indiscretion!¡±

    The woman standing behind him dropped to her knees, facing away from them. She slowly and diligently removed the armor around her torso, piece by piece, until finally exposing her bare backside to the world. Riddled upon her delicate skin were dozens of old scars, no doubt inflicted on herself as some form of penance. She shivered as the cold wind touched her skin. Her double¡ªwho was still standing next to the masked captain¡ªraised her whip and began flogging her other self. With each strike, the elf and her double both let out a pained moan in unison.

    ¡°An issue easily rectified.¡± The masked woman inched closer to Ashton and leaned over his shoulder. ¡°You will forget any mention of the Princess heard here tonight. Your focus is solely on the woman pictured in that photograph. A simple priestess of the church who has gone astray. When you find her, do not believe anything she tells you. Capture her and bring her directly to the Scarlet Church.¡±

    As she whispered in his ear, a hypnotic tone creeped into her voice. There was something unnatural in the way she spoke. Regardless, a compulsion to follow her every order took over his mind. The observation he had made slipped out of him as memories shifted around in his head. He had felt remorse over the poor priestess in the dossier. Over the debilitating disability she possessed. But his orders were absolute.

    He shook off the groggy feeling. ¡°Right. You want me to bring this girl to you. Shouldn¡¯t be a problem. Can¡¯t imagine she¡¯s gotten far¡­ in her current state.¡± He tried not to flinch at the sound of the woman loudly flogging herself next to him. ¡°But what exactly is in this for me?¡±

    ¡°Very good, Mr. Clark. After you find and bring us the girl, you will be handsomely rewarded, of course. The Church does honor its debts. And as you can tell¡­¡± Her gaze shifted to the woman on her knees. The sounds of pain continued in the background of her speech. ¡°We take ourselves very seriously. I believe you¡¯ll find this assignment to be mutually beneficial. You gain valuable experience in tracking more¡­ intelligent targets while also being rewarded for your efforts, and we got our asset returned to us. No fuss, no muss. You also must forgive my associate and I for making such a dramatic entrance. This entire thing is very clandestine, you see, and we needed to make sure certain guidelines were met.¡±

    ¡°Yeah, sure. No point in trading pleasantries. Macha works in mysterious ways and all.¡±

    ¡°Quite. Now¡­¡± She called out to her associate, ¡°That is quite enough, Sister. I have something else I must discuss with you once Mr. Ashton here makes his departure.¡±

    The woman holding the whip ceased her self-punishment and turned to her, head held low in shame. ¡°Yes, Captain.¡±

 Chapter 79: Gun Fever

    It had been a few days since Alma returned to Sarracas with Qu''l-Nia in tow. After discovering Hwalin in what can only be described as a compromising position, and various utterances of the words ¡°birdfucker¡± and ¡°cawksucker¡± being thrown around¡ªto which the Hecatian just shrugged off¡ª the trio then found themselves dealing with the issue of how they were going to reach the Akhlut Mountains. It was further up North on the other side of Malachias and the territory was mostly unfamiliar to Alma, aside from the one time she took a trip up there to take a look at the military encampment they had positioned there. She chatted up quite a few of the other privates there, trying to get a glimpse of the army life she would have soon been experiencing, going so far as to exchanging contact info with a few of them. Unfortunately, things had turned out quite different than she had envisioned in the end. Still, she felt confident enough to be able to guide this squad around the area once they had arrived there. A destination they would certainly by now be halfway to if not for Qu''l-Nia¡¯s unorthodox plan of getting there much faster.

    ¡°Are you¡­ serious?¡± asked a dumbstruck Alma. ¡°I mean, it''s you, so of course you''re serious. But do you honestly believe I''m ready for that?¡±

    ¡°Yes.¡± Qu''l-Nia replied, finger raised. She was sitting cross-legged across from her while Hwal¨ªn was intricately braiding her platinum hair. ¡°I believe with your current aptitude, you could form a connecting portal from here to the Akhlut Mountains, granting us instantaneous passage there¡ªas previously evidenced by your display back on that dead world, saving us from certain digestible destruction. Creating a portal between planes was quite the feat, so naturally creating one that could link us across long distances is not only theoretically possible but should prove a ¡®piece of cake¡¯ for you. Your powers are growing exponentially and I believe with a bit of training, you can do so much more with them. It is only up to you to discover where your limits lay. This is but a step in that path, and I would very much like to be here to witness where it might lead you.¡±

    ¡°Wow, Q. I¡¯m¡ªI¡¯m flattered you believe in me so much. I honestly still can¡¯t believe I did what I did. I know it seemed really cool initially, but the more I think about it, the crazier I realize what I¡¯ve done. The whole prospect of traveling to other universes is overwhelming enough. Now I¡¯m scared... left wondering if maybe I could only do it once. What if my battery¡¯s drained? What if I¡¯m just a simple nobody again? On the other end of the spectrum, what if I¡¯m too powerful now? What if I can¡¯t control it and accidently step into some other place that proves too much for me? Like one night I¡¯m sleeping and then I¡¯m just¡­ falling into some dangerous wonderland, rife with all those dangerous creatures that have been haunting me every chance they get?¡± Alma rooted around in her pocket, feeling for the familiar charm previously blessed by her sister. ¡°I didn¡¯t mention this before because I was too afraid to admit it, but ever since we came back from you-know-where, I actually haven¡¯t noticed any more of those weird ghostly monsters skulking about. It¡¯s been days and everything¡¯s just been¡­ quiet. I¡¯ve never gone a day without seeing a few of them flying around somewhere in the distance. I should be happy. I wanted to get rid of those things for YEARS. Strangest thing is, I didn¡¯t think once I got my wish that it would feel so lonely.¡±

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    Qu¡¯l-Nia¡¯s brow seemed to furrow in worry. Hwal¨ªn, who had been uncharacteristically quiet as she worked on the eldritch woman¡¯s hair, finally spoke up.

    ¡°You sure they¡¯re gone, mate?¡± The Hecatian took a drag off her cigarette. ¡°Maybe you really did use up the last of your juice getting back home. Doesn¡¯t sound like a bad trade-off. Least you got your guns.¡±

    ¡°Guns, huh?¡± Alma groaned. She picked up the unloaded pistol that had been sitting on the ground next to her, waving it around dispassionately. ¡°Don¡¯t remind me. Half the time these things are fucking useless. What do I even carry them around for?¡± She aimed the pistol away from her face and glared down the sights. ¡°I guess they do make me look cool. Aaand I did save Heli with one the other day. Plus, I did kill that shadow dude with one.¡±

    ¡°See, Alm. That¡¯s the spirit. You don¡¯t always gotta throw a bleeding pity party every time the self-doubt sets in.¡±

    ¡°Wish these powers were gun-related instead. You know what would be cool? If I could just teleport more guns in whenever I run on empty. That¡¯d be badass!¡±

    ¡°Ha! You¡¯re always a kick, Alm.¡±

    ¡°As¡­ frivolous as that idea sounds,¡± Qu¡¯l-Nia noted. ¡°I do not see it as entirely outside the realms of possibility.¡±

    ¡°Whoa, whoa. Wait.¡± The ex-soldier had a twinkle in her eye. ¡°Are you saying I could have an infinite stockpile of guns?¡±

    ¡°A somewhat silly notion, but yes. Assuming you have an idea of where these ammunitions are stored from which you plan to extract from. As I have said, it is up to you to discover your own limits.¡±

    ¡°Q, there are absolutely no limits to my coolness.¡± Alma stood up with a smirk on her lips and twirled her pistol on her finger. ¡°My new top priority is filling a warehouse full of guns and ammo.¡±

    ¡°Fuck yeah!¡± Hwal¨ªn pumped her fist in the air.

    ¡°Alma, please. Let us not forget our main objective here. You might enjoy playing with portals, but there is a fundamental concern we must deal with first.¡±

    ¡°Yeah, yeah. Guess I¡¯ll start practicing. You really don¡¯t know how to have fun, Miss ¡®Nia.¡±

 Chapter 80: Hero Hour

    ¡°The emotion you call fun is a primitive antecedent to the feeling of enjoyment my kind experience. Your childling brain would be racked with near infinite levels of bliss, causing you to both seize and orgasm simultaneously without pause until your eyeballs melt out of your fragile, brittle skull.¡±

    ¡°Whoa, Nia,¡± interrupted Hwal¨ªn. ¡°Sounds absolutely brutal. Where, uh¡­ exactly can one go to experience that?¡±

    ¡°Hwal, what the fuck? Please¡­¡± Alma placed a palm to her head in resignation. She felt the cloth of the tattered bandana she had previously tied around her head. She had almost forgotten its existence and the drive that had forced her to push against certain death when she was fighting on that alien planet. Her resolve to improve was growing. She was getting excited once more. She turned to Qu¡¯l-Nia and let out a victory cry. A drawn-out screech that caused the other two to stare in disbelief. ¡°Right! Let''s get started! Q, how do I get started?!¡±

    ¡°Alma, I am glad to see you are finally excited for the right purpose. If we are to start training you properly, we will have to start simple. Now that we are no longer in mortal danger, you will not have the benefit of being pushed by that same galvanic impulse to survive that you had before.¡±

    ¡°How hard can it be? I got to that place without even trying the first time.¡±

    ¡°Yes. Your state of mind definitely plays a role in stimulating your powers, but I fear it is still very directionless. You will thus need to train your focus firstly, if we are to get the most out of your teleportation.¡±

    ¡°I just gotta think really hard about where I want to go, right? Seems obvious enough.¡±

    ¡°Damn, Alm. Didn¡¯t take you for such a logical thinker.¡±

    ¡°Yeah, well¡­ I watch a lot of action cartoons¡­¡± Alma averted her gaze shyly. ¡°They come up with a lot of cool ideas, you know? It¡¯s part of why I¡¯ve always wanted to be such a hero.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ve always fancied myself more of an anti-hero.¡± Hwal¨ªn grinned to herself. ¡°But saving the day and having people recognize ya for it. It¡¯s what makes us such a great team.¡±

    ¡°An admirable trait from the both of you. Use it. We are trying to save an entire planet, after all.¡±

    ¡°I hear you,¡± said Alma. ¡°But there¡¯s something that¡¯s been bugging me for a while now. Who¡­ exactly are we saving the world from? You said Derleth would have some answers for us, but what if he doesn¡¯t? We¡¯ll be stuck back at square one, running around like a drag-hen with his head cut off.¡±

    ¡°Dark forces are everywhere in the multiverse, as you have yourself witnessed. Whoever they are, they are good at keeping a low-profile. I assure you, Derleth will have answers for us. Be they meager or not, it will still be something to start with. He is also a very powerful being, and having his insight and strength on our side will be a massive benefit to our cause. You are quite stubborn¡ªfrom what I have seen. I know a lack of answers would not truly stop you from answering this undertaking. You are the hero, after all.¡±

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    Alma chuckled bashfully, unable to keep herself from smiling. ¡°T-Totally. Look, we¡¯re almost home. How about we swing by my place, take a nice hot shower, then I¡¯ll treat you bo¡ªtreat Hwal¨ªn to some good eats at Nemeth¡¯s. Then afterwards we can talk about training.¡±

    ¡°Sounds like paradise, Miss Hero,¡± said Hwal¨ªn, expressing her wholehearted gratitude.

    ¡°Stop! I didn¡¯t do even do anything~!¡± whined the ex-soldier playfully, blushing and tucking a loose strand of hair behind her ear.

    <hr>

    As the trio finally came up on the capital city¡¯s entrance gates, Alma noticed the usual young guardsman sitting at his post, looking particularly glum. As the ex-soldier approached his booth, the young man perked up for a slight moment before regaining his sodden expression.

    ¡°Alma¡­¡± There was a particular gentleness in his voice. ¡°You¡¯re finally back.¡±

    ¡°Oh! Hey, uh¡­ Zahn! Yeah. Crazy trip. Um¡­¡± Alma pointed to the other two women behind her, who both waved enthusiastically. ¡°These two are with me. Hehe. You remember them? We all left through here the other day. They¡¯ve got their travel documents and everything.¡± She motioned to them, before turning back to the guard. ¡°You okay there, buddy? You don¡¯t look so good.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m just so sorry, Alma." Zahn frowned, averting his gaze. ¡°I wish things didn¡¯t turn out the way they have. I¡¯m¡­ It¡¯s just nice to see you keeping your spirits up.¡±

    ¡°Hey now! Don¡¯t worry about me. I¡¯m fine, see? I¡¯ve got these two knuckleheads looking out for me,¡± she stated, smiling as she continued pushing the memory of her discharge to the back of her head. ¡°We¡¯re just gonna pop right in now. You take care, yeah?¡±

    The young guard waved silently as they three women entered the city. Alma breathed a sigh of relief.

    ¡°Oi, what¡¯s eatin¡¯ him?¡± Hwal¨ªn pointed her thumb over her shoulder back to the gates.

    ¡°Beats me. Dude¡¯s always been kinda weird. Probably thinks I¡¯m still depressed over the whole army thing. Which I am, and it¡¯s sweet that he worries, but that doesn¡¯t mean I want to be reminded!¡± Alma shrugged. ¡°Anyway. Unlike my sister¡¯s place, my house is pretty close. It¡¯s also a lot bigger. I can¡¯t wait for you guys to see it.¡±

    ¡°Alma,¡± said Qu¡¯l-Nia. ¡°I have been meaning to discuss something with you. Ever since taking this form, I have not been given the luxury of showering. Rather, I have not needed to. Nor do I believe that I should.¡±

    ¡°That what that smell is?¡±

    ¡°Impossible. I do not give off any sort of fragrance.¡±

    ¡°You know things can stick to you, right? You think shit stuck to your shoe wouldn¡¯t stink? Actually, speaking of shit, do you even¡ª¡±

    ¡°Alma!¡± A woman¡¯s voice further ahead called out.

    Alma looked around, wondering who had spotted her now. She then noticed two figures standing a short distance from her house. A man and a woman. It was her parents.

    ¡°Mom? Dad?¡± She ran over to them, her heavy bags bouncing and pushing her forward. She looked at them, taking note of the sad expressions on their faces. ¡°W-What are you both doing here? What¡¯s wrong? You heard about my discharge, right? Listen, I¡¯m an idiot for letting it happen, I know how stupid¡ª¡±

    ¡°Alma.¡± Her father interrupted her. His deep voice was calming and sympathetic. He embraced her. ¡°My little soldier.¡±

    Alma searched her mother¡¯s face for answers, but found only tears in her emerald eyes. Alma tore herself from her father¡¯s embrace, looking worriedly at him.

    ¡°Your sister...¡± he mumbled. ¡°Zulema is dead.¡±

 Chapter 81: Among Fiends

    ¡°Do not attempt to leave this area while I am away.¡± The memory of Derleth''s voice echoed back in her mind. ¡°You are still recovering and should spend this time regaining your martial prowess. I have conjured these familiars from ice for you to contend with while I go out in search of something important. I do hope to find you still intact when I return.¡±

    Zulema dodged an icy claw aimed straight at her throat. The ice elemental landed lightly in the snow. It held the appearance of a small translucent imp with sharp fangs, small horns and elongated claws. Its faceless features made it impossible for the priestess to deduce its next move. Body and mind still racked with pain, she was forced to try and rely on the reflexes she could still remember.

    The head injury she sustained definitely felt like it should have been lethal¡ªor at least enough brain damage to shake a few memories loose. That much trauma, enough to destroy her eye, should have rightly killed her, and she was left wondering whether it was sheer luck or the strange magic of her captor that saved her life. Oddly, her head was the only place not in any sort of pain from her previous battle.

    The scurrying sound in the snow behind her alerted her first, quickly dodging another set of claws from a second creature. With only a single eye, the lack of half her peripheral vision was a huge handicap in almost any situation. She had to pay extra attention if she was going to survive such a simple test. There were now two creatures in front of her, bobbing up and down in a sort of mischievous jocularity. An amusement that was lost on her since despite their playful demeanor, a single strike from either of them would spell a life-threatening injury. Zulema shot a hand out to her side, particles of ice swiftly coalescing into her open palm and forming the long snath of a scythe. She had spent a good afternoon doing nothing but dodging and honing her reaction speed. Zulema wasn¡¯t exactly one of the speediest of the Scarlet Sisters, but what she lacked in dexterity and agility, she made up for in strength and cunning. She wasn''t just swinging her heavy scythe around blindly; she knew just where to thrust the tip of her blade on most humans and beasts to make them suffer and bleed. An affectation they made sure she would be strictly proficient in that arose during her Scarlet Sister training.

    Zula spun the scythe above her head in an impressive show of force. She wasn¡¯t completely sure if such an act would even intimidate faceless elementals, but she figured it was worth a shot. The priestess ran towards the two small fiends, pushing them to act. One jumped out of the way, while the other leaped toward her, brandishing its claws. Pushing her right leg forward, she swung the scythe in an arc in front of her, a glittering trail of frosty, crystalline winds billowing in its wake. The blade sliced through the icy fiend like a hot knife, splitting it in two. Its form wriggled helplessly on the ground before melting down to join the rest of the snow. The priestess pirouetted, turning and spinning the scythe around her. The shimmering blade made contact with the second fiend who had managed to somehow grab onto her weapon as she swung it. Zulema quickly released her grip on the handle, immediately summoning a second scythe and swinging it with her other hand, slicing through both the fiend and the dissipating blade it was still attached to.

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    The priestess took a deep breath and exhaled, digging her scythe into the snow proudly. ¡°A simple enough task. He might as well have conjured up a couple more of those little annoyances and given me a real challenge. But I must admit, it proved to be a good enough workout to get me back in the fighting spirit.¡± She looked around at the expanse of frozen trees. ¡°Exactly how far has he gone that his little conjurations kept up with me the entire morning? And I still have no idea how the rest of the world out there is doing¡­¡±

    Zula¡¯s hand dropped to her side, the scythe beside her now slowly dissolving into flakes of snow. Now that she had some free time, she decided to explore Derleth¡¯s home a little more. It seemed strange to her that a being like him could possibly survive out in this weather. She had been there a few days now and still couldn¡¯t wrap her head around any of this. On the first night, she was met with a confused look from him¡ªone of many¡ªafter she had kept close to the fire pit she had built to cook food, to try to keep herself warm. He then proceeded to explain in his annoyingly flat tone of voice that heat was unnecessary as long as she was blessed with his othering. Othering¡ªsome new blasphemous sort of thaumaturgy he had cursed her with. She ignored him and continued sitting by the fire, growing slowly uncomfortable at the heat which had started to make her sweat. She didn¡¯t want to consider that what he had said was true and the thought, ironically, sent a shiver down her spine. Afterwards, she had spent most of her time holed up in the room she had first woken up in, where the first thing she did was take that poor animal¡¯s hide and made a makeshift bed with it. She fell asleep that night, mustering what strength she could to not let the frozen tears fall from her face. The next day, she spent all her time trying to make her dungeon into a livable space. There were a few old desks and shelves around that seemed to have been there for ages, preserved by the frozen air. Any important information they might have contained had been all but lost. She assumed it might have been a base of some kind, used in some previous unheard of war, long before her time. It was a comforting thought.

 Chapter 82: The Frozen Throne

    She meticulously brushed her hair back, a glimmering white veil materializing along the back of her head that wrapped around her shoulders. It was a familiar sensation that put her at ease.

    Now, with him actually gone, she set herself to exploring the area around the base which she could only describe as ramshackle. In the short time she''d been there, Zula had never figured out where he retired to during the night. He always seemed to simply vanish without a trace, and it made her wonder if he ever slept at all.

    She walked around the enormous base of the tree that shot up above the clouds. Without his presence, the fierce winds that typically blew through the area had completely died down. The silence surrounding her had grown quite eerie, causing a slight pep in her step. She peered around a corner, the frozen wood feeling unusually warm beneath her fingers. Nothing but a frozen forest in all directions. She walked, then sprinted, then ran around the trunk, searching for any sort of aberration that stood out among the ancient bark.

    ¡°Where in D¡¯mona¡¯s infernal moon does that bastard sleep?¡± Her sharp tone cut a swath through the air. ¡°It''s not like he just melts into the snow¡­ Right?¡±

    Zula had completely circled the tree three times before she considered giving up to search elsewhere. Needing a moment to plan, she tried to lean against the tree only to find herself falling through some sort of illusory wall, and landing on her back. Looking back at the wall she just passed through, she could see the outside through a hazy lens of frost. She pressed her fingers gently against it¡ªthe feeling of slick wet ice comforted her. The priestess peered back over her shoulder and let out a small gasp. There was a grand glacial chamber, far bigger than even the enormous tree outside could conceal. She had found what she was looking for.

    The walls were made of a flawless, translucent ice that rose tremendously high to meet a staggering distant ceiling. Visible beyond the walls was a sight almost impossible to describe.

    In the frigid domain just past the secret chamber¡¯s windowed walls, faceless ice titans silently roamed a vast land suffocated with snow. Frozen waves blanketed a far-reaching plain that stretched distances beyond comprehension. Dozens of otherworldly spheres dotted the sky like moons, with hundreds more breaching the infinitude of the firmament¡ªtheir sloughing exteriors melting and dripping like rain onto the planet¡¯s surface. Amid the horizon, frozen cliffs and mountains far larger than those she was familiar with filled the backdrop. The room itself seemed to float high above the ground, jagged cliff edges sitting right below the windows.

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    By the Mad Mother, was this what his home realm was truly like?

    Zulema suddenly felt a lot safer standing in the enclosed area. She wondered if she could survive out there in what she guessed were subzero temperatures. Would she want to? She shook off the irrelevant thoughts and searched around the room, finally returning to her original goal. The first thing she noticed was the glaring throne in the middle of the room and like most everything else associated with Derleth, it was carved intricately from ice in a very regal fashion. It was large enough that she would definitely find it difficult to climb into it. She shook her head disapprovingly and continued looking around, locking her gaze on a pair of looming bookcases sitting hidden behind the throne. Deciding to investigate the sort of literature read by a god, she walked over and cracked open one of the books. The runes that filled the pages were completely unfamiliar to her, yet the moment she scanned them, something had driven itself into her mind that sent her slightly reeling, leaving her lightheaded. She set the tome down, and before she could decide between taking the gamble of trying to decipher a second one, a deep voice bellowed from behind her.

    ¡°It is a relief to see you¡¯ve finally begun to make yourself comfortable enough to invade someone¡¯s private quarters.¡±

    Zulema instantly recognized the voice as Derleth¡¯s, yet she was unable to detect him. She rushed back to where she entered from, hesitantly stepping through the only icy window that showed the recognizable trees of home. Just outside, Derleth was standing right across from her¡ª with a strange, black metallic slab nestled in his grasp.

    ¡°Who could possibly be comfortable in a remote hideaway tucked somewhere in the freezing mountains?¡± She crossed her arms defiantly, head peering back over her shoulder. ¡°I can¡¯t even begin to comprehend what I witnessed in there. Do all you¡­ celestials have a deluxe apartment in the sky? There¡¯s an entire world outside in there. How is that even possible? No. No magic I know of could even reach whatever level of power it takes to create a room like that. I¡¯ve still got so many questions, but let¡¯s start with the obvious one: What is that?¡± She pointed to the object he had brought back with him.

    ¡°It is a very powerful satellite relic that had been orbiting your planet for tens of thousands of years.¡±

    ¡°Wha¡ªWhat does it do? How¡¯d it get up there?¡±

    ¡°Placed there by an ancient race of beings from another planet to observe your planet¡¯s progress. I have taken it to study its findings in hopes of helping us in our endeavor.¡±

    ¡°And they won¡¯t mind that you took it?¡±

    ¡°A pointless query, Orphan of Macha. They have been extinct for a thousand years now.¡±

    ¡°Must you call me that?¡±

    ¡°Only until you discover a title worthy of your new self.¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t need a new self,¡± she grumbled.

 Cover Update

    A new year comes with a new cover! It''s back to Alma and boy did this come out amazing. Sorry for the lack of update this week, but things have been super busy and getting this new cover out took a bit of work. This splendid work of art was drawn by professional manga artist Morito Yamataka. He currently does work on the manga adaptation of Vivy: Fluorite Eye''s Song, (Great anime, by the way. Definitely recommend.) And I''ve just been dying to get this out to you guys. It really looks like an action shot from an actual manga page with Alma unloading on some unsuspecting target. And yes, the gun is modeled after the Winchester Model 70 rifle, how I had always envisioned it.

    This tale has been unlawfully lifted without the author''s consent. Report any appearances on Amazon.

    The lettering on the cover itself was done by a very close friend of mine who was able to make the whole thing pop, so kudos to her as well for her artistic eye.

    Again, I apologize for the lack of a real update. Our story definitely continues next week as things calm down a bit more. I might even delete this post by then and just include the credits in the author notes. If you have time, tell me what you think in the comments.

 Chapter 83: Heart of Ice

    ¡°Since you have already stumbled your way into my base of operations, I assume that means you have grown more comfortable in your role here.¡±

    ¡°No!¡± screamed Zula. ¡°I already said I wasn¡¯t going to be your chosen! Especially not after seeing whatever it was I just saw in there.¡±

    ¡°It was a glimpse of my home. My true home. Unfortunately, it is only a visual replica of an eternal memory. If I could simply break through those walls and reach it, I would have done so eons ago. It is the only reminder I have now.¡±

    ¡°I-I¡¯m sorry.¡± For the first time since arriving, the priestess had felt guilt at her insincere attitude. ¡°It was a truly beautiful landscape. Like something you would see only in dreams. But you can imagine how frightening a sight that would be to a human psyche.¡±

    ¡°Then it is a good thing you are a being who was once solely devoted to madness. Your mind is more resistant to these images than most.¡± Derleth motioned for her to step inside with him. ¡°Come. Let us analyze this object together.¡±

    As they stepped into the otherworldly room once more, Zula looked around with a more discerning eye. She walked closer to one of the icy walls and took in the view. The enormity of the frozen realm once ruled by Derleth was breathtaking.

    ¡°What are those creatures of such immense scale?¡± She asked, pointing to one of the wandering titans. ¡°I never imagined something of that size could possibly exist. How it could possibly exist.¡±

    ¡°They are creatures that formed naturally from the drip essence of my dreams. They have no conscious thought. They simply roam the landscape aimlessly, following some half-formed instinct to live.¡±

    ¡°What do you dream about¡­?¡±

    A long silence followed before the eldritch man finally answered. ¡°Of a time before time. An ancient past from an unfathomed aeon. Of the world I was born. A planet yet unbidden. When my mind and soul were still at odds. But the dreams escape me now. A memory of a memory.¡±

    ¡°It sounds as if you''ve lived a terribly lonely existence.¡± The priestess instinctively reached out to him in consolation before swiftly stopping herself.

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    Derleth raised a large finger, and through some unknown force, raised a chunk of the floor to form a table in front of him. He placed the black slab on top and hovered his hand over it. His arm jerked and twitched frighteningly until several jagged shards of ice sprouted violently from his black veins. Dozens of small frozen chunks fell to the table with a sharp klink before skittering around like insects.

    The image filled Zulema with an uneasy disgust. She wondered what other sickening surprises he had up his monstrous sleeve.

    ¡°What exactly are those abhorrent things?¡± She hesitated to point at them as they crawled all over the object.

    ¡°They are remnants of me, sculpted from my frozen blood. They can detect and analyze information etched deep within the makeup of an object. It is quite violent and intrusive and it does run the risk of destroying whatever it is they attempt to analyze, but it is the surest way I can attain the information I need.¡±

    ¡°And this is all for the sake of Sarracas?¡± she asked, somewhat skeptical. ¡°Do you truly care so much for this planet of ours?¡±

    ¡°Yes.¡± Derleth''s eyes were darting back and forth over the object. ¡°I have shirked my duties for far too long. I may no longer be this universe¡¯s guardian, but no more can I see it corrupted while I still live.¡±

    ¡°Surely, I understand a sense of duty, but something smells off to me. You claim to have been the guardian of this entire universe, yet there is some blatant favoritism at work here. Why my world specifically? And why were you banished here? What fuck up on the grand cosmic scale did you commit to lose such a significant position?¡±

    ¡°I¡­ committed a grievous sin. I broke a cardinal rule among my people, the Elder Dwellers.¡± There was a hesitation in his voice. Something Zula never expected to hear from him. ¡°I fell in love with a mortal. Fraternization, however, is strictly prohibited between us and the lower life forms that inhabit our worlds.¡±

    ¡°You f-fell in love?¡± Zula covered her blushing cheeks. ¡°Was she beautiful? Smart? Talented? What was she like? How did a human manage to melt your icy heart?¡±

    ¡°If you mean to ask how it was that I came to love her, that is a long story best forgotten.¡±

    Zula looked around, stretched both hands out in front of her, and put all her energy into forming a makeshift stool of ice. It didn¡¯t look as natural as she wanted it to, but it would make do. She sat on it and crossed her legs, smiling. ¡°Well. If you¡¯re going to keep me trapped here against my will, you might as well keep me entertained, you abominable man.¡±

    He clenched his fist in the air, breaking the concentration he held on his investigative constructs and forcing them to dematerialize. He walked over to one of the frozen walls of his room and peered into the frozen memory of Wiindigookaanzhimowin, his ancient realm. ¡°Back when I watched over this universe, I would very rarely, at times, make myself known. Most especially to the green-marked ones that turned from their elfmother Artemaia, and instead worshipped me.¡±

 Chapter 84: Aspect Blighting

    ¡°Green-marked? You speak of the green elfwin of the western Eldon and Albion kingdoms then?¡± asked Zulema.

    ¡°Yes. The very same.¡± Derleth paused for a moment. ¡°However, this was many millennia ago, before the elfwin tribes ultimately settled down in the various regions of the planet, during their nomadic migrations.¡±

    ¡°Is it time for a history lesson now?¡± The priestess sighed impatiently.

    ¡°While humans were still in their evolutionary infancy, the territory of the other races were vast¡ªbut none more so than the elfwin. The ones that went south to Ulthar grew mighty and fierce under the sweltering heat of the desert lands, attaining their gatin-like qualities and eventually becoming the red elfwin you know today.¡± Derleth presented a hand to Zulema, where a miniature glacial sculpture of a fierce looking elf formed in his large palm. It danced in place, swinging its two blades hypnotically, acting out an invisible marionette battle at the eldritch man¡¯s whim in an attempt to make his story seem more interesting to the priestess. ¡°They were led by the Great One Hecatia¡ªred elf queen destined to become one of the Trifather''s three wives.¡±

    ¡°Hecatia was real?¡± Her eyes were locked to the small spinning figure. ¡°I mean, I had read about her miracles, but I had taken them for fairytales. Then am I to assume the other two elfmothers were real living beings as well?¡±

    ¡°Indeed. They would not yet be chosen by the Trifather Cthugha to attain their godhood status for a few more centuries, however. For the moment, they were simply his consorts.¡± The effigy in his hand multiplied, splitting into three different elfwin women. One figure held two blades at her side, another held a staff, and the third held a balance scale. They were the three elfmothers, progenitors of elfwin kind.

    ¡°That¡¯s very beautiful,¡± Zula remarked, marveling at the intricacies of the tiny statues rotating in his hand like some kind of illusion.

    Derleth stared stone-faced at his creation and the focus shifted to the elf woman holding the scales. ¡°Yhoundeh, the gold elf queen, led her people to the east towards the oceans where they adapted to life in the water. At constant war with the ancient aquatic tribes of the Dagon over territory, most of their kind have gone extinct. Because of that, the rest of her people learned to be harsh and judgmental¡ªespecially of themselves.¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t think I¡¯ve ever seen a gold elf before. I¡¯ve heard they can swim faster than any other living being.¡± Zulema wore a puzzled expression. ¡°But I have never heard of these Dagon. Which is scary to think, considering they wiped out most of those poor Yhoundians.¡±

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    ¡°The Dagon are a foul race of fishlike beings. They live deep in your oceans even now, but because they are extremely territorial, they will sometimes swim ashore to eliminate any possible threat.¡±

    ¡°Then I suppose next you¡¯re going to tell me about the¡­ Artemaians,¡± guessed Zulema. ¡°I believe that is their formal name. Although I¡¯ve only ever heard my grandmother call them that. She¡¯s told me practically everything about them. How the green scale patterns on their faces are unique to each one. How they have a keen sense of the planet¡¯s natural energies and use it for simple magicks. How supposedly they can fly, but no human¡¯s ever actually seen it. She claims she has, but I rarely believe a word that comes out of that old woman¡¯s mouth. But they¡¯re also very devout, which I can¡¯t fault them for as I suppose we have at least that in common. You know, she makes it sound like a grand expedition learning about another culture, but she constantly talks out of her ass. Eldon is a resort country! It must be sooo difficult living off the land when you chose to drive off with a convoy of hippie freaks! And then she gives me guff for staying home and working my butt off to serve my lady of madness, but continuously coddles Alma just because she stupidly hangs off her every word!¡±

    ¡°Yes, followers of the elf queen Artemaia." The priestess¡¯s rather aimless rant failed to register in his mind. "As you have said, the green-marked ones have a strong religious order, with a healthy penchant for superstitions. While many now have modernized, settling in the coastal religious cities of Eldon, their predisposition has led quite a few of them to branch off into smaller occultic orders now famously situated in the forested and mountainous regions of Albion. Secret groups that joined with dwarfwin sects who practiced alchemy, studied sacred geometry, performed rites and rituals that incorporated astrology, astronomy, music and mathematics. It was in these ways, that they discovered there was more to the world than their base knowledge. But this story begins much earlier than that.¡± His voice grew gruff, filling the priestess with a strange sense of sorrow. ¡°When I first laid eyes on Artemaia.¡±

    ¡°Wait¡ªso the woman you fell in love with was elfmother of the green elfwin?¡± Zulema was in a state of captivated shock. ¡°Oh dear. I can definitely see how things couldn¡¯t have ended well for you. What could have possibly possessed you to do such a thing?¡±

    ¡°Cthugha did not treat his women equally. As you could tell, he had a queen to serve each of his heads. Artemaia served the aspect of Temperance. Yhoundeh served the aspect of life. Unfortunately, his aspect of rage was the dominant aspect at times, and as such, favored his chosen queen Hecatia. Yhoundeh remained indifferent, but it was Artemaia who felt scorned.¡± Derleth had a complicated expression on his face. ¡°Having such a perennial existence, I¡¯ve gone through many changes of the self. I was a different being then. I coveted her. And I thought I could take her for my own.¡±

 Chapter 85: Wendigo

    ¡°You fell in love with a mortal woman? Just like that?¡± Zulema tried to hide the fact that she wasn''t unconvinced. She was a long-time purveyor in the belief of love at first sight, and that only pushed her to question the many reasons as to why.

    ¡°Artemaia was an astonishingly beautiful woman. Far surpassing the limitless wonders of the cosmos. The verdant forest hues that painted her hair were lit with accents of yellowish-green, the sun radiating off her delicate olive skin made her shine like a goddess, and the smoldering orange dyes reflected in her eyes never burned as hotly as the day when I met her. I can still see her vividly in my mind. She always smelled of dirt.¡±

    ¡°You saved her from her loveless marriage like some big, brawny hero? I believe I¡¯ve a few books with that exact premise.¡± The priestess crossed her arms smugly. ¡°Looks like things didn¡¯t turn out the same way for you though. What happened?¡±

    ¡°I came to her in the form of a mighty elfwin warrior. I relayed to her that I was a guardian from another world, destined to guide her green elfwin adherents to glory. I was wild and hunted with reckless abandon. The unfettered zeal in which I led her people left a prodigious impression. She grew curious. She wanted to learn how to break the chains of temperance. And it was then that I vowed to teach her how to shed her self-restraint. To be as wild as the spirit of the land.¡±

    ¡°So you lied to her?¡± The priestess scoffed. ¡°Typical of a man. It¡¯s no wonder they saw fit to punish you. Why do you always make it so hard to be trusted?¡±

    ¡°Any semblance of morality I might have once had has diminished over the centuries. I do not understand. The prospect of lying to attain one¡¯s goals seems to be a favorable one. That is all that matters in the end.¡±

    Zulema looked at him in disappointment. ¡°You deserved everything bad that¡¯s happened to you.¡±

    Derleth grumbled to himself. Whether he agreed or not wasn¡¯t made clear. ¡°Eventually she reciprocated these feelings. My love for her was no longer one-sided. But with Cthugha having eyes everywhere, we hid our relationship as best we could. I took her away¡ªto other planets, other planes. I introduced her to the Old Ones at the edge of existence and beyond that, to the realm that the children of men can only access in dreams¡ªThe Real, where the Elder Ones reside, to the tenebrous shores of the Archmage Azotha who tutored Artemaia in the ways of ancient magic. And to the fallen stone city, home to the dread worshippers of Neblinath, who granted her the power of flight with their alchemical concoctions. I did all this simply to show her just how chaotic and aberrant the world truly was. For her, it was the most thrilling experience she could fathom. We enjoyed each other¡¯s company. Much more than I would have thought possible. And for years, she remained in blissful ignorance as I siphoned off the belief of her followers.¡±

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    ¡°Excuse me?¡± Zulema grew dumbfounded at the sudden twist in his story. ¡°You did what to her? I thought you loved her.¡±

    ¡°It was not my original intent. I did love her, but as time went on, I gained the steely admiration of her elfwin followers. They wanted as she wanted. To be not just druidic monks, but warriors in-tune with the feral spirit of nature. And those elfwin who exalted me, turned from her. They worshipped me in secret, spilling blood not just of animals, but of themselves. And I¡ªI grew fat on their sacrifices. Feasting on their flesh. Consuming a part of their soul. Growing more powerful as more came to me.¡±

    ¡°Y-You mean that figuratively, of course. Right?¡± Zulema couldn¡¯t stop her voice from trembling, her tone of admonition making way for fear. The story¡¯s dark turn had thrown her. Yet it felt familiar somehow. ¡°You¡¯re not an abomination such as that, surely.¡±

    ¡°Does the thought of that frighten you?¡± Derleth asked, a pitiable hand outstretched in cold comfort. ¡°The gods of your planet have done worse. The Old One, Macha, has done much worse.¡±

    ¡°Still you speak ill of my Goddess, while you sit here spinning tales of the lost labors of your cursed love.¡± A familiar scythe took shape in her hand, formed from the chill air around her. She spun it defensively in front of his face before directing its curved blade at him. ¡°At this point, I¡¯d only hear the rest of your tale just to know how you eventually received your comeuppance.¡±

    ¡°Very well.¡± He clenched his fist and retracted it. ¡°My desire for strength won out over my love for her in the end. I reveled in the worship. Granted boons and favors to my followers for the things they did in my name. And it was my greed that eventually led to her finding out what I had done. She had named me as a force of corruption and ran back to Cthugha to confess everything. And in his righteous anger, he punished me for what I did. To this day, I¡¯m not completely sure how he accomplished it, perhaps due to the pieces of elfwin souls I had consumed, but he cursed me with a bestial form that I was stuck in for a few decades. A curse I eventually turned to my advantage. But it was my hubris most of all that doomed me in the end, for when I finally went back to my kin outside, they simply sneered at the fact that I got caught and cursed by mere mortals. It seemed they cared not about my dalliances with them, but still they used it as the reason for my eventual exile in the end. They locked me in¡ªreplaced me. And I have suffered this existence here ever since.¡±

 Chapter 86: Shut In, Shut Out

    The Hecatian mustered up what courage she had. She needed to prepare herself, having never dealt with someone so emotionally devastated as Alma had been some days ago after she received the news that her sister had perished in a war the young ex-soldier should have been a part of. Hwal¨ªn hadn''t really known what it was like to lose a member of the family, nor how tragic it could be, considering Hecatians tended to die quite often and without much ceremony. But humans lived trite, uneventful lives which made cherishing relationships for them a lot more understandable.

    Alma¡¯s sister Zulema''s funeral came and went relatively quickly in the span of the few days since they returned. It seemed that a priestess''s requiem is prepared almost immediately after the Church is notified of their death. In keeping with the first-rate treatment that priestesses receive, most if not all services are bought and paid for by the Scarlet Church, including tuition, housing and all forms of insurance. Alma had decided to forego the wake and funeral, because in her mind the absence of a body meant that there was still reasonable doubt of her sister¡¯s death. She declared the whole thing an empty gesture performed by the Church to put the matter to rest rather than waste resources to extract a prisoner of war.

    ¡°Alm, come on,¡± shouted Hwal¨ªn from the outside of Alma¡¯s bedroom. She had decided she was going to try and attempt to raise the ex-soldier¡¯s spirits. Despite getting no answer, she shrugged and spoke through the door anyway. ¡°Your mum''s been worried sick about you. She understands why ya missed the funeral, but she still thinks you oughta pay your respects. Soldierin¡¯ folk die in battle all the time. It''s a thing to be proud of. You should know that more''n anyone. You can''t just shut the world out.¡±

    ¡°Who am I paying respects to?¡± Alma finally mumbled back. ¡°There wasn''t even a fucking body in that coffin. They never found it. She''s missing and those bastards declared her dead. What if she was captured by enemy forces? What if some monster is torturing my poor sister as we speak? Poor Zula who would never even hurt a bug! There''s no way she would abandon us. Abandon me.¡±

    ¡°Would you really prefer that to her being dead?¡±

    Alma hesitated to answer. ¡°I don''t know.¡±

    ¡°Think it¡¯s about time you wiped away them tears and came out. Reckon it¡¯s about time you finally pay your respects to your dear, sweet sister, yeah?¡±

    Hwal¨ªn listened in for a response. A moment of silence passed, before a shuffling could be heard on the other side of the door. The Hecatian braced herself when the door suddenly swung open. Alma stood fully dressed and at the ready, the pack on her back full, she seemed intent on departing somewhere.

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    ¡°You¡¯re right, Hwal. I should at least go see where her grave is marked. You¡¯ll take me there, won¡¯t you? Grab Q too. There¡¯s no point wasting time here. I¡¯ll meet you outside.¡±

    ¡°Whoa, you changed your mind bloody quick. We¡¯re going now? Like, right now? You¡¯ve barely even said a word to your parents since they broke the news. Ain¡¯t even gonna catch up with ¡®em?¡±

    Alma shook her head. ¡°There¡¯s no time. They¡¯re always coming and going from here anyway. I¡¯ll just catch them on the next one.¡±

    Hwal¨ªn watched as Alma rushed down the stairs, trying her best to sprint toward the door without garnering any attention. The Hecatian, curious as a gatin, snuck a look inside Alma¡¯s room. Various posters of cartoons, games, and renderings of cryptids along with messages of the truth being out there haphazardly lined one of the walls by her bed, which had remained completely unmade, with blankets just thrown on top of the mattress without a care. In the corner was a long desk where her computer sat, her chair was worn out and tilting to one side. Beside the monitor of her computer was a very ancient looking television box hooked up to an even older looking video player. The type they don¡¯t really sell physical media for anymore. Maybe retro was just her thing? On the other side was a large mirror that made up the door to her closet. Hwal¨ªn suspected her gun cabinet must have been sitting inside, considering how often Alma would brag about it yet it was strangely missing from view. As Hwal¨ªn slowly inched toward the closet door, a voice startled her from exploring any further.

    ¡°Judging by the state of things, I assume you have finally managed to make progress in extracting Alma from her room?¡± Qu¡¯l-Nia had managed to sneak up on Hwal¨ªn, standing mere inches behind her. ¡°Only to have lost her once again it seems.¡±

    ¡°No, she uh¡­ She¡¯s waiting for us outside.¡± Hwal¨ªn turned toward the bedroom door. ¡°Said she was ready to keep going.¡±

    ¡°Splendid. I was beginning to worry. We have wasted enough time here already and who knows what our enemies are up to while we dawdle.¡±

    ¡°Hey, Nia, I saw you talking to Alm¡¯s mum earlier. What was that about?¡±

    ¡°Mrs. Mesial seemed to be curious as to why all of Alma¡¯s acquaintances had such queer dispositions. She seemed awed at first by my formal manner of speech, though I am not quite sure what she is referring to. She also requested that we watch over Alma as best we could.¡±

    ¡°Well, I don¡¯t blame Alma for being so cold to them. They seemed to have gotten past one of their daughters dying relatively quickly.¡±

    ¡°They seemed to understand that the death of a priestess of the Scarlet Church is consequential of a higher power and therefore still feel blessed that she was able to serve as much as she had. They knew it was a possibility. Or so they expressed as much.¡±

    ¡°Then I guess we better be there for Alm best we can be. Not that we weren¡¯t doing a great job already.¡± Hwal¨ªn flashed a smile. ¡°Come on, she¡¯s waitin¡¯ for us outside.¡±

    As the two made their way out the front door, Hwal¨ªn finally caught sight of Alma leaning against a porch post. She was staring far off into the distance, following something invisible with her eye before taking a swig from a small metal flask in her hand.

    ¡°Did you look?¡± asked Alma.

    ¡°Look at what?¡± replied Hwal¨ªn.

    ¡°You looked in my room, didn¡¯t you?¡± The sniper took another swig from her flask. Her cheeks were slightly flushed. ¡°Pretty sweet, huh?¡±

 Chapter 87: Cryptkeeper

    Alma marched slowly on, listlessly following the same road she would tread every time she would go visit her sister. The difference being that this time, she would be taking a small detour on the Church grounds. There was a darkened path away from the public areas that was seldom visited by any living soul, the end of which opened up into a spectacularly dreary cemetery. Hundreds of headstones decorated the grim graveyard, the place where all of Malachias buried their dead. An ornate ivory building rose up among them¡ªthe gorgeously macabre mausoleum where clergy and royalty alike find their final resting place. It was this building that Alma had been directed to. Guardian statues of Macha¡¯s night-gaunts stood watch at the gated entrance to the cemetery¡ªblank-faced, winged creatures of myth that roam the dark skies of other planets. Macha is said to have a personal cadre of them at her disposal, but no one is sure as to exactly what she does with them.

    The three walked the path past the gate in silence. Alma ignored the deathly air around them, pushing past the hundreds of bodies buried in the ground without even a second glance. Qu¡¯l-Nia looked around with a strange sense of curiosity. She hadn¡¯t thought about it, but it had been so long since she had any sort of sense towards mortality and now it seemed to be an almost daily occurrence to her ever since she arrived. It was a complex thrill that she couldn¡¯t decide whether to affirm or deride. Hwal¨ªn, meanwhile, had seen death so many times in her life that it was just another ordinary step in life. She knew that every elf she¡¯d ever known would all always be waiting for her in the Beryllands.

    According to Hwal¨ªn, the wake had been held inside the church before her sister''s empty casket was transported down into the building. Unfortunately, she hadn''t been able to travel along inside as entry was forbidden to non-immediate families. The two had watched from afar as Alma''s parents descended deep into the building along with other members of the Church. Now, Alma had reached the cold, marble doors of the mausoleum where she braced herself before entering, leaving her two companions to watch from afar once again. Rows of room and marble plaques lined the wall, guarding the bodies of the dead devout¡ªpriestesses that went on to Cockaigne to sit in Macha¡¯s embrace. Alma wasn¡¯t exactly sure where to go within this sepulchral vault, she had been told of someone that kept watch here that she might ask for directions. She refused to peek into any more of the rooms around her after having been met with strange, stone monuments and statues the first few times she had decided to peer inside. Black, stone figures of miniature pleurants in hooded cloaks carrying the petrified body of some unknown religious figure filled the center of each room. It was enough to creep out the young ex-soldier, forcing her to pick up the pace as she rounded the corner to the entrance of the longest hallway yet. In the back amongst the shadowed backdrop, she could barely make out a figure standing guard. She had taken it for another statue, as it seemed to stand completely still but as she moved closer, she had gradually begun to recognize a soldier of the Sacred Seven. It was the Raining Hound, Tiberius.

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    ¡°S-Sir! Hello!¡± Alma awkwardly saluted him. ¡°Y-You¡¯re Master Tiberius, sir! I¡¯d recognize you anywhere!¡± She chuckled nervously. "What am I saying? Of course you know who you are. Why am I telling you? It¡¯s just such a surprise to see you here. To come face to face with a Sacred Seven in any sort of capacity. It¡¯s an honor. A privilege even!¡±

    He stayed silent. Whatever expression was hidden behind the veil around his face was a mystery. She marveled at his imposing frame, unmoving and unwavering. The technological marvel in the shape of a trident gripped firmly in his hand. A hardened, stoic representation of Malachias¡¯s might.

    He¡¯s so cool!

    ¡°Guarding the old catacombs, eh? I guess they couldn¡¯t give the task to just anyone. Who else but the descendent of the architect of the damn thing! Anyway. I¡¯m looking for my sister¡¯s tomb. I can¡¯t find it anywhere around here. Her name was- is Zulema Mesial. Her funeral was held yesterday. I was told she was taken here where they lay the priestesses to rest. Maybe you can point me in the right direction?¡±

    An eerie silence hung over them. Alma stared at him, trying to discern his intent while simultaneously admiring the scarlet tinge of his armor while she still had the chance. After a few moments, he moved aside and inserted his trident into three spherical locks embedded in the door behind him. A dank, musty odor escaped from the pitch-black corridor that had just opened. Inside, a set of moist stone stairs led downwards into the catacombs of the mausoleum.

    ¡°She¡¯s down below?¡± questioned Alma. ¡°I don¡¯t understand. I thought my sister was just a regular priestess. I had heard the catacombs were reserved for sisters of some renown. What was Zula not telling me?¡± She saluted the man once more before descending down into the dark of the stygian crypt.

 Chapter 88: Wails from the Crypt

    ¡°I¡¯m worried, Nia.¡± Hwal¨ªn gave an exasperated sigh as the two walked around the weathered structure. The Hecatian ran her fingers along the various sightless statues that were inlaid among the walls, encased in a petrified act of wailing. ¡°I ain¡¯t ever seen a boneyard this large. Or this freaky. I know this is her whole deal and all, but I still don¡¯t trust it. Maybe we should¡¯ve gone along with her.¡±

    ¡°We should not be ones to question Alma¡¯s beliefs. If it serves to keep her grounded, then we should be content with just that.¡± Her gaze ran the length of the building before turning to the towering hand-shaped minarets grasping at the heavens in the distance. It is a wonder, is it not? The things a strong faith can inspire mortals to accomplish. And to such lengths! It is such a rich tapestry to behold.¡±

    ¡°Yeah? Well that faith got her sister killed. And Alm was in complete denial over the whole thing. I thought she was never gonna leave her bloody room. And then suddenly she''s just changed her mind? I know I should feel bloody thrilled, but there''s this nagging in the back of my head¡­¡±

    ¡°Alma¡¯s sister, if indeed she has passed, has simply gone¡ª mind and soul¡ªto meet her goddess. Her mind made one with Macha, according to Alma. And if nature has willed it, her soul returned to the oneness of the universe soul. In a way, no childling is ever truly gone.¡±

    ¡°Ah, yeah. I''m sure Alm was keeping that sentiment close to her breast. Still, I doubt that''s what she meant when she kept muttering she''s not dead several times a night behind her bedroom door.¡±

    <hr>

    It had taken a moment for Alma''s eyes to adjust to the darkness after she had crossed the threshold after descending the stairs. The first thing she had noticed were the wall-to-wall columbarium rows of intricate, gold-lined and marble-carven urns stretching endlessly down into depths of abyssal shadows. Cremation was one of the more common methods of disposal allowed to be chosen by the decorated priestess before her death, perhaps to avoid the cruel sentence decreed by the handmaiden psychopomps for those deemed unworthy of Macha¡¯s grace. Inurnment prominently displayed as soon as one enters the crypt, each with old engraved labels of the lost name of a sister long past. Every urn was marred with centuries of dust and cobwebs. Mazes of archways continued deep into the inner layers of the tunnel, sinking into the dimly lit edge of oblivion.

    Alma could only forge onward through this alley of death. As bad as it was, it wasn''t as completely terrifying as it could have been. The sniperess had actually been half-expecting bones to be sticking out from the walls every now and again. Unfortunately, the same could not be said about the odor. As she walked past the unending rows of cremated women, the malign smell of mold and decay only grew stronger. The urns surrounding her began to appear more and more archaic in form and material¡ªfar older than the given appearance of the mausoleum above¡ªthey seemed almost ancient. After what felt like several minutes, the corridor exited into a large chamber that appeared wholly different from where she had just been. The room looked more inline with the interior of the mausoleum above with walls made of decorated marble and plaques inscribed with cryptic psalms. At each cardinal direction was another corridor that led deeper into the underground catacombs. But directly in front of her, at the heart of the chamber, was an enormous column with an engraved listing of the hundreds if not thousands of names and plots of the deceased priestesses. It was exactly what Alma had been looking for.

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    ¡°Simple enough,¡± she muttered to herself, skimming over the countless names on the list. ¡°Zula¡¯s tomb is really down here¡­? Man, that¡¯s a lot of names. Do they really replace this whole thing every time they want to add a name? No, wait. They¡¯re just tiles. Still, I wonder who¡¯s in charge of this dumb thing. Couldn¡¯t be Master Tiberius. It seems like such a menial job. I¡¯m sure he has someone do it for him. I¡¯d do it for him. If he asked. I doubt I¡¯d be able to say no to anything he¡¯d ask of me. Not that I¡¯d want to¡­ Wait! Here!¡± Her ramblings finally ended as she spotted the name she was looking for. The number for her sister¡¯s plot matched the range of numbers above one of the corridors exiting from the room. In no time at all, she continued her descent to her sister¡¯s empty grave.

    Passing room after room as swiftly as she could, Alma had finally found Zula¡¯s place of sepulcher. Lodged in between Sister Daniela and Sister Odette, was Sister Zulema. Or at least, where she was meant to be after she died. There was a feeling slowly sinking deeper and deeper into Alma¡¯s heart, pushing against the dam she put up. A dam that was on the verge of bursting open. The ex-soldier slowly got on her knees and rested her forehead on the small, golden plate bearing her sister¡¯s name.

    ¡°Zula.¡± Alma squeezed her eyes shut, trying to hold back the tears that were begging to come out. ¡°I just wanted to say¡­ I know you can¡¯t hear this, but¡­ Ugh. Of course you can¡¯t hear this. You¡¯re not in here. You¡¯re not even up there with Macha. You¡¯re somewhere out there. Being the same old dork I grew up with. A dork that¡¯s probably scared half to death. I know I haven¡¯t been the perfect sister. I know what a pain I¡¯m always being, but you were the only one in our family to never call me out on it. You were always there for me. Even when you didn¡¯t approve of the things I did, you always supported my decisions. Except when it came to love¡­ But that¡¯s neither here nor there. The point is, you¡¯d never give up on me. And the least I can do is show you the same courtesy. As my sister.¡±

    Alma pulled out the round wooden charm from her pocket. The smell of ground holly leaves and something else inside were faint, but still quite noticeable. It was the kind of scent that was always inexplicably found in churches. It had felt like Zula was standing there next to her. The ex-soldier stood up, squeezing the object in her hand.

    ¡°I¡¯m not giving up. I¡¯ll continue on this quest and I will find you. I can sense you out there, somehow. It¡¯s just a feeling I have, but my gut never lets me down. I¡ª" Something had crossed Alma¡¯s peripheral vision, causing her to cut her sentence short.

 Chapter 89: Portal Folly

    With almost superhuman reaction speed, she reached for the gun she kept concealed at her side and aimed at the air next to her. Nothing. Just the same dusty, undisturbed tombs that surrounded her. A trick of the light? She looked around cautiously, before peeking her head out the door. It was the same eerie stillness as when she entered, if not worse by the situation being exacerbated in her head. The grip on her gun tightened. For a second there, she had felt a malevolent gaze upon her. She shook away the image of the faceless man she thought she saw for just a split second. A faded memory of a being she thought she remembered seeing in her dreams, with a void where his smile would be. A gaping blackness for a visage that should be impossible, yet somehow is. For the first time since Alma had traveled down into the crypt, she had felt a vague sense of fear.

    ¡°I''m seeing things. It''s the usual. Nothing to be afraid of, naturally. Those fucking clowns can''t hurt me.¡± Alma looked around while waving her gun, talking to no one in particular but the musty air of the dead. ¡°No offense to you ladies, but this place has officially creeped me out. I think I''ve paid enough respects to the empty box with my sister''s name stamped on it. I should get going. I¡ª¡± The gunwoman slammed into something soft yet firm, causing her to fall back on her butt, her pistol clattering to the floor.

    ¡°Whoa! Bloody watch where you''re going, mate. You might be small, but I''ve seen those muscles on ya.¡± Hwal¨ªn was standing over the fallen Alma, hand outstretched in assistance. Behind her, the ghostly pale face of Qu''l-Nia was peering over her shoulder.

    Alma groaned in pain as she rubbed her behind, visibly confused by the presence of her companions. ¡°Hwal? Q? How did you two get down here?¡± She took the Hecatian''s hand, struggling to get herself up. ¡°You''re not allowed down here! How on Sarracas did you get past Master Tiberius?!¡± The ex-soldier yelled in her quietest voice.

    ¡°Us?!¡± Hwal¨ªn seemed surprised. ¡°Weren''t you the one that called for us? We were waiting patiently outside when all of a sudden, one of your portals opened up in front of us. Course, Nia tried to stop me but I lept in, not wanting to feel left out like last time¡ª¡±

    ¡°Wait, what? A portal? Did I do that? I don''t remember wanting to make any sort of portal. Come on now, this was supposed to be a private moment between sisters.¡± Alma scowled. The interruption had annoyed her, yet looking back at Zula¡¯s supposed tomb caused her expression to soften. ¡°I was done here anyway. Where exactly is that portal you mentioned? Maybe we can use it to hop out of here.¡±

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    ¡°I am afraid that option is lost to us,¡± stated Qu¡¯l-Nia. ¡°The ingress you apparently conjured for us vanished the moment we stepped through.¡±

    ¡°No way! You can¡¯t be seen leaving here with me! I can only imagine Master Tiberius striking you both down the second we cross that threshold!¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m pretty sure I can handle a single guard,¡± boasted the red elf.

    Alma tried not to let Hwal¨ªn¡¯s arrogance get to her.

    ¡°This is sacred ground,¡± Qu-l-Nia said softly. ¡°It would be rude of us to spill any sort of blood here, where the bodies of the deceased have come to rest. Alma is correct. We must find another way.¡±

    ¡°But how?¡± asked Alma. ¡°You gonna sing us a way out of here like you did back on that desert planet?¡±

    ¡°Alma, I thought the answer would be quite obvious. You will simply make us another portal out of here.¡±

    ¡°You think I¡¯m ready¡­? What if I accidently drop you in the middle of the ocean.¡±

    ¡°No worries, Alm. If you do that, I will personally come back and kick your ass. How¡¯s that for incentive?¡±

    Alma chuckled nervously. ¡°I dunno. You¡¯re saying I just did this a few minutes ago. I guess it¡¯s now or never on trying to control it.¡±

    ¡°Just use the same process you used before. Concentrate. Focus your emotions and envision the destination you would like to open up to.¡±

    Alma took a deep breath and closed her eyes. In her mind, she pictured the vast, dreary cemetery above them. The ground outside that was filled with the countless bodies of Malachias¡¯s citizens. The dozens and dozens of departed priestesses laid to rest in the various rooms surrounding them. She hadn¡¯t stopped to consider how they had all died. What kind of fate had befallen them to snip the living thread of fate binding them to life. Old age? Disease? War? Something worse? Alma could feel their sorrow. They had all been someone¡¯s loved one, in some form or another. Sisters, mothers, wives, girlfriends, daughters¡­ They had all lived. Just like Zulema. The dead whisper. Voices fill her surroundings. A cacophony that couldn¡¯t possibly be coming from the corpses around her. The sudden urge to leave had dominated her. Fear now filled her brain, howling at her to run away. Leave this holy place. She had brought aberrations from the outside that did not belong. Her sin was heavy. If she could only get rid of them. Then maybe my sister could forgive me¡­!

    ¡°Alma?¡±

    The ex-soldier opened her eyes. She hadn¡¯t realized just how tightly she had been squeezing them shut until the vertigo hit. The voice that called out to her had sounded like her sister¡¯s, and yet¡­

    ¡°Oi! You alright there, mate? Think you got a little in your own head there.¡±

    ¡°Hwal?¡± Alma rubbed her eyes with her palms. ¡°Yeah. I¡¯m alright. Sorry. My mind wandered a bit there.¡±

    ¡°Well, whatever you did seemed to work. Look!¡± Hwal¨ªn pointed at a distortion spinning silently in the air. A distorted vision of the graveyard above them could be seen through the apex.

    Alma smiled painfully.

 Chapter 90: Mountain Mission

    After dismissing the girls, Alma made her way toward the exit of the crypt. The feeling of being watched never left the whole way back. Waiting for her return was Tiberius, still at his post, still silently standing vigil. As she walked past him, she couldn¡¯t help but notice him staring back into the crypt behind her. An eerie dread ran down her spine.

    ¡°T-Thank you for letting me visit my sister. I felt honored to be among all the brave sisters who served Macha. And you, sir.¡± Alma gulped, wanting to get something that''s been bothering her off her chest. ¡°Okay, okay. Listen. It feels like we didn¡¯t really connect? When I came through here earlier. I mean. What I¡¯m trying to say is¡­ I''m not worthy to stand before you. ¡ªBut I want to be! You''re what I strive to achieve. I''m embarrassed to say this in front of you but, my dream was to one day stand beside you as a member of the Sacred Seven.¡±

    The Sacred knight remained silent as the grave, still watching the crypt, as if scanning for something.

    ¡°What am I saying? I¡¯m a spaz. Forget it. Forget it! If I¡¯m gonna stand as your equal someday it¡¯s a bit cringe to be gushing over you like this. But you know. Honor where honor is due and all that, right? Look. I¡¯m not usually this annoying. Goddess, I must sound so desperate¡­¡± Alma noticed his gaze remained trained away from her. ¡°Hey, is everything alright?¡±

    The sudden thrust of his trident made her flinch as it zoomed past her, piercing through the air at incredible speed. Alma¡¯s head creaked around, eyes placing the spot where the prongs touched down. The entrance to the passageway behind her began to close, and she realized he was just hitting the mechanism for the door.

    ¡°W-Wow! Incredible thrust, sir! Thanks for sparing the time and I guess I¡¯ll be on my way now." Alma gave him a sturdy salute. "Oh! My name¡¯s Alma, by the way! Did I mention that? Hey, would you mind at all if I snapped a quick pic?¡± The young markswoman held up her wrist.

    <hr>

    Alma finally made her way out of the hallowed building, pushing open the large slab that served as the building¡¯s entrance. The familiar chill air nipped at her cheeks while the distinct smell of graveyard dirt hit her nostrils. High above, a slightly distorted creature circled the area¡ªits six sets of wings flapped in an irregular pattern, causing it to bobble up and down. It was definitely not something native to this world. A second identical creature veered into view and immediately collided into the first, merging them into one form. It flew off beyond the trees in an instant. Bleak skies drew endless shadows atop the snow-laden graves while the otherworldly cries of dozens of dark birds shrilling in unison cut through the silent atmosphere surrounding the cemetery. She realized it hadn¡¯t snowed in a few days. Not completely odd, but noticeable enough to bear remarking. There was almost always a light snowfall in the city. The raucously rough voice of a boisterous elf welcomed the ex-soldier¡¯s ascent back to the living world.

    A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation.

    ¡°Y''all done, Alm?¡± Hwal¨ªn was standing right outside, arms crossed and leaning back against one of the support columns of the mausoleum. A descending row of open and shut eyes lined the column, blinking from top to bottom. ¡°Thought you mighta gotten lost. That place was deceptively bloody huge. A lot bigger than what¡¯s up top. Should I be concerned your Church has so many dead soldiers?¡±

    ¡°But so very splendid!¡± Qu¡¯l-Nia chimed in. ¡°Thank you for letting me peer inside your most vaunted catacombs, Alma. I find cemeteries to be quite cathartic. The desiccated and consecrated vessels of the dearly departed, that once held the mind and soul of living childlings, now composting back to the matter and stardust of the universe.¡±

    ¡°You know what? For once I agree with that creepy thing you just said. While I was down there, it came to me that every single priestess, deacon and bishop¡ªarch or otherwise¡ªwere all splendid people who dedicated their lives to a just cause just like Zula. In the name of an all-powerful being, sure, but the values are there. Helping people, protecting them, even dying for them.¡± Alma slammed a fist into her palm with divine purpose. ¡°And that¡¯s why I can¡¯t give up on my sister. I just know she¡¯s still out there. I owe it to her and to Macha to keep searching for her.¡±

    ¡°You will not forgo your mission for such unlikely a possibility, will you?¡±

    ¡°I can do both. You know what they say¡ªkill two birds with one stone? Besides, maybe this Derleth will have an answer about where I can find her. If he''s as powerful as you keep saying.¡±

    ¡°Screw it. I''m with Alma. I know I''ve called her crazy for this one but this mission''s been mostly manhuntin¡¯ anyway.¡± Hwalin stood up straight. Her tall frame still paled in comparison to the aging pillar behind her.

    ¡°Then, Alma, if you believe we are ready to depart, we will be needing your support once again.¡±

    ¡°Right. You¡¯re thinking I could make us a portal all the way over to those mountains Heli clued us in about and get us there in a snap.¡± Her fingers followed suit. ¡°Is it a problem if I¡¯ve never been out there¡­?¡±

    ¡°Did your witch friend not provide anything of substance aside from directions of where to go?¡±

    ¡°Wait, that¡¯s right! The coffee! I had completely forgot.¡± Alma dug around in her pack and pulled out a small pouch. ¡°She dosed the grounds with some kind of special spice blend that contain memories of her time there. She thought it might help if I needed some kind of landmark. I just need to brew me up a cup and trip out.¡±

    ¡°Oi! I¡¯ll take a cuppa.¡±

    ¡°Sure, Zula¡¯s got a coffee maker at her place. Maybe I could even portal us there.¡± Alma looked around worriedly. ¡°Or we could just walk.¡±

    ¡°What is the matter, Alma?¡± asked Qu¡¯l-Nia. ¡°I had thought you would relish any chance at demonstrating your newfound ability. Yet you seem perturbed.¡±

    "Making portals seems fun and all, but¡­ things get a little creepy in my head whenever I¡¯ve tried to concentrate on one. I swear I keep seeing and hearing things that aren¡¯t there, I¡ª¡± Flashes of a faceless being flicker in her mind, mixed with the cacophony of voiceless echoes rattling inside her brain. She pushed the eerie memories to the back of her mind. ¡°I thought it was a one-off thing but it¡¯s happened every time so far and it¡¯s getting a little freaky.¡±

 Chapter 91: Slap Session

    ¡°Freaky, you say?¡± The eldritch woman contemplated something, her mind working in capacities beyond comprehension. ¡°Yes, I suppose breaking directly through the fathomless gulfs of the unformed infinity could have adverse effects on one''s psyche. But you must not stray from this, Alma. We are finally within arm''s reach of our destination. Whatever damage your mind may suffer, I promise to repair when I return to full power.¡±

    Alma sighed. ¡°No. My mind''s made up. You don''t have to worry. If my mind breaks, then fine, I give you permission to try putting it back together. But for now, please don''t go anywhere near it.¡±

    ¡°Very well. You have my word.¡± Qu''l-Nia flashed her usual emotionless smile. ¡°How shall we proceed from here then?¡±

    ¡°I don''t mind a good walk,¡± said Hwalin, pulling back one of her legs in a stretch. ¡°You don''t wanna put too much strain on the ol¡¯ noggin. Choice is yours, Alm.¡±

    ¡°I can do it. Just¡­ let''s move somewhere a little more pri¡ª¡± Alma looked around the barren graveyard. Nothing but the dead surrounded them for several hundred feet. ¡°Actually, I guess we''re fine here. Give me some space. I''ve gotta go back into my mind.¡±

    The other two stepped back as Alma shut her eyes in a sloppy state of concentration. She turned to thoughts of her sister¡ªwarmer thoughts. She thought of Zula''s apartment and how often Alma would head over whenever she felt lonely. The two often drank together, with Alma usually bringing a bottle of something or other she would pick up on the way. Alcohol always seemed to bring them together and kept things honest between them. Whenever one of them had a problem, they''d drink and talk it out together, like sisters. The young markswoman always wondered if her sister enjoyed those moments as much as she had. She smiled just contemplating the thought. She wanted to go there again, into those moments, when they were happiest. Back to her apartment. Where she felt safest.

    ¡°Alma,¡± a soft, robotic voice called. ¡°Is there something the matter? You have been sitting there for several minutes now and have yet to conjure the portal.¡±

    Alma opened her eyes and scanned her surroundings. ¡°What? Are you sure? That¡¯s impossible. I did everything the way I usually do. There should be a portal here. Maybe it''s invisible? Look around! My powers aren''t gonna start failing me already.¡±

    ¡°There''s nothing here, Alm. I don''t think you managed to pull it off this time.¡±

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    ¡°Bullshit. Let me try again.¡± Alma held a hand to her head while thrusting out the other to the air in front of her. A full open palm, wavering in concentration as she once again shut her eyes, deep in thought.

    Her mind drew a blank. Every time she tried to think of her sister or her apartment, her mind turned to the thought of her portal fizzing out. Was she this insecure? After everything that¡¯s happened, how could she not be? Failing on her first day in the army. Almost dying time after time. Embarrassing herself in front of a Sacred knight. And now¡­ even losing her sister. When has her life ever gone right? And now she¡¯s being depended on to save the world from forces she still knows nothing about.

    I wish Zula were here. Or Heli. I¡¯d even take Ash, the bastard. Just someone to tell me I¡¯m doing the right thing. I don¡¯t want these two to see how weak I am. That I might not be up for this. That choosing me was a mistake. I thought that maybe if fate were real, this would be it. That it couldn¡¯t possibly be anyone else. I guess I¡¯m a little selfish that way. Alma took a deep breath, her eyes still closed. It was all working so flawlessly before. Why can¡¯t I get this damn portal open now of all times? Am I not feeling the right things anymore? Did I get too complacent? I was finally good at something! I was finally proving to be useful! WHY IS MY LIFE SO SHIT?!

    ¡°Yo, Alm!¡± Hwal¨ªn¡¯s voice rang out through the darkness of Alma¡¯s mind. She had placed a hand on her shoulder. ¡°You¡¯re looking a little frustrated there. If it¡¯s too much, we can stop. It¡¯s not too far a walk if I¡¯m recalling correctly.¡±

    Alma opened her eyes. It had felt like she had zoned out for hours. She let out a drawn-out breath she had been holding in without realizing. ¡°I¡¯m sorry. I let you guys down. I promise I¡¯ll pull myself together when the time comes.¡±

    ¡°Whoa, mate! Where¡¯d that cool and collected soldier go? The one we all know and tolerate? Surely this can¡¯t be her!¡±

    Alma¡¯s brows furrowed. ¡°¡­Slap me.¡±

    ¡°What?¡± Hwal¨ªn was taken aback.

    ¡°I said slap me.¡±

    ¡°Alm, I ain¡¯t gonna hit you. You¡¯ve done nothing wrong.¡±

    ¡°Do it. Slap me!¡±

    ¡°You need to calm down, mate. Are you even listening to yourself?¡±

    ¡°SLAP ME RIGHT NOW OR I¡¯LL SHOOT YOU IN YOUR FUCKING¡ª¡± Her face had been forcibly tilted to the side accompanied by the loud striking sound and pain of a sudden blow to Alma¡¯s face. ¡°¡­Fuck. That hurt.¡±

    ¡°I should bloody hope so,¡± said the Hecatian, rubbing her palm. ¡°You¡¯re lucky that wasn¡¯t my fist or you¡¯d be down on the ground crying.¡±

    ¡°I wouldn¡¯t have blamed you if it was. You hit really hard. Are you sure one of those claws didn''t get me?¡± In actuality, the impact had made Alma¡¯s head ring. Her face was glowing red and her tear ducts watered to the point that it had stained some of the eye makeup she had put on before leaving the house. On top of that was the searing pain. But pain was good. It helped clear her mind. She needed the focus¡ªto break out from the cycle her thoughts had become trapped in.

    ¡°Don¡¯t cry, Alm.¡±

    ¡°I-I¡¯m not!¡± she cried.

 Chapter 92: Love Thy Neighbor

    After a long trek through shoveled streets, they had finally come up to the familiar apartment building where Alma''s sister lived. Naturally, Alma still carried her spare key to enter whenever she wanted. Up several flights of stairs and down a beautifully carpeted hallway with walls adorned with old oil paintings of different religious rites and figures. It was clear this building was only occupied by the clergy. As they reached Zulema¡¯s door, labeled with an ancient numeral on the front, a lanky figure slowly emerged from the door before it. It was one of Zula''s neighbors, an awkwardly tall priestess in her mid-twenties. Her long face and sunken cheeks were ones that Alma was moderately acquainted with.

    ¡°Alma,¡± called the priestess, noticing the ex-soldier¡¯s arrival. She quickly peered over Alma¡¯s shoulder, eying her two companions. ¡°You must be here to pick up your sister¡¯s things. I¡¯m terribly sorry about your loss. I hope you know Sister Zulema has been in my nighttime prayers since that awful day it was announced she wouldn¡¯t be returning home.¡±

    ¡°Ah¡­ Sister Valeria. That¡¯s very considerate of you. It''s always good to get in those prayers before bed. I¡¯m sure you¡¯ve been sleeping soundly now, what with not having to come to our door every night to tell us to keep it down anymore.¡± Alma flashed an insincere smile. ¡°Actually, no. I¡¯m just here to make a quick stop-in. I won¡¯t be here very long.¡±

    ¡°Yes, I¡¯m so very going to miss your maudlin rendezvouses. These walls aren¡¯t paper-thin, you know. I¡ª¡± Valeria stammered mid-sentence, stopping herself from getting too worked up. Her face returned to a knowing smirk. ¡°Do be sure to pick up your sister¡¯s things soon. Her home is set to be evicted in the coming weeks. I would hate to see all that precious scripture thrown out onto the street. I¡¯d much rather see them confiscated, but they don¡¯t seem too keen on the idea¡­¡±

    ¡°Excuse me? Evicted?¡±

    ¡°Oh, boy,¡± mumbled Hwal¨ªn.

    ¡°Were you not informed?¡± The priestess''s smug aura threatened to envelop the hallway. ¡°When a Sister¡­ passes on, all obligations from the church to the deceased are relinquished upon her burial. I believe your family already received the compensation from her life insurance. You know the Scarlet Church pays handsomely for that sort of thing. You should consider yourselves lucky. Now you just need to do your part and clean up what remains.¡±

    ¡°You fucking bi¡ª¡±

    ¡°Alma,¡± called the eldritch woman, who up until then had been observing quietly. ¡°We do not have time for this. Let us do what we came here to do and begone.¡±

    Valeria raised an eyebrow. ¡°Interesting company you keep. I suppose I shouldn¡¯t be surprised. Zulema did always claim you were a little strange.¡±

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    The sound of Alma''s teeth grinding was now almost unmistakably audible.

    ¡°I must be off to Vespers now,¡± she continued. ¡°I expect not to see you again when I get back. This building is meant to house only clergy and I take it your friends here aren''t exactly from around here. Do be sure to call some movers soon.¡±

    ¡°I''ll be sure to do that,¡± stated Alma, watching as the priestess''s figure disappeared into the lift at the end of the hall.

    ¡°You should''ve punched her, mate.¡± Hwal¨ªn wore a half-smirk across her face. Her eyes staring in the same direction as Alma''s. ¡°Won''t catch some thin bitch yapping at me that way.¡±

    ¡°That''s always been the dream,¡± said the ex-soldier with an expression of defeat. ¡°But it feels like all the energy''s been drained away from me. It wouldn''t have hit as hard as I wanted.¡±

    ¡°Shame. I bet we could''ve still caught up to her down there in the street.¡±

    ¡°Alma, not to belabor the point but, ever since I have arrived in this country, I have noticed you seem to share a very volatile history with just about everyone we meet. I must admit sometimes you seem even more contentious than Hwal¨ªn in that regard. It is almost impressive.¡±

    ¡°It''s not my fault I have such an explosive personality! I blame Heli. She always thought it was cool when I stood up for myself.¡± Alma unlocked the door to her sister''s place. ¡°Speaking of that menace, I think it''s about time for a drink. Don''t you?¡±

    But Alma¡¯s smile quickly changed into a look of horror as she looked into her sister¡¯s home¡ªand saw what a mess had been made inside.

    ¡°What on Sarracas¡­?¡± Alma stared in disbelief. Various things had been knocked over, trash had been scattered everywhere, and furniture had been shredded. Did a natural disaster decide to crash here while her sister was out?

    ¡°I told ya we should¡¯ve punched her when we had the chance,¡± said Hwal¨ªn.

    ¡°No, Valeria didn''t do this¡­ I would hope. This was an inside job.¡± The ex-soldier stepped into her sister''s room at the back of the apartment. On Zula''s bed, a small yet hefty ball of golden fur was sleeping soundly. Alma then tiptoed over, bent down and gently picked up the sleeping gatin. ¡°Here is the culprit, caught red-pawed. What did Zula call you again? Brawny? I guess I''m not the only one wanting to break things around here.¡±

    ¡°Alma?¡± A ghostly pale face peeked from beyond the door. ¡°You say you found the one responsible for this disarray? Oh. It is that small creature. You know, I do not believe I have ever asked you what manner of creature this is.¡±

    ¡°This little guy?¡± Alma gently scratched his head. ¡°This here is a gatin. A domesticated animal we call a pet. Y''know, looking at him a bit closer, he reminds me of Hwal¨ªn.¡±

    ¡°A pet, yes. I understand the concept. I have had my fair share of them in my past. I am just always so mesmerized when I encounter any type of foreign specimen, and I must say¡­ this one is quite lovely.¡± Qu-l-Nia brushed a finger along the grooves of its face.

    ¡°What¡¯d you say, Alm? This thing looks nothing like me!¡± Hwal¨ªn looked straight into the gatin¡¯s face. It wore a seemingly smug expression as it purred low while staring back into her eyes.

    ¡°Sorry, little guy.¡± Alma cradled the gatin in her arms. ¡°In all the commotion of the last few days I forgot all about you. You miss Zula too, huh?¡±

    Brawny cooed softly in response. The vibrations coming from its two primary tentacles rubbed against Alma¡¯s arm in a friendly fashion.

    ¡°Hang around for a bit,¡± she continued. ¡°We¡¯re gonna clean up, then I¡¯ll see if there¡¯s anything around here for you to eat.¡±

 Chapter 93: Witchs Brew

    ¡°She tell you why this stuff is green?¡± The off-color liquid swirled in the mug Hwal¨ªn was moving around in her hand. ¡°It smells kind of funky too.¡±

    Alma, a mug of her own in hand, carefully plopped herself down on the black leather couch her sister would always drink on. She sighed quietly as she spotted the discolored red-wine stains on the seat next to her¡ªa faded reminder of better days.

    ¡±She adds a lot of weird herbs that kind of change a lot of the essence of the coffee. It oddly tastes really good.¡±

    ¡°Herbs?¡± Hwal¨ªn¡¯s eyes lit up. ¡°That¡¯s all you had to say.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t forget, there¡¯s magic in this coffee. We¡¯re about to go through some of Heli¡¯s memories here. From a few months back. Wouldn¡¯t say why she went up there and that ¡®these memories aren¡¯t going to reveal anything incriminating anyway.¡¯ Which should worry me, but I¡¯ve already numbed myself to the stupid shit she says.¡± Alma looked at Hwal¨ªn and did a double take. ¡°Wait. Should I be worried? I¡¯m afraid of what added drugs are going to do to you.¡±

    ¡°Oi, it¡¯s already in my hands. You ain¡¯t about to cut me off now.¡±

    ¡°Uhhhh¡­ You don¡¯t get violent, do you?¡±

    ¡°Violent? Naw. I do sometimes get pretty handsy though, if you know what I mean.¡± The Hecatian grinned creepily and made a honking gesture with both her hands.

    Alma, a look of disgust plastered across her face, slowly took her pistol from its holster and laid it gently on the table. She then turned to Qu¡¯l-Nia. ¡°Q, you sure you won¡¯t be joining us?¡±

    ¡°As much as I would like to participate, I am afraid your friend¡¯s magic would not affect me the same way it would you or Hwal¨ªn.¡± The eldritch woman was sitting cross-legged on the floor of the room. ¡°I shall simply have to sit this one out and observe.¡±

    "Kay. But if you see Hwal¨ªn start to come towards me, you blast her with some kind of eldritch ray or whatever it is you do to sick-in-the-head elfwin.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s gonna take more than thaaat.¡± Hwal¨ªn held her mug up in a toast.

    ¡°I¡¯m just saying,¡± Alma whispered to Qu¡¯l-Nia. She pointed at the table. ¡°My gun¡¯s right there.¡±

    ¡°I cannot guarantee anything, Alma.¡±

    Alma clicked her teeth in annoyance. She held the mug in her hand and stared into the steam rising from it. From a quick whiff, notes of the silken, earthy aroma wafting from the coffee reminded her immediately of Heloise. A scent that often lingered about her in those gentle moments at her forest home, especially right after her showers, before she would lose herself in whatever type of fragrant perfume she decided on that day. Something inside stirred, and Alma smiled at the familiar feeling. The pleasant memory had helped her feel a little less lonely and she began to think how she couldn¡¯t imagine where she would be without her best friend. She took a sip from the infused coffee. It tasted as delicious as she remembered. The tingling sensation was new. In truth, she¡¯d never done a memory dive like this before, even though Alma had usually always been the witting guinea pig for Heloise¡¯s magical experiments. The ex-soldier wanted something to prove and the witch wanted to prove she knew what she was doing. Alma took another bigger gulp after that. Her mind swirled. She looked over at Hwal¨ªn, who was still downing the piping hot mug in her single, initial gulp. Alma¡¯s eyes continued to wander. The room looked a bit hazy, kind of like when she would get drunk. Looking over at Qu-l-Nia, she could see the alien woman simply staring back at her, with an inquisitive smile upon her face. Alma thought maybe she smiled back at her, but she wasn¡¯t sure. The sniper leaned back in her seat and looked up at the ceiling. It seemed almost like she could hear Heli¡¯s distant voice coming from somewhere up above.

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    <hr>

    ¡°Fucking¡ª! Shit! This weather is going to freeze my nipples off! Why did I think this was a good idea?! I hate the snow!¡± Heloise shuddered as shivering hands secured the fuzzy pink hood tightly around her head. Another sudden blizzard had kicked up, piercing the very faint protective layer of makeup on her face. The snowflakes building up on her lashes were irritating her more than anything. She was high up in the Akhlut Mountains, on a steep slope and surrounded by a maze of frozen trees. She was searching for something to help with a condition she¡¯s come down with. A screech from amidst the treetops scrambled her thoughts. ¡°Son of a bitch.¡±

    The witch quickly concealed herself under a nearby tree. She scanned the area above her¡ªfrost-bitten branches devoid of life showed no signs of whatever the source of that sound was. Any normal living being would be understandably frightened in a situation like this. Heloise was far removed from normal.

    ¡°Azotha¡¯s wounds¡­ I know for a fucking fact the rip-o¡¯-wills fly off to hibernate at this time of year. Nothing should be awake right now! So, imagine my shock when I hear the ugly cry¡ª¡±

    Solis Fulmen Natura!

    ¡°¡ªof a Caladrius!¡± She had whipped out her staff in almost an instant. The crystal atop of its crown glowing a red hot as it fired a ball of flame at a naked spot in the trees above.

    The fireball splashed against a distortion, directly where she had aimed her attack. The invisible creature cried out in righteous anger as it sank like a stone from its perch and hit the snow below.

    ¡°Shouldn¡¯t have given away your hiding spot, foteur de merde volant.¡± The witch made her way to where the creature had dropped down. With its camouflage disabled, it was easy to spot among the frigid patch of grass around it. She stood over it triumphantly, examining its shimmering white plumage. ¡°Could you have, like, made this any easier? You come out here in the middle of bumfuck nowhere to hide and then cry out as soon as you see a little trouble a-brewing your way? Ya know, I guess I can¡¯t blame you. Most people don¡¯t even know you exist. But witches certainly know a little more about the esoteric world! And unluckily for you, I just happen to need your curative powers. Unluckily for me, it would¡¯ve been a whole lot easier if you were still alive¡­ Shit¡­¡± She began to chew frustratingly on her thumb¡¯s fake nail.

    Then came an eerie change in the singed body of the Caladrius lying in the snow. An appalling miasma rose slowly from its body, causing the blonde witch to hop backwards¡ªa second too late. Heloise suddenly found herself trying not to retch as she was flung headfirst into a violent coughing fit. Her eyes watered and her nose began to run, freezing painfully as her fluids hit the frigid air.

 Chapter 94: Birds Achoo

    ¡°Did you just give me a cold?¡± Her voice was hoarse, and it pained her to shout. ¡°My perfect voice! You little bitch! Ow!¡± She coughed again. Every breath she took was suddenly sharp and painful.

    As the witch readied another spell to incinerate the corpse in a fit of anger, the miasma floating over its body quickly and suddenly absorbed back into it.

    Heloise stopped dead in her tracks, she held her staff in both hands defensively, her eyes narrowed, she was already preparing for the worst.

    Thie white plumage of the Caladrius turned a charred black. A sickeningly green flame shone from it eyes as it woke, shooting straight into the air in a fraction of a second. The bird floated unnaturally in the air; its body had bloated to three times its size. The Caladrius was a uniquely magnificent bird with a radiant golden halo surrounding its head. After its mutation, its wingspan expanded to nearly fifteen feet. It seemed to be glaring at its attacker.

    ¡°The fuck is that look for?¡± Heloise smirked cautiously at the Caladrius, before letting loose another cough. ¡°It¡¯s my flawless skin, isn¡¯t it? Beauty recognizes beauty, I get it. You wouldn¡¯t believe how long it takes to get it looking so perfect¡ª¡± The witch was interrupted by another abrupt cough. ¡°I¡­ really wanted to take you alive, but my pride won¡¯t stand for fucking me like this. I¡¯m afraid you¡¯re gonna have to pay.¡±

    The bird¡¯s form trembled, its feathers ruffling in a threatening display. It raised its head and opened its sharp beak, but no sound came out. It simply continued floating in place, shaking uncontrollably.

    ¡°Wait,¡± she said with a slight chuckle. ¡°That came out wrong. I didn¡¯t mean like, pay like actual money. I¡¯m not a whore, you know! ¡­What? Got nothing to say? Were you perhaps, like, so captivated by my sexiness that you froze up? In that case, maybe I could forgive you¡­ If you just come along quietly!¡±

    But the bird responded with a sickening squelch that hinted at the vile act that was to come.

    ¡°Hold on¡ªWhat are you¡­? Oh my Dark God! No!¡± The witch couldn''t help but gag after witnessing the bird''s sudden disgusting act of retaliatory defiance. ¡°Fuck no!¡±

    A throbbing bulge caused by some odious mass of bile had formed in its throat. The choking sounds that followed as it attempted to disgorge the lump were itself nauseating to listen to. As the mass finally reached in between its beak, the bird jerked its neck back and spit the nasty projectile at the witch directly below.

    Natura Me Protego!

    The stylish sorceress fought through her repulsion and chanted a defensive spell almost instinctively before the horrid attack hit. The red crystal on her staff flashed a brilliant light as the ground in front of her rose up high to block the incoming bird-loogie. Once it impacted, she took one glance at it oozing down her earthen shield and recoiled. ¡°Eeeew! Gross, gross, gross! Someone else get it off! I don¡¯t want to fucking touch that thing with a 10-foot pole!¡±

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    An amorphous pile of mucus was slowly oozing down the side of the earthen barrier she erected. The phlegmatic pile was an off-putting mix of colors that were sickening to look at and a potential biohazard if the witch wasn¡¯t careful.

    Heloise quickly ripped some grass from the ground and threw the blades towards the bird hanging high in the air.

    Naturae Acutae laminae!

    The torn grass grew and stretched outward, becoming deadly sharp, before swiftly flying at blinding speed towards the bloated Caladrius. The blades struck its belly with a sickening squish, slicing and entering its body.

    The monster, however, reacted unexpectedly to the witch¡¯s direct hit. The bird had been twirling its head limply around, as if in a daze, seemingly unaffected by its injuries.

    Heloise wasted no time in sending a second and third wave of deadly verdant blades, striking at the bird again and again. She watched in horror as the thing simply continued absorbing them into its body, making strange motions all the while. Before she could react, the floating creature once again launched an attack.

    Except what flew from its mouth was not the same disgusting pile of phlegm as before, but a thick red torrent of blood¡ªaimed directly at the witch.

    The sorceress quickly erected another wall, but the heavy cascade continued blasting against her barrier, eroding it almost as quickly. She had to come up with a new strategy and fast.

    ¡°Are you kidding me?! Do I need to stuff a tampon down your gullet?! How are you even ALIVE?!¡± Heloise¡¯s hoarse screams caused her throat to burn, she had to be very careful dealing with this opponent. The witch leaped behind a nearby tree, barely avoiding the gushing blood following close behind. She gripped the metal handle of her staff in both hands, rubbing it anxiously while keeping her eyes locked on the flying beast, unable to process what was going through its brainless head.

    I¡¯m def fucked if that thing hits me with anything that comes out of its disgusting mouth. It already got me sick just from its fumes, don¡¯t even wanna imagine what kind of cooties I¡¯ll get from its blood!

    Heloise concentrated on her next spell. If she were going to take that thing down, she would need to use a stronger spell.

    Natura Penetrans Ex Membra!

    The witch shouted with conviction from behind the safety of the tree, using her control of nature to attempt to save her once again. The branches of the frozen trees below the floating bird shook violently, their web of spidery limbs shooting outward and upward, quickly impaling the creature from all sides and leading to a violent explosion of putrid black bile. Heloise ducked down, using the tree to shield herself from the downpour but it was not enough¡ªthe black bile had struck her back, and the effects were immediate.

    ¡°Oh¡­ Azotha¡¯s wounds. I¡¯ve been hit, haven¡¯t I? Ick.¡± Heloise felt her knees buckling. She could barely stand and was forced to use her staff for support. It felt like the energy was completely sucked from her body. ¡°What is this¡­? Why do I feel so shitty¡­?¡± The witch listlessly looked around for whatever remained of her target. A deep sadness and regret gradually built up in her mind. ¡°It¡¯s useless, isn¡¯t it¡­ I¡¯m never going to end this shitty curse. Merde. That¡¯s it. I¡¯m going to become a lanky, pasty-faced monster. And no one will love me. Because I¡¯ll be so ugly. And who likes ugly people? Definitely not me. And those that do don¡¯t matter. ¡­I should just spare myself the fate and lie down in the snow and freeze to death. Maybe then I¡¯ll at least leave a beautiful corpse. To be buried over with tons of snow and where no one will ever look in a million years¡­ I HATE THE FUCKING SNOW!¡±

 Chapter 95: At the Mountains of Sadness

    The snow was stained with obsidian piles of bile that erupted from the Caladrius after it had exploded. Heloise had started to feel a malaise and was struggling to understand why. Her concentration was failing and the only thing she felt was the undeniable urge to give up. She was about to collapse before the image of Alma''s face had flashed in her mind.

    ¡°What¡­ am I saying? The great witch Heloise doesn''t give up. She digs her 6-inch heels¡ªor in this case, boots¡ªinto the back of adversity and she presses on! I can''t lose here.¡± The sickened sorceress forced herself to stand up straight, looking around for any larger trace of what remained of the bird. ¡°I have to win. I have to win¡­ back my only real friend. ¡ªWhoa. Shake it off, girl. You totally just admitted you have no friends. I¡­ guess there¡¯s also Anais and Lysa Hora. Ugh, Hora is right. Always stealing my dates. At least she stayed away from Alma. No¡ªfuck those sluts.¡± She shook her head. ¡°Azotha¡¯s wounds! What in nature¡¯s name am I thinking?! Concentrate! That fucking bird definitely did something to me. Nice parting gift, you little shit!¡±

    As if on cue, the black bile bleeding through the snow gradually pooled at a focal point between the trees across from Heloise. The melancholic daze she was in was fading as the vile secretion moved away from her back and rejoined with the rest. It bubbled as it slowly formed into the silhouette of a large, fat bird. It rose up from the snow, regaining its complete form as the bloated black bird from before.

    ¡°Je te vois !¡± The witch¡¯s voice rang out excitedly. ¡°Oh my Dark God, I can¡¯t believe it! You¡¯re, like, totally immortal?! Thanks for not staying dead, I¡¯ve still got a use for you!¡±

    Radices Invasor Virgo Ligneus!

    Another spell from the witch¡¯s repertoire, controlling the very nature of the forest with her will. Thick roots cracked open from deep beneath the snow, coiling and wrapping around through each other to form a solid wooden prison around the newly revived bird. The container trembled and rattled violently, but continued to steadily hold the creature in place. After a few minutes of fierce shaking, the tremulous vines surrounding the bird finally settled down. Heloise approached confidently.

    ¡°It¡¯s just that easy, ma proie.¡± The sorceress leaned forward, smiling smugly at her newly entrapped quarry. ¡°Not so tough now, are you? You little shit. Why do all you dumb monsters, like, give me so much trouble? I¡¯m totally going to get an aneurysm one day. Not that you can understand a damn thing I¡¯m saying, huh?¡± Heloise angrily kicked the wooden prison, causing its contents to rattle once more. ¡°Or maybe you can? Please say you do. That would make this victory all the more sweeter.¡± She kicked the wooden prison a couple of more times¡ªan action she would regret immediately.

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    A putrid liquid seeped from between the tightly-knit vines¡ªa yellow bile that was unlike any of the other things that the bird had excreted¡ªwith a doubly odorous stench.

    ¡°Ugh. Chose d¨¦go?tant.¡± Heloise shuddered in disgust, covering her face with the puffy white sleeve of her snow jacket. She knelt down, using her staff to keep her balance, and took a closer look at the oozing container. ¡°What exactly is happening to you this time? This isn¡¯t very conducive to my predicament!¡±

    The yellow bile slowly oozing out suddenly and without warning, exploded outward in a foul spray all across the forest floor and much to her choleric chagrin, all across Heloise¡¯s face and very expensive outfit.

    ¡°Inexcusable¡­ Inexcusable! Gross! Totally fucking gross!! This shit is everywhere! And it smells just as bad!¡± The witch¡¯s tantrum echoed among the trees as another quick blizzard kicked up all around her, serving only to annoy her further. Stamping down on the snow as hard as she could, Heloise fought the urge to remove her jacket entirely. Try as she might, she could no longer keep her cool. ¡°I¡¯m going to burn this whole fucking mountain to the ground! The trees will grow back at least, but anything else living in this godforsaken forest will turn to cinders! The snow will regret falling down here!¡± She glared hatefully at the wooden prison still oozing with the Caladrius¡¯s vile discharge. ¡°Mais d''abord, je vais prendre ce putain d''oiseau et lui tordre le cou !¡±

    Heloise gripped her staff in hand and thrust it down in front of her, the base digging deep into the ground. Tapping the large red crystal atop the staff with the underside of her ring, the prison of roots unclasped from itself and began to open up. Before she could even glance at the avian foe inside, a murky silhouette shot up towards the sky at an unnatural speed.

    ¡°Hrrn. You think a little gunk on my face is going to stop me?¡± she growled. ¡°It never has before!¡±

    Solis Fulmen Concurro!

    Her staff¡¯s crystal burned red hot, releasing a barrage of brightly blazing bolts of fire. Each one zoomed in an arc toward the sky where the Caladrius once again lay floating, and one after another exploded prematurely in a fiery inferno as they were all blown away by an enormous torrent of blood erupting from the blighted bird¡¯s mouth.

    "Je vais te faire regretter de ne pas pouvoir mourir...," mumbled out the witch through the grinding of her teeth. Another uncontrollable sneeze caused her nose to run. ¡°Ach!¡±

 Chapter 96: Burn the Witch

    Qu¡¯l-Nia looked up from the scripture she was reading. There was no real reason to do, as the work she had been reading had immersed her almost completely, but a persistent feeling had been worming its way past her complex thoughts. The steady twinkling of her hair became slightly erratic as she looked around the room. Alma seemed completely out of it, and had just been sitting there on the couch, staring mindlessly up at the ceiling. The gatin was resting comfortably in her lap, unaware of the magic going on in that moment. Hwal¨ªn was as Hwal¨ªn does¡ªlying back on the other couch, her head shaking back and forth in a daze. Oddly enough, there was a smile plastered across her face.

    The eldritch woman stood up from her position on the floor and sat down next to Alma. She gently picked up the gatin and placed it on her own lap, stroking its head gently. The small creature didn¡¯t seem to mind, and continued purring comfortably. After a moment, she looked over at Alma, who had a pained look on her face. She started to wonder exactly what it was the young ex-soldier had been dreaming about in her vision. The magic of this world was so very rudimentary, she wondered just how precisely it affected the childling physiology. Qu¡¯l-Nia picked up the mug from the table in front of Alma and gave a small whiff to its contents. There was a faintly familiar scent among its magical ingredients that stood out more than the rest. Buried deep within Heloise¡¯s witchcraft was a trace of something far more ancient and powerful¡ªotherworldly. She wondered if Alma was aware. She must have been, right? Alma¡¯s face continued to contort in discomfort.

    <hr>

    The bird turned its bloody torrent towards Heloise, as she erected another barrier to prevent herself from being drenched in its attack. The loud crack of its flapping wings resounded high above as the gushing tide grew stronger. The witch threw up another barrier, followed by another. The Caladrius eventually started to zip around, attempting to hit her from different angles, causing her to finally dive behind another tree.

    ¡°I¡¯m getting sick of this!¡± Heloise shouted during a fit of coughing. Despite the cold, her hands were extremely clammy and her head felt hot and sweaty. Her breathing was starting to become ragged from all the jumping around. It was all beginning to take its toll on her, which only served to enrage her more. ¡°You think you can make a fool of me? All the hard work I put in to make my own way. All the effort. The blood, sweat and tears to make my wishes come true¡­! My life has been one fucking hardship after another. I¡¯m not going to let one annoying bird shit on all the happiness I¡¯ve acquired! I¡¯m going to piss on your corpse when this is over.¡±

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    The witch chanted a magical mantra to herself, concentrating her energies into her staff. She once again prepared herself to cast something more powerful from her arsenal. She stepped out from behind the tree and stood in full view of the avian enemy. Holding her staff up high, she invoked her spell.

    Natura Penetrans Ex Membra!

    Dozens of empty branches stretched forth and collided in midair, crashing into the spot where the bird had been firing from. It had learned to dodge. The attack managed to distract it from its bloody barrage, but the witch only grew angrier with contempt. While the energy remained in her staff, she repeated the spell a few more times. But each time, the bird had managed to dodge almost expertly. Until finally, the lump in the bird¡¯s throat grew thick and another ball of phlegm was fired directly at the interwoven branches before they had another chance to separate. The mucus had glued them together.

    At this point, the look on Heloise¡¯s face had become almost deranged.

    The witch had reached a boiling point. Something within her snapped, and she was starting to lose reason. But through the blinding fury, she somehow managed to sense something was amiss. She was becoming far more reckless than usual. There was a point once, where she would refuse to acknowledge her own stupidity, but having spent so much time with Alma, she¡¯s learned to reflect just a small amount. And it had made her realize that even she would never act so brazenly foolish. At least not through any fault of her own.

    The Caladrius unleashed another torrent of sanguine fury. The time, however, instead of running for cover, Heloise stretched out her arms and let the attack hit its mark.

    The strong force of the blast sent the witch flying several feet, barely avoiding any trees until hitting the snow-laden ground roughly. Heloise and the area around her were now drenched in the bird¡¯s strange blood, the consequences of which quickly took effect. In what felt like a strange twist, the anger she had been feeling was already subsiding and replaced with a more cheerfully ecstatic feeling. With the help of her staff, she gingerly got back up on her feet.

    ¡°Oh my Dark God! I¡¯ve been acting like such a total bitch!¡± Heloise laughed exuberantly, still covered in blood from head to toe. ¡°You silly bird, you slay me! I mean, unless I slay you first. Ha!¡±

 Chapter 97: Birds the Word

    The bird, meanwhile, had flown out of view after its last attack. The loud drum beat of massive wings could be heard somewhere high above the trees.

    ¡°Like, where could have possibly flown off to now? It''s less funsies if I can''t see you! Are you really gonna hide now when there''s a pretty girl on your tail?¡±

    The noisy cracking of branches breaking could be heard overhead, rapidly inching closer each second. Another large ball of phlegm had shot out from above, crashing through the tree limbs and landing dangerously close to the witch¡¯s legs, causing her to stumble back onto the snow. She looked over at the fallen sludge then back up at the trees.

    ¡°Missed me! Missed me! Now you gotta kiss me!¡± The witch cackled inappropriately. She raised her staff triumphantly and searched around the frozen branches blindly. A sweet smile stretched across her face. ¡°Kiss this!¡±

    Radices Invasor Ex Natura!

    Twin thick roots shot up from each side of Heloise and shot upward toward the sky. Each vine slithered upward with the force of a cannon, violently breaking through the treetops like brittle glass. Both converged and wrapped around the Caladrius¡¯s feet, binding them tightly and forcibly pulling the bird down to the ground in a powdery white explosion.

    ¡°Ohoho! Didn¡¯t I warn you?¡± Heloise skipped merrily to where the bird had landed several dozen feet away, leaving bloody prints in the snow behind her. ¡°You were, like, so beautiful before this whole mess started too. Why did you have to mutate into this awful, awful thing? Because I shot you? Well clearly it was no big deal for you to shrug off, so why are you mad at mee~?¡± The crystal on her staff emitted a powerful glow, she then swung it a few times in succession. With each swing, the roots coiled around the bird mimicked her staff¡¯s movements, slamming the bird between various trees.

    The witch, in her delirium, failed to notice that on her final swing, the wretched bird had once again melted its form into a puddle of black bile that was slowly oozing back onto the snow. As she approached to investigate what she assumed was a captive bird, the bubbling sound of the inklike liquid seeping under her foot quickly caught her attention.

    ¡°Whoops!¡± exclaimed Heloise. She stamped her boot down on top of the puddle she had stepped in, her laughter becoming more deranged with every stomp all the while. The bile that was ascending her leg had cut her laughter short. She tilted her head in playful curiosity.

    The slimy black ooze stretched outward and formed into an amorphous-shaped head of a bird. The outline of its beak had begun opening slowly. The sorceress¡¯s eyes widened in surprise as she realized too late what was happening. A fetid mass of sputum was spat directly at her, landing wetly atop her head.

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    ¡°Ah¡­ I¡­¡± Heloise stuttered before letting out a series of coughs. She tried to remove the phlegm coming down her forehead, but recoiled at its touch. Her demeanor had sunk in on itself. She stumbled backwards, stepping out of the remaining black bile. ¡°G-Get it off¡­! My head hurts¡­ My throat¡­ Everything hurts.¡±

    Her emotions were becoming jumbled, a twisted slurry that was throwing her mind into turmoil. The witch could barely get a grip on herself and was beginning to lose all control. She could feel something welling up inside her, wanting to escape desperately. She dropped her staff before dropping to her knees. Another fit of coughing that quickly turned into gagging. She vomited. Heloise finally understood the dangerous situation she was in.

    ¡°I¡¯ve gotta¡­ Should¡¯ve done this from the start. Where is it¡­ Where¡­?¡± Heloise weakly fumbled around in her bag, barely retaining her sense of self. Her body was burning up accompanied by a small jolt in her shoulder where the cursed brand had taken hold of her. She ignored it and continued digging, reaching for a small ornate treasure box lying at the bottom of her bag. The thick phlegm continued rolling down her face, while the inky poison staining the snow a few feet from her inched ever closer to her. She opened the small box to reveal what looked like a small, ordinary egg. Still kneeling and barely keeping herself balanced, she tapped the tip of the egg with one of her rings and used all her energy to toss it.

    ¡°Carthas¡­ Get your ass¡­ over here!¡± Heloise yelled defiantly, struggling to get the words out as her remaining energy faded from her body. Feeling defeated, she collapsed into the snow¡ªthe glow radiating from the cracked egg spilling out over the immediate area.

    The exploding radiance focused into a beam of light that streaked upward, a large screech echoing across the sky. The glowing form of a black bird of a different variety with red eyes and golden wingtips took shape in the skies above the mountain. Powerful cawing could be heard distantly above them.

    The exhausted witch smiled smugly.

    The witch¡¯s familiar came swooping down, landing right next to the fallen witch. ¡°You know, I was all ready to make a cool entrance and claw out your enemies¡¯ livers but now I''m seeing you''re all alone. What gives?¡±

    ¡°That.¡± Heloise weakly raised her finger and pointed to the black sludge moving slug-like across the snow.

    ¡°You got your ass kicked by a pile of goo?¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s not just any pile of goo. It¡¯s a Caladrius. A bird famous for spreading disease, but it can also cure it. Definitely wasn¡¯t expecting it to be so powerful. Was almost royally fucked.¡± The witch grimaced in pain, shaking her head and shutting her eyes. ¡°Just do your fucking job, Carthas.¡±

    ¡°A bird, huh?¡± replied Carthas. ¡°I suppose that is my area of expertise. You know, maybe I can just talk to him?¡±

    ¡°Merde! I don¡¯t care! Do whatever it takes.¡±

    ¡°Have you tried, perhaps, doing your weird transformation thing? That was a nice little powerup you obtained in exchange for Alma. I¡¯d say it was worth the trade¡ª¡±

    ¡°Carthas!¡±

 Chapter 98: And This Bird You Cannot Change

    ¡°Alright! Alright already!¡± the bird familiar cried. He waddled over to the black sludge on the ground and inspected it, shifting his head curiously. It continued bubbling, but this time it was flowing back into a center point, amassing into a tangible form once again. ¡°Hey buddy,¡± Carthas called out to it. ¡°Let''s chat. Avian to avian.¡±

    The black bile had finally risen backup from the snow and taken an amorphous bird-like form. Its natural features were still indistinguishable¡ªas if the Caladrius felt more comfortable not taking its full form just yet. The inky silhouetted shape of a bird stood before Carthas, staring silently at him.

    ¡°Not that I''ve got any beef with you but,¡± continued Carthas. ¡°My¡­ master here really just needs your help. See, she has this condition that boosts her magic, gives her extraordinary abilities and makes her practically invulnerable. But the downside is that it looks slightly unflattering and we can¡¯t have that apparently¡ªSo, do you think maybe you could spare her a wee bit of your old magic curative and make her all better?¡±

    ¡°I can''t hear you!¡± Heloise shouted while coughing from a few feet behind them. She continued struggling to remove the gunk off her head. ¡°What are you saying to it? Can''t you just, like, incapacitate it already or something? I don''t need it in one piece or anything. What¡¯s taking so long?!¡±

    ¡°Ahem. You¡¯ll have to excuse her. She¡¯s an idiot. Which is exactly why I¡¯m here to, err¡­ mediate.¡±

    The Caladrius tilts its head.

    ¡°Not very talkative, are you? Lemme say this in words you¡¯ll understand then.¡± Carthas began by unfurling his wings and letting out a series of powerful caws that shook the trees, causing large piles of snow to drop down around them.

    At last, the Caladrius responded in kind with its own otherworldly array of cries.

    ¡°That so?¡± responded Carthas in regular old human language.

    By the time Heloise¡¯s familiar had returned with news, she had sat up, cross-legged, and had almost gotten all the phlegm off from her forehead and the hood of her jacket. ¡°Well? What¡¯d that  connard tell you? Its damn crying was making my head spin. Is it gonna help me get rid of this damn curse or what?¡±

    ¡°I don''t know.¡±

    ¡°Incroyable ! I give you one job and this is what you come back with?! The fuck did you two talk about over there?¡±

    ¡°Can you let me finish a blasted sentence, woman?! He said if you want anything from him, you''ll have to apologize first.¡±

    ¡°Apolo¡ª?! How about he kisses my tight little ass instead? Apologize¡­ Quelle horreur !¡±

    ¡°Is that really what you want me to tell him?¡± Carthas turned back to check on the other bird who was still standing unnaturally still, waiting for their response. ¡°Doesn¡¯t seem like your best bet. I mean, look at you. You¡¯re really not in any position to be throwing insults.¡±

    Heloise groaned, hanging her head in defeat. ¡°¡®Kay. You''re def right. I got a little desperate and the bitch in me came out. Now that I''ve had my emotions thrown into a blender, I''ve really had time to think about and process my actions. I guess¡­ it wouldn¡¯t hurt¡­ if I¡­ apologized.¡± The word hung on her tongue with thinly veiled disgust as she stuck it out.

    ¡°Well don¡¯t look too excited.¡± retorted the bird as he walked back.

    The witch reached over to grab her staff and used it to balance herself as she stood back up. Her body continued to feel weak and woozy. Her legs trembled from the sickness infecting her, and all her energy was being used just to keep herself from falling over. Using her staff as a walking cane, she hobbled over to where the two birds were waiting.

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    The Caladrius looked at her with no eyes in particular and tilted its head around a few times. Despite being a major threat mere moments ago, it now appeared quite placid.

    Heloise mumbled a swear to herself before finally speaking up. ¡°Hi¡­ you. Whatever you call yourself.¡± The witch struggled to get the next few words out. ¡°¡­You were like, so strong! Gosh. Of course I wasn¡¯t gonna beat you. And so totally gorgeous! You¡¯ve got it all, babe. I wish I could be like you. Listen, we totally got off on the wrong foot earlier. Things got a little heated¡­ I said a lot of things I don¡¯t mean. And I¡¯m sorry! Kay! That¡¯s all cleared up now! So, what do you say? You gonna help out a cute little witch in need?¡±

    The Caladrius flapped its wings in an irritated manner while singing a loud, discordant tune.

    Heloise looked to Carthas. ¡°What in nature¡¯s name is it saying? Is it gonna help me or not?¡±

    ¡°Oof,¡± said Carthas. ¡°Uhh, well. It seems like your apology wasn¡¯t satisfactory enough. He¡¯s saying he wants you down on your knees and begging for his forgiveness. He also wants you to address him as¡ª¡±

    Radices Invasor Ex Natura!

    The witch didn¡¯t bother waiting for him to finish translating. Staff braced, glowing at its tip, directed the roots sunken in the earth to rise up from the deep. They slithered around the black bile shaped like a bird.

    Penetrat!

    At her utterance, the roots stiffened and penetrated through the inky mass of the Caladrius from each side.

    Penetrat! Penetrat! Penetrat!

    One after another, thick roots rose up from the ground and immediately thrust themselves into the avian foe from all sides. The tarry ichor of its body slowly melted off the various vines penetrating it.

    ¡°You sure that was such a good idea?¡± asked Carthas.

    ¡°I don¡¯t care. This proud witch bows her head to no one.¡± Heloise pointed to herself, her breathing becoming enraged and even more ragged. ¡°I¡¯m done messing around. Carthas. Whatever happens now, don¡¯t interfere.¡±

    The puddle of black bile simmering under the crossed roots shot upward with explosive force and raining down all over the surrounding forest. From the remaining obsidian liquid rose the fully formed Caladrius. In an instant, a torrent of blood shot forth from its mouth and straight at the witch.

    Heloise quickly erected her earthen barrier to block another of the bird¡¯s sanguine attacks. For a while, the wall stood firm, but the stream flowed relentlessly.

    ¡°Now would be a good time to do that fancy trick of yours, wouldn¡¯t it?¡± Carthas suggested, watching intently from the sidelines.

    ¡°I can¡¯t¡­ ngh... CONTROL IT!¡± Heloise¡¯s pained yell cut through the clashing of the thick liquid gnawing at her shield. It was boring deeper and would reach her any second. Her steely resolve had kept her from giving up, but she knew that willpower alone wasn¡¯t going to be enough to win the fight. She began to pray to Azotha. She prayed that he would watch over her if anything were to happen. To accept her into his realm should her soul pass on from this one. As the spray of blood finally reached the other side of her wall, an enormous power suddenly surged through her. A dark layer of magic swallowed the light of her eyes, painting them almost completely black while a smug smile spread across her lips. The ends of her beautiful blonde hair burned and lost their color as the rest of her skin turned a chalky white. The extra phlegm that was on her head had quickly begun burning away.

    ¡°No more Miss Nice Witch. I¡¯m done pissing rainbows and glitter. Die for me, please~.¡±

    Terrae Murus Moliti Ex Natura!

    Two large slabs of hardened dirt rose diagonally from beneath the snow and closed in on the Caladrius, crushing it between the twin walls and instantly stopping its attack.

    ¡°Normally it would take me several minutes to recite the incantation for that spell, but this makes it so much easier!¡± Heloise giggled. There was an otherworldly cadence in her voice. ¡°I¡¯ve only used this power once before, so I¡¯m still not completely sure how it works or why I can use it¡­ But! That doesn¡¯t mean I have to understand it very well to take you down~. Now don¡¯t you regret not curing me of this sooner? Heehee! The irony is delicious!¡±

    ¡°Now your outside finally fits your inside!¡±

    ¡°Fuck off, idiot. I don¡¯t need to hear that from you.¡± Heloise scoffed while watching over the results of her handiwork in front of her. ¡°I know full well how ugly this makes me look.¡±

    ¡°I think you look pretty cool actually.¡±

    The witch smiled and clenched her first tightly. ¡°I guess it does feel good. It¡¯s almost a shame that loser Alma will never see how much cooler I am than her.¡±

    From the impossibly tight squeeze between the two slabs came a sudden burst of that same fetid yellow gunk from before, strong enough to slowly separate the walls from each other. The witch blocked the excess spray from hitting her with an instant wall from the ground in front of her.

    ¡°It¡¯s time to put this little birdie down for good.¡±

 Chapter 99: Volcanic Corruption

    Carthas had dodged the spray by flying upward into the air and perching on a nearby branch right behind Heloise.

    The Caladrius, meanwhile, had finally escaped from between the rock and a hard place. It was slowly hovering above the ground in front of the witch, casting howling echoes from its beak that vibrated with the air around them.

    ¡°He said he''s going to fill your insides with so much illness that it''s going to match the ugliness on your outsides,¡± translated Carthas. ¡°Hey, he said the same thing I said. Isn''t that funny?¡±

    ¡°I wouldn''t stop him.¡± The witch sneered. ¡°The magic from the little cold he gave me earlier is powering me up.¡± She gave a little sniffle. ¡°Okay, maybe it wouldn''t be worth it considering I''m still sick¡­ But at least the aches are gone!¡±

    The Caladrius breathed out a puff of green smoke that was quickly wafting toward Heloise.

    ¡°Carthas!¡±

    At her call, the witch''s familiar flew down and hovered in front of her, flapping its powerful wings in front of him and creating a miniature vortex of air that blew away the airborne illness that had been headed toward them. The blast of wind continued and blew away the trees behind the Caladrius. The enemy bird stood his ground, virtually unaffected by the gust attack.

    Heloise jabbed her staff into the ground. Chanting a certain spell, she made a motion with her finger. A large root covered in thorns rose from beneath the snow, striking at the Caladrius with break- neck speed. But to the witch''s annoyance, the wooden tentacle melted right through it, as if swimming through an inky mass of oil. The witch spread out all her fingers and flicked her wrist, causing several more thorny vines to rise up and whip at the bird¡ªan action that proved to be futile.

    The Caladrius screeched and fired several balls of phlegm at Heloise, all of which she jumped out of the way of.

    ¡°I thought the point was to get hit by magic now so you can absorb it,¡± said Carthas.

    ¡°I know that, but¡ª¡± She dodged another mucusy shot, screaming and whining as she did so. ¡°Eeeek! It''s just so disgusting! Gross, gross, gross! I''m not putting that anywhere near my mouth. I don''t need it! I''ve got enough magic to end this already.¡±

    ¡°That''s pretty sad, witch.¡±

    The Caladrius started up another torrent of its tainted blood cannon. A torrent Heloise had managed not to block. But what seemed to be a direct shot at the witch turned into a horribly different outcome from the last time that the bird of bile was not expecting. The sorceress stood in place, blocking the blood flow with a simple outstretched hand.

    ¡°That totally won''t work anymore.¡± The witch smiled sadistically, wagging a finger on her free hand before flicking it upward in a sudden motion.

    The Caladrius, who had refused to let up in its attack, was suddenly shot high above the treetops after the ground below rose up to launch the bird skyward. The earthen wall the sorceress usually used as defense had been raised right under the Caladrius and impacted its body with a powerful force.

    ¡°How about this time I fill you with the sickness?¡± Heloise raised an outstretched hand upward.

    Flosculus Fungorum

    The words slithered from her mouth like poison.

    Dazed and unaware after being launched several feet, the bird suddenly felt deep emanations from within. An alien tremor distinctly different from anything it was normally familiar with. Foreign growths sprouted all over its body. Stalks of pervasive fungi were growing out from within its murky core. It seemed that what the witch had unleashed was a massive cloud of spores that quickly infected the Caladrius as it hung in the air. If it weren''t for the gelatinous state of its insides, all of its organs would have immediately succumbed to the fungal invaders.

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    ¡°Thanks for being such a nice little new home for my precious sweeties,¡± cooed the witch. ¡±I¡ªHuh?¡±

    The Caladrius, who was now covered in a miniature forest of uniquely-shaped mushrooms, remained unphased as it continued flapping its large fungus-encrusted wings high in the air. It let out a powerful screech that would paralyze any foe, yet the witch remained undaunted.

    Heloise watched and waited, gazing upward and staring down her avian adversary. Her own winged familiar was hovering closely by her side, not saying a word but simply observing the heated tension that was slowly rising to a boiling point.

    In the blink of an eye, the Caladrius swooped down and stopped directly in front of Heloise¡¯s face which contorted into a grimace of shock. Its sickly green eyes blazed with anger as it unleashed a powerful cry at point blank range. An act the witch was not expecting.

    Heloise was thrown off balance as the scene around her began to twist and turn. A powerful bout of vertigo had struck her and her powerup did nothing to alleviate it. She swayed unsteadily, quickly grasping at her staff that remained firmly erect from when she planted it into the ground.

    Carthas had countered by swinging a powerful wing into the Caladrius and sending it tumbling back, leaving black bile traces as it bounced roughly several times against the snow.

    ¡°Ma Dieu ! Everything¡¯s spinning! Carthas, don¡¯t take your eyes off that fucker!¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ve got this, witch. Just don¡¯t lose your cool again, I can hear that forehead vein ready to burst from here.¡±

    Heloise growled in response. The vertigo was subsiding, but not quickly enough. She had to be ready, so as to not get caught off guard again. It seemed to have gotten wise to its other attacks no longer working. She had to try something new if she wanted to finish this once and for all. If the fight continued to drag out, it was almost guaranteed she¡¯d be the one suffering a loss.

    Both birds struck at each other with the full caliber of a firearm, locking talons and sending thundering shockwaves through the trees around them. Shards of frozen bark tore through the air as their onslaught intensified. The two winged warriors ascended high into the air, one constantly weaving around the other, narrowly clashing wings at intensely high velocities. Carthas flew up several hundred feet into the air, before diving back down beak-first into the Caladrius at a dangerously lethal speed. The impact caused its inky body to explode black rain and fungal spores down onto the sky, but neither witch nor familiar counted this a victory just yet.

    The murky drops of bile combined and coalesced into larger tenebrous glops before quickly reconstituting back into the bird¡¯s broad form. It was floating just above the ground, its beating wings forming a round snowy crater below it.

    The sorceress finally stood up and brushed herself off. She slid off her thick, pink snow gloves and tossed them to the ground, baring her pale, slender hands to the elements. Both arms shot forward, palms turned downward on top of each other with fingers bent. Stylish pink nails withered and cracked before stretching outward from her hands and sinking downward lower and lower, digging past the icy snow and breaking the ground. The hauntingly dark voids of her eyes seemed to look past her target, caught in an esoteric trance of magic.

    Eruptio Mortiferum.

    The ground around them began to shake violently. Cracks formed in the planet before yawning open pockets of dark abyss all around. Geysers of lava shot up violently, rising up through the crust and exploding around them.

    ¡°Have you lost your mind?! Where did you even learn that kind of spell?!¡± Carthas shouted from above, watching the devastation happening just below him. There was a side to the witch he always thought her capable of if she had the power for it. The power that came from a dark and corrupted force, influencing her mind. Steering it toward the dark. Amplifying her hatred. And now that he¡¯s witnessing it, it¡¯s filled him with an ominous feeling. Was she truly still a human being? ¡°Maybe it wasn¡¯t such a good trade-off after all¡­¡±

    The Caladrius turned to face the malignant Heloise, finally reacting to her presence. There was a sudden downward motion of her hands right before a burst of lava shot up from beneath the nebulous bird giving it no time to escape. The molten rock of Sarracas was now burning through its body, consuming it bit by bit at an alarming rate.

    She had been the true threat all along.

 Chapter 100: Lost Humor

    The rotten bird of bile released a screech so powerful, it matched the rattling of the destruction surrounding them. Trees were falling and sinking into newly opened pits all over as Sarracas cracked further open, decimating the small patch of mountain they were standing on. Sheets of snow rolled down the mountainside¡ªsmall avalanches collapsing into the roiling magma below and causing bursts of steam to sizzle upward.

    ¡°Hey, witch!¡± yelled Carthas as he swooped down just low enough to avoid the violent eruptions. ¡°Snap out of it! Look at the destruction you''re causing! At this rate, you''re going to get yourself killed with your own magic! Heloise!¡±

    Heloise stood silently, as if in a trance, working her destructive magic. The pools of blackness in her eyes were void of any hint of awareness. Neither the fear nor temerity nor the cycle of emotions caused by the Caladrius''s secretions that had previously assailed the witch could be found anymore. Only the single-minded goal of destroying her opponent. The goal hadn''t mattered anymore. The power she had sought to rid herself of was now being used to destroy another potential cure. And the more she was affected by it, the more it controlled her.

    The Caladrius continued screeching its death knell of pain. Its form seized and sputtered in a cacophony of different and unnatural shapes, in a pathetic attempt to keep itself stable. The fountain of lava spouting beneath it continued unabated, preventing it from escaping as it burned away at its body.

    A dark wave of cosmic energy pulsed through the air, swimming directly towards the Caladrius. Moments before impact, however, a row of lava pillars shot up to intercept it. The source of the waves had been none other than Carthas.

    ¡°Damn it, witch! Cease!¡± Carthas landed on a relatively safe rock somewhere in the midst of the destruction. He figured if he had any chance of keeping this situation from escalating, he would need to be in top form. Red eyes turned to black as a third one opened between them. Mighty wings shone a brilliant gold while the yellow crest atop his head had taken the shape of a burning crown of radiantly gilded fire. ¡°Sorry, witch. I''m gonna have to bend the contract a little.¡± An otherworldly drone accompanied his voice.

    Dark energies swirled around the sorceress, emanating off her powerful, eldritch-tinged form. The destruction around her answered to her beck and call. An almost invisible flick of the wrist. Several fountains of spewing lava shot upward and were directed to splash violently onto the spot where the toxic bird had been engulfed. It flapped its inky black wings wildly, wailing in vengeful agony.

    Carthas took flight, and began flapping his golden wings at an inconceivable speed. The rippling of the air around them seemed almost to phase in and out of reality. The few seconds that passed seemed almost like an eternity. The Star Baron clapped his wings together and unleashed what could be described as a tear through the fabric of the air that passed directly through the witch to strike the Caladrius in front of her. The unusual attack had blown the remaining creature clear away from the witch¡¯s smothering of lava.

    She eased the arch in her back caused by a momentary flinching as the strange feeling passed through her. The witch finally seemed to break out of her trance and turned to look at him, an unseemly scowl spread across her face. ¡°What do you think you¡¯re doing, Carthas?¡± A raw, eerie static struggled to drown out the sound of her voice as she spoke.

    ¡°Look, I''m all for a little destruction, but when I start seeing this many red flags, I have to step in. You''re going to bring this whole mountain down on top of us, even at the cost of your cure. All so you can get the last laugh against this thing?¡± He motioned toward the charred remains of the Caladrius, groaning pathetically on the shaking ground.

    Heloise stared at the dying bird before turning back to glare at Carthas. ¡°If this is a joke, it''s probably one of your worst ones yet. You think I''d let this little shit live after those insults he threw at me? At this point, its cure isn''t worth it. I''ll find another way.¡±

    ¡°This battle isn''t worth it! You''re doing too much damage and it''s going to get you killed! Can''t you get that through your blonde, bimbo-headed brain? Another cure won''t matter if you die pulling stupid stunts like these!¡±

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    A swirl of lava rose up and shot towards Carthas. An attack he managed to swiftly dodge.

    ¡°You might not care if you die to sate your pride, but what about Alma?¡±

    ¡°...What about her?¡±

    ¡°We both know you aren''t searching for this cure for yourself. You relish this power. You wouldn''t give it up without a good reason. Alma is your reason. You don''t want to lose her by having her think you''re a monster.¡±

    The land around them stopped shaking. The eruptions slowly died down, leaving only the soot and ash rising slowly to the air. The witch remained silent for a while. ¡°You''re right. Alma wouldn''t be able to stand to see me like this. She would shun me. Call me hideous. Probably even try to put me down.¡± Heloise snapped her head back to look at him with a malicious grin and said, ¡°But Alma¡¯s not here right now, is she?!¡±

    An enormous burst of lava shot up from in front of the sorceress as she laughed maniacally. The lava dove toward the spot where the avian monster had landed, but as the molten rock splashed down, the Caladrius had already shot up into the air once again. The bird¡¯s form returned to its original brilliant white plumage. Any sign of the tarry body it had before were completely erased as it shimmered radiantly in the sky, flapping its majestic wings.

    Heloise squinted her aphotic eyes as she tried to cast her gaze upon it. The Caladrius seemed almost untouched after the constant harm befalling it just a moment ago. Her hair suddenly frizzed in anger. ¡°What the¡ª?! What kind of bullshit twist is this?! You¡¯re supposed to be in charred pieces on the ground!¡±

    The Caladrius looked at her blankly, whatever thoughts might be forming in its mind were a mystery. It bellowed out one last screech before flying off to the north.

    ¡°Hey! Where the fuck are you going?! I¡¯m not done with you yet!¡± Heloise clenched her fist tight enough to break skin. ¡°This is like, the opposite of how things are supposed to go!¡±

    ¡°Leave it, witch.¡± Carthas returned to his former appearance with a faint, momentary glow of light. ¡°Even someone like you deserves a better fate than getting yourself killed. At this rate, you¡¯re gonna let that power consume you.¡±

    Heloise yowled like a banshee. ¡°No! I need that cure!¡± The witch made a mad dash toward the fleeing bird.

    Carthas reluctantly followed.

    The girl and her familiar chased after the Caladrius for several minutes, with several missed or late spells along the way. Despite her ragged breathing through grit teeth, she wasn¡¯t about to give up on her prize after finally coming so close. Unfortunately, after about a mile, the witch¡¯s cursed form finally gave out.

    ¡°Shit! Where did my power go? I didn¡¯t tell it to turn off!¡±

    ¡°You didn¡¯t notice?¡± asked Carthas. ¡°We passed through a strange barrier just now. It cut off the flow of your power just now.¡±

    ¡°Barrier?¡± Heloise looked around, finally noticing a strange shimmering wall stretching for several miles in both directions. ¡°What the fuck is this doing all the way out here?¡±

    Her slender fingers dipped through the invisible field, coating them in a lingering chill. A strange barrier of unknown origins, cast without any trace of lasting magic, seemed almost impossible. Most barriers she had seen, created, or read about were never described as being able to reach the enormity of the one present before her. And naturally, all were conjured with magic yet this one had no enchanted energy to it. It felt stale and lifeless. As if created by unnatural means opposed to magic.

    As the witch contemplated the implications of the presence of such a structure, the winds violently began to pick up. Another harsh blizzard was now battering the area, almost as if warning them to leave.

    ¡°I can¡¯t take this anymore,¡± said Heloise. ¡°Let¡¯s just go home before it gets dark. Wait¡ªI¡­ forgot my staff back there.¡±

    <hr>

    Alma¡¯s eyes flung open. The memory of that day had finished playing. It was her first time experiencing someone¡¯s memories and it wasn¡¯t at all like she was expecting. The dialogue was mostly muffled and the scene itself was completely hazy. She was also more of an outside observer, rather than inside of someone else¡¯s head. It felt a lot more like a dream, but also a bit more uncomfortable. At most, she had only gotten a general idea of what had happened, but she seemed overall satisfied with the result. The sniper raised her head and looked around the room, her vision still adjusting to the real world. Hwal¨ªn was also slowly regaining her awareness, while to Alma¡¯s side was the eldritch woman, Qu¡¯l-Nia. Alma smiled.

    ¡°Well, that certainly was an experience. I thought I was ready to get into Heli¡¯s head, but magic will never not be weird.¡±

    ¡°Bloody Beryllands, Alma.¡± Hwal¨ªn brought a palm to her head. ¡°We went through all that and barely gleamed a thing. I don¡¯t know how that was supposed to help at all. Nice buzz though.¡±

    ¡°That is quite unfortunate,¡± replied Qu¡¯l-Nia. She had been stroking the head of the gatin in her lap. ¡°I had thought perhaps we had finally gotten our answer. It appears as if our goal is almost always out of reach.¡±

    ¡°What are you talking about?¡± asked Alma. ¡°We got exactly what we needed.¡±

 Chapter 101: Escape to Witch Mountain

    ¡°What? We did? I could barely make any sense outta that whole ordeal.¡±

    ¡°It didn''t have to be clear to make sense. Heli knew I''d see what she wanted me to see. She got into another big epic fight with some magical monster and unleashed a reckoning. Gotta hand it to her, she''s gotten really powerful in my absence. And brave. She kicked that thing¡¯s ass. I''m so proud of her. Maybe it was for the best that we went our separate ways¡­¡±

    ¡°Alma,¡± Qu''l-Nia snapped. ¡°Did Heloise¡¯s power seem at all strange to you? Was her magic different than usual?¡±

    ¡°Strange and different? I don''t think so? I''m not exactly an expert on magic, but nothing really seemed off to me.¡± Alma scratched her head. She didn''t seem at all phased by the flock of polygonal creatures flying on the other side of the window. ¡°From what I could discern, anyway. I just thought it was a cool magic battle. Why do you ask?¡±

    ¡°It is of no big concern.¡± The eldritch woman shrugged indifferently. ¡°Banish it from your mind. I thought perhaps I had sensed an irregularity, but if you find no foul with her or her magics, then I suppose the point is moot.¡±

    ¡°Well, Alm,¡± said Hwal¨ªn. ¡°Since you''re such an expert on your friend, tell us what answer exactly you did find that''s supposed to help us.¡±

    ¡°She used some kind of mini volcano spell, right? The way she cracked open the land and all those little lava spewers shot up.¡± She made several inane motions with her fingers. ¡°We just gotta search for those landmarks. Damage like that would certainly stick around. Man, she''s so cool. I miss her already. I''m so glad we made up.¡±

    ¡°Your emotions seem all over the place, mate,¡± noted Hwal¨ªn. ¡°I''m happy for you, but are you doing alright? Maybe you''re still a little buzzed from that drink.¡±

    ¡°I''m perfectly fine. Relatively perfectly fine. It''s just¡­ hitting me now that I might''ve actually accepted never seeing Heli again. But then we made up, like we always do, and it''s made me realize how stupid I was being, just giving up like that. And that''s not the only time. I''d also started giving up on ever serving in the army again even though I could just reapply next year. And now here my brain keeps telling me to give up on my sister and that''s where I''m drawing the line. I won''t let myself give up on her. Not when I''m sure she''s still out there somewhere¡ª¡± A small snowflake came to rest on the tip of Alma''s nose, making her freeze mid-sentence.

    ¡°Oi, mate. Did it get a touch colder in here?¡±

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    A sudden chill had permeated the room, almost as if a window had been left open. A glance over at Qu''l-Nia revealed that she had already discovered the source. On the other side of the room, the eldritch woman had been peering into a strange, swirling portal. The other side of which displayed a brilliant, snow-capped vista of immeasurable distance that was already being surveyed by her.

    ¡°It would seem to be our destination,¡± noted Qu¡¯l-Nia. ¡°Is it time for us to depart, Alma?¡±

    ¡°Whoa! You did that quick, Alm. Looks like you''ve really got a handle on¡­ things¡­¡±

    Alma gripped the edges of the couch as she stared in disbelief at the location beyond the portal, scanning it with astonished eyes. There was a pervasive glare shining off the snow that disappeared as quickly as Alma focused on it. ¡°I¡­ Did I do that? I wasn''t even¡ªit¡¯s just like in the mausoleum¡­ I know I''ve improved, but that''s so weird.¡±

    ¡°Alma, if I may offer some conclusions,¡± said Qu¡¯l-Nia. ¡°Your abilities are definitely controlled by your emotions, more specifically your subconscious ones. It is not just your willingness to make them, but your subconscious desire to strive toward the ones you love. To be able to rescue them or come home to them that matters to you most. That is where the measure of your strength truly lies.¡±

    Alma¡¯s face was now beet-red. ¡°D-Don''t just say stuff like that out loud! You know how it gets me!¡± She pointed at the Hecatian who had burst out in laughter. ¡°Then this bitch here goes and makes fun of me again!¡±

    ¡°You''re too cute, mate.¡± Hwal¨ªn plopped down next to Alma. ¡°You sure that crushing modesty won¡¯t prevent you from pulling that trigger when we get out there?¡±

    ¡°Shut up.¡± Alma grabbed the pistol she laid out on the table, reloaded its mag and then holstered it. ¡°We may as well pack up and get ready to head out. Q, since you¡¯re already there, can you tell me exactly what the other side looks like?¡±

    ¡°Only what is immediately visible. Fields replete with fallen snow and trees. It appears to be our destination, but¡ª¡± As Qu¡¯l-Nia reached out to touch the portal, it quickly dissipated back into the ether. ¡°Interesting. Alma, if you would be so kind?¡±

    ¡°Oh, huh. My bad. I¡¯m not sure how the duration works on these things. I just assumed they fizzled out after use. Heh. You know what I¡¯m saying? Hehe.¡± The ex-soldier was chuckling mischievously and elbowing Hwal¨ªn who chuckled back. ¡°I¡¯ll just make another one.¡±

    ¡°Perhaps now the process has become simpler for you. Since we more or less have discovered what it is that empowers your ability.¡±

    Alma stopped chuckling. ¡°R-Right. The power of¡­ right. Let me get right on that then.¡± The ex-soldier clasped her fingers together in concentration and closed her eyes. Nothing¡¯s changed about her mission. She swore she¡¯d save her sister and the world. Not a big deal, right? She just has to ¡°strive¡± toward them. When has she ever not done tha¡ª A sudden crackling sound in the air caused Alma¡¯s eyes to fly open. The portal was open. Along with several more. Surrounding the couch she and Hwal¨ªn were sitting on was now a large ring of portals, all leading to the same destination somewhere on the Akhlut Mountains. Stray snow was beginning to pile up around their feet as it blew in from each opening.

    ¡°Whoa,¡± exclaimed both women at once.

 Chapter 102: Mindcraft

    Alma stuck her head through the portal, admiring the window into the wilderness that was meant to be miles away. It was only through the intrusive thoughts of decapitation that she swiftly reeled herself in.

    ¡°Looks like ya leveled up,¡± noted Hwal¨ªn. ¡°Can you turn ¡®em off just as easy?¡±

    Alma thought for a moment, looking at the several portals enclosed around them. She threw her hands out in front of her, expecting something to happen, but to her embarrassment and frustration, nothing did. She tried again with lackluster results. She then tried separating her hands far back to her sides before bringing them together in a loud clapping motion. She tried several small, weaker claps. She tried snapping. She tried pumping her fist in the air. She tried punching the air. Nothing worked to close the frozen portals. She sighed and shrugged at both women.

    ¡°You are trying to channel your ability through familiar motions,¡± said Qu¡¯l-Nia. ¡°And while I understand that to seem like a viable option, your mind is not willing to accept it. Do not forget, your mind is a powerful thing and you must first convince it that you control this ability of yours. If you can master that, then anything becomes possible.¡±

    ¡°Well, if it were that easy to just tell my mind what to do, then maybe I could also get rid of this soul-crushing depression.¡± The ex-soldier chuckled dispassionately.

    ¡°Not just to the thoughts in your head, but to the conscious mind of your body.¡±

    ¡°My mind?¡± asked Alma. ¡°You mean, like my mind mind? That thing you said that was like the opposite of my soul?¡±

    ¡°Oho! She told you about that, did she?¡± Hwal¨ªn was lying back and grinning. ¡°Took me a while to fully understand it myself, but it ended up helping me focus my othering in the end.¡±

    ¡°Othering? Wait, Q, you think I can use magic? Come on now, I''m no witch.¡± Alma grabbed her pistol and twirled it on her finger. She waved it back and forth playfully. ¡°I guess it would explain some things. But how would I have an othering in the first place? I thought that was you guys¡¯ eldritch magic. And how does Hwal¨ªn have one? I remember you mentioning it once and it completely slipped my mind until now.¡±

    ¡°Magic is a special energy conjured up from the soul. With the correct control and aptitude, one may use it to affect the universe around you. I believe you are aware of this, yes?¡±

    ¡°Insofar as Heli''s taught me, yeah.¡±

    ¡°Othering is distinctly different. It is the special energy conjured up from the mind. It influences things beyond what magic is capable of. It can affect the mechanics that drive the universe and touch the space beyond it. It is the primary driving force of The Real and delving directly into the realm of gods. You were correct in assessing my singing as othering, but it is not something ordinarily accessible to untrained, unattuned childlings.¡± The random sequence of twinkling on Qu¡¯l-Nia''s hair seemed almost strangely uniform at that moment. ¡°There is one more thing that perhaps it is about time I shared with you. That is, if one of the egovoid were so inclined, this power could also be shared. Depending on the type of sharer and exact othering being shared, they can bestow this kind of power on a single entity or a group. These chosen, so to speak, have been collectively dubbed the monomyth.¡±

    ¡°T-That sounds ominous,¡± replied Alma. There was a growing terror in her eyes. ¡°You think my power comes from an othering, meaning you think I''m some¡­ monomyth? So Hwal¨ªn is your monomyth? Wait. You''re saying my power is literally a gift from some higher power? How long have you known about this? Why exactly were you waiting for so long to fucking telling me about this?¡±

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    ¡°I was not sure. I still am not sure, but it makes the most sense. Your othering has already shown extraordinary growth and has shown to be extremely powerful. I had posited the theory in my mind when you first described your ability to me, but as it evolved, I found myself becoming increasingly uncertain. The implications proved too much, as it would mean that your power comes from something unfathomable. I was unsure of whether to admit my fears to you, so I remained quiet until now where it simply seemed more pertinent to confess. I am sorry, Alma. Perhaps you deserved to know from the start.¡±

    ¡°You''re damned right I deserved to know! Macha¡¯s sake, why does it feel like we''re always arguing? I guess I really should be worried, but I''m just exhausted over it all. I''ve had this power since forever. If there were some consequences coming for me, I think I''d have seen them by now. I''m just some girl. I''m not some special chosen one. Though now I wonder if this really was a gift from Macha the whole time¡­ But then what did she mean for me to do with them?¡±

    ¡°Derleth''ll probably know, you know,¡± said Hwal¨ªn.

    ¡°Huh?¡±

    ¡°Just saying. Nia¡¯s been saying it too. Best person to ask would be the guy who¡¯s been looking over the planet for most of the time. He¡¯s gotta have some answers for us. More the reason to get our arses over there already.¡±

    ¡°Yeah¡­¡± Alma looked over at Qu¡¯l-Nia. ¡°The mind¡¯s a powerful thing, huh? Guess it¡¯s more powerful than most of us realize.¡± Alma pointed at one of the portals with her finger and raised her thumb, forming a finger gun with her hand. She closed an eye and made a little firing motion. ¡°Pow.¡±

    The other two shared a slight look of astonishment on their faces.

    Alma¡¯s firing motion seemed to close the portal she had been aiming at the moment she pretend-fired. The ex-soldier smiled quaintly, stood up and repeated the motion for the rest of the portals. Each one closed at her little maneuver. Finally, she took aim with her outstretched finger at an empty spot across from her and fired, creating a new portal against the apartment wall. She walked into it and stepped out from an exit formed behind the couch. She aimed to her left, and walked through the newly formed portal exiting on the right. She aimed to her right, and walked through another newly formed exit on the left. She did this a few more times, with a smug look on her face. She brought her finger to her lip and blew at imaginary smoke. ¡°And that¡¯s how it¡¯s done.¡±

    Both Hwal¨ªn and Qu¡¯l-Nia gave a round of applause at Alma¡¯s newest achievement.

    ¡°Nice going, mate!¡±

    ¡°I am impressed, Alma. You truly are taking to your abilities. At the very least, they seem safe in your capable hands.¡±

    ¡°You know what? While I¡¯m at it, let me stop back home really quick. During my whole slump earlier, I didn¡¯t really make time to clean up and¡­¡± Alma raised her arm and gave her pit a quick sniff. ¡°I¡¯m smelling real ripe right now.¡±

    The sniper aimed her portal finger-gun and made a convenient exit back home.

    <hr>

    About an hour later, the portal with the returning Alma had formed back at her sister¡¯s apartment. She stepped out, wearing her familiar black coat on top of her white turtleneck shirt. Her hair was looking shiny and non-greasy and tied up into her usual top-knot, while the smoky eyeshadow she wore gave her eyes a dark, somber look. Slung over her shoulder was the bag containing her trusted hunting rifle¡ªamong many other things.

    ¡°Lookin¡¯ sharp, Alm,¡± said Hwal¨ªn. ¡°All set now?¡±

    ¡°Yeah,¡± replied Alma. ¡°I¡¯m ready.¡± The ex-soldier shot another portal directly across from them. The vista within was of a mountainous area covered in frozen trees and beset by random blizzards. Snow was once again trickling in through the newly formed portal. ¡°Let¡¯s hustle before we get this place all wet.¡±

    Qu¡¯l-Nia rose from her seat on the coach, letting the gatin slip from her lap before it quickly returned to nuzzle against her ankles.

    Hwal¨ªn set down her now empty beer bottle onto the counter and was on her way to follow Alma through the portal when her ears perked up at a strange sound coming from a nearby window. But turning to look, she failed to notice anything out of the ordinary. There was only the same outside street of Malachias.

    ¡°Is there something wrong, Hwal¨ªn?¡± asked the eldritch woman.

    The Hecatian shrugged. ¡°Naw. Must¡¯ve been my imagination.¡±

 Chapter 103: Chillax

    ¡°Hrnnh.¡± Derleth made a low grumbling sound as he stood at the entrance to the forest beyond his home. The eldritch man looked sternly past the maze of trees at nothing in particular. ¡°It appears you''ve finally arrived, Dancer. As I knew you would.¡±

    Behind him, the once devoted priestess glided across the snow with her glacial scythe swung in hand. She was dodging two bipedal creatures with ease. They appeared to be large humanoid wulfeites constructed by Derleth. Lycans, he called them. Not a beast native to her world, but formidable challenges nonetheless. They bore swift, enormous claws that just barely grazed her skin as she spun around them. If there was one thing Zulema was good at, it was dancing around her enemies as she sliced them to bits with a speed that was almost inhuman.

    ¡°Having another discussion with yourself, dear Derleth?¡± asked the priestess. There was a sound of derision in her voice that she had grown accustomed to using around him. She twirled, successfully dodging an incoming slash. ¡°You''ve had more words with yourself than with me ever since you kidnapped me here.¡±

    The eldritch man remained silent, seemingly unaffected by her taunting. After a moment, he turned to look at her just as she made a swift downward arc of her scythe, bisecting the fiendish construct down the middle. With a flourish, she spun the weapon in hand and before thrusting the bottom of the snath outward to her right just as the second lycan leaped at her. The sharpened, pointed base of her weapon had pierced through its face, causing its entire form to dissolve beautifully into snowflakes flowing past before it could reach her.

    Zulema brought her hand, still clutching her weapon, before her face as she closed her eyes. She made a small, silent prayer before releasing the scythe from her grip and letting it dissolve as it kissed the ground.

    ¡°You''ve markedly improved,¡± noted Derleth. ¡°At the very least, your prior hesitance has abated, revealing your true skill.¡±

    ¡°Well. It¡¯s like you said, I should survive rather than focus on revenge.¡± The glacial priestess clicked her teeth. ¡°At least for now.¡±

    ¡°That''s enough for today. Something is to happen soon. One of my kind has finally deigned to pay me a visit and it appears there are certain elements at play that proved¡­ unexpected. Until I fully understand the purpose of her return, I need you to stay hidden within my chambers.¡± His gaze trailed to the invisible entrance between the tree''s enormous frozen roots.

    ¡°Pardon me? You wish to lock me up once again?¡± Zulema sneered. ¡°I am not some sort of untamed beast yet to be housebroken! Is the company you keep so distrustful that they don''t allow pets in their presence?! That''s all I am to you, aren''t I?¡±

    ¡°You anger much too easily, Orphan of Macha. Anger has its uses but you always seem to spout such meaningless drivel at me in that menacing tone as if I am to understand the reason for your ire. If I order you to do something, then it is highly probable that it is for a good reason.¡±

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    ¡°You¡ª!!¡± Zulema bared her teeth in exasperation. ¡°Just because you saved my life, kidnapped me, then trapped me here does not mean you can have any which way you desire with me!¡±

    ¡°For the moment, our mission must remain a secret. The Elder One on her way here is the guardian who took over my role. She is not to know of my machinations here, lest she attempt to put a stop to them. Her purpose is to keep a status quo, and my meddling into this planet¡¯s affairs goes against that. It would be highly dangerous especially for you if she learned I had involved a mortal.¡±

    ¡°I still haven¡¯t agreed to any mission, you brooding brute¡­¡± Zulema mumbled as she trudged defeatedly back toward the base. Her silky, white dress billowed in the wind behind her. As she made it to the base of the large tree, she looked back one more time and noticed Derleth had returned to gazing at the empty forest of trees beyond his home. She imagined he probably spent half his time doing that and the other half staring off through the windowed walls of his throne room. Stepping through the illusory wall¡ªthat still oddly felt cold to her, despite her newfound powers¡ªshe found herself once again inside the large glacial chamber. She took a few steps then stopped when she noticed a miniature army at her feet. Small shards of ice were slowly trudging around on even smaller stubby pegs meant to act as legs, providing them a limited bit of momentum. The cleric crouched down, smiling gently at the tiny glacial automatons. She tapped the head of one with her finger. ¡°Well, aren¡¯t you cute? It¡¯s a shame, I¡¯m almost completely sure he can see me through you.¡±

    The shard under her finger motioned its body up towards her face, as if looking at her. It raised the tiny arm at its side¡ªa nub made up of a smaller glacial shard¡ªand touched the digit of the priestess pressing down on it. To anyone else, it would almost seem alive.

    Zulema rose to her feet and walked off toward the book section in the back, casually avoiding the other little familiars in her path. She retrieved a medium length book off the shelf and examined it, noting the meticulous spotlessness on an otherwise uninteresting, blank cover. Looking around, she thought it odd that all the other books on the bookshelf were just as devoid of dust particles. Was the room so completely sterile? To her right sat the large, indecipherable tome she had taken out the other day¡ªstill undisturbed. She remembered the way it had made her feel and it sent a shiver down her spine. She picked it up and placed it back where she had originally found it. She considered doing the same to the other book she had just taken out, weighing it in her hand, deciding if another possible headache could possibly be worth the ease of boredom. She sighed, desperately wishing she had a glass of wine in her hand instead. A sweet sherry, perhaps. She glanced back at the book before opening it and was relieved to find it was actually in a language she could understand¡ªalbeit only moderately. It seemed to be a narrative of some kind. Despite the ancient writing within, the book appeared like new. For the first time since she arrived, Zulema felt at ease.

    Back outside, Derleth walked a ways into the forest until he could finally see some movement in the trees beyond. He had felt a disruption in his barrier earlier, which had alerted him to The Dancer¡¯s presence. It seemed she wasn¡¯t alone. The eldritch man watched as the platinum-haired woman walked indifferently through the snow¡ªthe surrounding blizzard avoiding her seemingly of its own accord. Accompanying her had been a mortal Hecatian he did not recognize, along with another mortal woman whose scent he had once detected before¡ªa relative of the Orphan. She was the real reason he had hidden her away. He could not let the priestess be swayed further from his plans. Not when she had finally begun to acquiesce.

 Chapter 104: Castle Doctrine

    ¡°Alma, mate. I see your arse shivering in them boots. Didn¡¯t I tell you to wear the snow cloak Nia made?¡± Hwal¨ªn nudged the sniperess in the arm with her shoulder. ¡°Surely ya trust us by now.¡±

    ¡°And I told you I¡¯m fine with my jacket.¡± Alma replied with a piercing gaze before sighing. ¡°And I do. I do trust you, but I''m already dealing with enough otherworldly caca. Magic''s the limit for me. I have no idea what othering will do, especially if it somehow interferes with my own. Which is still very weird to say.¡±

    ¡°Aye, I hear ya. It''s completely mental. But here''s an idea. Think of yourself as a magic knight of sorts.¡±

    ¡°Magic Knight?! L-Like in Gat Warrior Legend? My favorite cartoon about anthropomorphic cyborg gatins?¡± The theme song crept back into her head like a worm almost immediately and she couldn¡¯t help but start to hum it aloud.

    ¡°Uhhh, sure mate. Just like in your cartoon.¡± Hwal¨ªn turned to the eldritch woman beside her and whispered to her, ¡°Can you believe this girl, Nia? She says that but clearly some trust issues just never go away.¡±

    Qu''l-Nia had been eerily silent for the past several minutes, prompting the Hecatian to try to get her attention time and again. Still, this hadn''t been too out of the ordinary for her, leaving the other two merely scratching their heads in mild curiosity.

    ¡°It''s the darndest thing, Nia. Can''t hear anything queer over the crazy blizzard pelting us every which way. You sure we''re going the right way?¡±

    After another bout of silence, Qu¡¯l-Nia finally spoke. ¡°Yes. We are here.¡± The eldritch woman had stopped and was looking up from the embankment toward a figure neither of them had previously noticed.

    An ominous, bestial entity wearing the face of a bovine-like creature with ancient, gnarled antlers bigger than any Alma had ever witnessed on a woodland animal. Its half-gaped maw was filled with rows of jagged and crooked teeth, pushing past the barrier of its mouth that seemed barely held together with sinewy strings of flesh, revealing bone visible just underneath. Its beady, silver eyes pierced through the raging snow from several feet high in the air. Its body was long and emaciated, with disgusting leathery skin covered in sparsely patterned hair. Its ribs protruded from its body and bulging veins pulsed along every inch of the monster. Its arms seemed almost stretched beyond their limits, tearing at its bicep muscles. Its fingers were extra long and protruded into sharp, skewering claws. The legs sprouting from the eerie creature were as tall as small trees and covered in incredibly dense hair. A small bit of cloth wrapped loosely around its crotch. Around its neck was tied the ratty looking skin of an animal.

    The smell of rotten flesh permeated the air around them.

    The ex-soldier had jumped back almost immediately and readied her pistol, aiming directly at the monster staring down at them. ¡°What the fuck?! Where did you come from?!¡±

    Hwal¨ªn tensed up, her hands resting on the pommel of her blades. The fur on her ears were standing on end and her fangs were bared in a threatening gesture.

    ¡°Derleth.¡± Qu''l-Nia called to him. The other two women turned to her in confusion. ¡°It has been some time.¡±

    The beast growled in what seemed like malice. A thickening glob of saliva trailed down from its decaying lips. Alma recoiled and cocked her gun.

    "That is quite enough, Derleth. Even I am not so foolish as to think that all your time spent on this planet has rotted your mind to such a degree."

    ¡°You''re as sharp as ever,¡± said the beast. His voice was low and guttural but sounded just human enough.

    Alma kept her gun trained on the creature that was supposedly Derleth. In a single blink, the beast had taken the form of a man. Or something akin to one. He had somehow adjusted his height to a less freakish degree. Yet despite being much closer to the ground, his face was still that of a beast.

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    ¡°I¡¯d been expecting you since the moment I felt your presence enter this universe,¡± continued Derleth. ¡°I am always in-tune with this sphere''s membrane, although I had temporarily lost you once you had touched ground on the planet. I knew you would come eventually.¡±

    Alma averted her gaze as he spoke. Whenever he opened his beastly mouth, she would notice rows of teeth that seemed like they had no end. She wondered if anything that entered his mouth actually ever came out the other end.

    ¡°You have made quite a home for yourself,¡± noted Qu¡¯l-Nia. ¡°It is a shame it has taken me this long to finally come visit. I have been¡­ quite busy.¡±

    ¡°I am aware of the toll this role takes on oneself. I do not hold any ill will. But come. The barrier is quite powerful here and I expect your mortal subordinates are looking for a place to warm themselves up.¡±

    ¡°Mortal hwha¡ª?¡± Hwal¨ªn wore a bewildered expression. ¡°We''re partners, mate! Bloody Beryllands, we¡¯re downright chums!¡±

    ¡°Relax, Hwal,¡± said Alma, putting her pistol away. She then stood at attention, saluting the eldritch man. ¡°Ex-Private First Class Ranged Specialist Alma Mesial of the Malachian Crusaders, reporting for duty!¡± Alma then sighed and mumbled depressingly to herself, ¡°All that work¡­ All that studying¡­¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m impressed, Dancer.¡± Derleth spoke while walking. ¡°It seems you have found some loyal followers for your mission. Which I¡¯m sure you¡¯re all too keen to brief me on judging by your timely arrival. In truth, part of me doubted you would come. I did not consider myself a priority for you.¡± The eldritch man turned his bestial visage toward Qu¡¯l-Nia, his silver eye slicing through the thick air like a laser beam. ¡°I¡¯m glad that little nagging doubt turned out to be unfounded.¡±

    <hr>

    After a few more minutes of walking, the group arrived at a clearing where sat an enormous tree right in the center. Alma craned her neck upward to try to gauge the height of it, but her analysis was halted thanks to the array of nebulous clouds above. The presence of such a thing was impossible, she thought. There was no way she could¡¯ve missed something so huge stretching out of the forest just ahead of them. But there was no mistaking what was clear as day to her eyes. Eyes that have seen many more impossible, esoteric things.

    ¡°You¡­ live here?¡± asked Alma. Her survival instincts revved themselves up. ¡°How do you exist out here? What do you eat? You don¡¯t need to keep warm apparently. How has no other living human discovered you out here? This is the stuff of legends here! Speaking of which, you really are just like how grandhag described you.¡±

    ¡°I am not aware of ever meeting with this Grandhag of which you speak. No human could possibly find this location unless I will it. The elfwin may have stories of me, but those are from a time long past. It is simple living now. I study the world from here while simultaneously keeping them at arm¡¯s length. As for how I thrive, I hunt the animals that enter my domain and I eat them. Nothing more. Unless perhaps you¡¯re interested in the mechanics of that¡­?¡±

    Alma¡¯s eyes lit up. ¡°Actually¡ª¡±

    ¡°Derleth,¡± interrupted Qu¡¯l-Nia. ¡°We have indeed come for an important reason and it was not to discuss your living habits. I do not care how you have been making your way out here, nor would I have come here if not for a desperate need of help.¡±

    Hwal¨ªn had arrived with her hands resting on her pommels. A stance she often employed when preparing for a fight. Despite Qu¡¯l-Nia¡¯s relationship with him, there was a tingling feeling on the back of her neck warning her not to trust him. And often did she trust that gut feeling.

    Alma noticed this and whispered to Hwal¨ªn. ¡°What are you doing? We¡¯ve wasted all this effort trying to get here. And now all of a sudden you think we¡¯re here to start a fight?¡±

    ¡°Aye. I¡¯m with Nia on this one. Reckon animals aren¡¯t the only thing ol¡¯ Derleth¡¯s sunk his teeth into.¡± The Hecatian spoke loud enough to make sure Derleth could hear her. ¡°We¡¯re not here to make friendly. Especially considering all those legends you mentioned might actually be tru¡ª¡±

    Hwal¨ªn cut her sentence short as in another blink of an eye, the monstrous head of the eldritch man had been switched with that of a darkly pale and handsome stranger. He was a well-built, human-like stature that seemed both imposing and welcoming. Both women stared with mouth agape.

    ¡°Pardon my disrespect,¡± the handsome, eldritch stranger said. As if to further push the point across, the gnarled, silvery antlers sprouting from his head gleamed beautifully with a ghostly, glacial light that shone like a beacon amid the chill air. ¡°I had assumed followers of the Dancer would be more accustomed to otherworldly sights. Mayhap this form would prove to be a bit more trustworthy?¡±

    Hwal¨ªn gulped and leaned toward Alma, her voice trickled down to a whisper. ¡°Now there¡¯s a stranger I wouldn¡¯t mind jumping, if you catch my drift.¡±

    Alma audibly gagged in disgust.

 Chapter 105: The Outer Limits

    ¡°I presume¡­¡± started Qu¡¯l-Nia. ¡°You have noticed what has been going on. Even in your limited form, you should have sensed the gravitational anomalies surfacing from this planet.¡±

    ¡°Indeed,¡± replied Derleth. ¡°Disturbances caused by ritualistic meddling¡ªor so my probes tell me.¡±

    ¡°...Your probes?¡± The eldritch woman had momentarily stopped in her tracks before continuing again. ¡°Your power is returning then. I am amazed that Guiltine has not noticed. I did not think she would ever again give you even the slightest opportunity to siphon the souls of childlings.¡±

    ¡°Or perhaps something else has kept her far too distracted that it finally slipped her mind,¡± he hissed. There was a sort of irritation in his voice. ¡°The gestaltian was never going to be able to hold me forever. A fact that they knew all too well.¡±

    ¡°Wait, wait,¡± interrupted Alma, who had been trailing close behind and eavesdropping on their conversation. ¡°Our gestaltian is the one who locked you in here?¡±

    Derleth looked over to Qu¡¯l-Nia who nodded to him, then turned to face Alma. ¡°That is correct, Daughter of Man. She was commanded by the Elder Dwellers to keep me and my power sealed in here.¡±

    The sniperess raised an eyebrow at the strange title he had given her. But another title had caught her ear. A distant memory scratched at the back of her thoughts but faded almost as quickly as it appeared. ¡°Elder Dwellers?¡±

    ¡°Our people,¡± answered Qu¡¯l-Nia. She was glaring at Derleth¡¯s back. ¡°Do not forget it was your own arrogance that brought upon your downfall, Derleth. And I am the one charged to deal with you if you escape. Do not test my goodwill simply because I decided to pay you a visit of my own accord.¡±

    ¡°How many winters has it been, Cailleach-Niamh? Always opposing me? Always getting in my way?¡± He turned toward her rather dramatically, whipping his cloak aside. ¡°Never just standing aside. Never returning to my side.¡±

    ¡°And look where your machinations have gotten you. Perhaps you are right. Perhaps imprisoning you here was a grave mistake. Because as far as I can tell, you have gained no benefit and have only gotten worse in your time here. I still regard you as a dangerous individual and if this were not a matter of the direst consequences, I would have never come here. And though you do your best to hide it, you are still as driven by your paltry emotions as you always were and I know for a fact that your instinct to survive will drive you to aid me whether you wish to or not.¡±

    The silver glint in Derleth¡¯s eyes blazed with an intense ferocity as he glared at Qu¡¯l-Nia. There was no telling whether he would snap and strike at her and Alma was becoming increasingly worried by the second. But right as she opened her mouth to protest, Derleth finally spoke.

    ¡°You haven¡¯t changed a single iota, Dancer.¡± He approached her slowly. Even in his human form, he was towering over her by several feet. He smiled and gently brushed a few of her platinum locks away from her face. ¡°Still as radiant as all time, like the star over the Cerenerian Sea. I would have aided you regardless of the reason.¡±

    ¡°Blimey, Nia!¡± Hwal¨ªn was gobsmacked. ¡°I didn¡¯t know you had it in you! Literally. I did not know you had it in you to charm another living being.¡±

    ¡°Derleth is merely retreading an antiquated fragment of a remnant of a life that no longer exists, perhaps to garner my sympathy.¡± Qu¡¯l-Nia smirked softly, her eyes searching his for some underlying design. ¡°A meaningless approach, as the majority of that time I do not even seem to recall.¡±

    ¡°Good!¡± shouted Alma. ¡°I¡¯m glad you two sorted out that little wrinkle. Need I remind you I¡¯m still currently freezing my ass off?¡± She looked from Qu¡¯l-Nia to Derleth. ¡°S-Sir.¡±

    ¡°Alma¡­¡± Qu¡¯l-Nia frowned.

    ¡°Of course, Daughter of Man. It is my honor to serve you.¡± responded Derleth. He pointed to a crudely made structure sitting just a few feet ahead of them. ¡°There is a fire pit there. Use it and warm yourself.¡±

    ¡°Your honor¡­?¡± The ex-soldier felt a slight awkwardness at that. She waved her arms deniably in front of her. ¡°N-No. You¡¯re the one in charge here, aren¡¯t you? I¡¯m simply her attach¨¦. And in matters of diplomacy, the visiting power always defers to the head of¡­ s-state.¡± She looked from side to side ¡°¡­Domain? Treehouse?¡±

    Derleth watched Alma for a moment, examining her features. An action that made the markswoman break into a cold sweat.

    ¡°Get a move on, mate.¡± Hwal¨ªn came over and placed a hand on Alma¡¯s shoulder, forcefully leading her toward the fire pit. The two quickly became preoccupied trying to light it.

    ¡°Exactly how much did you inform her of the extent of her abilities?¡± Derleth asked Qu¡¯l-Nia.

    ¡°Enough,¡± the eldritch woman answered.

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    ¡°I had felt a miniscule portion of that energy for the past 21 winters and could never understand the source of it or where to locate it.¡± His dark eyes turned back toward Alma. ¡°Until sometime after you arrived on this planet and now here you bring it straight to me.¡±

    ¡°It all happened by pure chance.¡±

    ¡°Something like this does not happen by pure chance. I know you are aware this is not an ordinary othering. You found this one, but have you not realized what it was that blessed her with it?¡±

    ¡°I considered it, then quickly cast that consideration aside. The thought alone frightened me. I did not wish to think that girl would be punished so.¡±

    ¡°It would be foolish to deny what has been in front of your face for days.¡± Derleth lowered his voice, in what seemed an uncharacteristic defensive measure. ¡°This is the power of an Outer One.¡±

    <hr>

    ¡°Just who is it he¡¯s meeting with out there anyway¡­?¡± Zulema had quickly grown curious as to what other powerful being Derleth could be having secret collusions with. Books could keep her only so entertained when her real world was currently being turned upside-down. She attempted to sneak outside of her hiding place, but had suddenly realized that the portal marked as her exit was a completely solid slab of ice. ¡°Blasted! That bastard locked me in here! I''m not your captive maiden, Derleth! Do you hear me?! I''m a human woman and I''ve trained far too much to put up with this wulfshit!¡±

    The priestess pressed her face against the icy door, trying her hardest to get a peek around the corner outside. The world outside appeared distorted through the glacial lens of the door, making it more difficult for her to parse anything outside. After what seemed countless minutes of struggle, she finally managed to pick up the sound of some voices. Unfortunately, they were all mostly too muffled for her to make out anything coherent. She sighed as her body slid slowly down the door defeatedly.

    ¡°Who am I kidding? I am just another innocent maiden¡ªtrapped under the deep sway of a large and powerful man. Woe is me. Right, little one?¡± A sad smile crept along her face as she spoke to one of the miniature little constructs walking around. One of them had wandered toward her while she had been mumbling to herself and oddly seemed to be pushing against her foot. She picked it up and held it up to her face. ¡°You can sense my melancholy, can¡¯t you? For you, this is your whole world. But this world is not for me. I have a home to go back to. Friends and family waiting for me to return. A Goddess who watches over me. Yes. As soon as I¡¯m powerful enough, I will escape that man¡¯s grasp. I¡ª¡±

    A sound outside made the priestess sit up. It was a voice. A familiar voice that seemed very out of place, and that terrified her instantly. ¡°Alma¡ª?¡± She placed the little automaton down and stood up, pressing herself against the frozen door once again. She peered through the ice as much as she could, trying to get a look at what was happening outside. ¡°No. It couldn¡¯t be. That¡¯s impossible¡ª¡±

    Zula¡¯s mind went blank as the figure of her sister entered the field of view through the door. She slammed on the ice with her fist.

    ¡°ALMA!¡± Zulema was screaming at the top of her lungs. ¡°ALMA, IT¡¯S ME! YOU NEED TO GET OUT OF HERE! RUN AWAY!!¡±

    Zulema¡¯s screams failed to reach Alma¡¯s ears. The ex-soldier was walking around, digging through the snow for pieces of wood. She seemed oblivious to the cries of her sister.

    ¡°Alma¡­ What are you even doing here?¡± Zulema mumbled to herself. ¡°Is this where your adventure has led you, sister? Straight into the monster¡¯s den? What possible plans could Derleth have with you?¡± She banged one more time, futilely. ¡°I swear I¡¯ll protect you from him¡­ He can have me, but no one will ever lay a finger on you.¡±

    Alma turned toward the enormous tree. Her eyes narrowing as if they detected something. She was looking right at where her sister was standing. A spark of renewed hope lit up in Zulema¡¯s eyes.

    ¡°Alma!¡± The priestess cried once more. She was pointing at herself rather desperately. ¡°Can you see me? It¡¯s Zula! I¡¯m here! I¡¯m right here! Please! Please say you can see me!¡±

    If Zulema¡¯s sister could see her, it certainly didn¡¯t show on her face. Alma inched closer to the entrance of the secret room. Something had caught her eye, but it didn¡¯t seem to be her sister. She slowly reached her hand out toward where Zulema was standing.

    ¡°Alma?¡±

    Alma turned away; her attention grabbed by something just out of view.

    ¡°No¡ª! Alma, wait!¡± Zulema screamed, punching and kicking at the frozen portal in front of her, watching helplessly as her sister walked away. Mustering up her anger, the ex-Scarlet Sister¡¯s arm shot out to her side, forming the handle of a familiar glacial scythe in her hand. The frosted crystals in the air swirled together around the shaft to form a brilliant, curved blade that was sharper than any knife. With all her might, she gripped the weapon in both hands until pain shot through her arms. She rose her scythe and attempted to cut a swathe through the door. The tip slid gracefully along the portal, leaving it with only the tiniest scratch etched into the ice. ¡°Damn it! Fuck! Open, damn you!¡± She continued her flurry of attacks¡ªthe blade glinting off the light pouring in with each swing¡ªand her screaming for her sister continued all the way. Her attempts to cleave through the immovable, ethereal gateway were sadly, to no avail.

    There was a sudden strange feeling pressing against the priestess¡¯s foot. One of the tiny, crystalline automatons was trying to get her attention.

    ¡°Huh?¡± Her voice had grown hoarse and her frigid breathing ragged. ¡°W-What is it, little one? D-Do you know a way to open this door?¡±

    The small thing, as if in response, began to slowly climb up her leg. Followed by another. Then another.

    ¡°What is this?! What are you doing?! Get off me!¡± Zulema started to panic. More of the small army of familiars had all started to march toward her. She swung her blade at them, but there proved to be too many to clear away at once. ¡°Don¡¯t come any closer!¡±

    More continued to slowly scale her body, swarming all over her like frozen little insects. They had already reached her waist and showed no signs of stopping. She swiped at them like mad, but their relentless march pressed onward. They were soon to drown her completely.

    ¡°This is your doing, Derleth, you fiend! Stay away from my sister!¡± Their collective weight started to bare down on her, causing her to kneel. She kept her balance with her scythe. It was too late to stop what was happening. ¡°I¡¯ll murder you, you piece of shit! If it¡¯s the last thing I do! You hear me, Derleth? I know these wicked little spies are relaying every word to you! You better kill me now, because if I survive this, you are fucking dead!¡±

 Chapter 106: Night Eyes

    ¡°Hey Alm,¡± called Hwal¨ªn, who was sitting in front of the strange looking fire pit. ¡°You hear something? I swear it almost sounded like screaming.¡±

    ¡°Oh please.¡± The markswoman approached from behind the corner of the tree. ¡°Is that what you called me over for? You know I don¡¯t scare that easily. Besides, this place is creepy enough. I¡¯ll bet you don¡¯t even see the insane swirling energy coming off this giant tree.¡±

    ¡°Yikes. You mean the huge eyesore? Can¡¯t imagine that¡¯d be all too pleasant to look at. Huh. Maybe that¡¯s what I¡¯ve been hearing?¡± Hwal¨ªn¡¯s pointed ears twitched, causing visible excitement from the bouncing of her ringed piercings. ¡°Just like your eyes, I can usually pick up some pretty funky planet sounds. Anyway, how¡¯s the haul?¡±

    Alma, who was still slightly shivering from the cold, reached for the bundle of sticks tucked under her arm. ¡°Extremely generous. This place is littered with twigs and logs. They¡¯re pretty soaked from the snow, but it shouldn¡¯t be a problem for me. I wonder though. Is this really a fire pit¡­?¡± She scanned the small structure in front of them. It was a rectangular hole in the ground, surrounded by stacks of ice blocks. The ice had a strange, intricate pattern running through it that made it appear oddly beautiful. The pit left Alma scratching her head, wondering why in the world anyone would build a fire in a structure made of ice.

    ¡°I wouldn¡¯t really question the mechanics of things made by the higher ones, mate.¡± Hwal¨ªn glanced over at Derleth and Qu¡¯l-Nia, both of whom seemed locked in a serious conversation. ¡°If it works, it works. Though, don¡¯t it seem odd a guy like him would need a fireplace at all? His blood probably runs cold all day.¡±

    ¡°Now that you mention it, that is a little weird. Maybe he keeps it around for company? I mean, we¡¯re about to make some good use out of it.¡±

    ¡°Company? Guy like him who claims to keep the world away? Something about it all still doesn¡¯t sit right with me.¡±

    ¡°Well, Hwal.¡± Alma, who spent a lot of time outdoors, was carving off the wet exterior of the wood to make it easier to burn. ¡°If you ask me, I think the dude is just lonely. Who¡¯s he need to keep away all the way up here? There¡¯s no one purposely coming here to hunt down some mystical, eldritch hermit. He seemed happy enough to accommodate us here. I think he¡¯s just happy to have actual visitors after who knows how long.¡±

    ¡°What the fuck, mate? Since when do you go about trusting anyone we meet?¡±

    ¡°Don''t say that like I''m some paranoid whack job. It¡¯s not like I trust him completely. I definitely wouldn¡¯t trust him to watch my pet. But we''ve been searching for Derleth for what seems like forever, and it''d be pretty stupid to just throw trust out the window completely here. We need his help, remember? Besides, I¡¯m sure Q''s got a handle on how to handle him.¡±

    ¡°You bump your head, mate? The man might have a pretty face, but that don''t mean I gotta listen to the words that come out of his mouth.¡± Hwal¨ªn''s eyes widened in a choking onset of realization. ¡°Aw, Alma you bloody git. You''ve fallen for him, haven''t you?¡±

    ¡°What? No! Ew! I might hunt them, but I am not into hairy monsters.¡± The disgusted markswoman motioned for Hwalin''s lighter. ¡°I¡­ I just know how shitty it feels being torn from your duty and feeling like you''ve been driven away¡ªtossed away by the peers you respected. It¡¯s awful and I¡¯m sure it¡¯s hurt him in some way. And so he¡¯s lashing out. Even Q seemed put off by his outburst.¡±

    ¡°Wow, Alm. I didn¡¯t know you could be so understanding.¡±

    ¡°I am when it comes to this.¡± Alma finally managed to set the kindling to smolder. She turned to Hwal¨ªn. ¡°And holy crap. I mean, that¡¯s the Ithaqua! From the Artemaian legends! In the leathery flesh! They say he can freeze your bones from the inside-out instantly causing them to shatter inside you. And don¡¯t even think about saying his name when the lakes are frozen! And here, that¡¯s practically all the time. You know how many times I¡¯ve pissed myself just from hearing his name? I knew it wasn¡¯t all bullshit! Just look at this place! I can¡¯t even see how high this tree goes! It¡¯s like I¡¯m in some sort of crazy dream! I rarely have good dreams anymore, Hwal¡­¡±

    ¡°Oi. You bloody fangirl.¡± Hwal¨ªn groaned and plopped herself down near the sniperess. ¡°I guess it¡¯s sit around the fire and tell stories time.¡±

    Alma had been blowing on the smoldering wood, slowly getting the fire to combust. ¡°It¡¯s not just that. My grandhag¡­ You know the rest of my family think she¡¯s some sort of bad influence and hated whenever she told me all her amazing experiences in other countries. Trying to live a normal life with these eyes was hard growing up, but listening to her always cheered me up. I loved the scary folklore she picked up from outside the most. This¡¯ll probably sound stupid, but hearing about other gods and spirits and the supernatural from a non-biased perspective gave me comfort. It got me to thinking, that maybe the mysterious things I was seeing¡­ what if¡­ what if they really were all those things I¡¯d hear about in her stories? That maybe I was actually special¡ªthat maybe I had been lucky to see more than just the world around me.¡± A small sigh escaped her lips. ¡°That feeling never lasted long. Anxiety always got the better of me.¡±

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    ¡°Aye, I getcha. I haven¡¯t forgotten about the sob story you told me after our fight with the chthonae. You started hunting these tales down as a way to cope until you eventually grew out of that phase of your life.¡±

    ¡°I didn¡¯t grow out of it. I just suppressed that side of me for a while to focus on setting my life straight. Besides, coping alone wasn¡¯t what helped the most. A majority of help came from a certain stupid, very beautiful witch.¡± A gentle smile graced her darkened expression. ¡°Thank madness for Heli. Life was a cold, bitter pill before she came along. I might''ve been able to endure thanks to the old lady¡¯s stories¡ªchasing ghosts in empty fields and public parks, but it was Heli who showed me a whole undiscovered world of magic. She taught me all about those hidden magical creatures that live just barely out of sight of us. And that feeling that things might not be so bad returned. Not just that, but it grew. It was then that I got my will to carry on back. I¡¯d always thought magic was just some boring tool used for labor, but not for Heli. Heli was a rebel. She studied the underground stuff written by the other races. She wrote her own formulae. She combined magic to invent her own spells. She has fun with magic. And I have fun with her. It might be hard to believe, but she even likes all the same things I do. I¡¯m so glad we talked again.¡±

    ¡°Yeah. I had a front row seat for her whole spiel, mate. You don¡¯t need to repeat it. I thought we were talking about your grandmum, when did we get on the witch?¡±

    Alma stuttered awkwardly, unsure of how to respond.

    ¡°Naw, you don¡¯t need to explain yourself. I''ve got a pretty good idea of what''s going on.¡± Hwal¨ªn let out a lascivious-sounding chuckle.

    ¡°Gross, dude. I swear that''s all you think about. It''s not like that with her¡­" claimed Alma. "We¡¯re just friends." Annoyance gradually made way for uncertainty.

    ¡°I dunno, mate. Not how I saw it. Probably not how she sees it either. Back when we were at her place, she was clinging to you at every turn like some kind of lost pup.¡±

    ¡°She¡¯s just overly affectionate," reasoned the sniper. "Plus, we hadn¡¯t seen each other in forever.¡±

    Hwal¨ªn looked off to the side, eyes narrowed in doubt. ¡°Not the word I¡¯d use for her.¡±

    ¡°Heli¡¯s way out of my league.¡± Alma giggled, then seemed to smirk knowingly. ¡°She deserves someone way better than me. She¡¯s not the type of girl to settle for just anyone. She goes through her exes faster than a bullet through the heart. She made the last guy cry. Or maybe it was got him killed¡­?¡±

    ¡°You see? You seem to be the only one that knows how to tame that wild witch. I''d say you two are perfect for each other.¡±

    ¡°You really think so?¡± Alma stared into the growing flame, lost in thought. Her entire face slowly grew red as some wayward image crossed her mind¡ªof a deep, visceral moment that might have been. Embarrassed, she jerked her body awake, snapping out of her suggestive daydream. ¡°Augh, I can¡¯t think of her like that! She¡¯s my friend. And I love her¡ªas a friend.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s usually how it starts. Then sooner or later you¡¯ll find yourself all alone with her one night, tasting that pretty pink lipstick of hers.¡±

    Alma let out a deep sigh tinged with a strange longing. ¡°I don¡¯t even have time for a relationship right now. Especially not when things are starting to ramp up. But¡ª¡± The ex-soldier looked away, blushing. The image of the witch that popped into her head seemed slightly different than usual. ¡±¡ªIt¡¯s not like I haven¡¯t thought about it before¡­ being with her¡­ like that. And it¡¯s like, what if I dated my best friend¡­?¡±

    ¡°Aha! I knew there was something there!¡± The Hecatian laughed triumphantly. ¡°You can¡¯t hide this kind of thing from me. You¡¯d do her a lot of good actually. You¡¯re levelheaded enough to keep her bitchiness in check. Well? You gonna ask her out next time you see her? Ah¡­ She does like girls, right?¡±

    ¡°She does. And I don¡¯t know. No¡­! I can¡¯t ask her out¡­ Should I?¡± Alma was absolutely flustered. ¡°Damn it! Now I can¡¯t stop thinking about it! How could you do this to me, you elfwin manipulator?¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re the one that brought her up out of nowhere, Alm.¡±

    ¡°Sonnuva¡ªRight. We were talking about grandhag. Uh¡­ What was I saying about her¡­? Her stories! Her stories helped. I know I¡¯ve seen things beyond my wildest imaginations on our journey, but here¡ªfinally seeing one of grandhag¡¯s legends come to life? I¡¯m just glad to see her finally validated. That¡¯s why, more than anything, I¡¯m happy to be here.¡±

    ¡°You don¡¯t look too happy. Something the matter?¡±

    Apparently, Alma had been frowning without even realizing, emphasized by the cold look in her eyes. ¡°Grandhag¡¯s an amazing woman, but even she thought my eyes were cursed. She thinks it might¡¯ve happened when I was a baby. I hated hearing that from her, because I thought she could be right. And now that I know it¡¯s othering, I know she¡¯s right.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s pretty spooky. Your gran really said that to you? Reminds me of my uncle. Even for such a serious guy, bastard was always trying to scare me. God, what a dick.¡± Despite her words, Hwal¨ªn chuckled to herself.

    ¡°Oh yeah! Your uncle Beleth! I remember! I still wanna meet him!¡± Alma grinned, but a sullen frown quickly returned to her face. ¡°¡­She once claimed I¡¯d been attacked by the darkness itself in the middle of the night. That some demon left its mark on me. For a while I prayed it was actually Macha that had blessed me rather than some random curse. But then that thought started to terrify me too.¡±

    ¡°For all we know¡ª.¡±

    ¡°Hwal.¡± Alma raised her hand to prevent the Hecatian from finishing her thought. She tried moving the conversation in another direction. ¡°Q said it makes us monomyths, right?¡±

    ¡°That is correct, Daughter of Man.¡± A deep, guttural voice echoed behind the two girls sitting at the campfire.

    Alma quickly spun around, spotting Derleth and Qu¡¯l-Nia both walking up to them.

 Chapter 107: Exotic Dancer

    ¡°You must forgive us, Alma. We were discussing matters concerning¡­¡± There was a flash of hesitance on Qu¡¯l-Nia¡¯s face. ¡°You.¡±

    ¡°You were talking about me? Why?¡±

    ¡°You are a mortal of great interest and it is vital we get to the bottom of this with great haste before we move onto other matters,¡± Derleth answered then motioned at Qu¡¯l-Nia. ¡°I believe my contemporary here has explained in her own way before that you possess great latent abilities, yes?¡±

    ¡°Uh¡­ Yeah. She¡¯s been saying something to that effect. How my eyes¡ªthat used to only see glimpses of other dimensions¡ªare now somehow evolving and giving me these weird powers.¡±

    The eldritch man rubbed his chiseled jaw in contemplation. ¡°What exactly are these powers of yours?¡±

    Alma couldn¡¯t help but follow the jagged, black claw protruding from his index finger as it slid back and forth along his chin. ¡°I¡­ I figured Qu¡¯l-Nia had explained It to you.¡±

    Qu¡¯l-Nia looked away indifferently at the mention of her name. Had she been ashamed of something?

    ¡°She was very reluctant to divulge any information about you. She seemed to feel that such an action would have been an invasion of privacy and was concerned that it would break your trust. Therefore, she preferred I ask you directly.¡±

    ¡°Really? Q said that?¡± Alma asked curiously. There had been a small hint of indignation in Derleth¡¯s voice during his explanation just now. It seemed apparent to the ex-soldier that the eldritch man¡¯s recent conversation with Qu¡¯l-Nia had not gone well¡ªperhaps even to the point of provoking her into giving that uncharacteristic response. Or maybe the woman from beyond time and space was finally growing up?

    ¡°Yes. Very much like a dancer at a ball, she masquerades behind a veil of hypocrisy. It would appear that while she espouses the negative influences of emotions, she is not immune to developing a feeble case of affection for lower beings.¡±

    ¡°Oi,¡± cried Hwal¨ªn. ¡°You better watch that pretty mouth of yours. The word you¡¯re looking for is friends. We¡¯re her friends and she¡¯s ours. We¡¯ve been through a bloody lot together and I¡¯ll be damned if it didn¡¯t bring us all closer together.¡±

    ¡°What am I thinking? Hwal¡¯s right! Ask me anything you want, but don¡¯t go talking shit about my friend, asshole! I don¡¯t care if you did technically create my universe now that I think about it!¡± Alma glanced over to the slump-shouldered Qu¡¯l-Nia, who she noticed had a slight uncertainty in her eyes. Noticing the markswoman¡¯s gaze, the alien songstress returned a gentle smile.

    A single grunt escaped Derleth¡¯s maw, who now looked mildly upset. ¡°Daughter of Man, I did not allow you into my abode to show off these embarrassing displays of devotion. Had you been but a mere curiosity, I might have a bit more patience for you, but you are a very dangerous element whose mere presence spell mindboggling ramifications to your very reality and beyond.¡± He turned back to the eldritch woman, whose smile disappeared as she returned his gaze. ¡°And you. I hadn¡¯t noticed it until just now, but look at you. Relishing in their worship. Growing stronger on it. Admit it, Dancer. That is only the real reason you care about this sniveling planet.¡±

    The meek air around her quickly evaporated as Qu¡¯l-Nia stood up straight and glared at him silently. There was something akin to disgust in her expression.

    ¡°You¡¯ve felt it, haven¡¯t you?¡± he continued, flashing a taunting, crooked smirk. Frighteningly, at some unknown point during his speech, his monstrous visage had returned. ¡°The change to your quintessence as their love for you augments your soul side. It¡¯s quite the delicious sensation, isn¡¯t it? That power. Especially when it¡¯s coming from an Outer One¡¯s monomyth. But it¡¯s a slippery slope, Dancer. We Elders are not suited for this kind of thing the same way the Old Ones are. And when an Outer One¡¯s involved, these things move at a much more exponential rate. Therefore, the more time you spend together with your little disciples, fostering their little belief in you.¡­ Well¡­ Let us just say it will quickly lead to a sort of regression. That imbalance inside of you will grow, eventually becoming dangerous as your mind side begins to rot. Before long, those exact same emotions you so despise will start to consume you. Changing you into something else entirely. You¡¯re already not the same woman you were when last we met. You¡ª¡± He stopped his speech short as he felt the sudden jabbing of something digging into his back. His head cocked sideways, piercing silver points of light staring directly at the source of the sensation. It was the barrel of Alma¡¯s rifle, aimed point-blank behind the nebulous heart of ice burning cold in his chest.

    ¡°I can see it, you know.¡± Alma spoke with an almost unbridled certainty. The yellow lenses of her eyes burned through his being like two miniature suns. Their striking golden glow cleaved the overcast afternoon with an eerie incandescence. ¡°The sickly black rot inside your chest. I can see it. It sticks out like a big, obvious weak point. Since you were wondering about my powers, that¡¯s one of the big ones. Now I don¡¯t know if a direct shot at this spot will manage to kill you, but I sure as shit bet it¡¯ll hurt like a motherfucker.¡±

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    ¡°I could easily strike you down before you manage to pull that trigger.¡± Derleth¡¯s voice was slowly growing more feral. As a low droning growl passed through his teeth, there was a sudden stabbing pain in his neck.

    ¡°And how about stopping the both of us?¡± Having found her opening, Hwal¨ªn had made the bold decision to leap over to them, leaving a ghostly distortion in her wake and¡ªwithout sparing a second¡ªhad now been digging the tip of one of her swords against Derleth¡¯s leathery throat. The foreign blade radiated a mysterious bluish hue that seemed to have given it the mysterious ability to slowly singe his flesh. ¡°Dear Alma¡¯s not the only one equipped to take one of you down.¡±

    Alma grinned as she heard the Hecatian¡¯s cocky voice on the other side of the eldritch man. She straightened her shoulders and cocked the loaded rifle, in the hopes that the sound would intimidate Derleth, before jabbing him with the weapon once again. ¡°I really didn¡¯t want things to escalate to this point today. But Qu¡¯l-Nia was right when she implied my trust is easily broken. And any trust I held for you is very rapidly dwindling, so listen up and don¡¯t say a word until I¡¯m done. I know you two have some kind of weird, ancient beef, but now is not the damned time! You think we¡¯re a bad influence on her? Too bad! We¡¯ll deal with that when we come to it! Or did you mean a good influence¡­? I honestly couldn¡¯t tell what you were getting at. So just fuck off with all this cryptic bullshit already! My entire fucking planet is in danger! You don¡¯t have to force anything out of her. If you¡¯re so curious, I¡¯ll tell you whatever you want! We all want the same thing, don¡¯t we? I want to help. I want to be stoked about being a part of all this, but half the time I want to blow my fucking brains out. I am being so driven up the wall with so much nonsense despite there being a perfectly good door I could walk through instead! For madness¡¯s sake, look at what it¡¯s driven me to! And I¡¯m supposed to be the reasonable one! Derleth, I¡¯ve had so many questions for you ever since this all started, but ever since I got here, I can¡¯t even remember a single one. So, let¡¯s you and we just calm down and hash all this out. You said I was dangerous, right? You can start with that.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯d say you¡¯re looking pretty dangerous right now, mate,¡± Hwal¨ªn said candidly while chuckling, in what seemed to be a way to relieve the tension. This was further proven by the laughter that followed.

    The elf¡¯s chuckling was joined by a small bout of laughter from Alma, which caused Hwal¨ªn to laugh even harder. But their amusement came to an abrupt end when the ice encroaching on both their weapons had finally reached their hands. The piercing cold stung their flesh like countless needles, causing them to fumble and drop what they had been holding as leverage.

    ¡°Shit¡­!¡± screamed Alma.

    As both women scrambled to grab their weapons, their hostage jumped high into the air on powerful legs and in one swift motion, landed right next to Qu¡¯l-Nia.

    ¡°Back off from Nia, bastard!¡± Hwal¨ªn had readied both blades this time. She bared her fangs in an intense display of intimidation.

    Alma took aim.

    ¡°That is enough,¡± stated Qu¡¯l-Nia. Her expression had returned to its typical stone-faced self. ¡°Stand down, you two. If Derleth had wished to do so, he could have killed you both in an instant.¡±

    ¡°Huh?¡± Alma lowered her rifle. ¡°What are you talking about, Q? I had that situation under control¡­ Didn¡¯t I?¡±

    ¡°Alm¡­¡± called Hwal¨ªn faintly. Her eyes were downcast as she lowered her weapons. ¡°Nia wouldn¡¯t lie. This bastard¡¯s been toying with us.¡±

    ¡°Very well, Daughter of Man. I will agree to stand down, if only to move past this farce and to the matters at hand. But make no mistake¡ªknow that if you test my patience again, I will end you just like that.¡± Derleth snapped his fingers in an illustrative show of force, using an unknown power to create an array of deadly icicles. Forming from the moisture in the air, sharpened shards of ice rapidly appeared in a conical shape in the space surrounding Alma.

    Alma slowly turned her gaze to the deadly formation above her, her eyes widening in shock. Her body wanted to flinch, but it stood paralyzed as if accepting its fate as a pincushion. A flood of thoughts raced through her head, scenarios in which she could defend against such an attack. She wondered if she could shield herself with her portals. If only her power were more precise. She tried to swallow, but the cold air had dried out her throat. The ex-soldier looked over to Hwal¨ªn for comfort, but the Hecatian was dealing with icicles of her own.

    The strange sound of heavenly warbling broke Alma from her thoughts. She looked around, searching for the source and noticed Qu¡¯l-Nia was missing. From her spot¡ªrather than tracks of footprints¡ªwas a long single trail in the snow that led to the alien woman now standing in front of them. She had moved faster than Alma could even perceive, failing to understand how exactly she moved. Not only that, but for a brief moment, it appeared that the eldritch woman had also been standing on one leg as she arrived with her arms together in front of her. There was almost a graceful air about her. However, what was most astonishing was the swirling vortex now spinning intensely around her. A glacial whirlwind made up of the icicles that had just been trained on them.

    ¡°The feeling is quite mutual, Derleth. Do not think I would simply stand aside if you actually attempted such a thing. But I believe they grasped your point.¡± The volatile vortex suddenly dissipated into a puff of frosted air. ¡°I do hope we finally understand each other.¡±

    ¡°You never cease to amuse, Dancer.¡± Derleth brought his beastly hands up and clapped them together, his frightening maw curving into a crooked smile. The eldritch man was applauding whatever imperceptible moves she had made to counter his attack. ¡°Your exquisite movements are as graceful as always.¡±

    To Alma and Hwal¨ªn¡¯s surprise, Qu¡¯l-Nia took a bow.

    ¡°Strong praise from my #1 fan,¡± the Dancer replied.

 Chapter 108: Cosmic Ballet

    ¡°I can¡¯t tell if you two love each other or bloody hate each other.¡± Hwal¨ªn sheathed her blades, then angrily shook the dirty slush off her skin. The eventful little skirmish with an eldritch being had rattled her, much to her chagrin. Her wild spirit pushed her to take a gamble and jump in¡ªonly to be rewarded with an embarrassing defeat. And now she wasn''t sure if it had even been worth it anymore. The elf felt more like the unwilling pawn of a game played between higher beings. It was an unpleasant feeling to say the least. ¡°Pick one already!¡±

    ¡°Thanks for the save, Q,¡± said Alma, feeling rather awkward. The ex-soldier inched a bit closer to the eldritch woman¡¯s backside, keeping her guard up while peeking carefully over the woman¡¯s shoulder. She glanced back and forth between the two beings. ¡°What is up with you two, exactly? I¡¯m still not sure if I should feel like I¡¯m in mortal danger or not.¡±

    Derleth strode toward them, still slowly applauding. ¡°Now then. I doubt she may have told you this,¡± he said, clearly about to pontificate to the two mortals, ¡°But the woman you know as Qu¡¯l-Nia is quite famous among our kind.¡±

    ¡°Derleth¡­¡± Qu¡¯l-Nia groaned softly.

    ¡°She¡¯s always been shockingly modest about it, but they did not address her as ¡®Dancer¡¯ simply without cause. The balletic movements she learned in life transcended beyond a simple three-dimensional concept, and to witness it is an existence unto itself. Of course, this made her quite the celebrity. Large assemblies often joined together in droves to watch her perform. To witness her flutter about the supernal. And up until my exile, I always made sure to have a front row seat. Ever since I¡¯ve known her, she has always been quite the adept.¡±

    ¡°Aye, she might have given off some hints that she was into dancing and singing,¡± replied Hwal¨ªn.

    ¡°She mentioned¡­ something about being called a dancer once.¡± Alma recalled a hazy memory from a fireside night not too long ago. ¡°And the fact that you keep calling her Dancer¡ªI guess I¡¯m not completely surprised. It¡¯s still weird to think how long you two have known each other. Like, you haven¡¯t seen each other in what? Tens of Thousands of years? And you¡¯re still over here sharing memories of stuff that seem like only yesterday. It¡¯s hard to wrap one¡¯s brain around.¡±

    ¡°Time is meaningless to us, I¡¯m afraid. I suppose, in that, there¡¯s no true rush,¡± stated Derleth. He glanced at both Alma and Hwal¨ªn with a knowing look. ¡°So be it, Daughter of Man, Warrior of Hecatia. Let the Dancer regale you with her luminary exploits. When you are ready to speak once again, I shall be waiting.¡±

    Derleth jumped high into the air. Alma tried to track him, but by the time she raised her head to look upward, he was already nowhere to be seen.

    ¡°You immortals are something else,¡± the Hecatian huffed. ¡°Not really lovers, yet not exactly enemies. Definitely not friends. It¡¯s all a blasted shit-heap.¡±

    ¡°It is a complicated existence,¡± agreed Qu¡¯l-Nia. ¡°We strive to stay one step ahead of the other. Akin to a complicated dance.¡±

    Alma thought she had noticed a smirk crawl across the eldritch woman¡¯s face. Rather than be put off by it, the sniper felt slightly endeared to her.

    ¡°But yes. When it comes to incomprehensibly long lifespans, it is easy to forget the fraction of things that came before it. My skills as a dancer come from my miniscule time as a mortal and it is the only thing that has remained imprinted on my quintessence. Even in my true form, those times are but sparse flashes of memory to me. The only thing I can really seem to recall is that a lot of my learned movements had come from a very archaic form of classical dance. I believe we called it ballet.¡±

    ¡°Wow. You¡¯re really some kind of pro after all, huh?¡± asked Alma, in complete astonishment. ¡°Seems like there¡¯s way more to you than just unfathomable madness, Ms. Eldritch Terror. I can¡¯t believe it. But nothing ever comes as a surprise when it comes to you. Say, maybe you can dance for us sometime?¡±

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    ¡°It is too broad in scope for you to be able to comprehend and appreciate fully, but it is nice of you to show an interest.¡± Qu¡¯l-Nia smiled sweetly in what seemed like another genuine bout of emotion. ¡°The request alone is enough to make me¡­ happy.¡±

    ¡°But you know¡­¡± Alma analyzed the eldritch woman from head to toe. She always found it weird that¡ªfor an eldritch creature from beyond the universe¡ªher mode of dress was so suggestively plain. ¡°You aren¡¯t really dressed for dancing. White shirt, white pants, white shoes. It¡¯s like you were doing your damnedest to not stick out. Which I guess makes sense if you don¡¯t want people knowing you¡¯re a godlike being, but didn¡¯t you say you sustain yourself by having people look at you, or whatever?¡±

    ¡°Ah, I can answer that,¡± Hwal¨ªn chimed in. ¡°This probably won¡¯t surprise you, but when I first found Nia, she was completely naked.¡±

    ¡°For Macha¡¯s sake, I want to believe you¡¯re joking, but I know you¡¯re not.¡±

    ¡°Indeed, that is how I manifested into this world. Hwal¨ªn was the first childling not to simply give me the side-eye before walking away.¡±

    ¡°Well, I did do that first thing. But the woman needed help, what could I say? I ain¡¯t heartless. Sides, I was a few Hecatian ales down and figured it might all just be one big hallucination. So I let her crash at my place while I got her some clothes. I wanna say I picked them out for that smart reason you gave, but actually it was just the cheapest stuff they had. But I picked white because the country¡¯s HOT and she looked like she had never even heard of the sun.¡±

    ¡°You helped her out? Just like that? I seriously thought you¡¯d have just left her in a bar somewhere.¡±

    ¡°Oy, what kind of elf do you take me for?¡± Hwal¨ªn crossed her arms judgingly. ¡°Well, I might¡¯ve thought about it. You know? As a joke.¡±

    ¡°I am glad you did not. Or neither of us would be on this increasingly epic adventure of ours.¡±

    Hwal¨ªn nods, grinning, as she wraps her burly arms around both women¡¯s shoulders. ¡°Aye, I¡¯m starting to get a kick out of these heartwarming moments of ours!¡±

    ¡°Q,¡± called Alma, grinning along with the elf as she squeezed her bicep in an effort to keep it from choking her. ¡°You ever think of a change in wardrobe? Maybe something that screams ¡®dancer¡¯!¡±

    ¡°Aren¡¯t you full of surprises, mate? Never took you for a fashionista with the equally plain rags you¡¯ve got on.¡±

    ¡°They¡¯re not plain,¡± stated the pouting Alma. ¡°They¡¯re tactical. The black jacket keeps me hidden at night and the white shirt helps me blend in with the snow. Come on, everyone knows camouflage is a sniper¡¯s bread and butter. Wait. Shit. Heli¡¯s influence strikes again.¡±

    ¡°I have never given it much thought, Alma,¡± replied Qu¡¯l-Nia. ¡°Before I came here, I had never had a need for clothing. At least, not since I shed my original mortal coil. I did not even remember the sensation of bodily modesty. I simply had my form and that was all.¡±

    ¡°You can¡¯t just walk around in your true form, I¡¯m guessing? Is it like super ginormous or something?¡±

    ¡°The physics of this universe cannot even support such an endeavor. As much as I would love to show you my limitless form, it is simply not possible. However, if you are suggesting a change in my appearance to more closely match my true self, then I suppose that might be something I could trial.¡±

    ¡°Cool! Maybe since you¡¯re dancer-themed and all, you could wear some kind of fancy dress or something.¡±

    ¡°You even like to play dress-up,¡± Hwal¨ªn teased. ¡°You have a girly side you been hiding or is this more of the witch¡¯s influence?¡±

    ¡°What? Of course it is!¡± cried Alma, before mumbling under her breath, ¡°And I definitely didn¡¯t buy little dresses for my dolls up until I was ten years old¡­¡±

    The eldritch woman had grown curious and wanted to ask the elf her opinion as well.

    ¡°Me? What do I think? Wear whatever suits you, Nia. I ain¡¯t a real big judge of fashion. My fit¡¯s pretty practical. ¡°Hwal¨ªn raised her arms and put on a show of flexing her muscles. She was obviously quite proud of them. She crisscrossed her arms in front of her, clanging her vambraces together loudly. ¡°Course I do like to show off the fruits of my training. Why else would I wear such revealing clothes?¡± The Hecatian stuck out her butt and flexed that as well, clapping a hand onto it. She looked at Alma. ¡°It¡¯s pretty tight, mate. You wanna cop a feel?¡±

    ¡°I¡­ Maybe?¡± Alma reached her hand out, but reflexively pulled back. ¡°N-No. I¡¯ll take your word for it.¡±

    ¡°Are you sure, Alma? It is quite firm.¡± Qu¡¯l-Nia was running her hand across Hwal¨ªn¡¯s behind with an inquisitive expression across her face.

    ¡°Well¡­ okay.¡±

 Chapter 109: Forest for the Trees

    A few hours had passed and Alma had slowly unpacked certain essentials during that time to make sitting in front of the blazing fire¡ªthat strangely did not melt the ice around it¡ªmore comfortable. Although she wasn¡¯t sure just how long they would be staying, she had placed down a sleeping pad and her sleeping bag on top next to the fire and sat down. She pulled out her familiar cartoon-themed thermos and drank from its earthy goodness. Instead of the laced witch¡¯s brew from earlier, this personal thermos was filled with regular, plain old coffee. She enjoyed the burn as it rode down her throat. She remembered spending some time searching for Derleth right after that chat with her friends, but could find no sign of him despite his message to look for him. She ended attributing it to something having come up for him and she was now stuck trying to keep warm in the coldest place she''d ever traveled to.

    Qu¡¯l-Nia had later walked to the edge of the clearing to ¡°clear her head¡± and has been standing there watching the darkening of the forest ever since. The markswoman had walked over to her a couple of times to see how she¡¯d been faring, but was told not to worry because she could use the extra time to study the construction of the eldritch man¡¯s domain more closely in case drastic measures had to be employed. The only constructive thing Alma could tell her was that it was a good idea and carried on.

    Looking over at Hwal¨ªn, Alma noted the elf sitting smugly while wearing Qu''l-Nia''s magic cloak around her neck; an othering-infused piece of equipment that kept her warm even in the coldest of environs. In truth, Alma had wanted to request a cloak of her own from the eldritch woman, but she had felt that asking at this point, when so much time had passed since their journey started and her initial refusal, would make her look like an idiot. And that would be too much of a blow for her pride to handle. The Hecatian had been sitting directly on the frigid snow, taking great care in her handiwork as she sharpened her swords with the small whetstone she always carried with her. The tool had been a gift from her uncle and along with the other things she tended to carry on her person, was one of a few things Hwal¨ªn seemed to hold very dearly. The elf seemed to have a story for everything she wore, but it had always been her mysterious necklace that Alma was the most curious about. It was the one thing Hwal¨ªn never seemed to talk about and thinking the reason for it being personal, Alma could never find the appropriate time to ask about it.

    The sniperess had become lost in thought after being mesmerized by the noisome grinding of the whetstone. Alma had actually grown to hate the little thing, because¡ªaside from its hypnotic sound¡ªthe boastings of its presentable results were often the cause of many a joke made by the elf about being able to slice Alma''s rifle in one slash. And as is known, the ex-soldier takes much pride in the validity of her weapons. Hence, it became moments like these where Alma¡¯s swearing could be comparable to that of a sailor.

    Alma took another swig of her coffee. ¡°Hwal,¡± she called in her usual flat, monotonous voice. ¡°I¡¯ve always wondered. What¡¯s the deal with your necklace?¡± The excitement of finally getting her question out was palpable. Her curiosity had been set ablaze and she was finally looking forward to its dousing.

    ¡°Eh? This old thing?¡± replied Hwal¨ªn, holding up her necklace with her thumb and forefinger. It shimmered with a soft, pearlescent glow. ¡°It¡¯s trash. My ex gave it to me a long time ago. I woulda tossed it with the rest of the bastard¡¯s things, but it looks pretty snazzy, don¡¯t it? Assuming since you asked about it and all.¡±

    ¡°Oh¡­¡± Alma tried to hide the disappointment on her face. ¡°Yeah, it looks pretty cool. I¡¯d wear one.¡±

    ¡°Yeah? It¡¯s yours then.¡± Hwal¨ªn unlatched the chain from around her neck and dangled the piece of jewelry in front of Alma¡¯s sparkling gaze.

    ¡°What? No. I couldn¡¯t possibly¡­ Really?¡±

    ¡°Sike!¡± The elf pulled her hand back and placed her necklace back on. ¡°Naw, it¡¯d be pretty weird giving you something like that. Tell you what though. Next time we¡¯re in town, I¡¯ll pick something out that¡¯ll fit you perfectly.¡±

    ¡°Oho? Suddenly Miss Ain¡¯t-a-big-judge-of-fashion knows what¡¯ll look good on me?¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s clothing! It¡¯s completely different when it comes to jewelry. You know Hecatians are expert gold and silversmiths. Pro jewelers. We ain¡¯t as great blacksmiths like the dwarfwin or professional leatherworkers like our green cousins, but then again, who is? We can suss out the impurities in any gem one-to-one and infuse them with all kinds of gorgeous magic.¡±

    ¡°Oh yeah! Aimer¡ªerr, my rifle is of dwarfwin make!¡± She took another sip. ¡°They make the best guns! There¡¯s this one website that sells the newest dwarfwin guns and their barrels are just so gorgeous, but just try getting one imported and suddenly you¡¯re drowning in all this special paperwork. Thank madness I just have it all shipped to Heli now instead.¡±

    ¡°That right? She fine with that? Actually, I¡¯d like to meet the guy who delivers all the way out there.¡±

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    ¡°That witch? She¡¯s fine with most things I do for some reason.¡± Alma chugged down more of her coffee. ¡°She¡¯s got her own share of weird hobbies. But we just learned to stop questioning each other. Actually, there¡¯s this one really cute thing she does where¡ªwait. Why am I telling you this? And why do I feel a slight buzz?¡±

    ¡°There it is.¡± Hwal¨ªn chuckled deviously. ¡°Yeah, mate. I might¡¯ve added a little alcohol to your coffee. Figured it¡¯d help take the edge off after that little debacle we had earlier.¡±

    ¡°What?! You spiked my coffee?! I didn¡¯t even drink that much! How am I getting drunk already?!¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s Hecatian ale for you, baby,¡± she said with a wink. ¡°Ten times stronger than beer.¡±

    ¡°Oh¡­ No wonder it tasted funny.¡± Alma giggled. ¡°Okay, you got me good with that. But no more surprises!¡±

    ¡°Cross my heart. ¡®Sides, you already seem a touch more chipper than earlier.¡± Hwal¨ªn reached into her bag and pulled out the bottle of ale she had used. ¡°Might as well join you. Haven¡¯t had a good drink since the swig I took earlier when I was pouring it in your coffee.¡±

    ¡°I feel like I should be mad at you, but it really has been forever since I had a good drink too.¡± Alma took another sip, now trying to control her intake. She seemed deeper in thought now than previously. ¡°I guess¡­ thank you.¡±

    ¡°Anytime, mate.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s just¡ªThings have been moving so fast ever since we got here. Ever since I figured out how to control my powers, sort of. And¡­ Zula." Her grip on her cup noticeably tightened. ¡°It should¡¯ve been the first thing I asked him about. I¡¯m pissed at myself for forgetting. She could be hurt out there somewhere, and here I am enjoying a drink with friends.¡±

    ¡°Oy, mate. It¡¯s meant to take the edge off, not push you over it.¡±

    ¡°Sorry¡­ I think I¡¯ve reached that level of drunk where I go from silly to deeply introspective.¡± She took a deep breath and released a wistful sigh. ¡°You know, I was really worried about the direction my life was gonna go after my discharge. I basically centered my whole life around an army career. I¡¯m not really good at anything else. Pretty average in school. Hated my life for a long time.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s rough, mate.¡± Hwal¨ªn pressed the bottom of her bottle into her thigh nervously, wondering how to keep the awkward silence as short as possible. ¡°Well, what¡¯s stopping you from just re-applying?¡±

    ¡°I was thinking about it. But part of me just feels really guilty and ashamed. I didn¡¯t even last a day! Like, are you kidding me?! Even my sister was out in the field before me. And it might have gotten her killed¡­¡± Alma felt the despair tangibly creep into her voice. A tear rolled down her cheek and narrowly missed falling into her coffee. ¡°Oh, Goddess. Hwal? What if¡­ What if she really is dead¡­?¡± The feelings she had tried so hard to repress had finally burst free. Her eyes watered and bitter sadness streamed down her cheeks.

    ¡°Hey, now. It¡¯s gonna be okay, mate.¡± The elf placed her hand on Alma¡¯s back and gave it a good rub. ¡°Let it out, let it out. You¡¯ve been a strong girl keeping it together this long. No need to try so hard.¡±

    ¡°But we¡¯re on such an important mission. And I can¡¯t even stay focused without thinking about so much constant shittiness. Hoping against hope that I¡¯ll somehow see my sister again someday.¡± Alma tucked her sleeve forward and wiped the salty moisture from her face. She kept rubbing restlessly, trying to scratch the itch in her eyes that just wouldn¡¯t go away. The grip on her cup looked almost painful. ¡°Fuck! I can¡¯t even be proud of these powers. It¡¯s not like I stopped seeing weird things around every corner. And understanding what they are does not make it any better, believe me. I didn¡¯t want to mention it and freak you guys out but when we first got here, the barrier into this place was surrounded by these giant, icky worms that looked like living fingers. I couldn¡¯t believe it at first, but it seemed like they were all trying their hardest to crawl inside. Plopping their weird plump bodies against the invisible wall and slamming their heads against it. Some slamming hard enough that they just burst their ends open and splatter their strange entrails against it, leaving a glimmering pool wet with chunks all along the base of it. And it runs for miles, Hwal. MILES! Why do you think I practically raced in here? At least there¡¯s nothing to worry about here aside from that tree.¡±

    ¡°Bloody Beryllands, Alma. That sounds absolutely vile.¡± The scowling Hecatian took a deep guzzle of her ale. ¡°I hope I didn¡¯t step in one. Get those nasty guts on my good boots.¡±

    ¡°Heh. I don¡¯t think so.¡± Alma chuckled. She pointed a thumb at the titanic trunk next to them. ¡°The tree over here is probably the weirdest thing I¡¯ve even seen, to be honest. It¡¯s one of the few things I¡¯ve seen that actually looks pretty cool.¡± Her gaze intensifies, losing itself in a swirl of the ethereal. ¡°You can¡¯t even begin to imagine what I see when I look at it. It¡¯s like this beautiful, otherworldly aurora that constantly changes between colors I¡¯m not sure how to describe. It flows up into the sky and melts into the surrounding clouds, making them glow incandescently with an eerie, silvery light that looks almost holy. And those beams of light rain downward as if to protect this one area of the world from anything unpure. I actually think the swirling aura makes up more of the tree than any actual wood. I get the feeling this thing is probably made up of several smaller trees that were forcibly merged together in some kind of strange, godlike amalgam. I really don¡¯t know what kind of powers are at work here, but it¡¯s fucking scary.¡±

    The inebriated sniperess started chuckling to herself before eventually bursting out in raucous laughter. ¡°I guess you could even call it¡­ Hehe¡­ the God of Trees. Hahaha.¡±

    Hwal¨ªn snatched away Alma¡¯s thermos. ¡°Alright there, Ms. Sniper. I can see now getting you drunk inside an eldritch nest was probably not the best idea.¡±

    ¡°Hwal.¡± Alma stared into the remaining brown liquid of her cup, pondering about something yet again. ¡°Do you think being in the presence of gods will eventually drive one crazy? Like some lingering influence that just radiates off of them that slowly poisons your brain as it tries to comprehend what¡¯s happening to it? Do we even want to comprehend it?¡±

    ¡°I¡ª¡±

    A loud shot rang out from the surrounding forest, marking the end of their reflective conversation.

 Chapter 110: It Always Feels Like

    Alma¡¯s gaze snapped over in the direction of the sound, trying to scan for its source. She quickly noticed that Qu¡¯l-Nia was no longer standing in the same spot she¡¯d been for the past several hours.

    ¡°Oy,¡± called Hwal¨ªn. ¡°The fuck was that?¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t know. It sounded like a gun¡­ but weird?¡± replied the markswoman. ¡°And way more echoey than usual? I can¡¯t explain it.¡±

    ¡°Well, I¡¯m definitely not just gonna wait and find out. Get your gun and let¡¯s haul ass!¡±

    ¡°Right.¡± Alma grabbed hold of her rifle and ran in the direction of the trees alongside Hwal¨ªn.

    It wasn¡¯t long before they ran into Qu¡¯l-Nia and Derleth both in the middle of a serious situation. On the ground between them was what seemed to be a large pile of rotted meat. As Alma neared closer, she was able to identify the mass as those perverse worm creatures she had seen earlier. All dead.

    ¡°They broke through?¡± asked Qu¡¯l-Nia with an all too familiar look of concern in her eyes. ¡°How can that be? The boundary was reinforced, was it not? Exactly how long had they been picking off bits and pieces of your barrier, Derleth?¡±

    ¡°Many years now. However, they should not have come anywhere close to breaking through. It seems your presence had caused some sort of disturbance in the barrier''s energies.¡± Derleth¡¯s tone turned gruff. ¡°I knew that permitting you entrance would prove to be a mistake, but since you are here you may as well assist me in reinstalling the barrier.¡±

    ¡°Wait,¡± called Alma. ¡°Q? What are these things? I saw them by the entrance when we were coming in. You said they broke the barrier? I¡¯m sorry. If I knew they were gonna cause trouble, I would¡¯ve said something about them.¡±

    ¡°You can perceive them, then.¡± Derleth glanced over at Alma. ¡°In that case, I might have a task for you.¡±

    ¡°Hold on, hold on. Before I do any cleaning up which is what I assume you¡¯re about to ask me, I want to know what the fuck these things are! I¡¯m tired of seeing all this creepy shit without ever learning anything about them. What are they and why are they trying to get to you?¡±

    ¡°They¡¯re parasites,¡± stated Derleth. ¡°Plain and simple. They erode the barrier by absorbing its energies through contact, even if they sacrifice themselves in the process. Mere tools to break open my protection to have a chance to strike at me. They¡¯ve always been no more than a nuisance¡ªuntil now.¡±

    ¡°Who is it that is after you?¡± asked Qu¡¯l-Nia. ¡°Who even has the wherewithal to locate you, much less have even the power to oppose you? This could not possibly be a normal foe.¡±

    ¡°Do you recall your earlier inquiry into the gravitational disturbances? The ones responsible for this and much else are the Knights of the Lost Star.¡±

    ¡°The what?¡± asked the bewildered ex-soldier. ¡°That name alone sounds nuts.¡±

    ¡°Sounds like an association of some sort,¡± noted Hwal¨ªn. ¡°Like my boys back home. Though this ain''t like any kind I''ve ever heard of.¡±

    ¡°The Knights of the Lost Star¡­¡± Qu''l-Nia rested a finger on her chin. She seemed as perplexed as the other two. ¡°What manner of faction is this? And how have they come by so much power? I am afraid I am not too acquainted with the politics of this planet.¡±

    ¡°They are an insidious cult operating as an underground religious order,¡± explained Derleth. ¡°These knights have carried out numerous acts in the name of their lost home. They delusionally believe that their spirits are that of forcibly outcast dwellers of their star, who were punished and sentenced here by their enemy. It is unknown even to me for how long they have operated, as they have kept themselves hidden for quite possibly a millennium or more. I have also come to believe that the lost star they represent is that of the Dirge Star.¡±

    ¡°Carthexi?! No, it cannot be. How would they even know of such a thing? Unless¡­¡±

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    ¡°And now what¡¯s a Carthexi?¡± Alma only grew more confused. ¡°It sure doesn¡¯t sound like a good thing. And I really don¡¯t like how it¡¯s making you both uneasy. I swear I¡¯ve heard that name somewhere before¡­¡±

    ¡°That is impossible, Alma. Carthexi is a daemonic star that resides in the realms of deep space outside of the physical world. A star that should have been long dead if not kept alight by the burning souls of the eldritch. The flying beings that orbit the star are arbiters of chaos and worship an Outer One of immense power.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s the, like, third time I¡¯ve heard you guys talk about Outer Ones. Is that what you guys call yourselves?¡± Alma chuckled inappropriately. ¡°You nerds.¡±

    ¡°It is not a laughing matter, Alma. It is a very old term and simply the best way to describe them as. The interplanetary beings of your universe that hold godlike power are typically known as the Old Ones, for they have mastered the secrets and mechanics within. We are known as Elder Ones, for we have lived near eternal lives, having grown beyond the limits that time and space have placed on us and have learned how to comprehend the metaphysical at large. Outer Ones are extremely ancient beings outside of thought and existence whispered throughout the deepest edges of The Real. They are beings of unimaginable power and are even as gods to us. These are simple classifications however, and there are many things out there still unknown to us. Collectively, we are the Egovoid.¡±

    ¡°Wait!¡± Alma turned to Derleth. ¡°You mentioned an Outer One¡¯s monomyth during your crazy ranting earlier. Were you¡­ Were you talking about me?¡±

    ¡°Yes. The power radiating from you has been¡­ hard to understand. It is unlike anything I have felt before. Perceiving the world beyond is already a strangely powerful ability, albeit a nondescript one. What else is it you are able to do?¡±

    ¡°Ah, right. I¡¯d been meaning to tell you about it. I can make portals. To other places. Though I haven¡¯t been able to do it since we stepped in here.¡± Alma, despite her words, pointed her finger forward and attempted to open another one¡ªthis time successfully.

    ¡°Close it!¡± Derleth roared, shaking the trees around them.

    Alma jumped, and immediately did as she was told. ¡°I¡¯m sorry!¡±

    ¡°You know not of the dangers you could bring in to this space by opening a gateway to the outside. That is quite the ability, indeed. And just how far does its range extend? A few yards? Several miles?¡±

    ¡°It goes pretty far. I just think of a place I¡¯ve seen or been to before and I can open a portal there¡ª¡±

    ¡°It can travel to other universes,¡± interrupted the eldritch woman.

    ¡°If there were any doubts as to whether this othering comes from an Outer One, they can be put to rest now. That is a frighteningly incomparable power.¡±

    ¡°So it¡¯s true¡­?¡± Alma had an expression of worry. The mixed feelings were written all over her face. ¡°Some thing out there caused this to happen to me? It¡¯s his fault I¡¯m like this? I can¡¯t believe this. One of you assholes turned me into a freak!¡±

    ¡°Alma,¡± Qu¡¯l-Nia gently placed a hand on the girl¡¯s shoulder. ¡°We are going to do our best to try to figure this out¡ª"

    ¡°Don¡¯t touch me!¡± Alma pulled away, swatting the eldritch woman¡¯s hand away as if it were some pest. She looked up to the sky at nothing in particular, searching the clouds for some kind of answer. She could feel her voice wanting to scream in anger. She yelled at the top of her lungs while waving her rifle around recklessly. ¡°HEY! YOU OUT THERE! I¡¯VE FELT YOU WATCHING ME! I KNOW NOW WHAT YOU DID TO ME! IF I EVER FIND YOU¡ªAND I WILL¡ªI¡¯M PUTTING A BULLET STRAIGHT BETWEEN YOUR EYES!¡±

    ¡°Enough!¡± Derleth commanded. ¡°Even were it to hear you, it would not show itself to you just like that. Believe me when I say it is not something you should ever wish for.¡±

    ¡°Derleth is correct, Alma. Outer Ones are ceaseless, mindless beings who care not for the natural order of things. You childlings would deem them malevolent in your eyes for they do not even see you.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re gonna scare the poor girl, Nia.¡± Hwal¨ªn stepped behind Alma and rubbed her shoulders, in an effort to relax her stiffening back. The sniper did not react.

    ¡°It¡¯s been watching me, Hwal.¡± Alma stared at the dirty slush of snow at her feet. She no longer had the energy to lift her head. ¡°I swear it has. Every now and then it¡¯s felt like there¡¯s been someone watching me ever since my powers started growing. I thought I was being paranoid, but the feeling¡¯s just gotten worse. I swear I¡¯ve felt it even in my dreams, as impossible as that sounds. I know I shouldn¡¯t let myself, but I¡¯m¡­ I¡¯m scared. This is beyond anything I¡¯ve ever dealt with before. It¡¯s not like I can just point a gun and shoot this problem away. At least not if I point it outward.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s enough of that talk, mate. You¡¯re a tough gal. Ever since I¡¯ve known you, you¡¯ve always had that fighting spirit in you. You ain¡¯t gonna lose this fight. And you¡¯re definitely not going it alone.¡± Hwal¨ªn spun the young girl around and squeezed her shoulders encouragingly. ¡°Alma. I know we¡¯re asking a lot of you right now, but you¡¯ve got to stay strong. I believe in you. And I know Nia does too. We¡¯re gonna fight this thing. We¡¯re gonna save your sister. And we¡¯re gonna save the godsdamned world.¡±

    Alma raised her head and looked into Hwal¨ªn¡¯s smoldering red eyes, not saying a word. Finally, as if she had found the answer she was looking for, she smiled. The sniper grasped her rifle in both hands with a newfound confidence that appeared almost like magic and grinned. ¡°I¡¯ll go down fighting if I have to.¡±

 Chapter 111: Natures Bounty

    ¡°Atta girl.¡± Hwal¨ªn smiled back.

    Alma clenched her fist in determination and nodded before turning to the gods in human form. ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter who¡¯s watching me or trying to control me. It¡¯s just another goal added to my list. If anyone gets in my way, I¡¯ll kill them. Now, what were you two saying about those lost knights?¡±

    ¡°The enemy in your way,¡± answered Derleth. He raised a clawed hand. ¡°If you¡¯re truly ready to hunt them down, you can start by clearing the entrance of the rest of these parasites. I hear tell you can also perceive a method to slay them, something I was witness to first hand during our little skirmish earlier. When you deem them sufficiently eradicated, return to me and I will brief you on everything you need to know about this forthcoming mission.¡±

    <hr>

    ¡°That¡¯s five at once, Alm! That¡¯s bloody insane!¡± Hwal¨ªn was swinging at what seemed like empty air. In reality, dozens of those wormlike creatures were being cut up with ease by a pair of glowing blue swords as she and Alma cleaned up the threshold of the eldritch barrier. ¡°I''m barely able to slice two at a time.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s easy once I line up a perfect shot,¡± replied Alma cooly. She had been lying on the ground, peering through the scope of her rifle and lining up as many of those strange wriggling creatures in her sight as she could. They were thick, uncanny looking pests that continued writhing around the snow in front of her with an especially fragile looking line running down their middle. A sufficiently powerful projectile would tear right through it, but only if driven right into this localized mark within them. This crooked, fleshy channel was their apparent weakness. ¡°How could you tell it was that many, anyway? Thought you couldn¡¯t see these things.¡±

    ¡°I could hear your bullet piercing their little bodies. It¡¯s a really dreadful sound. Almost enough to make you wretch. Tell me, do these little shits even have eyes or faces?¡±

    ¡°They don¡¯t, actually.¡± Alma relaxed and took her eye off the scope. ¡°They look more like fingers, crawling around without a hand. They even have a hard little shell on their head that looks like a nail. No actual face, though. But I swear it still feels like these things are staring right at me. Still, not even in my top 10 creepiest things I¡¯ve been able to see.¡± The ex-soldier lined up another shot and pierced through three at once, blowing their alien innards into a fine paste.

    ¡°It¡¯s kinda funny, I¡¯ll admit. Sorta looks like you¡¯re firing at empty air.¡±

    ¡°Right back at you.¡±

    The Hecatian took another swing, and a disappointed expression flashed across her face. ¡°Oi, Alm. What do you think about these Lost Knights anyway? Another bog-standard cult or¡­?¡±

    ¡°Sounds like your typical cult to me.¡± Alma sat up and moved a bit further down the barrier¡¯s edge. ¡°At least according to what the geezer told us.¡±

    Hwal¨ªn chuckled.

    ¡°But a strong one. And with the kind of resources to end the world? Well, I¡¯ve been trained to point my gun at the enemy and shoot. Might as well not let that go to waste. At least these people are human enemies. That I can deal with.¡±

    ¡°You ever shoot your fellow man, mate?¡± Hwal¨ªn thrust a sword into the ground and leaned on its pommel. ¡°Killing a monster from the void¡¯s one thing, but a member of your species? Ain¡¯t pretty, I can tell you that.¡±

    ¡°Just¡­ once. I was on a hunt with Heli and another friend, Ash. He asked if I wanted to come along with him on a bounty hunt and Heli, being the nosy witch that she is, decided to tag along. She didn''t even bring her staff, she just wanted to hang out. Anyway, the three of us got together for the job. Figured it wouldn¡¯t be too difficult, just point a gun, look threatening and bag our vagrant. I was young and hungry and eager to prove I had what it took to join the Crusaders. It was supposed to be a walk in the park. Wasn¡¯t the case at all unfortunately.¡±

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    ¡°What happened?¡±

    ¡°Turns out our target was a young girl, escaped from the orphanage. Why there was a bounty on a poor orphan girl? The only reason stated on the contract was ¡®defector.¡¯ Bit odd for an orphan, right? This all happened a couple years ago; I was only nineteen and the target was seventeen. Heh. Look at me, still calling her a target after all these years. But that''s what she was. I was too naive then, to not realize what people could be capable of. Didn''t take seriously her babbling about her new god. Didn''t notice the desperate look in her eyes. Didn''t see her reach for that knife until she lunged at Heli. Ash shot first¡ªonly winged her. She kept rushing forward. I didn''t think twice after that. Aimed my pistol and shot her right in the head. Couldn''t stop Heli from getting stabbed though¡ªnot many people will tell you that a blade beats a gun if they''re close enough to you. I still remember the way she screamed¡­ I was so scared. Heli was fine in the end, of course. Didn''t even scar thanks to those concoctions she makes up using her plants. It was just so surprising the way things went down that day. Ash couldn''t believe it either. No one thought we would have to defend ourselves against one girl. And even though she was killed, the Church seemed to have no problem with it. I guess that was better preparation than any for joining the army.¡±

    ¡°Awful lotta trauma when it comes to you, Alm.¡±

    Alma pursed her lips in response. ¡°I¡¯d prefer to call it building character.¡± She lined up another couple of those freakish creatures in her line of sight, another loud crack of her rifle firing shattered the silence of the forest once again. ¡°Would it be disgusting to say that I feel like a born soldier? I wasn¡¯t even worried about the girl I killed. All I cared about was my friend not bleeding out and dying.¡±

    ¡°It was either her or the witch. Don¡¯t blame ya, mate. What remorse are you gonna have for a deranged lunatic? She mighta had something to feel sorry for, but she lost it the moment she jumped at you guys. She didn¡¯t even jump at you, the girl with the gun.¡±

    ¡°I dunno, Hwal. That lunatic was willing to lose her life for freedom. Did I really have the right to take that away from her?¡±

    ¡°Come off it, mate. You already mentioned she was talkin¡¯ nonsense. There was no reasoning with her, clearly.¡±

    ¡°I guess you¡¯re right. If the Church was after her, she must¡¯ve been a danger to the people around her.¡±

    ¡°Aye¡­ I guess. Reckon the experience did you good in the end. I mean, look at you now! A natural markswoman with sensible judgment.¡±

    Alma chuckled, clearing away another row of eldritch worms across from her. ¡°What? You mean because I¡¯m taking solace in the fact that I¡¯m out here supposedly saving the world instead of fulfilling my dream of serving in my army? Hey, you know what? I think I¡¯m still a bit drunk. Surprised I can keep aiming so good.¡±

    ¡°Sounds about right. I suppose you wouldn¡¯t be quite sober yet.¡± Hwal¨ªn swung her blade like a golf club, cutting a swath through a pile of worms. ¡°I was kinda curious about something you said earlier though. You mentioned having felt like something was watching you. Did that¡­ Did that ever happen when you were with us?¡±

    ¡°Yes. A few times actually. The last time it happened was when I was at my sister¡¯s¡­ tomb.¡±

    ¡°This might sound odd, but I swear I felt it once too.¡±

    Alma shot up like a lightning bolt and immediately ran up to Hwal¨ªn, grabbing her by the shoulders. ¡°When?! What did you see?!¡±

    ¡°H-Hey! Calm down, mate! I''m not even sure if it was something substantial or not.¡± The Hecatian looked into Alma''s widened eyes, spotting the frenzied fear behind them. ¡°It was right before we got here from your sister''s house. I thought I had heard someone at the window, but it turned out to be nothing. Just a weird feeling is all.¡±

    ¡°Are you sure? How can you be sure?¡±

    ¡°Relax, Alm. It was probably just a bird.¡±

    ¡°Did it sound like a bird?¡±

    ¡°Well, no¡­ It didn¡¯t. I guess I would¡¯ve known if it were a bird.¡±

    Alma finally let her go and looked around, deep in thought. ¡°I¡¯m starting to notice a pattern. It¡¯s a small one, but significant enough that I happen to notice. Every time I¡¯ve had this feeling of being watched¡­ it was always during intense moments when my powers were active. That was the notion I had anyway. But you saying this kind of confirms it for me. Do you think maybe I could lure him that way¡­?¡±

    Hwal¨ªn was about to go back to exterminating worms but stopped mid-step at Alma¡¯s proposition. ¡°Don¡¯t be bloody daft. You heard what they said. These things are evil. Their concepts of things are on a whole ¡®nother level.¡±

    ¡°Yeah. And ol¡¯ Derl also called me a dangerous element. They¡¯re scared of me. Just like everyone else. I¡¯m tired of it, Hwal. I need answers.¡±

    ¡°And I¡¯m sure you¡¯ll get ¡®em eventually.¡± Hwal¨ªn slung a blade over her shoulder casually. ¡°For now, let¡¯s just focus on one thing at a time.¡±

 Chapter 112: The Hecat of Ulthar

    ¡°Where is my sister?¡±

    Alma was sitting on her sleeping bag in front of the fire pit. Standing across from her was Derleth, tall and imposing with the smaller Qu¡¯l-Nia by his side. Hwal¨ªn sat on the left side of the pit, on top of her own sleeping bag. The foggy light of the sun had already vanished below the horizon, enveloping the eldritch camp in primal darkness. The only light that remained was that of the strangely roaring fire and the weird, somber glow of the enormous tree trunk beside them. The ex-soldier finally realized something that had been bothering her. There was a distinct lack of odor to this place. Not even from the fire in front of them. It was as if all of it was being sucked out somewhere.

    ¡°I do not have an answer to that.¡±

    Qu¡¯l-Nia gave Derleth a questionable look but remained silent.

    ¡°No, of course you wouldn¡¯t.¡± Alma sighed deeply and pushed her face into her palms. ¡°You¡¯re just the all-knowing ex-ruler of this universe, right? Why wouldn¡¯t you know something so simple?¡±

    ¡°Alma, the disappearance of your sister is anything but a simple matter,¡± insisted the eldritch woman.

    ¡°Come on. I went on cleanup duty for you. Can''t you like, send out some of your drones or probes or whatever to look for her? Just this once?¡±

    ¡°My constructs are not meant for such trivial a matter.¡±

    ¡°Trivial¡ª?!¡± Alma half-jumped from her seat before grudgingly sitting back down. She let out a tormented sigh. ¡°If that¡¯s the case, it should be easy-peasy for you to track down a person. Wouldn¡¯t it?¡±

    ¡°You have more pressing concerns at the moment, Daughter of Man. The location of a single mortal does not lie within my purview.¡±

    ¡°My pressing concern is my sister. The rest can burn for all I care.¡±

    ¡°Alm,¡± called Hwal¨ªn sympathetically. ¡°We¡¯re gonna find her. I promise. But there won¡¯t be any point in rescuing her if there isn¡¯t a planet for her to be saved on.¡±

    Alma bit her lip. Hwal¨ªn was right, but she hated the thought of letting her sister slip from her priorities. For now, she would acquiesce and figure the details out later. ¡°Fine. To business then.¡±

    ¡°You''ve been so feisty lately, mate. I love it. But as much as I''d love another go at this prick, we need his intel on our mutual enemy.¡±

    ¡°Thank you¡­?¡± Derleth cleared his throat. ¡°As I previously specified, the enemy in your way is known as The Knights of the Lost Star. They carry many ancient artifacts in their possession. Objects that are capable of turning this world inside-out, yet something stays their hand¡ªI know not what. Perhaps conquest is not their goal, or maybe they cannot fully utilize the relics they collect. One thing is for sure, however¡­ They are in the process of trying to destroy this world¡ªalbeit indirectly. One of their rituals seems to involve a certain sideral relic of unknown origin that is powerful enough to affect gravity itself. I know not what their intended purpose is, but if you aim to stop them, then that relic would be your priority.¡±

    ¡°I believe I now know what their intentions might be,¡± stated Qu¡¯l-Nia anxiously. ¡°These are simply gravitational disturbances. It would be almost impossible to see if not watching from the outside like I had been. This relic you claim they are in possession of appears to be moving the stars themselves. They are somehow attracting an entire galaxy towards this one for what I now believe is a singular purpose. I erroneously believed they were attempted to merge galaxies for some hitherto unknown purpose, but I now believe they are trying to condense the mass of these galaxies to recreate their own massive dirge star. This is a much more dire event than I had feared.¡±

    This content has been misappropriated from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

    Both Alma and Hwal¨ªn gasped at this new revelation.

    ¡°I see,¡± said Derleth. He seemed to be contemplating something for a moment. ¡°I trust that you will see this prevented, Dancer. I will continue to monitor the situation from here for as long as I am able.¡±

    ¡°Waaaaaait,¡± uttered Alma. ¡°Why can¡¯t you come along and help us stop them?¡±

    ¡°I have other matters that require my attention.¡±

    ¡°More important than saving the world?¡±

    ¡°Yes. Such as looking into your Outer One.¡±

    Alma''s eyes widened. ¡°You let me know immediately about anything¡ªANYTHING you discover the second you discover it. Alright?¡±

    ¡°Very well, Daughter of Man. If I discover anything of note, I shall inform you on next we meet. And if you happen to discover anything in that same vein, you must inform me right away.¡±

    ¡°Alright, old man. You got yourself a deal.¡±

    ¡°About that artifact,¡± mentioned Hwal¨ªn, taking a puff from a newly lit cigarette. The Hecatian sat crouched down with her arm resting on raised knee. ¡°Now that we know what we¡¯re looking for. ¡­Any idea where we look for it?¡±

    ¡°Yes. Using my extensive army of probes and certain orbital sources, I¡¯ve been able to pinpoint an approximate location of where these gravitons are being the most disturbed. It is in arid region of the planet, and another reason I wouldn¡¯t fare too well. In the desert country of Ulthar.¡±

    ¡°Wait, what?!¡± shouted Hwal¨ªn, shooting up like a rocket. ¡°That¡¯s where Mitra is. My home!¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s kinda far, isn¡¯t it?¡± Alma was already pondering the best way to get there. ¡°I don¡¯t think I know yet how to teleport somewhere I¡¯ve never been before. The last time was weirdly subconsciously and I doubt I can pull that off again.¡±

    ¡°It is quite alright, Alma. Hwal¨ªn and I arrived here from there, it should not pose an issue to return the same way. That is where I first arrived on this planet and if I had only known it was right under my nose back then, I would not have needed to drag either of you into my mess.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t sweat it, Nia! Least I get to head back home where I don¡¯t have to worry about freezing my arse off.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m with Hwal on this, Q. Besides, you¡¯d still be running naked through the scorching desert if not for us.¡± Alma dug her thumb into her chest. ¡°I¡¯m seeing this through to the end. And now I get to bug Hwal for some souvenirs of that spooky canyon she discovered.¡±

    ¡°Oi, mate. That place was no laughing matter. We ain¡¯t setting foot into any cursed canyon temples this time.¡±

    ¡°I am afraid that might be exactly what we are going to do,¡± replied Qu¡¯l-Nia. ¡°It could be that your mystery oasis is the exact place where a long-forgotten cult might be hiding themselves.¡±

    ¡°This world is replete with cryptic vestiges buried by time,¡± stated the eldritch man who up to that point had been quietly meditating. ¡°Hidden locales untouched and unseen for countless eons. Places no longer known to man or beast. Knowledge of one in the exact location you¡¯re searching already puts you at a distinct advantage.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s a yes for spooky canyon then?¡± Alma¡¯s eyes seemed to light up at the prospect of such a dangerous venture.

    ¡°This will not be a simple, leisurely trip to another country, Alma.¡± Qu¡¯l-Nia¡¯s expression was as blank as ever. ¡°There is a very real chance of encountering mortal danger from an enemy we know almost nothing about. We need to prepare. And in that, I believe now would be a good time to get some rest. Then we should depart at first light tomorrow.¡±

    ¡°You know, I am weirdly tired,¡± noted Alma, stifling a yawn. She plopped herself back, resting her head on top of her hands. The sky above her was a mass of inky blackness. ¡°Then again, I guess it has been a weirdly long day. And that means it¡¯s time for another nightmare tonight. Yay¡­¡±

    ¡°Yikes. I feel ya on that one, mate.¡± Hwal¨ªn finally finished her cigarette, flicking the butt off to the side. She noticed Derleth¡¯s eyes had followed its trajectory, but he didn¡¯t say anything about it. ¡°My nightmares are always filled with the weirdest shit. Luckily, they¡¯re pretty rare these days. Must be because I experience enough nightmarish shit in the waking world.¡±

    ¡°Wish I could say the same,¡± replied Alma.

 Chapter 113: Frozen Lamentations

    Qu¡¯l-Nia watched as the two women drifted into slumber. As a being who does not require sleep, the restless eldritch woman confronted Derleth once again.

    ¡°I know,¡± she stated matter-of-factly. ¡°You cannot hide it from me.¡±

    Derleth''s silver eyes glittered phantasmally as he stared into the light of the fire. ¡°I have many secrets, Dancer. You''ll have to be more specific in your accusation.¡±

    ¡°Do not play coy. I know you are keeping a childling hidden here. For whatever reason, I know not.¡±

    The image of a frozen human woman flashed through Derleth''s mind. ¡°The very notion is absurd.¡±

    ¡°And yet you proceeded to do so.¡± Her accusatory tone grew harsh.

    Derleth made a short, guttural groan. ¡°Merely a lone mortal who trespassed into my domain. I had no time to dispose of her due to your timely arrival, but I promise she is of no value to anyone. I will deal with her in my own time.¡±

    ¡°Derleth, you are far too uncaring concerning childling souls. I wish you would not be so callous.¡±

    The eldritch man raised an eyebrow at this. ¡°With the exception of consuming them, I was promised to do with these mortals as I see fit if they ever dare trespass too close to my domain. You are the one who has become too sickeningly sympathetic. From where did this motivation to feel concern for mortal lives suddenly manifest?¡±

    ¡°I¡­ do not know. I am loath to admit that you were right and perhaps it has been my time amongst them that has changed me.¡± She wrung her hands together anxiously. ¡°I find myself angry with you. More than I should be. It is¡­ It¡¯s a strangely liberating feeling. I have felt happiness, I have felt sadness. All fleeting, yet every second of them has felt almost overwhelming. I thought these were things I had never wanted to experience again. But now I see they are like a drug. A single dose of which sees you scrambling for more. It is not something I wish to abide, but it seems the longer I remain here the less of a choice I am given. I hate that you were correct in your assumptions. But it is not just simple belief in me that I relish. That is not something that concerns me. It is their love. I am enjoying my time with them. They are my¡­ friends. And I also feel guilt at that prospect.¡±

    ¡°It is a conclusion they do not want us to reach. Logic does not exist in a vacuum. Emotions are what drive us to act logically. They give us a reason to live. This is what the other Elder Dwellers could not understand. If we had known evolution would come at such a cost, would we do it again?¡±

    ¡°It does not bother you that I am becoming this way? No. I suppose it would not.¡± Qu¡¯l-Nia looked over at Alma and Hwal¨ªn, making sure both were still in deep slumber. She wondered what it was they could be dreaming about. Were they joyful? Terrifying?

    Dreams.

    A concept she had long since forgotten. The world of dreams remained a mystery beyond solving. There are places in The Real that appeared to come curiously close to the boundaries of the dreaming world. It made her wonder if maybe the worlds in which everyone visits when they sleep were somewhere out there in The Real along with everything else. Could she visit those two in their dreams, if even only subconsciously? She thought she had come close once. And what would she dream of if she were able to dream now? Even were she able to sleep, she does not think she could ever dream again. It was another of the many things childlings do that she was beginning to miss. The thought pained her, and she relished that pain.

    ¡°Embrace it, Dancer. If you wish to be loved, then let yourself feel it. There is nothing wrong in letting yourself be treated as a God.¡±

    Qu¡¯l-Nia turned away, a blank expression on her face. ¡°Do not be ridiculous. The moment this is over, I shall return to my duty. I would have you return that childling in your confinement as well, but I would rather we not come to odds so soon after our alliance. Do not forget, however, that the next time we meet, it will be as adversaries. And now that I have pinpointed your location, I will also be keeping my eye on you once I return home.¡±

    This content has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

    ¡°I am sure it won¡¯t come to that.¡± The eldritch man¡¯s grin seemed to gleam maliciously in the light of the fire. ¡°Once you¡¯ve come to realize the benefits of unshackling your emotions, you¡¯ll come right back to me. I¡¯ll be looking forward to that day.¡±

    Qu¡¯l-Nia remained silent for a moment, staring into the dark of the night. ¡°Derleth. May I ask you for one last favor?¡±

    The gleam in Derleth¡¯s eyes seemed to soften for an instant.

    ¡°Please¡­ Help me find that girl¡¯s sister. Use everything in your power if you must. You have had more time to hone your abilities here than I. Please, just¡­. Do everything you can to locate her. Save her.¡±

    ¡°That will not prove possible. I recognized her smell when you first brought her here. It was the same scent I had found coming from a corpse somewhere high up on this mountain. The body belonged to an armored woman adorned with the religious marking of one connected to the nearby country¡¯s church. The woman appeared to have fallen in battle with a great beast. One I later dispatched with ease.¡±

    ¡°That''s¡ªAre you positive? Alma''s sister certainly is connected to the church, but are you truly convinced it was her? If I recall, her sister has blackened hair and remarkably pale skin. Perhaps it was a shared scent between members of the church.¡±

    ¡°It was singularly distinct. The body also did indeed share the attributes you described. I am afraid your search is already over.¡±

    ¡°No. Oh no. I must tell Alma. I need to wake her and¡ª¡±

    ¡°I would not divulge this information to her just yet. The reason I did not reveal this to her earlier was in case her mourning of a fallen sibling caused her to lose all motivation. There is also a chance that her deep despair is noticed by the Outer One watching over her. Some tend to feed on that like parasites and it would not surprise me if it sends an avatar of some kind to investigate.¡±

    ¡°I cannot keep such a thing from her. It is vital to her emotional well-being. It will hurt her to continue living off false hope!¡±

    ¡°Does the state of a single mortal really hold more weight than your mission? You have bigger things you must worry about. You can break it to her afterwards.¡±

    Qu¡¯l-Nia looked over at Alma, who was furrowing her brow in her sleep. She was having another nightmare. Would telling her about her sister not make things even worse? ¡°Damn you, Derleth,¡± she mumbled.

    ¡°Damn me all you must. What is done is done. I am afraid I can help you no longer on this matter.¡±

    <hr>

    Alma¡¯s eyes shot open and immediately squinted closed. The blinding light of the sun was raining down from the blushing pink sky above, warming her face. She sat up and yawned extra wider than usual. She slept surprisingly well despite the nightmares. Rubbing her eyes, the sniper looked around her. To the side, she noticed Hwal¨ªn still snoring pretty loudly as she snoozed away, while across from her, Qu¡¯l-Nia smiled softly in greeting. The eldritch woman had been watching her while she slept, possibly all night. Alma wasn¡¯t sure what to think about that, but the woman¡¯s smile seemed almost comforting¡ªwith what seemed to be a strange hint of pain behind it.

    ¡°Good morning, Alma,¡± called Qu¡¯l-Nia.

    ¡°Mmm. Hey, Q.¡± Alma smacked her lips together while glancing around. ¡°Who let the sun out?¡±

    ¡°That would be Derleth. Being that this is his territory, he is able to control the clouds surrounding it. We both agreed that sunlight would help you feel more at ease before we set off onto the next part of our journey.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s¡­ nice. Clouds are so annoying. If I¡¯d known he had the power to just vanish them away, I¡¯d have asked sooner. Well, since Hwal¡¯s asleep, maybe you can tell me what Mitra is like.¡±

    ¡°It is a very nice place for someone who has a distaste for clouds. The sun there is out in near perfect perpetuity. Rain is scarce and a sweltering heat accompanied all the days I had spent there. Yes, I do believe you would love it there!¡±

    ¡°I¡ªI never said I liked the heat. Someone as pale as I am is going to burn to a crisp there.¡±

    ¡°And that¡¯s why I prefer sticking to the coast,¡± interrupted Hwal¨ªn, headbutting herself into the conversation. ¡°Be sure to pack a swimsuit.¡±

    ¡°What? Why would I even own a swimsuit?¡± Alma scoffed. ¡°You think anyone out here knows how to swim?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll bet your witch friend has bought you at least one.¡±

    ¡°Yeah. I keep it behind a big neon sign that reads ¡®For Display Purposes Only¡¯. You think we have time to waste having fun?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s just an expression, mate. Like not getting your knickers in a twist.¡±

    ¡°Yeah, whatever. How are we planning on getting there anyway? Velorail?¡±

    ¡°Velorail only gets you so far. From there, we¡¯d also have to take a boat.¡±

    ¡°Macha, why does flying have to be so expensive¡­?¡±

 Chapter 114: A Brief Respite

    The town of Rexport was a beautiful, frosty place awash in haunted history. It was filled with the slick, shining mazes of old houses, antiquated shops and old, rotten factories that lined the ceaseless, narrow and crooked streets. It snowed much less there than in Malachias, but was still often drowned in constant rainfall. Among the sodden gambrel roofs stood tall the ancient steeple of a small church dedicated to the worship of Macha. The Matron of the Maddened, however, seemed to hold little sway there and was mostly just for the few out-of-towners away on pilgrimage. Countless stone bridges and wooden wharves surrounded the town, while void willows¡ªaptly named for their grimly dark leaves¡ªgrew abundantly throughout every street and around every corner. A freezing, enigmatic ocean filled with beaten-down ships battered the decaying wharves, rotting them away slowly. A small fog was slowly rolling in, lightly covering the drab roads intersecting the town.

    Among the small alleyways moved an odd, hooded figure that seemed out of place with the rest of the town¡ªa hitched breath with every step taken. Princely boots unknown to harsher realities were trudging through puddles of wet slush of another melted winter.

    It was a nice neighborhood, but not one he ever thought he would cast his eyes on. His destination was a small, unassuming caf¨¦ with little tables out front where customers partook of the surprisingly famous pastries they had on offer. Despite the innocence of this small haven, the hooded figure surveyed the area with a growing anxiety. He dashed to a small table where a young lady had been sitting¡ªher milky white eyes hidden behind a pair of sunglasses.

    ¡°J-June! Shouldn¡¯t you be dressed a little more discreetly?¡± asked the hooded man. Pulling the mask down concealing his face revealed the familiar visage of Prince Bartholomew. ¡°We¡¯re not exactly on vacation here!¡±

    The young lady across from him had been enjoying a fancy cup of coffee with a cute little design drawn on it with cream. Despite the bitter cold, she was wearing a trendy, green turtleneck dress and long black boots. The wide-brim, onyx-colored hat covering her crimson red hair and the large, round shades shielding her eyes from view pitifully served as the only real disguise concealing her identity as the runaway princess of Malachias. The once-stoic monarch remained quiet as she took a small sip from her beverage.

    Bartholomew looked around once more before remembering to lower the volume of his voice before speaking. ¡°I checked around the harbor and there were plenty of longshoremen willing to let us hop on a boat to Mitra where our supposed answers lie. You said you recognized a desert you once saw in one of your visions? It¡¯s such a far off place¡­ Are you sure you wouldn¡¯t much rather go by aerocar? I hear it¡¯s much safer.¡±

    June lowered her shades just a smidge, allowing her eyes to peek out just a bit. ¡°Is that you, dear brother? You must forgive me, I couldn¡¯t hear you over all the fun I¡¯ve been having.¡± She took a loud sip from her drink. ¡°See?¡± And another. ¡°You see? This is called having fun. You should try it sometime.¡±

    ¡°June, I think you¡¯ve had a bit too much caffeine. I know the tea at the palace gets a bit dull after a while, but you mustn¡¯t indulge so needlessly when we¡¯re trying to keep a low profile.¡±

    June groaned. ¡°You really are a pill, you know that? You think me not careful? I can practically get around on my own. I¡¯ve already been to so many interesting places I never thought I¡¯d visit before. All the lovely stores and wonderful people! I met this couple earlier that talked my ear off about their simple home life like it was the dullest thing in the world. But you know what? I would trade everything just to switch places with them.¡± The princess cast her lightless eyes downward, holding her shades up with a finger. ¡°My ears have never experienced such bliss. Even now, I can hear the rolling waves of the ocean. It¡¯s so serene. It''s like I¡¯ve never lived, Bart. My only regret is not being able to enjoy the sight of freedom with my own eyes. The last loathsome sight I can vividly recall seeing was of my old room. Speaking of that palace, we are finally free from its suffocating walls, so you will let me indulge as much as I please. Now please, do not bring up that accursed place again.¡±Enjoying this book? Seek out the original to ensure the author gets credit.

    ¡°I know you hate when I¡¯m overbearing¡­¡± Bartholomew reached his hand out and placed it over his sister¡¯s. ¡°But we are in possible mortal danger here. Who knows what kind of procession of knaves and mercenaries they must have sent after us?¡±

    June pulled her hand away. ¡°I¡¯m not stupid. They¡¯ve surely have sent someone after us by now, but at least permit me to enjoy myself until they eventually capture us.¡±

    ¡°Capture us? I thought we were on some important mission to find this girl you claimed to see in your visions.¡±

    ¡°I¡­ I¡¯ve been thinking, since we left, if this was perhaps not a good idea after all. That they¡¯ll probably find us sooner rather than later. That I should just make the most of this while I can.¡± She took a much more subdued sip of her coffee this time.

    ¡°Finally! You¡¯ve come to some sense! If we leave now, we should make it back by¡ª¡±

    ¡°Ugh! Bart, no!¡± June slammed a fist down on the small, round table. ¡°You¡¯re supposed to convince me that expressing doubt is a reasonable concern, but that I shouldn¡¯t give up, no matter the odds! To damn the world and its stakes! My, what kind of elder brother are you? ¡ªNo¡ªYou know what? You¡¯ve just convinced me to keep going.¡±

    Bart pressed a palm to his forehead. ¡°Why must you be so stubborn? And why must I follow meekly along?¡±

    ¡°A princess is always stubborn.¡± She took a very polite sip from her drink this time. ¡°It¡¯s in their nature. Now how about taking a load off and enjoying a drink with me. The coffee here truly is exquisite.¡±

    The prince contemplated for a moment in quiet concentration. ¡°Very well, June.¡± The tension in Bartholomew¡¯s shoulders relaxed as he pulled down his hood, revealing the short, reddish hair underneath. ¡°I suppose we¡¯ve both earned this brief respite. Goddess knows I¡¯ve¡ª¡± His sentence was cut short by a sudden thud emanating from his chest. The prince looked down for the source of the piercing ache felt in his heart and quickly noticed the butt-end of a bolt sticking out from inside of him. Shaky hands attempted to close around the projectile, but a sudden cough assaulted him as he contended with his situation, crimson blood shooting then dripping down from his mouth. ¡°But¡­¡± he struggled to speak. His head made a crashing sound as it slammed down onto the caf¨¦ table.

    ¡°Bart!¡± June¡¯s scream came out of nowhere. As did the strange action of flipping the table in front of her as she leaped from her seat, knocking her drink over and spilling it all over her brother.¡±

    ¡°June? What? What?!¡± The skittish prince jumped up and looked around. Nothing seemed out of the ordinary, causing him even further confusion. His sister was in a sudden state of apprehension, darting her head in all directions. ¡°Relax, June! There¡¯s nothing to be scared of! It¡¯s just us and now the clerk inside is eying us very terribly. Oh dear.¡±

    ¡°You! You¡ªBut I saw you! Shot! You were killed!¡± June rushed forward and tripped over the table in front of her, just barely falling into her brother¡¯s arms. She ran her hands desperately along his chest, looking for any obvious shaft-like protuberances. ¡°Where¡­?¡±

    ¡°What has gotten into you, June?¡± He slowly helped her back on her feet, only for her to immediately crouch back down and rub her ankle. ¡°This is odd, even for you. How could you see me get killed if you can¡¯t even see the table you just knocked over in front of you?¡±

    ¡°I¡ªDon¡¯t talk to me in that tone! I know what I saw!¡± She felt her brother¡¯s hands place the shades that had fallen back onto her face. ¡°Please. Let¡¯s go somewhere else.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s fine. We should probably go apologize to the clerk first.¡±

    On the other side of the intersection directly across from the siblings, a pair of watchful eyes kept vigil.

 Chapter 115: Doubles Advocate

    At the edges of a nearby park, Ashton Clark held his crossbow at eyelevel before slowly lowering it. The shot he had planned to take was interrupted by the girl¡¯s sudden outburst. He would let the girl go for now. He would find another moment. There was nothing to worry about anymore. Her hair color may have been different from the pictures, but he was sure he had found his target.

    ¡°Hey!¡± called the approaching woman from his side¡ªher long, braided ponytail slung comfortably over her shoulder. ¡°What the fuck was that?! You had a clear shot!¡±

    Despite her unnatural beauty, the shrillness behind her cry belied the normally sultry voice she spoke in. This was the sexy elfwin from the church he had met some nights ago. Unlike the sparkling, satin dress she had worn when they first met, she was now adorned in more casual, earthy colors. Against his wishes, she had been brought along to act as his handler.

    ¡°Where did you come from?¡± he asked with barely concealed annoyance.

    ¡°I was watching you from over there.¡± She pointed to a tree behind her. In her other hand was a bag of donuts from the caf¨¦ nearby. ¡°Now answer the question.¡±

    ¡°I couldn¡¯t shoot. She jumped all of a sudden and ruined the shot.¡±

    She swallowed the food she had been chewing on. ¡°Don¡¯t forget your mission, Mr. Clark. You capture the girl and kill any accomplice she might be in cahoots with.¡±

    ¡°If you were nearby, why didn¡¯t you do anything to help?¡±

    ¡°I like to watch you hunt.¡± She dusted the crumbs from her blouse then pulled another small pastry out from her bag and took small nibbling bites from it. ¡°¡¯Sides. I can¡¯t get too involved. Otherwise, why would we have hired you? I''m just here in case you try to weasel out of it.¡±

    ¡°I took the job, woman. I keep my word¡ªlong as the money keeps coming.¡± Ashton bagged his weapon. ¡°Thank you, by the way. During your yapping, the target got away.¡±

    The woman closed her eyes for a moment before her body snapped in place. She looked at him and grinned. ¡°Nuh uh! My reflection just saw them head down the street that way.¡±

    ¡°Your¡ªwhat? You mean your twin? So they forced the both of you on me, huh?¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s right. My reflection! You remember seeing her that night? You saw us become one. I guess you could call her my twin, but that¡¯s not entirely accurate¡­?¡± She looked off to the side, still chewing on her snack.

    ¡°I don¡¯t know what I saw that night. Everything from then is¡­ a bit hazy.¡± A sudden shaking of the brush near them shocked him out of his thoughts as he scrambled to grab his pistol crossbow. ¡°Who¡¯s there?!¡±

    The elfwin woman¡¯s double popped her head out from between the leaves, pacifying the rattled Ashton.

    ¡°Calm yourself, big man,¡± she said as she stepped out into view. Her clothes were the same as her twin¡¯s, except with the top and bottom colors reversed. She looked over at her double, who was onto her third small donut. ¡°And you! Who are you calling a reflection?! You¡¯re the copy here, sister.¡±

    ¡°Not this again!¡± the woman cried, forcing herself to stop eating. ¡°You came from me. Not the other way around! Why is it we¡¯re only ever in-sync when we don the uniform?¡±

    ¡°Both of you sisters are priestesses, right?¡± Ashton interrupted them. ¡°That¡¯s pretty incredible. You two come from a devout family? I know a couple of sisters that bicker just like that.¡±Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

    Both twins turned to look at him with a strange expression on their face before replying in unison, ¡°No, stupid! This is my thaumaturgy.¡±

    ¡°Cute.¡± He eyed the both of them wearily. ¡°Am I supposed to know what you¡¯re talking about¡­?¡±

    The first twin replied first.

    ¡°I¡¯m not supposed to tell you this since it¡¯s supposed to remain completely confidential, but you look so adorably confused. A thaumaturgy is a blessing granted to us Sisters by Macha.¡±

    ¡°Ugh, are you seriously just leaking everything to him?¡± The second twin scoffed. ¡°They could put us in solitary for that, you know. It¡¯s going to feel awful cramped stuck in a hole in the ground with you.¡±

    ¡°Shut up¡ªI¡¯m talking!¡± the first woman screeched. ¡°And who¡¯s going to tell on me? You? Anyway! Mr. Clark, since you¡¯re working with us, it¡¯ll make things move a lot smoother if your understanding of things is a bit closer to our level. I¡¯m not just a priestess of the Scarlet Church. I¡¯m a Scarlet Sister!¡±

    The other twin groaned.

    ¡°Is that like some higher rank of priestess¡­? I don¡¯t really know much about the Church than what I see on the news.¡±

    ¡°Yes! We¡¯re a special sect secretly trained by the Church for missions such as these! And each one of us gets blessed with a special gift of insanity from our Mad Matron!¡±

    ¡°We are so dead,¡± complained the second woman.

    ¡°As you can see from my reflection here, my Lady Macha¡ªin her maddening wisdom¡ªhas used her power to sever my psyche in twain. Hence, I am now able to replicate myself. I feel whatever she feels and vice-versa.¡± She inhaled another mouthful of donut.

    ¡°Yeah and I can taste all those hazardous snacks you stuff yourself with, so how about cutting back now?¡±

    ¡°I can¡¯t help it! Losing a whole body mass always leaves me starving.¡±

    ¡°You expect me to believe Macha granted you some kind of magic powers?¡± Ashton asked incredulously. ¡°You fucking priestesses really are all as loony as they say.¡±

    ¡°You flatter us, Mr. Clark,¡± the two replied in unison. The second twin walked over and melted into the first.

    ¡°What the fuck?! You''re serious?!¡± Ashton quickly took aim with his crossbow, only for it to immediately be wrenched from his hand by a whip.

    ¡°You wound me. Aiming a firearm at a poor, helpless girl like me instead of the poor, helpless girl we''re supposed to be hunting down.¡±

    ¡°Ouch. Sorry.¡± He stuck his injured finger into his mouth. ¡°I just don''t do good with magic. Didn''t even know magic could do that or even that the Church practices it¡­¡±

    ¡°Oh, it¡¯s not magic. But if I tried explaining it to you, then I¡¯d have to kill you.¡± The elfwin woman grinned maliciously at him as she dangled his weapon right in front of him.

    ¡°You seemed a little more reasonable before.¡± Ashton reached over and liberated his tangled weapon from the woman¡¯s clutches.

    ¡°Sorry. I tend to get a little¡­ unhinged when I split myself up. But if I hold it in, I tend to get a little too in my own head.¡± She laughed then quickly stopped herself. ¡°Do we really have time for further distractions?¡±

    ¡°Right. Which way did you say you saw them go?¡±

    ¡°Just down this¡ª¡± She stopped mid-sentence at the sudden onset of an unnatural sound.

    A strange humming pervaded the sky above them. Something that seemed to unnerve the Scarlet Sister as well as the man with her. The sound did not come all at once, but began gradually before building up progressively faster. Almost like a siren. It spread through the coldly empty streets with no clear source, as if in warning to something greater. Something ancient. A herald to the cacophonous coming of a greater impending threat.

    ¡°What¡­ is that?¡± Ashton gripped his crossbow tightly.

    ¡°Nothing good.¡±

    From the top of the street, the shape of a large, black snake could be seen marching forward. It was a procession of strange men, covered from head to toe in swaths of black. Shadowy persons in dark coats and top hats and alabaster gloves marched down the city streets with no end in sight. Their faces covered by seemingly inhuman masks. Timeworn tongues chanted a strange hymn in abstruse harmony¡ªesoteric secrets that would make one¡¯s blood run cold if they were ever deciphered.

    Bigger threats were at play than the priestess cared for. She grit her teeth anxiously.

    ¡°They¡¯ll get lost in the crowd at this rate,¡± noted Ashton. ¡°Should we follow?¡±

    ¡°No. We shouldn¡¯t get anywhere near those people,¡± said the elfwin woman. The Scarlet Sister¡¯s twin slunk off of her like a shadow.

    ¡°But if they are what I think they are, I need to see where they¡¯re marching to,¡± the second twin added. ¡°I won¡¯t be gone too long. I¡¯m just going to tail them a bit¡­¡±

    ¡°We might even get promoted for this!¡± the first twin wailed excitedly.

 Chapter 116: The Saints

    ¡°Are you gonna be okay by yourself? Maybe I should come with¡ª¡± Ashton had attempted to grab the second twin by her arm, only for her to pull away in disgust.

    ¡°Do not dare to lay your filthy hands on a Scarlet Sister, human swine.¡± She glared at him with a look of loathing. ¡°You will remain here with my sister until I return.¡±

    ¡°Hey, if you think that¡¯s the worst a woman¡¯s called me, you haven¡¯t heard the half of it.¡± Ash responded with an arrogant grin, hoping to catch the stern elf off-guard.

    The first twin latched onto his shoulders while the second rolled her eyes. ¡°Forget it, Mr. Clark. If you really want this reflection of mine to insult you and call you names, it¡¯ll have to wait until she gets back! This is far more important than the bounty.¡±

    The twins nodded to each other before the second one took off.

    ¡°I¡¯m not really big on formalities. Call me Ash. Mr. Clark was my father.¡±

    ¡°Hoo boy,¡± replied the first twin. Her hands playfully gripped his shoulders even tighter. She leaned in next to his ear and whispered, ¡°Do you use that line on all the ladies, Ash?¡± Her voice trailed a bit longer on his name.

    ¡°Not always.¡± He turned his head slightly towards her. ¡°You think I¡¯d use my best material on a woman whose name I don¡¯t even know?¡±

    ¡°You sure seemed pretty desperate to get me out of that dress the other night.¡± She giggled. The elf finally let go of him and trailed slowly around to his front, brushing his shoulder with her fingers as she passed. ¡°Not that you¡¯d have survived in the attempt. But you''re right. I''ve already divulged quite a lot to you already, what''s the harm in keeping my name a secret as well? It''s Tamsin.¡±

    ¡°Tamsin? That''s a pretty sexy name¡ªGrrk!¡± his voice was cut off by the sudden tangling of a whip around his neck.

    ¡°Is now really the time to be flirting with me?¡± Tamsin grinned mischievously. She took a step forward, keeping the line in her hands taut, watching as Ashton clawed at the whip squeezing his neck, groaning for air. The elf brought her heel down on the bag of donuts she had been eating earlier. ¡°You owe me for that now, by the way. Now shut up for a moment, I need to focus so I can keep an eye on my double.¡± She finally loosened the whip around his neck.

    Ashton gasped for air, rubbing the newly formed welts around his neck. He had a smirking grimace scrawled across his face as he looked up at the woman in front of him. ¡°Crazy bitch! Maybe a little too crazy for my tastes. Where''d your twin get off to anyhow?¡±

    ¡°Shut up!¡± she shouted, trying to keep her eyes shut. ¡°That''s what I''m trying to see! If I concentrate, I can see what she sees. Hopefully she won¡¯t run into some kind of trouble.¡±

    Ashton crossed his arms and watched as Tamsin searched around through some strange psychic realm.

    ¡°There she is! I see her!¡± Tamsin motioned to Ashton excitedly. ¡°Or rather, I''m seeing through her. Looks like she caught up pretty quickly. Hanging back a bit¡­ Hiding in the dark between a couple of houses¡­ These guys are creepy as sin! They¡¯re all hiding their faces, I can¡¯t even tell if they¡¯re human or not. And they won''t shut up with that eerie, ominous chanting. It''s gonna drive me crazy¡ªand not in a good way!¡±If you discover this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation.

    ¡°Are you sure you should be disturbing them? Sounds like they might be some kind of religious group. Didn''t think the Scarlet Church persecuted people from other religions.¡±

    Tamsin opened an eye to glare at him. ¡°Is that any way to talk about the ones who have provided you with this bountiful mission from Macha? Even if we did do that, you should be thanking us for keeping the world clean of blasphemers. One of which you''re starting to sound like, by the way!¡±

    ¡°Whoa, easy there. Chill. I get it. I''m grateful to the Scarlet Church. They see all, right?¡± he asked uneasily.

    ¡°And don''t you forget it, mister. Now, I can feel her getting farther. It always feels a bit scary when she gets too far from me. Like I''m losing her.¡± Tamsin¡¯s face scrunched up, a painful thought crossing her mind. ¡°I¡¯d probably go truly crazy if that ever happened.¡±

    ¡°Listen. I¡¯m not going to try to act like I understand what you two have, but¡ª¡±

    ¡°Shush! She¡¯s on the move! Oh no. There¡¯s more of them coming out of the nearby houses. They¡¯re gonna see you! Be careful, Tammy!¡±

    ¡°Can she actually hear you, or¡­?¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t be silly. Of course she can¡¯t.¡±

    <hr>

    Down the way, a Scarlet Sister prowled the streets in search of perilous answers. The thrumming of the mob grew incessant, but she refused to let it stop her. She mustered all her stealth training and continued to pursue the monstrous procession down the darkening street. She leered at the shadowy garbed figures that drained silently from the open doorways of passing houses to join the growing march, disgusted by their almost seemingly unhuman repetition of movement. At one point or another, she thought she had been seen, but as luck would have it, they appeared to ignore the world around them as they continued down to a singular destination.

    She continued following, hiding in the small alleyways between the increasingly dilapidated houses for what seemed like half of an hour. The growing throng of mysterious bodies continued forward, moving at a strange pace towards the outskirts of town. The elfwin twin managed to spot a ghostly building toward the front of the line where they had finally stopped. It was a great black church, hidden in the shadow of the other. But unlike the small chapel in the middle of town, this one was much bigger and grander. The Scarlet Sister knew immediately that this place was alien to her. The long line of masked men were greeted by a couple of others that all converged at the entrance, filing in one by one.

    As she approached, she noticed the back of the building was partly sunk into a cliffside leading down into the murky depths of the planet. A small churchyard surrounded the place in which a ghastly patch of old, rotting tombs were partly hidden off to the side, lit only by the spectral fires of a couple of threadbare lanterns embedded into the cliffside. The scenery reinforced the increasingly creepy atmosphere, sending a chill up both twin¡¯s spines.

    The chanting stopped abruptly, catching Tamsin off guard. She remained cautious and stuck to the shadows while observing quietly. There was a solemn air around everything now that caused to her stand on edge. Looking around, she noticed that there were no longer any houses and only a single long cliff climbing up and leading off into the harbor. Beyond the summit of the cliff, the dim light of day was fading and the stars were now casting their glimmer through the darkening sky. The ancient temple before her seemed to have been built in some bygone era that she was sure was definitely not associated with her Goddess. And as she looked for some kind of sign or symbol along the face of the building, she noticed a strange etching that proved her theory correct.

    ¡°The Lost Star¡­¡±

    As the words slipped from her mouth, a sudden tug pulled her from behind.

    ¡°Hey! What¡¯re you¡ª¡± Before she could react, the cold steel of a dagger penetrated the flesh of her chest. Blood spilled from her lips, muffling her words, as a swarm of cloaked and cowled figures drew close and swarmed all over her. Each one driving forth the singular point of a dagger into her body, pecking at her insides like a flock of birds. A sanguine flood gushing forth as the Sister was laid bare.

    From faraway, a grotesque howling of pain was drowned out by the wind.

 Chapter 117: Blind Faith

    ¡°Dear Goddess, what a horrid and disturbing sight.¡± Bartholomew cupped a hand over his mouth in an attempt to keep the food from coming back up. He was not used to the slight of blood, much less a group murder.

    ¡°I know that smell.¡± June noted, trying to ignore the stifled cries of pain from nearby while stifling the growing panic within. ¡°It''s the smell of blood. This was supposed to be a peaceful town and already we¡¯ve come across more sickening loss of life. What on Sarracas is happening?!¡±

    ¡°You can smell that? Well, I suppose that shouldn¡¯t surprise me, but it¡¯s probably for the best. Believe me, this is not something you would want to witness firsthand.¡±

    ¡°Yes, I can smell it. It''s a disgusting, distinct copper-y smell. I thought we had escaped from these hometown horrors when we left Malachias. Was this not supposed to be our haven of rest and comfort?¡± June turned away from the sickening sounds assaulting her ears, cupping her ears slightly. ¡°Bart. Why did we come out here for?¡±

    ¡°It was that odd humming coming from the skies. And then came this strange parade of garbed strangers. Which we discreetly followed to the edge of this cliff overlooking this strange mass gathering, and where we are currently teetering off of to get a peek at whatever in blazes is happening down there. But of course, you heard it all coming before I did.¡±

    ¡°It was a rhetorical question, big brother. We left home because it was a brutal country full of religious zealotry and¡ª and inhumane¡ª and unethical¡ª Ohh! It¡¯s just a blight to my mental well-being!¡± June bit her lip, suppressing the urge to raise her voice. ¡°I love my country¡­ You know I do. But I had to get away. Experience the unique things life had to offer me that I couldn¡¯t get back home. And maybe accomplish a very important task along the way. But now we are here. At the backwater slums of a foreign fishing town in the middle of nowhere in the middle of some¡­ common mugging gone wrong, I presume?¡±

    ¡°No, June,¡± replied her brother, finding himself conflicted on whether or not to continue looking for answers in the barbaric scene below. ¡°I¡¯m afraid this looks far more sinister. That poor woman was probably dragged all the way out here against her will and then suddenly assaulted by a group of those in what appears to be some sort of blood tribute. Judging by that creepy, looming building over there I¡¯d say we¡¯ve stepped into something we shouldn¡¯t have.¡±

    ¡°Building? What kind of building?¡±

    ¡°A church of some sort? I¡¯m not sure. It¡¯s eerily black, and getting harder to see with the setting sun. I think it might be best if we turn around and head for our hotel room. I¡¯m sure the clerk at the front desk is worried sick about us¡ª¡±

    ¡°Let¡¯s check it out.¡± June¡¯s clouded eyes narrowed with regal determination. ¡°I can¡¯t just stand by as another innocent girl¡¯s spilled blood is used as the catalyst for some dark rite.¡±

    ¡°Are you insane?! What am I saying¡­ of course you are. We don¡¯t even know who we¡¯re dealing with here.¡± Bartholomew took another peek down below. The last of the procession were finally making their way down into the bowels of the gothic cathedral. ¡°I¡¯m not sure what kind of vengeance you¡¯re trying to enact here, but it doesn¡¯t even look like we¡¯ll be able to recover her body for a proper burial. They¡¯re dragging it along inside.¡±

    ¡°We can at least investigate. Try not to let her death be completely meaningless. And then maybe¡ªthrough the proper channels¡ªsomething can be done.¡±

    ¡°Something can be done? We might be trying to upend an entire ancient tradition here. This looks like it goes pretty deep. And the fact that it¡¯s done so blatantly must mean there are very powerful forces at work here. No, dear sister. I do believe we¡¯re better off minding our own business.¡±If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation.

    June, ignoring her brother¡¯s gutless words, had already begun to walk back down the road they had walked up by. The blind princess struggled to keep a normal pace as she trod slowly. It was times like these where she hated her impairment the most. She turned back to her brother whom she knew hadn¡¯t moved from his spot. ¡°Well, don¡¯t just stand there! Come give your sister some assistance!¡±

    Bartholomew rushed over to his sister¡¯s side and took her hand. ¡°I told you it would be a lot safer if you had just bought a cane before we fled the country.¡±

    ¡°Tut-tut, dear brother! That would have left behind a trace! And besides. A can would make too much noise, which would be terribly detrimental to our stealth mission.¡±

    Bart released an exasperated sigh as he led his sister down the sloping dirt road. ¡°I knew those novels of yours would be a terrible influence. And yet I continued to indulge you. Now you¡¯re making out to be the heroine of your own making.¡±

    June closed the distance and embraced her brother, squeezing him rather hard. ¡°And I thank you for it, Bart. I don¡¯t say this often to you enough, but¡­ Life would have been much more unbearable without you. I might have just broken a long time ago without your constant company.¡±

    ¡°I¡­ Damn it all, June. You are not going to make me feel guilty for this. Alright, we¡¯ll investigate. But we need to be extremely careful or we¡¯re going to end up just like that poor woman.¡±

    The two royal siblings slowly made their way down to a fork that would either lead them back to town or further down to the bottom of the cliffs where the ominous building stood looming in the dark. Bart hesitated, looking back at his sister whose skewed shades allowed her lightless eyes to peek through. Despite her blindness, he thought she almost seemed to be looking right at him. Stopping for a breath, he took the road down to the churchyard that now stood void of any living creature.

    ¡°It¡¯s¡­ oddly cold down here,¡± noted June, hugging her free arm around herself tightly. ¡°Almost as cold as back home.¡±

    ¡°We¡¯re not too far from the shore here,¡± replied Bart, looking towards where the end of the cliff meets the horizon. ¡°That¡¯s probably why. Though the waves are unusually quiet, so I¡¯m not surprised if you didn¡¯t pick up on them. We¡¯re here, June. Or as close to this place as I want to get.¡±

    Bart led his sister to one corner of the building while he slunk down against the cold, stone exterior. June pressed her fingers against the wall, feeling the texture of the dark cathedral while trying to feel anything out of place.

    ¡°Here, I¡ª¡± June gasped. In her mind, a clear scenario of them being spotted by a wandering cloaked figure played out. The gruesome demise that would be their outcome. Deaths so inhuman and obscene that she had to force herself not to scream. The princess clumsily grasped for her brother and pulled him around the corner, gesturing at him with a quivering finger over her lips.

    ¡°What in the world, June?!¡± Bart whispered to his sister. He noticed her agitated expression and decided to slowly peer around the corner. From the void of the gaping entrance seeped one of the dark figures from before. Its inhuman movements were more prevalent from up close.

    The masked figure darted its head around like a bird, seemingly curious, seemingly searching for something while its body remained eerily still. The mask it wore on its face could only be described as ghastly and not anything like the face of a person.

    Bartholomew grew increasingly anxious about it having caught their scent, but continued watching cautiously.

    The erratic movements of its head suddenly stopped, then turned slowly toward a corner of the dark, its neck creaking around like a swivel as it moved. The eerie mimicry of a predator hunting its prey was unsettling. Everything about this creature screamed to stay away.

    Bart slowly turned to look where it had been facing. All he saw were the dark shadows stretching across old, rotting fenceposts. When he returned his gaze to where the cloaked figure had been standing, he noticed it had already gone.

    ¡°Bart?¡± June whispered. She was grabbing onto his arm. ¡°Did you see him? He was there, wasn¡¯t he? I can tell by the way you¡¯re shaking.¡±

    ¡°June¡­That was much too close for comfort! One of those strange ruffians came out here to inspect something. It¡¯s a good thing you heard him coming or it would have spelled our doom.¡±

    ¡°I didn¡¯t hear him coming¡­¡± June was hesitant to continue. ¡°I saw it. In my mind. It was clear as day. I could¡­ feel everything as it was happening to us.¡±

 Chapter 118: Madness Returns

    ¡°You had a vision? How? I didn¡¯t even notice.¡±

    ¡°Not a vision! Not exactly¡­ It was like a very realistic premonition. I¡¯ve never been able to do this before. Well, aside from earlier when I saved you from that bolt in your chest.¡±

    ¡°Bolt in my what¡ª?!¡± Bart clutched at his chest. ¡°Are you saying someone tried to kill me? With a crossbow?!¡±

    ¡°They didn¡¯t try to kill you. They did. Or they were supposed to. And I guess I saved you.¡± June let out a nervous chuckle. Her chest heaving as she tried to catch her breath from the sudden turmoil. ¡°Something is happening to me, Bart. I don¡¯t know why now. Maybe without all the stressors from home, I¡¯ve finally somehow been able to hone my ability. A short-form future sight. Blessed madness, I¡¯ve always dreamed of this!¡±

    ¡°Oh brother, another headache.¡± Bart slid a hand down his face in botheration. ¡°Well, I suppose this is a blessing¡­ From the Mad Mother. Which is odd, considering we are currently running away from her. Just the other day you were cursing Macha again and now here you are, reveling in her gifts. I¡¯m sure Our Lady gets a kick out of the fickle piety of a capricious princess.¡±

    ¡°That has to be it, Bart! Lady Macha has blessed our voyage! How could I have been so blind? Err¡ªYou know what I mean. She wants us out here¡ªto continue our search. But why this town of all places? Why now?¡± June splayed herself against the wall, again searching the surface for some kind of clue. As she rubbed around, she felt an odd, rough-hewn impression beneath her fingers. It was a flurry of appendages all arching in different directions sprouting below a spherical head with a subtle curve of a mouth along the side. What seemed to be some esoteric depiction of an alien creature was completely encased in a circle. ¡°Here! Some kind of strange symbol. Do you recognize it? It seems¡­ familiar.¡±

    ¡°Hmmm.¡± Bart scanned the engraving, rubbing his chin as he recalled something. ¡°Why, isn¡¯t that one of the symbols from your visions? Those ones you¡¯re always jotting down for the Psycho Superioress? I remember this one in particular because of how unsettling it looked. Especially now that I¡¯m seeing it beyond just a crude drawing.¡±

    ¡°Wait, you¡¯re right!¡± June aggressively ran her hands all over the relief, taking note of some familiar features. Pressing harder and deeper along the grooves. ¡°I do remember¡­ I remember now seeing this symbol quite a few times actually. It¡¯s so hard to remember my visions sometimes. They¡¯re always hazy¡ªlike dreams. But this symbol¡­ always repeating itself in my head across multiple visions. I can¡¯t believe I didn¡¯t recognize it right away. I just wasn¡¯t expecting to see it here of all places. Bart, this place is an enemy to the Scarlet Church.¡±

    ¡°A-Are you sure?¡± Whether it was from the cold or out of fear, Bart couldn¡¯t help his teeth from chattering. ¡°And their royal figurehead has just walked straight into their laps? June, if we get caught it¡¯s all over. You¡¯ll be taken as a hostage!¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re right. The Church can handle my disappearance, but my powers falling into their enemy¡¯s hands would call for a state of emergency. Isn¡¯t that ironic? It¡¯s like a rebellious teen trying to get her parents¡¯ attention by falling into the wrong crowd. Do you think these people would let me join them voluntarily?¡±

    ¡°June, please do not joke about such a possibility. I¡¯m afraid of what the Church would do to us if we actually attempted such a thing.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m just fed up. You know I wouldn¡¯t dare, Bart. Not in a million years. They would simply use me for their evil ploys and that is something I cannot abide. I suppose that is just my lot in this life.¡± June¡¯s shoulders slumped as she uttered that last sentence.

    ¡°Don¡¯t despair, June. It¡¯s not like you. You¡¯re usually such a cheerful girl, but lately you¡¯ve been on this strange independence kick and it feels like the weight it has placed on you has been grinding you down and very soon all you will be is dust.¡± Bart gingerly places a consoling hand on his sister¡¯s shoulder. ¡°It hurts to see you this way. I wish I had understood your pain sooner. If you had just come to me with these feelings sooner, rather than let it stew until it forced you to make a break for it, then maybe we could have enjoyed another evening in at the castle. But it doesn¡¯t matter now. I may be cowardly, but just know that I would never abandon you. We¡¯re in this together and I will definitely do all in my power to keep this from being the end of us.¡±Unauthorized use: this story is on Amazon without permission from the author. Report any sightings.

    June took her brother¡¯s hand, turned to face him, and smiled. ¡°I knew I saved your life for a reason. Thank you.¡±

    ¡°Well, what are brothers for and all that,¡± Bart replied sourly.

    ¡°For being my eyes and ears! Bart, we have to go inside! I don¡¯t know exactly who we¡¯re dealing with, but I believe they are very important enemies. The times I¡¯ve recalled this symbol in my visions. Afterwards, when I am laying there, strapped to their cold, metal operating tables, I will sometimes overhear Antoine and the other scientists speak of an otherworldly order known as the Knights of the Lost¡­ something or other. I never delved too deeply into their findings or what they did with them. Frankly, a lot of it was lost on me. It was always just gratifying to be doing a solemn duty for my Goddess and it felt disrespectful wanting to be too nosy about it. But being here, in this place, right now. It no longer feels like coincidence. She is finally speaking directly to me!¡±

    ¡°Very well.¡± Bart sighed a breath of surrender. ¡°If we¡¯re going to dive straight into the heart of darkness, then let it be on behalf of Our Lady of Perpetual Madness.¡±

    The inner walls of the dark cathedral were as cold as they had been on the outside. June was slowly being guided deeper into the building by her brother, her free hand tracing the interior of the building as they snuck in. Even without her sight, she could feel a sort of malevolence within the walls that she had only ever sensed during her auguries. Her sense of smell, however, was as powerful as ever. Trails of dust particles amidst the humid, musty air had been kicked up by their trespassing and were constantly hitting her nose every few seconds, causing her nose to tickle uncontrollably. She did her best trying to stifle the various sneezes coming on in fear of being caught. Despite that, it appeared that the empty chamber they had entered had not seen a living soul in a very long time.

    As Bart looked around, he noticed the room was dimly lit by overhanging archaic lanthorns¡ªa surprising detail for creatures that surely congregate in the sunless crypts under Sarracas. Long, white pews surrounding the pair on each side with seats stretching higher than the height of an average human. At the end of the aisle were the yawning entrances to shadowy chambers sitting right behind the pulpit. Walking up to the end, Bart noticed a faint outline on the ground right before the murk encroached from those dark halls.

    ¡°I¡­ don¡¯t think we sufficiently thought this through,¡± said Bart.

    ¡°What? What¡¯s wrong?¡±

    ¡°This place is a veritable maze. I wouldn¡¯t even know where to begin looking for that girl, or even if we should. Not to mention this place is incredibly dark.¡±

    ¡°Bart! We¡¯re not giving up now! Maybe I can predict the right way for us to go? Like I can see each outcome and decide which one is best!¡± June knelt down and kept her eyes shut in an attempt to focus.

    ¡°¡­Well? Can you?¡±

    June furrowed her brow in frustration. The only thing she accomplished was giving herself a headache. ¡°¡­No. Nothing is coming to me. I guess I can¡¯t just turn it on and off whenever I wish.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t be dejected, June. That kind of power seems a little too omniscient, if you ask me. We¡¯re probably better off not having to rely on it too much. I¡¯d be too afraid of what it might do to you.¡±

    June sighed dejectedly. ¡°Maybe you¡¯re right. In that case, you¡¯ll have to lead the way.¡±

    ¡°Right. Like I didn¡¯t have enough responsibility hoisted upon me.¡± Bart walked around the chapel area before coming back to their original spot. Looking down, he once again spotted the faint seam along the ground. Upon further inspection, he found what looked like a heavy, brass handle connected to the top center. ¡°A trap door. A subterranean vault is the last place I¡¯d prefer to look, but it might be important.¡±

    ¡°A passage leading underground? Good work, brother! Come on then, what are we standing here for?¡±

    Bart had to grip the large handle with both hands to get a good hold on it, but try as he might, the stone door would not budge from its place. He stood up and wiped his forehead. ¡°Um, perhaps you could give me a hand with this. This door is far heavier than it looks.¡±

    ¡°Sure! Where? Here? Like this? Like¡ª¡± June gave the door a good pull and instantly regretted it. The pain shot through her hands and the coarse metal rubbed against her skin. ¡°Perhaps we¡¯ll try somewhere else.¡± June knelt down and pressed her ear against the door. ¡°I think I can hear something struggling to breathe down there. Something far larger than you and I.¡±

 Chapter 119: The Girl at the End of My World

    ¡°Ugh, Goddess. I don¡¯t even want to know. I was mostly curious at first, but I really doubt they moved down there. Perhaps we should try¡ª¡± Bart¡¯s mouth stood agape as the last word exited his mouth. A sudden squelch had been heard from behind, followed by another then another. The prince wheezed and sputtered blood as the knife connected with his flesh over and over again. The lanky, robed figure continued to stab him in the back, far longer than what seemed necessary. There was one last wet schlunk before he fell to his knees, only kept from falling completely by the monstrous fingers digging into his shoulder. The dark stranger propped him up and held the blade against his throat, ready to finish him off when¡ª

    June screamed, facing up toward her brother with an outstretched hand. ¡°Bart! Behind you!¡±

    In a flash, Bart spun around and blocked the arm of his would-be murderer with an arm of his own before the masked figure could plunge the knife down into his back. June¡¯s small premonition had saved his life once again. The prince struggled as he tried to bear the weight of the much larger figure pushing down against him, the tip of the knife reaching dangerously close to his eye. With his free hand, he grabbed the figure¡¯s wrist and attempted to wrest it off himself¡ªand not doing a very good job. ¡°June¡­! Run away!¡±

    The sounds now coming from in front of June sounded very differently from her premonition. She could hear her brother struggling¡ªbreathing, but could not sense much about the attacker. Not his sense of movement, nor his breathing. It was as if this entity bore no life of its own. She struggled to come up with her next move, having only a few scant seconds to decide before her brother befalls the grisly fate she had just predicted. She took a gamble and¡ªignoring her brother¡¯s plea¡ªlunged toward his attacker. She made impact, grasping at whatever part of him she could. Her panicked mind was in overdrive, finding it almost impossible to place where every correct limb or body part was that would be on a normal human. She finally managed to wrap an arm around its neck while flailing her other arm wildly trying to get a grip on the arm bearing down on her brother. June¡¯s fingers found the cold metal mask attached to its face and pulled at it, hoping to disorient it. There was a loud clang as the mask hit the floor. A sudden scream from Bart almost caused a frightened June to lose her grip. ¡°Are you okay?!¡±

    ¡°Dear Goddess, June! His face! His hideous face!¡±

    The echo of her brother''s scream was so disturbing that she had almost lost her grip. She couldn''t even imagine what kind of face could frighten him so. She once again reached for his weapon arm, this time getting a nice grip on his upper wrist and brushing fingers against the grip of her brother''s. A resurgence of courage filled her, giving her strength to squeeze even harder. It wasn''t until then that she realized how disgustingly soft his body felt under her. It was almost jelly-like in her grip and had felt like she could break his arm at any second. Had her brother felt it too? She pulled her foe''s arm back as hard as she could and with their combined strength, she could finally feel the pressure of the attack weakening. ¡°Now, brother! Move!¡±

    Bart finally had enough leeway to maneuver out from under his attacker, who had almost brought him to his knees. He rolled onto the ancient ground, kicking up large clouds of dust.

    The hideous figure thrashed back and forth, swinging his knife at the girl behind him. By some miracle, she just barely managed to dodge the flurry of slashes despite not being able to see them.

    The figure was moving much too clumsily in anger, drunkenly stabbing at the air right next to June¡¯s head. The dangerous swish of wind passed by her ears several times, until something inside the enraged monstrosity snapped, causing him to let out a piercing wail.

    The cry sounded strangely avian, yet it was still unlike any kind of bird June had ever heard. There was no end in sight to the piercing shrill that was now making her head spin and she was now trapped riding the bucking sentry. She held on as tight as she could, but she could feel herself slipping¡ªwanting to roll off before a stray cut of the knife. But if she let go now, the contemptible monster would be free and they would be at its mercy once again.This story has been taken without authorization. Report any sightings.

    Suddenly, from across the room she heard her brother rushing forward¡ªscreaming at the top of his lungs. What was he about to do?!

    Bart, without missing a beat, had picked up a loose shard of glass from one of the old windows and charged at the strange enemy being somehow held at bay by his blind sister. He knew this would their one and only opportunity to save themselves. He dove at the hooded figure¡¯s chest, narrowly avoiding the swing of a knife himself and plunged the jagged glass into what he presumed was its heart.

    ¡°Bart?! Are you okay? What was that?! What happened?!¡±

    ¡°Nngh! I¡¯ve got him, June! Get away from him and get somewhere safe!¡± Bart kept his hand on the shard of glass, letting it cut into his palm as he held it firmly inside his attacker. He avoided looking directly at the face that had terrified him earlier and instead watched as June climbed off of him and stumbled into the darkness. He prayed that no other member of that macabre march had heard its screech and made their way here to join it. They were struggling enough as it was against only one of them, he didn¡¯t even want to imagine what would happen if it did. The thing in front of him continued screeching, announcing what he rather hoped was its death knell. It dropped the strange knife in its hand and flapped its arms wildly. Bart finally let go and shoved the figure away as hard as he could.

    It staggered back, trying to keep its footing after Bart¡¯s assault, arms outstretched while continuing to reach towards him until finally it collapsed into the shadows between a row of ancient pews.

    ¡°June¡­?¡± Bart looked around for his sister. ¡°It¡¯s alright now. You can come out. I¡¯ve¡­ I¡¯ve vanquished our foe. You didn¡¯t get too far, I hope?¡±

    ¡°Bart? You¡¯re okay? We¡¯re safe?¡± June¡¯s shaky voice came from the darkened corner of the room. She had fallen back onto the ground, knees hugged in front of her. Her head bobbled around, trying to detect another sign from her brother. She reached her hand out in front of herself, hoping he would reach it. ¡°I-I¡¯m over here.¡±

    ¡°O-Oh!¡± Bart had pulled his sister to her feet and was surprised to feel a sudden embrace. He hadn¡¯t known June to frighten so easy, but perhaps she had finally hit her limit. ¡°There, there, June. It¡¯s fine now. I didn¡¯t see any sign of more of those fellows slinking around in the shadows, but it may be best for us to get out of here while we still can. It can only get worse from here.¡±

    June held her brother tightly for a moment then slowly released him. ¡°No¡­ We were brought here for a reason. I just know it. We can¡¯t turn back now. We already stopped one of them. We have to keep going.¡±

    Bart heaved a long and tired sigh. ¡°I doubt I¡¯ll be able to change your mind, will I? Fine. But if we¡¯re going to be traveling through this cryptical cesspit, we¡¯ll have to be ready to defend ourselves. One of those freaks was perilous enough, but there were many, many more of those things marching into this place before we arrived and it will be all over for us if we¡¯re discovered.¡±

    ¡°That reminds me,¡± said June with a hint of morbidity in her voice. ¡°You screamed about its face earlier. What did you see behind the mask? How ghastly was it? No human could have made the noise that it did. These things definitely aren¡¯t like you or me.¡±

    ¡°Far more grotesque than I¡¯d care to remember. I can¡¯t even begin to describe how such a thing should not exist in this world. And the thought that this place is replete with them fills me with enough dread to cause my legs to want to collapse under my very weight. Unfortunately, I¡¯m not a reprehensible enough brother to leave his creepy yet innocent sister at the mercy of these fiends.¡±

    ¡°Wait, I know!¡± June yelled as she felt her way around. ¡°Let¡¯s grab that knife he was holding! It¡¯s a better weapon than nothing.¡±

    Bart walked over to where he remembered it dropping the odd dagger it carried. He reached down and inspected it. The handle felt strangely light in his hands. The long, asymmetrical blade was broad near the hilt then bent and curved repeatedly like a wave. It was like no dagger he had ever seen before.

    ¡°Did you find it?¡± asked June peering over his shoulder.

    ¡°Yes. What a strange blade it has. I can¡¯t imagine this doing a good job of piercing anything.¡± He looked over at the hooded body slowly sinking unnaturally into the floor. Had it started to decompose already? He looked back down at the blade in his hand, his clear reflection in the blade was staring back at him. ¡°I suppose it¡¯ll do in a pinch.¡±

 Chapter 120: Torn Apart

    The sharp pain gets worse and worse as the blades plunge into you continuously¡ªthe foreign material being forced into your body until eventually the onslaught of pain became a dull cramping as flesh and muscle were relentlessly torn open and your organs pulverized from the incessant pecking of multiples knives entering your body. Feeling your life drain away as the crimson essence of your body escapes from your gaping wounds along with your consciousness.

    The elfwin priestess awoke with a start. Her body sat upright as she howled in pain, clutching at the blanket wrapped around her and trying to forget the feeling of dying mercilessly.

    ¡°Hey now! Whoa, it¡¯s okay! You¡¯re alright now, Sister. Calm down.¡± Ashton sat next to her, leaning forward against the back of the turned chair he had brought over when he decided to watch over her. He grabbed hold of the thrashing woman and held her tight to prevent her from hurting herself. ¡°You passed out earlier after something you saw got to you. I don¡¯t know what it was, but I¡¯ve never heard someone scream like that the way you did before fainting.¡±

    ¡°A-Ash? B-By the mad maidens, it was so awful! They¡ªthey killed her. Brutally. I couldn¡¯t even tell what was happening, it all went by so fast. But I felt every second of it¡­ It was so terrifying. So violating. I never want to feel something like that again. I don¡¯t want to feel this way. I feel so¡ªI feel like part of my soul has been ripped away. I can¡¯t feel her anymore. A living being isn¡¯t meant to feel this way. I never knew such a horrible sensation could possibly exist.¡±

    ¡°Her? You mean your twin? Who killed her? How could someone even manage to get the jump on you?¡± He asked incredulously. She groaned in his arms, slamming her fists against the bed. ¡°Hey, it¡¯s okay! You¡¯re safe now.¡±

    ¡°It was those bastards! The Lost Knights! Who could have possibly predicted they had a base around here?!¡± Tamsin tried to pull away from Ash, only to be pulled back. Despite enjoying the warm sensation, she didn¡¯t want to seem weak right now. ¡°Let me go. I¡¯m not in the mood for your perversions right now.¡±

    ¡°You sure you¡¯re gonna be alright?¡± Ashton gently released his hold on her. ¡°I can¡¯t even begin to imagine what you¡¯ve just been through, but you should probably keep resting. I don¡¯t think you¡¯re really fit to do anything strenuous right now.¡±

    ¡°They killed my sister! They killed me! You expect me to just let that slide? Screw the mission, I¡¯m not leaving this fucking city until I get her back!¡± Tamsin coughed. She noticed a pile of stubbed cigarettes on an ashtray by the nightstand with one still lit, leaving an acrid smoke to continue filling what seemed to be the grimy old motel room she was brought to. She waved her hand in front of her face unpleasingly. ¡°Ugh. Couldn¡¯t you have gone outside for that?¡±

    ¡°I ain¡¯t saying you can¡¯t have your revenge, but it sounds like these are some very dangerous folk and you¡¯ve been bedridden for days.¡±

    ¡°Wait, days?¡± Tamsin bit her lip until blood trickled from her lip. ¡°I can¡¯t believe they took me out of commission for that long. Goddess knows what they¡¯re doing to my body! We need to get my other half back, pronto!¡±The story has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation.

    ¡°Want to give her a proper burial back home, eh?¡±

    ¡°Yes! ¡­Well, no. I¡¯m going to reintegrate her. That¡¯s a part of me. I think¡­ I think maybe if she combines with me again, I can heal her.¡±

    ¡°Whoa, you think so? Sounds dangerous. Like giving yourself an almost-mortal wound and seeing if it¡¯ll heal. It might just be too much for your body.¡±

    ¡°My body has already experienced the worst. If anything, it¡¯ll feel like reattaching a missing limb.¡± She looked down at her arms resting on the tussled blanket still covering her half-broken body. A plethora of old scars covered her limb from limb. ¡°Besides, I¡¯m used to receiving punishment by now.¡±

    <hr>

    ¡°It feels like we¡¯ve been down here for days,¡± lamented Bart.

    ¡°Well lucky for you, it¡¯s only been a couple of hours,¡± retorted June. She held onto her brother by a pinch of cloth. ¡°Where are we, anyway? I can sense how dark it is here.¡±

    The two siblings had traveled down one of the abyssal corridors, slinking against the wall like a couple of thieves raiding a tomb. On one side were rows of locked chambers sitting silent in the dark, while the wall across from them had old, decaying windows every few steps and littered with shattered stained glass on the floor below them. On the other side of the windows there seemed to be some kind of shallow, inner yard between the edge of the cathedral¡¯s exterior and the rockface of the cave interior where the building had been sinking into. The gap was just large enough for someone to fit into.

    Bart squeezed the grip of his looted weapon in hand, afraid of how soon he might actually have to use it. He wasn¡¯t too familiar with the feel of a blade aside from the knives at home he would use to practice cooking¡ªnot that royalty would ever need to practice such a thing, but cooking had quickly become a comfortable hobby of his. Bart waved the dagger at the shadows in front of him. The musty air was becoming too stifling to bear.

    ¡°Bart?¡± June yanked on his coat. ¡°Don''t zip your lips now! Did you spot something?¡±

    ¡°June, I can''t even see my own feet in front of my face. Not to mention it reeks in here. I can''t even imagine how bad that must be for you.¡±

    ¡°N-No. The smell is particularly strong and acrid, I admit. But it makes my mind race wondering what could possibly be causing it. I can already count past both hands with ideas on what it could be. So don¡¯t feel bad! I don¡¯t mind this smell. It gives the place¡­ character.¡±

    ¡°This dank, subterranean murder-crypt has character?¡±

    ¡°Well, I didn''t say it was a righteous character!¡± The princess clicked her teeth. ¡°Let¡¯s just keep going! We¡¯re bound to find something.¡±

    ¡°Oh, June¡ª! You aren¡¯t fooling anyone! Just admit you''re living out one of your sick, macabre fantasies. You¡¯ve always been into the terrifying stuff. Always with that sick habit of making me read you some gore-addled tale. At least when you had movies snuck into the castle, I didn¡¯t have to stick around while you listened to those poor victims get gutted or worse. You know, I should¡¯ve known when you hardly reacted to that woman getting ripped apart earlier¡ªWait! There¡¯s a light up ahead!¡±

    Several feet further down the corridor was a flickering light escaping from an open room.

    ¡°Keep quiet, Bart!¡± June spoke in a hushed tone. ¡°If there¡¯s a light, there¡¯s definitely a source and that source might just kill us this time.¡±

    ¡°The light is coming from an open room down the hall, though I can¡¯t be too sure of any masked and hooded occupants that might be dwelling inside.¡± Bart trod forward at a snail¡¯s pace with his blindingly audacious sister in tow. His painfully tight grip on the knife had turned his knuckles white.

    ¡°That is much too highly suspicious to be just an ordinary room,¡± noted the brash princess. ¡°We must move gracefully and without making a single noise. Let¡¯s use some signals for what we might run into. If there¡¯s someone or something inside, then poke me with your finger like so. Just one! You got that? If they spot you, then scream to draw their attention and so I¡¯ll know you¡¯re being attacked. But if the room is empty, then just say so.¡±

 Chapter 121: The Dark Descent

    Bart, ignoring his sister¡¯s meandering babbling, inched closer to the open room. A shuffling sound from inside almost caused him to drop the dagger in his hand. It was a noise that June must have heard as well because she fell silent almost immediately.

    The shuffling of feet was accompanied by the voice of a strange man. His tone indicated he was speaking with someone else.

    ¡°Why did you bring this here?¡± the voice asked. ¡°What do you expect us to do with this?¡±

    Something else in the room responded with a string of eerie hooting sounds. It was the unmistakable, drawn-out sound of an animal. Each utterance ended with a ghostly reverb. There was no doubt that this was the same type of creature they had encountered marching through the streets and entering the building just hours before.

    ¡°We don¡¯t need a body for this ceremony.¡± The man¡¯s tone grew in annoyance. ¡°This is just another waste. What have we told you bird-brains about butchering random tourists?¡±

    The strange monster responded with quick, short hoots.

    ¡°Snooping around?¡± The man scoffed. There was a pause before he spoke again. ¡°Guess the gat got a little too curious. Strange. Most tourists don¡¯t typically care about religious gatherings.¡±

    The creature replied with a disturbing, high-pitched whinnying.

    ¡°You think she was trying to sneak inside? Could it be¡­¡± The man again paused for a moment. ¡°She¡¯s a Scarlet Sister?¡±

    Scarlet Sister? June shuddered at the words. Those unhinged, homicidal hit squads from back home were too much, even for her. The worst of the worst among the priestesses. She had never met one she had liked. Sure, she may have admired some of their creatively violent methods and no-nonsense work ethic, but their personalities left much to be desired. At least some of the regular priestesses still had a semblance of tact. What was one doing out here? She didn¡¯t expect for any of them to be all the way out here. Had the Church authorized them to come hunt her down?

    ¡°That damn nosy Church of theirs again,¡± the man continued. ¡°Have they finally gotten wind of our activities here? Shit, they¡¯ve really been stepping up their search efforts lately. Those cunts of theirs have already raided and seized a few of our ancillary operations¡ªnothing we can¡¯t rebuild, but if they¡¯re out here then we might be in trouble. We have too many valuable artifacts here that I¡¯d prefer not fall into their pesky hands.

    The creature answered with a confused hoot.

    ¡°Leave the body here. We¡¯ll get rid of it after the ceremony.¡± The man¡¯s voice was cutoff by the sound of some heavy objects being moved around. ¡°Damn it all. We¡¯ll probably have to move strongholds after this. Grab that implement and let¡¯s get going.¡±

    Shit! thought Bart. We need to hide! The prince tugged on his sister¡¯s arm, scrambling for a place to hide in the darkness of the open hall.

    ¡°Come on, come on.¡± The man was now visible in the doorway, his back to the outside while he called to the creature. He wore a robe distinctly unlike the ones worn by the cloaked and cowled beings from before. Rather than being all black, his robe was made up of harshly dark reds, blues and yellows. He also seemed to be wearing a strange, bulging headpiece that sat unnaturally atop him. Finally, as he turned around to leave, there could be seen the excessive width of his mouth¡ªan aberrant rictus full of dyspathy. In his hands was a strange ringed artifact surrounded by miniature floating orbs on different levels of rings. Once he started moving toward the nearby corner at the end of the corridor, the distinctive sound of a hoof clacked with every step he took.Support creative writers by reading their stories on Royal Road, not stolen versions.

    As the man left the doorway of the room, a tall, dark figure in an overly baggy, black coat soon followed¡ªits face hidden behind a leathery, bird-like mask. Its hands grasped at the edges of the doorframe to give itself balance as it ducked under to leave. Peeking outward, it scanned the edges of the shadowed corridor, as if analyzing where it was. It stared down the long hallway, toward the direction of the entrance to the cathedral, searching the walls and windows as if looking for something. Seemingly satisfied, the figure fully exited the room and stepped around the next corner following after the robed man.

    As the sounds of their steps faded into the distance, Bart peeked his head over one of the window ledges from outside. June was crouched down, kneeling beside him. She asked him if the coast was clear. He replied in affirmation. When Bart had heard the cult members readying to leave, he pulled his sister over to one of the windows and whispered in her ear to climb over. He quickly followed suit, waiting patiently as he listened for them to leave.

    ¡°What a strange little area this is,¡± mumbled June as she pulled at the blades of grass between her fingers. ¡°I thought we were supposed to be inside of a building inside of a cavern. So what is this? Some kind of secret garden?¡±

    ¡°Yes, it is quite curious,¡± Bart replied, looking down at his sister as she crawled forward to experience more of the area. ¡°There are actually quite some beautiful bioluminescent fungi growing here. I doubt this area is used for anything, but it does make for a quick hiding spot.¡±

    ¡°Glowing plants? Aww, I wish I could see them. Where are they? Maybe I could collect some to take back home with me.¡±

    ¡°We aren¡¯t returning home, remember? At least not just yet. I doubt they would survive a trip that long.¡±

    ¡°Ugh, I just wish my damn eyes could work again!¡± June stood up and dusted herself off. ¡°This is so frustrating sometimes. Let¡¯s just go. I¡¯m very curious as to what was in that room and what they were talking about especially.¡±

    ¡°A ceremony. A dark one, I¡¯m sure. These fellows don¡¯t mess around. I can see now how they¡¯ve made enemies of the Scarlet Church.¡±

    ¡°Their number one enemy,¡± stated June. ¡°And I¡¯m more curious about the woman they killed. He said she could have been a Scarlet Sister.¡±

    ¡°Ah, yes. That gaggle of madly deranged murderesses. You know one of them constantly goes out of her way to refer to me as ¡®dopey¡¯? The nerve of that woman.¡±

    ¡°That means she probably likes you.¡±

    ¡°She what¡ª?! You¡­ You really think so? Hmm, well I admit she is a tad cute looking.¡±

    ¡°Oh my Goddess, can we get a move on already??¡± The princess pushed against her brother¡¯s back.

    ¡°Right, right. Let me give you a boost. And watch your footing.¡±

    ¡°If what they said was correct, then that woman¡¯s body should be right in that room.¡± June stepped onto the support of her brother¡¯s hands and hopped over with ease and afterwards even held a hand out to him, who struggled to climb back over himself. Once he staggered back up, she once again grabbed onto the edge of his coat. ¡°Lead the way, brother.¡±

    Bart carefully entered the room and almost screamed. On a large slab in the middle of the room was the dead woman¡¯s corpse, flayed open with her destroyed organs and disemboweled entrails on full display.

    June peeked her head over his shoulder. ¡°Well? Is she in here? Phew, she must be.¡± The princess waved a hand over her nose. ¡°See? I knew we¡¯d eventually discover what was making that smell.¡±

    ¡°For madness¡¯s sake, June. Just be glad you can¡¯t see the sorry state she¡¯s in. I-I don¡¯t know how we¡¯re going to carry her out of here without¡­ without spilling her contents.¡±

    ¡°Bart. There are a lot of boxes full of things in here, right?¡±

    ¡°Yes.¡±

    ¡°Sounds like a simple solution to me. We find something to close her up!¡±

 Chapter 122: Corpse Party

    ¡°You¡¯ve truly been awaiting a moment like this, haven¡¯t you?¡± Bart asked. ¡°A carnage-filled gorefest to sate that grisly heart of yours.¡±

    ¡°Are you about to go off on another fear-induced tirade of yours?¡± replied June, nudging her brother forward. ¡°Quit being such a chickenshit. Why would I be waiting for such a thing? Hm? You think I enjoy involving myself in a dangerous mission involving an insidious cult that could cost us our lives? Perish the thought, brother. I might be a little cavalier about the whole thing, but I truly want justice for this poor soldier. Especially if she¡¯s one of ours.¡±

    Bartholomew sighed and proceeded to walk carefully around the dead girl, glancing over at her every few seconds in a pitiable attempt to examine her. Suffice to say, his mind was not well-equipped enough to handle being so near to a mutilated corpse. He turned to June, who had released her hold on him but still inched slowly behind. ¡°How exactly do you want to go about this¡­?¡±

    ¡°What do you mean? There¡¯s an assortment of tools in this room, is there not? You¡¯re the one with eyes, surely you can figure something out.¡±

    ¡°But, I mean¡­¡± Bart looked over at the body once again. The poor girl¡¯s organs were splayed out and hanging from the sides of the table, some of it having dripped onto the floor. ¡°We would have to stuff everything back inside of her first. She¡¯s not exactly fit for suturing just yet.¡±

    ¡°Then use your hands? I¡¯m not quite sure what the issue is here.¡±

    ¡°Ugh, Goddess¡­ June¡­ If you¡¯re so keen on the mortuary rites, then you can stuff her entrails back in while I look around for something to close her up. I¡¯m sure it shouldn¡¯t be too difficult a job for you. Just feel around for anything out of place. Your hands must have wanted to get some blood on them at some point or another.¡±

    ¡°Oh, fine! Leave it to me. But you owe me a new dress.¡± June turned to what felt like the slab next to her. She rolled up her sleeves and placed her hands on the edge of the table to get a sense of its length. The stickiness of dried blood splattered all around was difficult not to feel against the tips of her fingers. She turned her head toward where she had last sensed her brother. ¡°And not for any reason you said. You make me sound like some manner of psychotic killer. Simply because I admire hearing about their exploits. It''s purely cautionary, I assure you.¡±

    ¡°Right. That''s what all the hobbyists of true crime attest to.¡±

    June ignored her brother¡¯s scathing remark and began her work in earnest. She pressed her fingers into the side of the corpse in front of her. The skin was soft yet rigid; rigor mortis had already set in quite a while ago and made the body feel eerily foreign. Her fingers stretched over what she thought would feel like the girl¡¯s abdomen, only for her to discover a gaping hole in its stead. The princess pulled her hand back on impulse before shakily diving back in. It felt somewhat disrespectful to go digging into a woman¡¯s guts like this, but this seemed like a golden opportunity she never imagined she¡¯d ever have. Her fingers poked and prodded around the intestines, only to find a large string of it trailing somewhere to the side and swinging off the side of the cold table. The damage to her insides had been much more extensive than she imagined. As she picked the goopy viscera off the floor, she noticed it felt lifelessly cold in her hands, and yet, there was a warmth to it that could only come from a once-living being. All the descriptions she had her brother read from her books paled in comparison to the real thing. The sensation was oddly exhilarating. June let slip the bloody mass from her hand and listened as it plopped back into the general location of its original placement. She wasn¡¯t quite as skilled as a surgeon, but she felt her efforts were enough. June then paused, focusing her blind gaze toward the body below her, standing motionless as she hovered over it and imagining how painful this death must have felt for the victim. This morbid-like curiosity continued to assail her, and for a fleeting moment, she had so very badly wished she could see how the body looked with her own two eyes. The corpse sat silent on the slab and no sound aside from Bart¡¯s rummaging could be heard in the stuffy room. Her brother was correct in his observation of her macabre fascination, but she also hated seeing him proved right.This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there.

    Bart, meanwhile, had been searching another nearby shelf. Stacks of dusty crates were lined up from end to end, and most were filled with useless documents in ancient languages that seemed a headache to read. Bart began to hyperfocus on his task, as the sickening squelching noises produced by his sister¡¯s handiwork were now preventing him from turning around. Eventually, his eyes settled on a box filled with dusty implements whose purpose he couldn¡¯t even begin to imagine. The first tool he pulled out seemed like some sort of torture device meant to keep its victim alive as it caused them excruciating pain. Having no need for that, he set it aside and picked up another, rather hefty instrument. It was some sort of metal rod, bent near the end that opened into a small, round slot. He hadn¡¯t the foggiest clue what it could have been used for and set it aside. Next was a rusted axe, a large set of bolt cutters and an unpleasant device that looked like it went into the mouth. There didn¡¯t seem anything useful to help them seal up a dead body. A part of him felt relieved, but he knew he would have to keep looking if they were going to get out of there.

    ¡°Bart,¡± called June. ¡°Pause for a moment and come over here. I¡¯d like to ask you for a quick favor.¡±

    ¡°Bart set the box aside and stepped over to his sister. He tried exceedingly hard not to look directly at the corpse in front of them. ¡°Alright. As long as it¡¯s not giving you a hand with your little reconstitution here. What is it?¡±

    ¡°This woman here. Describe her to me. What does she look like?¡±

    ¡°Is that really important right now?¡±

    ¡°Please, Bart. I¡¯m already digging wrist-deep into her guts. The least I could do is get to know her a little better.¡±

    Bart¡¯s gaze trailed slowly towards the woman¡¯s face. Her lifeless expression was frozen in a state of shock, causing him to glance away almost immediately. ¡°Well, for starters, it appears this woman is an elf.¡±

    ¡°What? Really?!¡± June¡¯s pitch shot up several octaves. She stumbled to the front of the table, using her hands to guide her. She reached out and excitedly fondled around the woman¡¯s face until her fingers found the slender elfwin ear she was so desperate to touch. To say she was a fan of elfwin was an understatement. The princess¡¯s hands, that were still caked in the woman¡¯s blood, left trails of sanguine prints all over as she caressed the slender ears sticking out from the dead woman¡¯s head.

    ¡°Keep it down, will you?!¡± Bart shushed his sister. ¡°Can you not act like a freak until we are done here?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry! It¡¯s just, I had no idea we had any elfwin priestesses! You know how much I¡¯ve always wanted to meet one! I¡¯ve even been practicing how to speak their language. Do you want to hear?¡±

    ¡°No, thank you. Now do you want me to finish describing her to you or not?¡±

 Chapter 123: Wrapper Creeper

    ¡°Y-Yes. Please. Do go on,¡± answered June. There was a creepy smile plastered all over her face. Finally realizing what she had done, she backed off, embarrassed. ¡°What else?¡±

    ¡°Well, aside from the blood you left all over her face, she¡¯s¡­ actually quite beautiful.¡± Bart rested a finger on his chin inquisitively. Seeing his sister grossly play with the body made him feel slightly more at ease. Moreso after seeing the corpse¡¯s pretty face. ¡°Silky brown hair. Her eyes¡ªWell, we should probably close her eyes. But they¡¯re a marvelous shade of gold. And the exquisite emerald scaling of her green elf heritage makes quite a gorgeous pattern along her cheeks. She¡¯s¡ªOr she was wearing a nice white blouse but it¡¯s been torn to shreds as you can probably tell. I really do feel bad that things ended for her this way.¡±

    ¡°An Artemaian elf? Amazing.¡± June¡¯s fingers fidgeted along the table. ¡°Oh, how I wish I could gaze upon her. Now we really have to give her a proper burial. Bart! Hurry up and find something to close her up with, will you? Her body isn¡¯t getting any fresher. Would be such a shame to leave her fair body to rot down here¡­¡±

    Bart scoffed and returned to his open boxes. He hadn¡¯t held out much hope in finding something like a staple gun or even a roll of tape, but if he were creative enough, he was sure there would be something of use down there. Eventually, he spotted something large rolled up in the far corner of the room.

    ¡°There! I believe all her innards are stuffed back into place!¡± June cried excitedly. ¡°It¡¯s too bad her torso¡¯s been cut to ribbons. Flipping her over might cause it all to fall out again.¡±

    ¡°Not to worry.¡± Bart shuffled over, struggling to pull something. ¡°I found a tarp long enough to roll her in. Tie it up with some twine, and we could carry her out of here.¡±

    ¡°I guess it¡¯s better than nothing.¡±

    ¡°Quite right.¡± Bart had finished unrolling the tarp on the floor. It stretched out quite a bit. ¡°Now come over here and grab her legs. I¡¯ll get her arms. Then when I say so, help me lower her onto the floor here.¡±

    ¡°Her legs are so smooth! That¡¯s elfwin skin for you. So perfect and soft.¡± June grasped the body¡¯s legs tightly, resisting the urge to rub them incessantly.

    ¡°Quit being a creep and get ready. Now, on the count of three. 1¡­ 2¡­ 3!¡± Bart lifted the woman¡¯s arms and having mustered all his strength, pulled the tattered corpse from the cold slab it was resting on and, with help from his sister, lowered it carefully onto the floor.

    ¡°Well, that wasn¡¯t so hard. I say, Bart, you have quite the knack for handling dead bodies! Uh¡­ What now?¡±

    ¡°Now we pull the tarp over her and make sure it¡¯s sticking on to her tightly before we roll her. Just be very, very careful.¡±

    After the most grueling half hour of their lives, the two siblings finally managed to roll the body tightly into the tarp. Along with some twine Bart had found, the two tied up the roll and made sure it wouldn¡¯t be able to fall out of its resting position during movement. The two stood over the wrapped-up corpse, awkwardly attempting to admire their workmanship.

    ¡°That should do it,¡± claimed Bart. He knelt down and grabbed one end of the tarp. ¡°Now let us leave this woe-begotten place before our altruistically gruesome deed is discovered.¡±

    June, grabbing the other end, seemed strangely comfortable for someone in her situation. ¡°Lead the way then, brother. I¡¯ll try to keep in lockstep, but remember, this is going to be far more difficult for me than it is for you.¡±If you spot this story on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.

    ¡°Let¡¯s just get this over with. I¡¯m still astonished you managed to talk me into this.¡±

    ¡°It had to be done, Bart. Especially now knowing she¡¯s one of my subjects. And an elf to boot!¡±

    The two slowly shuffled out the door, tarp held up between them, and slowly made their way back through the eerie abyss. The corridor was deathly quiet and the two siblings were now too afraid to make any noise as they escaped with the young woman¡¯s body. The faint illumination of the glowing fungi from outside the windows was the only guiding light down the path they had come from. Bart couldn¡¯t help stealing glances back at his sister, trying to focus his gaze at the bellowing darkness over her shoulder, staying alert of even the slightest movement among the shadows. Even though June remained quiet, her mind was racing with unanswered questions. If she hadn¡¯t thought to escape, she could be resting comfortably back home and listening to her favorite elfwin band instead of risking her life for a country she had hoped to abandon. More than anything, the two feared sharing the same fate as the body resting peacefully between them. After what seemed like an endless march, as they finally made their way back to the front chamber where their deathly encounter had taken place, Bart took a moment to stop and look around.

    ¡°Hold on a second. We¡¯re back at that small chapel. Which means we don¡¯t have much left to go. But¡­¡± Bart cranes his neck over in the direction of the stone pews where that thing they encountered was last seen breathing its last. ¡°Bah. It¡¯s so hard to see anything in this darkness. These rotting, hanging lamps hardly light anything in here. Listen, I just need to make sure that inhuman monster I slayed is still dead.¡±

    ¡°Are you sure?¡± June¡¯s lips curled into a frown. Her legs were getting antsy, causing her to tap her foot nervously. ¡°Should we not let sleeping perrin lie? What if it¡¯s hiding in wait, ready to ambush you as you get near?¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s exactly why I need to check now. We are going to have to pass by the spot on our way out. It would be much harder to react appropriately with our hands full.¡±

    ¡°Alright, fine. I haven¡¯t had any more of those flashforwards in a while, so I suppose it must be fine. But if I feel even the slightest tingle, I¡¯ll yell and you have to back off immediately. Understand?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll be careful, June. Just stay there with our friend and keep quiet.¡± Bart lowered his half of the tarp, signaling his sister to do the same, then cautiously made his way down the center aisle. As he inched closer to the pew blocking his view of where he¡¯d left the monster, his heart started to race, beating in his chest like crazy. He stopped, growing annoyed that his anxiety had been worse than when he had killed the damn thing. He swallowed the growing saliva in his mouth and finally peered over the looming, stone bench. In the dark of the floor, where the dim light failed to reach, was the barely visible outline of a long, black coat sunken to the floor. The prince reached his hand down slowly, almost imperceptibly, and grazed the very edges of the coat¡¯s threading before pulling away. He thought, perhaps, that maybe his sister was right. He should let things lie as they are. Seemingly satisfied, Bart made his way back over to June.

    ¡°The coast is clear?¡± asked June softly.

    ¡°Let us just get out of here already. We can bury this woman right outside, in the graveyard next to the stairs where we first found that symbol.¡±

    ¡°On your mark then.¡±

    The two siblings picked up the wrapped body and resumed their shuffle to the exit. They passed by the fallen monster slowly and deliberately, Bart¡¯s eyes locked onto its silhouette with every step it was visible to him. Finally, as they reached the threshold of the dark cathedral, something once again flashed in June¡¯s mind.

    A dark figure approached from the darkness behind them. As June was standing in the back, it was her that the looming shadow brought its wavy blade down onto, plunging itself into her neck. She tried to scream, but all that could exit her mouth were gasps full of blood.

    ¡°June!¡± Bart yelled as he saw the creepy shadow approach his sister. It had already gotten close enough to be able to harm her with no escape.

    The princess turned, knowing it was already too late to dodge the blade headed toward her neck. With the body keeping her hands occupied, she could barely find enough time to move at all. She was too terrified to accept the fate that was coming.

    There was a whistle in the air followed by a dull thud. It was the sound of something slicing through the air at incredible speed and finding impact at its mark. Almost as soon as Bart blinked, he couldn¡¯t even begin to fathom the bolt now sticking out of the abhorrent shade¡¯s ghastly face.

 Chapter 124: Slay the Princess

    ¡°Bart?!¡± June cried for her brother, her heart racing a mile a minute. Frightened, she turned her head in all directions, trying to pinpoint the mysterious sound she had just heard. ¡°What just happened? That thing was about to kill me. Did you save me?¡±

    ¡°Well! Look who we¡¯ve caught here, Ash!¡± A deep yet shrill voice called out from the darkness up ahead. ¡°Now what could a couple of foolish scamps be doing all the way out here? Perhaps they have a death wish? Would make our job a whole lot easier.¡±

    ¡°¡­Our target.¡± A second voice added.

    ¡°W-Who¡¯s there?!¡± barked Bart. The ever-anxious prince twisted around and hastily pulled his dagger out, holding it shakily at the silhouettes in front of him. His other arm struggled to keep the tarp with the woman¡¯s body aloft. ¡°What target?!¡±

    Two figures stepped out from the shadows. A rugged looking man with black hair in casual dress. He seemed decked out in hunting gear. His fleece, leather jacket had seen better days. In his hand was the crossbow that had fired the shot that saved June¡¯s life.

    The figure next to the man had almost made Bart drop the body in stark horror. He couldn¡¯t believe his eyes. A tall, slender knight in armor made of gold stood imposingly, towering over all three of them. Her face was obscured by an intimidating looking helm, while a torn red cape billowed in the wind behind her. In her hand was a thick, leathery whip that looked like it could leave a nasty wound on anyone looking to oppose her.

    ¡°June¡­¡± Bart whispered to his sister behind him. ¡°A troublesome duo has shown up. And one of them is another Scarlet Sister. It seems we¡¯re not done dealing with the Church after all.¡±

    ¡°Bart. I almost died just now¡­ It was so¡­¡± June was still shaken up from the near fatal experience, she had little time to process the mysterious shift in situation. ¡°Wait¡ªDid you say Scarlet Sister? Do you think they¡¯re here for us? Or for the cult? Was she the one that saved my life?¡±

    ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter. Their presence always spells calamity. June, we¡¯re supposed to hiding from them. This might be the end of our journey¡ª¡± Bart jumped at the loud crack of a whip next to him, forcing him to lose his grip on the tarp. It slammed the floor with a dull thud.

    ¡°Silly boy,¡± commented the Scarlet Sister. ¡°Do you always give away your position so easily when you¡¯re being shot at?¡±

    The man trained his crossbow on the young prince, keeping him in his sights. ¡°Seems our detour proved to be a fruitful endeavor after all.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s not a detour!¡± The armored woman yelled at him. She seemed to be keeping him on a short leash. ¡°Some things are more important than capturing some stuck-up brat!¡±

    ¡°Hey!¡± June shouted from the back. She gingerly placed her end of the tarp down and balled her fists in annoyance. ¡°I¡¯m an ing¨¦nue at best!¡±

    ¡°But I suppose this makes things a tad easier for us.¡± Her sultry voice echoed in her helmet as she spoke. The armored woman strutted over with a hand on her hip and stood before Bart, looming over him menacingly. She was all the more frightening without a face to put to her intimidating presence. ¡°I¡¯m really not sure how you managed to survive in there, but you¡¯re shit out of luck now, boy. D¡¯rrota will soon be taking your soul!¡±Support creative writers by reading their stories on Royal Road, not stolen versions.

    ¡°B-Boy?! I¡¯m nearly 30! And I know who you are, Scarlet Sister!¡± Bart steadied his dagger, holding it out in front of him. The point of the blade was nearly level with her heart.

    ¡°Real impressive. But I¡¯m pushing 80!¡± The slender woman cracked her whip in undeserved arrogance.

    ¡°Oi!¡± the man shouted from behind, his crossbow still trained on them. ¡°Quit screwing around! You want I should shoot him now or what?¡±

    Bart gasped.

    ¡°No!!¡± June ran up to her brother and stood in front of him. ¡°You are not shooting him! You said we¡¯re your targets, correct? That means you know who we are! Aren¡¯t you supposed to be capturing us and taking us back home?¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s bold talk coming from a traitor,¡± replied the man.

    ¡°Traitor?!¡± Bart piped up. ¡°Isn¡¯t that a bit of an excessive remark?! All we did was run away!¡±

    ¡°Thieving¡¯s a lot more than just running away,¡± the man answered matter-of-factly. ¡°How about you tell us where the artifact is and we can end this all painlessly.¡±

    ¡°Artif¡ª?¡±

    ¡°Enough!¡± The armored woman yelled, cracking her whip against the ground beside them.

    June whimpered painfully as the sound hit her delicate ears.

    ¡°There are more important issues to deal with right now!¡± she continued. ¡°The girl can wait!¡± The woman seemed to be glaring at the two siblings. She raised her coiled whip and with its edge, lifted up June¡¯s chin. ¡°You two! What was your business in there? And you better not waste my time!¡±

    June sneered, a piercing glare of defiance through the dark sunglasses she wore over her cloudy eyes. ¡°We followed a strange march of foreign wayfarers through the streets to this location, where we were witness to a disturbing murder earlier today.¡±

    ¡°Earlier today, huh? They seem to have no shortage of tourists to kill¡­ And this strange march¡­ Was it one following a strange buzzing¡ªsort-of-humming¡ªsiren?¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s right! Full of towering men, fully garbed in large coats and big hats and horrid masks! At least, according to my brother. We arrived here but laid low. It was then that I heard a woman screaming and according to my brother, those strange men had murdered a poor woman in the streets! Weirder still, there was no one around to stop their grisly deed! Is that just what happens in other countries?! Well, we decided to investigate and it turns out this place is a front for a sinister cult. One I¡¯d seen before in my visions.¡±

    ¡°Visions?¡± the man repeated, confused.

    ¡°The Knights of the Lost Star,¡± added the woman. She briefly glanced at the large cathedral behind them. ¡°Yeah, I recently discovered they had been in hiding out here.¡± She quickly looked back at June. ¡°Did you know they were here? Is that why you came all the way out here?¡±

    ¡°And what if it was?¡± added Bart, placing his hand on his sister¡¯s shoulder.

    ¡°No,¡± exclaimed June. ¡°I will not lie. We snuck in to retrieve her body so we could give her a proper burial. I wanted justice for the murdered woman, especially after we soon discovered her identity as a Scarlet Sister.¡±

    ¡°Impossible,¡± claimed the knight. ¡°The only Sister that should be stationed out here is me and¡ª¡± The woman hesitated to answer. ¡°But that was days ago. How can you be so sure? You must have misheard.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s true! We have her body right here!¡± June pointed toward the tarp on the ground. ¡°It was an elfwin woman! Surely you¡¯ll recognize her.¡±

    ¡°What? An elfwin?!¡± The woman tore off her helmet and rushed over, kneeling before the worn tarp sinking into the mud. She scrambled to unfurl the body laying inside.

    ¡°Dear Goddess!¡± screamed Bart. ¡°It¡¯s you!¡±

    ¡°Who, Bart?! Who is it?!¡±

    The Scarlet Sister, a beautiful elfwin woman, unveiled the body in front of her. A corpse that was a dead ringer for the priestess in front of them. Laying there on the bloody tarp, with her insides flayed open, was her exact double.

    ¡°It¡¯s me¡­¡± said the elf woman, oddly relieved.

 Chapter 125: The Execution of Lady June

    ¡°How is that possible¡­?¡± The prince was aghast, his face covered by the back of his hand.

    ¡°Bart, what¡¯s going on?!¡± The confused princess was yelling incessantly, clearly out of her sheltered depth.

    Tamsin said nothing, only gently caressing the bloodied face of her other half, looking at her with sadly loving eyes.

    ¡°No, there¡¯s a simple explanation for this,¡± stated Bart. ¡°She¡¯s your twin sister, yes? I suppose it¡¯s not so preposterous for a pair of sisters to both take the oath of madness. But twins? Auspicious, likely.¡±

    ¡°Twin? Did you say? To the elfwin?¡± June straightened up, respectfully facing toward the kneeling woman next to her. ¡°Um, yes, Sister. I am so very sorry for your loss. I could not abide while the enemy had taken possession of one of my kingdom¡¯s precious priestesses. We went in and took her back. Like I mentioned earlier, I¡­ wanted to at least give her a proper burial.¡±

    ¡°June¡­¡± mumbled Bart.

    Tamsin sat up, craning her neck to look back at June. Her eyes seemed to be analyzing June¡¯s soft features. Finally, she smiled softly and whispered, ¡°Thank you. But that won¡¯t be necessary.¡±

    ¡°Huh?¡± The princess was dumbfounded. ¡°Forgive me, I¡¯m afraid I¡¯m not sure what you mean¡ª"

    ¡°What your precious Scarlet Sister here is trying to say is that this body here was made with magic.¡± Ashton was now poking his crossbow directly into Bartholomew¡¯s back. It seemed that in all the commotion, he had used the opportunity to sneak up on the siblings. ¡°She¡¯s not so much her twin as she is a clone. A split entity copied from her mind, as I understand it. You won¡¯t believe your eyes¡­ Metaphorically speaking.¡±

    ¡°Now you¡¯re the one spilling secrets, Ash.¡± Tamsin giggled. She looked back down at her twin. ¡°She¡¯d have flogged you for that. Not to mention it¡¯s completely wrong. I told you, it¡¯s my thaumaturgy¡ªor as everyone else likes to call it, my Alien Clone Syndrome.¡± She scoffed wistfully. ¡°I just can¡¯t believe she¡¯s here in front of me again. I didn¡¯t think¡­ it¡¯d be this easy¡­¡±

    ¡°Well, we¡¯ve caught them. And they¡¯re both going to die either way. Does it really matter what I tell them?¡±

    ¡°June¡­¡± Bart whispered, his arms now raised. ¡°He¡¯s got his weapon digging into my back.¡±

    ¡°What?! Please don¡¯t kill my brother. Did the Church really send you here to kill us? Don¡¯t they need me?¡± June¡¯s clenched her teeth, snarling in rage. ¡°I knew they were downright dirty scumbags, but to actually murder their own princess in cold blood¡­! It makes one¡¯s blood boil!¡±

    ¡°Princess¡­?¡± The puzzled Ashton glanced at Tamsin.

    ¡°Whoops! Looks like the gat¡¯s out of the bag! These two are actually the royal siblings of Malachias!¡±

    ¡°Which means¡­¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s the crown prince you¡¯re sticking in the back with your crossbow!¡± exclaimed Tamsin playfully and without an ounce of decency.

    Ashton pulled away, fumbling and dropping his weapon from shock. ¡°Y-Your majesty! I¡¯m so sorry! I didn¡¯t¡ªThey told me¡ªIf I had known¡ª-¡±

    ¡°You would¡¯ve done your job without question, pretty boy,¡± Tamsin interrupted him. ¡°Because that is what the Church has asked of you.¡±The story has been taken without consent; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.

    ¡°Why would you want to kill royalty? Oh Goddess, what the fuck did I step into¡­?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m wondering the same thing myself,¡± mumbled Bart.

    ¡°Oh, grow a freakin¡¯ backbone, Ash! It¡¯s almost like you¡¯ve never been on a clandestine mission to assassinate a country¡¯s leader!¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t like how casually she insinuated that,¡± mumbled Bart again.

    ¡°What is going on?!¡± yelled June. ¡°Why does the Church always have to come up with these insane plots?!¡±

    ¡°Wait¡­ Augh!¡± Ashton shook his head and rubbed his face with his palm. ¡°I¡­ remember something. That night, when I met you and your boss¡­ Ngh¡­ My memories¡­ You witch! What did you do to my memory?!¡±

    ¡°Oh, no¡­¡± mumbled Bart a third time.

    ¡°Not me, silly. That was Sister Captain Marie! Isn¡¯t her blessing from Lady Macha just marvelous? Now if you¡¯ll excuse me, I¡¯m due for a much-needed reunion.¡± As she uttered those words, the Scarlet Sister placed her forehead against her twins and closed her eyes. The form of her double slowly melted away. The flayed skin, torn muscles and jagged bones all deliquesced into a sickening goop that slowly flowed back into the priestess. The sight of this miracle disgusted both men, while the sightless princess was left curious as to the whole sordid situation.

    ¡°By the mad maidens¡¯ moons!¡±

    ¡°Tam¡­? How do you feel¡­?¡±

    After the oddly arduous process of reintegrating a whole elfwin corpse, the Scarlet Sister very quickly fainted.

    ¡°Oi! Woman! You can¡¯t go leaving me holding the bag like this! You still have to answer for the shit you¡¯ve put me through!¡± Ashton rushed over to the unconscious priestess and grabbed her by the shoulders, shaking her gracelessly. ¡°Tam! Tamsin! Wake up, damn you! What do you expect me to do now?!¡±

    <hr>

    Later that evening, the hunter-slash-tracker extraordinaire found himself sitting in a musty cemetery, across from what he now knew were the royal siblings of Malachias, Bartholomew and June Elizagorri. The unconscious body of the woman he¡¯d been partnered with was currently lying on an uncomfortable looking slab of a stone bench¡ªthe least of the punishment he had wished upon her after involving him in the current situation. He sighed as he sat on another very uncomfortable slab of stone, right next to hers, with his arms in his lap, and wondering how much better his other hunting friends, Howard, Alma or Rob, were faring in their endeavors. Probably sitting comfortably at Nemeth¡¯s and sharing stories and staying warm, enjoying a nice drink, and being anywhere but here in this damp and humid shitheap.

    ¡°Pardon me, Mr. Huntsman,¡± interjected June. ¡°This is probably not something you wish to hear, but if you let us go on our merry way, then when I eventually return, I promise to give you a royal commendation for your service. It is definitely within my power to do so.¡±

    Ashton avoided looking directly at the princess. ¡°And why would I do that? I might not want to murder you anymore, but the Church hired me directly for this mission. And you know as well as I do that they don¡¯t take ¡®no¡¯ for an answer. Not to mention the Sister here already knows we found you, so there¡¯s no skirting out of this. She¡¯ll hunt you down if you even attempt to escape.¡±

    ¡°And just like that, things are over before they really began.¡± Bart shook his head begrudgingly.

    ¡°I¡¯m on an important quest to find someone. We didn¡¯t originally mean to come here; it was only to be a quick stop. But it seems Macha guided our hand to more important matters.¡±

    ¡°Important mission? From who?¡±

    ¡°I gave myself this quest. I saw a girl. In my visions. She struck me as someone extremely important. Someone whose shoulders might rest the fate of the world, and yet no one else seems to care. I want to find her and I want to help her in whatever way I can.¡±

    ¡°Vision? You¡¯re doing all this ¡®cause of a dream you had?¡± Ash cracked his neck.

    ¡°My visions are very much real! They come from Lady Macha herself! These so-called dreams are held in very high regard by the Scarlet Church! Did you think my blindness to be just a curse?¡±

    ¡°I always thought it was some kind of curse, to be honest.¡± Ashton scratched his head vexedly. After the things he¡¯d seen, does he really have any standing to dismiss his princess¡¯s beliefs? ¡°¡­You can see the future and whatnot?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s a bit more nuanced than that.¡± Tamsin¡¯s voice came in groggy and tired sounding. ¡°The Regia Puella of Malachias has a special thaumaturgy that runs through her bloodline. Direct contact with the Goddess through religious ecstasy. Not that you needed to know any of this, but¡­¡± The Scarlet Sister sat up, holding her head in the cold metal of her armored hand, groaning as if she had just recovered from the worst hangover of her life. ¡°We¡ªUgh, that was the worst experience of my life¡ªWe can always make you forget.¡±

 Chapter 126: Visionary Position

    ¡°Like D¡¯mona you¡¯re going to fuck with my brain again.¡± Ashton rose to his feet begrudgingly and stepped over to Tamsin. He glared at her for a moment.

    ¡°What? You gonna propose?¡± the priestess spat, instinctively placing a hand on her stomach. She looked up at him and scoffed.

    Ash sighed. ¡°¡­How are you feeling? Were you able to bring her back?¡±

    ¡°You still care?¡± Tamsin¡¯s expression softened. ¡°I was ready for you to kill me. And then for you to die miserably in the attempt.¡±

    ¡°I made you a promise, didn¡¯t I? I ain¡¯t bastard enough to renege on a woman in need. Even if you definitely needed a bastard.¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t need anyone but myself, Mr. Clark. ¡ªHowever¡­¡± Tamsin averted her gaze, blushing. ¡°Thank you, Ash. Maybe you do deserve better than what the Church had in mind for you had you failed.¡±

    ¡°They sure made up quickly,¡± Bart whispered to his sister sitting next to him. He watched as his surly captors chatted casually across from him. ¡°What could they possibly be discussing, do you think?¡±

    ¡°It sounds like they¡¯re flirting.¡± June, unamused, frowned as she held up her head with her hands. ¡°Do you think if I ask very nicely, that elf will want to be friends with me?¡±

    ¡°June, she was planning to kill us. Why would you want to befriend such a reprobate?¡±

    ¡°She just seems rather interesting, don¡¯t you think? A woman who can make copies of herself¡ªmaking it possible to be in two places at once. What a dream that would be.¡± June listened to the distinct voices of the couple across from her, wondering what kind of lives they lived when they weren¡¯t out here¡­ doing this.

    ¡°I¡¯m afraid to find out,¡± mumbled Tamsin. Her face retained the same weary look she had before. ¡°It¡¯s not like she¡¯s a different voice in my head. When we¡¯re one, we¡¯re one. I suppose I feel more complete now, but that doesn¡¯t mean¡­ Ash, I¡¯m scared.¡±

    ¡°You won¡¯t really know unless you check for sure,¡± replied Ash, smiling confidently. ¡°But maybe give it a day or two for you both to fully recover. You¡¯ve been through one insane ordeal. Consider yourself lucky she was brought right to you and you didn¡¯t have to end up fighting for her in this state.¡±

    ¡°No, I won¡¯t wait. I have to know now or it¡¯s going to keep driving me insane.¡± Tamsin stood up and focused her gaze. Slowly, her material self appeared to slough off of her, like a cell replicating itself. The elf¡¯s twin stood next to her¡ªeyes closed as if she were asleep on her feet. Where one once stood, now stood two.

    ¡°I can¡¯t believe it,¡± stammered Bart.

    ¡°Tammy!¡± Tamsin ran over and embraced her double, armor clanging against armor as she squeezed with all her might.

    The second twin opened her eyes and glared at the priestess that had attached itself to her. She quickly tried to push her away. ¡°Unhand me, you brainless imbecile! Do you know what torment I just experienced? I don¡¯t need any more from you!¡±This story has been unlawfully obtained without the author''s consent. Report any appearances on Amazon.

    ¡°Brainless? I have half a brain at least!¡± Tamsin¡¯s eyes teared up. ¡°I¡¯m so sorry. I know exactly the kind of torment you experienced.¡± The priestess held her belly in her arm. ¡°Because I experienced it too. I felt your pain. Your fear. It was as if I were the one being brutally killed. I pretty much was, what with how awful and empty I¡¯d been feeling without you. It was excruciatingly lonely. It¡ª¡±

    ¡°Be silent already! I don¡¯t enjoy the first thing I hear after being revived to be your usual blabbering. Did we not come here to complete a mission?¡± The second twin glanced over at the princess and prince across from them. ¡°I supposed I should give you some credit for accomplishing it so quickly.¡±

    Bart grimaced as the second twin approached him. He was sure this twin looked a lot angrier than the first. ¡°I suppose you aren¡¯t here to apologize for the rough treatment?¡±

    The twin reached for her whip and raised it above her head, causing Bart to flinch. Tamsin swiftly grabbed her wrist before she could bring it down. ¡°What¡ª?!¡±

    ¡°Tammy, stop,¡± said Tamsin. ¡°Put your whip away. I¡¯ve decided not to hurt them.¡±

    The others all gasped in unison.

    ¡°I don¡¯t understand,¡± said a bewildered yet hopeful June. ¡°Does this mean you¡¯re letting us go?¡±

    ¡°Preposterous!¡± yelled the other Tamsin. ¡°I would sooner suffer a thousand stabbings before relinquishing my mission!¡±

    ¡°Tam,¡± called Ash. ¡°What¡¯s going on? Are you two usually in conflict this much?¡±

    ¡°Princess.¡± Tamsin looked over at June. ¡°I¡¯m grateful that you risked your life to rescue my sister. I can¡¯t let you go, but I promise not to hurt your brother, the prince.¡±

    ¡°Oh, thank the mad maidens,¡± mumbled a heavily relieved Bart.

    ¡°Sister¡­¡± June had a smile plastered across her face. She rose to her feet and quickly stumbled over to Tamsin to embrace her out of gratitude. Unfortunately, her arms found the other twin¡¯s waist instead.

    ¡°You blind, wretched little¡ª!¡± Tammy turned to her twin, arms trying to avoid touching the princess. ¡°Do you see what your bleeding-heart tomfoolery has caused to befall me?! Why are you sickeningly sympathetic towards these humans?¡±

    ¡°Oh, Goddess!¡± cried June, without any sign of letting go. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, I didn¡¯t realize!¡±

    ¡°She saved you! You owe her that much, at least.¡±

    The Sister¡¯s reflection stifled a cringe as she slowly brought her arm down and patted the princess on the shoulder.

    ¡°So much for the revenge play, huh?¡± Ash chimed in.

    Tamsin¡¯s brow furrowed in fury. She placed her hand on the handle of her whip and gripped it tightly. ¡°Oh, these fuckers are definitely still going to pay, as soon as we deliver these two back to Malachias. Then we grab some reinforcements and rush right back here.¡±

    June¡¯s milky eyes widened in alarm. She jumped back and clutched at her head dramatically, feigning pain. ¡°Ah! Ohh! My head! I¡¯m¡ªI¡¯m having a vision! Oh no!¡±

    Both twins stared at June in surprise while Ashton smirked to himself as he watched the princess¡¯s little display. Bart immediately rushed to her side, attempting to play along.

    ¡°You¡­ You can¡¯t go back!¡± June continued, gritting her teeth like her life depended on it. ¡°You¡¯re destined to help me on my quest! If you take us back, you¡¯ll all be killed!¡±

    ¡°She can¡¯t be serious¡­?!¡± The second twin turned to the first.

    ¡°Shhhutup! This could mean life or death!¡± cried the first to the second, motioning to her with her finger.

    ¡°You realize my mission is important¡­! You¡¯re going to help me track down the savior of the world! And with you at my side, you can at least keep an eye on me! The mission isn¡¯t over, it¡¯s just extended! Ohh!¡± June fell to the floor and sat in a kneeling position. ¡°And you start by going inside there and kicking some asses¡­!¡±

    ¡°June!¡± Bart shook her by the shoulders.

    ¡°Fuck yeah! Now we¡¯re talking!¡± Tamsin raised her coiled whip to the air. ¡°I¡¯m gonna help the princess with her mission and kill as many Lost Knights on the way as possible!¡±

    ¡°Is there no other way?!¡± The second twin cried to June.

    Ashton stepped in front of the kneeling princess with his hands in his pockets and a disingenuous look on his face. ¡°Hey, princess. This all seems like a bit much. How serious were you about that commendation you mentioned? And does it come with a cash prize?¡±

    June paused to face the direction of his voice and smiled.

 Chapter 127: Red Tide

    ¡°What do you mean it¡¯s been days?!¡± cried Bart. ¡°We were only down there a few hours! Right, June?¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t know, Bart,¡± replied June. ¡°You do get yourself lost pretty easily. Could it be you weren¡¯t looking where you were going and lost track of time?¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s not funny! This is a very serious turn of events!¡± Bart buried his face in his hands once again, mumbling to himself. ¡°If it¡¯s not one thing, then it¡¯s another¡­¡±

    Things seemed to finally be looking up again as June had successfully managed to gaslight one of her captors and pay off the other. Despite the inherent dangers and Bartholomew¡¯s constant whining, the four continued readying themselves to infiltrate the stronghold of one of their most powerful enemies. June had gotten curious and questioned the Scarlet Sister about the details of her apparent death, which is when a strange and startling revelation had come to light. The royal siblings had been informed by the bounty hunter Ashton that the day of the week was not the same as it was when they first entered the dark cathedral.

    ¡°But how could that be¡­?¡± Tamsin #2 brought an armored finger to her chin, rubbing it contemplatively.

    ¡°Sounds like it might be the work of some pesky dark artifacts to me,¡± commented Tamsin #1. ¡°These guys are lousy with them, or so I¡¯ve been told in my briefings on them. Tammy, you were down there with them. Do you feel any younger? Oh sweet madness, now I¡¯ll always be known as the older one.¡±

    A look of awkward panic arose on June¡¯s face. She hoped very strongly that the elf could recall nothing of her time as a corpse.

    ¡°I don¡¯t remember anything.¡± The second twin scoffed, crossing her arms in a huff. ¡°And you¡¯ve always been the older of us two. We are not exactly twins in the most technical sense of the term. I agree, however, that this reeks of cryptoarchaeological influences. It¡¯s something that¡ª unfortunately¡ªthese Knights are substantially well-versed in.¡±

    ¡°Hold on, hold on,¡± interrupted Ash, punctuating himself with a clear of his throat. ¡°Are you seriously implying these guys can control time? Who exactly did you say we were dealing with?¡±

    ¡°The Lost Knights!¡± answered June, in a somewhat subtle attempt to impress her new elfwin companion. ¡°There are many seemingly impossible things in this world, Mr. Huntsman. I am quite surprised you¡¯ve been able to remain a skeptic in your line of work.¡±

    ¡°Just ¡®cause I surround myself with dumbasses who tell dumbass tales don¡¯t mean I have to believe them. And please, just call me Ash. Err¡ªYour Majesty.¡±

    ¡°Well, you better start believing in dumbass stories, Ash,¡± said Tamsin. ¡°Because you¡¯re in one!¡±

    The second twin stifled a chuckle.

    ¡°Do we really want to go up against a group with that much power?¡± added Bart.

    ¡°If the Church could hear you now,¡± replied Tamsin, as she and her twin both glared at the prince. ¡°We¡¯re just lucky they don¡¯t give the princes any semblance of power or respect in our country.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t listen to ¡®em, bud.¡± Ash nudged Bart in the arm. ¡°You already survived a tussle with those creeps, right? Just be a man and keep doing what you¡¯re doing. Even If you gotta fight to the bitter end.¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t even warrant a ¡®Your Majesty¡¯ like June got, huh?¡±

    ¡°Yes, as the princess has stated,¡± declared the second twin, getting back on topic. ¡°The Knights of the Lost Star believe they have the reigning monopoly on religious dogma, bringing them in direct conflict with the Scarlet Church. Lady Macha does not take too kindly to those who would undermine her. Especially militant groups who wish to put the world in danger for some preposterous belief. It is unknown where they acquire such powerful artifacts, but we must retrieve them at all costs.¡±Reading on Amazon or a pirate site? This novel is from Royal Road. Support the author by reading it there.

    ¡°Sounds exciting!¡± exclaimed June.

    ¡°You got that right!¡± declared Tamsin #1 as she donned her helmet. ¡°I¡¯m glad one of you finally understands. Tonight, it¡¯s do-or-die! I hope you three are ready.¡±

    Ash nodded while cocking his crossbow gun. He then turned to the two royal siblings. ¡°By the way, I know you two mentioned taking down one of those weird figures. Or at least, semi-took one down until it almost snuck up on and massacred you, but do either of you actually know how to fight?¡±

    ¡°I take fencing classes,¡± said Bart proudly. ¡°I know my way around a sword and where the typical weak points are on an opponent. If only I had remembered to bring one along¡­¡±

    ¡°Color me surprised,¡± replied Ash. ¡°And Your Majesty? Can¡¯t imagine a blind woman not being a liability in a fight¡ªno offense, princess.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll have you know I¡¯ve trained under the best! My Sacred Seven have taught me some very true and vaunted tactics that even a woman in my state can use to her advantage. Blindness has only made my other senses much stronger. I assure you, I am very capable of defending myself, Sir Ash.¡±

    ¡°Sir Ash? Oh, well. That¡¯s, uh¡­ Good to hear. But wouldn¡¯t you two feel more at ease with an actual weapon in hand?¡±

    Well, of course I would!¡± shouted Bart. He pulled out the dagger he had taken earlier. ¡°This is all I¡¯ve had to defend myself with at the moment. One of those things dropped it.¡±

    ¡°Let me see that!¡± The second twin snatched the dagger from his hand, much to his ever-growing dismay. ¡°So, this is what had a hand in killing me? Not very threatening if you ask me.¡± She scoffed, right before holding the blade at both ends and snapping it in half with minimal effort.

    ¡°Hey! What am I supposed to defend myself with now?!¡±

    ¡°Not my problem.¡±

    ¡°Here.¡± Ash unlatched the large hunting knife strapped to his thigh and handed it to Bart. It was marginally bigger than the ritual dagger he had just lost. ¡°This one¡¯s brand new and state-of-the-art. Which means if you lose it, I¡¯ve got a bolt saved up here just for you. It¡¯s not a fancy fencing sword but it should do.¡±

    ¡°Oh joy¡­¡± Bart eyed the dagger disappointedly. ¡°You¡¯re right. This is quite crude in comparison.¡±

    ¡°And you, princess? I doubt a crossbow or a whip will do you much good. How exactly can you defend yourself without a weapon?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m afraid I¡¯ve never really used a weapon before.¡± June looked momentarily dejected. ¡°When I trained with my personal guard, it was mostly to avoid detection by listening for their breathing and footsteps. I¡¯m good at being stealthy, but I¡¯m not much of a fighter to be quite frank. I should be fine with the three of you protecting me, however. Right?¡±

    ¡°Amazing. We went from hunting her to protecting her.¡± Ashton sighed, as he took a good look at the princess. Despite her situation, there seemed to be a strangely confident air hiding behind the large sunglasses she wore on her face. The seemingly innocuous yet pretty face of a woman about the same age as he. But deeper than that, there was a hint of something he couldn¡¯t quite place hiding within the milky white eyes hidden behind the shades and layers of bold innocence. A feeling of something deeply raw and primal that triggered the faint tingle of goosebumps on the back of his neck. Was it her position as the ruler of a country that made him feel this way? That wasn¡¯t quite right. It stirred a slight feeling of unease that he couldn¡¯t quite shake, completely disconnected from the pressuring fear he felt from the Scarlet Church. It was almost like being in the presence of something inhuman. He wasn¡¯t exactly scared of her, but he would prefer to keep any interactions with her to a minimum. Because if there was one thing he was sure of, it was that she definitely was not his type. ¡°I guess you¡¯ll just have to stay behind us then.¡±

    ¡°I would prefer not to have to protect the dead weight.¡± The second twin sneered.

    ¡°I¡¯m not! I promise! I¡¯ll keep to direction! Just instruct me on what to do!¡±

    ¡°Better than her brother here, I¡¯m sure!¡± teased the first.

    ¡°You know what? I¡¯m tired of arguing with this woman. These women.¡± Bart stood tensed, before marching forward ahead of the others and walking right into the darkness beyond the doors.¡±

    ¡°Bart? Bart, where are you going?!¡± June called as she listened anxiously to her brother take off ahead on his own. She stumbled off after him, keeping up with her sibling surprisingly well. ¡°Don¡¯t go off alone! Wait for me!¡±

    ¡°Why are those idiots rushing off ahead?!¡± shouted the second Tamsin. ¡°And so loudly to boot!¡±

    ¡°Guess we better keep them from dying and spoiling all the fun.¡± The first Tamsin trotted in after them, heavy greaves sinking into the sand out front.

    ¡°Sure, why make this night any easier than it has to be?¡± Ashton followed, his weapon at the ready. ¡°At least we know these things can die.¡±

 Chapter 128: Where theres a Whip, theres a Way

    Bart stopped at the open room with the flickering ceiling light that had originally housed Tamsin¡¯s second body. He stood in the entrance, not daring to go inside, and scanned the contents of the room. It seemed a strange kind of room to be in an underground church. Then again, what could possibly constitute a normal room? Still, it seemed more like a room you would find in a modern office building, albeit a decaying one, filled with old rusted metal shelves holding up dusty cardboard boxes full of junk and papers. Records, perhaps? That didn¡¯t excuse the large metal slab in the middle of the room, covered in coagulated blood and still marred with drying bits of viscera. He supposed a lot of strange research took place in the room, but he tried hard not to imagine what kind.

    ¡°Bart? You stopped moving.¡± It was June. She tried her best to control the volume of her voice, but she was unsure exactly how far her quieted voice could reach her brother standing somewhere beyond her. ¡°Did we make it back to the room?¡±

    ¡°Yes, but it¡¯s nothing. Let¡¯s just keep mo¡ª¡±

    ¡°What¡¯s this?¡± Tamsin cut in, pushing Bartholomew aside and striding into the room. ¡°Boxes full of junk? Yawn. What a boring room.¡±

    The second twin burst in, immediately checking the contents of another box. She looked over one of the old documents found buried underneath a rusted pile of tools. ¡°Do these heathens keep anything organized? Hmm. This could be important. Remind us to come back here once we¡¯ve cleared the place out.¡±

    ¡°This is where we found your body.¡±

    ¡°What?!¡± Both twins turned in unison before recombining into one. ¡°They just left me to rot in here? Among all this trash?!¡±

    ¡°This will not stand.¡± The paper in her hand crumpled under her maddening grip. She tossed it aside and pushed her way back out into the corridor.

    ¡°Good job, you two.¡± Ash sighed, looking over at Bart and June. ¡°You got the other two nuts riled up. Now there¡¯s no telling what she¡¯ll do.¡±

    ¡°Ser Tamsin!¡± June followed the authoritative clanging of her new favorite friend who seemed intent on shedding blood. ¡°Please be careful! We could overrun by them at a moment¡¯s notice!¡±

    ¡°Good. Let the fodder come,¡± she replied without turning back. Her voice had taken a frightening tone. ¡°More blood to polish my whip with.¡±

    She¡¯s so cool! June¡¯s inner voice was howling. Why did I not think to make friends with the Sisters before? Simply one bad experience? If only Mercedes had opened up about her experiences as a Scarlet Sister!

    It seemed to be corridor after endless corridor, with long sets of stairs in between. And the further down they went, the less the integrity of the structure seemed. Bricks crumbled around them, with some parts of the floor gaping open into a bottomless void. It was a dangerous trek for a woman who could not see, but she had put an unwarranted degree of faith in Tamsin and tried her best to follow her closely. The steady sound of the priestess¡¯s greaves spurred the princess on. June wasn¡¯t sure if the boys were even still following along behind her, but her need to impress overpowered any seed of doubt from growing. But eventually, the Scarlet Sister¡¯s footfalls came to a stop, and a much more chilling sound had begun to thrum within the dark halls ahead.

    ¡°Hold,¡± called Tamsin, raising her hand to signal the others behind her. She turned to see the princess resting her hands on her knees and catching her breath. Behind her, the other two were slowly¡ªand a bit too casually¡ªcatching up. ¡°You did pretty nicely keeping pace, princess. I was sure you¡¯d fall into one of those holes and I¡¯d never see you again. Color me impressed.¡±

    Stolen content alert: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences.

    ¡°Ah?¡± June raised her head in elated surprise. She almost couldn¡¯t believe her ears. ¡°Oh! Yes¡ª! Naturally! I assured you I wasn¡¯t dead weight, didn¡¯t I?! I followed you quite aptly and I knew there were holes in the floor by the shifting echo and change of direction in your gait. I must say, your breathing remained incredibly steady for such a long walk.¡±

    ¡°What is it?¡± called Ash, running up after seeing Tamsin turn around. ¡°Why¡¯d we stop?¡±

    ¡°There is a large chamber up ahead. If you listen carefully, you¡¯ll notice it¡¯s filled with ominous chanting.¡±

    ¡°Shit. We can¡¯t just walk into the middle of that, can we?¡±

    ¡°I knew this would be a suicide mission¡­¡± mumbled Bart.

    ¡°Well, we originally planned on killing you anyway,¡± replied Tamsin as she split herself into two forms again. ¡°At least this way you¡¯ll go out fighting for your country instead of like a little bitch!¡±

    ¡°You should consider it an honor,¡± said the second twin as she unlatched the whip from her side. ¡°But for now, let me scout ahead. We wouldn¡¯t want you to die too quickly.¡±

    Bart pinched the bridge of his nose in annoyance. ¡°Remind me again, Sister. But isn¡¯t this precisely how you were killed the first time? They¡¯re going to hear you coming. Especially the way you sasquatch around in that armor¡ª¡±

    Tamsin #2 rushed back and yanked the prince¡¯s collar. ¡°Since you¡¯re so opposed to a death fit for royalty, do not think for a second I won¡¯t use this whip to strangle the life out of you.¡±

    ¡°Her footfalls are lighter when she¡¯s split in two,¡± remarked June.

    ¡°Oho! Bravo!¡± exclaimed Tamsin #1. ¡°Score one for the princess! I¡¯m surprised you picked up on that! Kudos to those finely-tuned ears of yours. I wish my hearing were that sharp!¡±

    ¡°Wait,¡± called Ash. ¡°But you¡¯re an elf. I thought you lot had better hearing than humans.¡±

    The second Tamsin sighed quietly to herself.

    ¡°A common misconception!¡± cried the first. ¡°Elfwin hearing is no different from anyone else¡¯s, despite our slender, sexier shape. It would make more sense to say that our senses are more attuned to our surroundings¡ªbut only slightly.¡±

    ¡°Ugh, don¡¯t tell them that!¡± Her twin scoffed, pushing the prince away and causing him to stumble back.

    ¡°And being that we¡¯re city girls, our senses have naturally dulled. Unlike our princess here!¡± Tamsin squeezed June¡¯s shoulder affectionately.

    ¡°Thank you! I think?¡± June blushed at the strange compliment. She then pointed oddly accurately toward a strange trail of light piercing through the darkness ahead of them. ¡°Ser Tamsin, perhaps we should investigate?¡±

    ¡°What?¡± The second twin walked forward, trying to get a closer look. Just ahead was a small beam of light peeking through a crack in the archaic stonework. She peered through the hole in the wall which seemed to be the source for the ominous chanting.

    ¡°By the mad maidens¡¯ moons!¡± exclaimed Tamsin. She had closed her eyes to be able to observe through her twin. She did her best to relay what she was seeing. ¡°I see rows and rows of those cloaked bastards, gathered in circles around the room. What are they doing¡­? They''re just standing there, like a bunch of creepy statues! But¡­ they¡¯re definitely reciting some kind of spell.¡±

    ¡°We need to get moving. They could finish up at any time and there¡¯s only one way they¡¯ll be coming back through,¡± noted Ash as he walked past Tamsin, weapon at the ready. ¡°Maybe we can sneak in there somehow, catch them off-guard while they¡¯re busy. Pick them off one by one, if we¡¯re lucky.¡±

    ¡°Nooot loving that plan,¡± said Bart unenthusiastically. ¡°Do you really think you can take these things out? June and I barely managed to take one down!¡±

    Ash scratched the back of his head, trying to word his next response delicately. ¡°No offense, but¡­ Look. Just leave the heavy lifting to me and Tam. You and the princess¡ªWait, where is the princess?¡±

    ¡°June?!¡± Bart, now panic-stricken, looked around desperately for his sister who had suddenly vanished before them. ¡°Where did she go?!¡±

    ¡°She skipped on ahead!¡± replied Tamsin. ¡°And surprisingly deftly for a girl in her condition!¡±

    ¡°Why didn¡¯t you stop her?!¡±

    ¡°B-Because¡­!¡± Tamsin tried to stifle her laughter. ¡°I thought it would be hilarious!¡±

    ¡°Grah!! Damn you!¡± Bart cried before running off into the darkness after her.

    ¡°Relax!¡± Tamsin yelled after him. ¡°My mirror self is with her!¡±

 Chapter 129: No Fly Zone

    The crack of a whip echoed loudly as it shot out to wrap around the neck of a stranger. One of the cloaked figures had been standing guard, facing away from the shadows where the priestess had sunk into. She had learned a hard lesson the first time during her scouting of the area. She would not make that mistake again.

    The figure struggled to cry out as the priestess tightened her grip. Strained inhuman sounds gurgling from its throat as it attempted to pry the taut whip off with odd, gangly fingers.

    The knife it pulled from its pocket fell from its hand and was quickly snatched up by the blind woman that had followed. Without almost inhuman precision, she raked it across the choking monster''s neck.

    As the whip came loose, blood gushed forth and the strange figure dropped to its knees.

    ¡°I heard you following me, girl.¡± Tamsin #2 called to the princess. ¡°Yet I still don¡¯t understand why.¡±

    ¡°What do you mean? We¡¯re here to stop a dangerous organization, right?¡± June tossed the knife away and raised her fists, mimicking a one-two punch to the air. ¡°We can definitely pull it off with you here!¡±

    ¡°You really believe so?¡± asked Tammy, eyebrow raised. She sighed. ¡°I am loath to admit that your brother might be correct, but this might just be a revenge-fueled suicide run.¡±

    ¡°What¡­? But you guys seemed so sure of yourself. To fight against an enemy of the Church. I thought maybe you had a plan since you so willingly agreed to follow us down here. ¡­¡±

    ¡°Because of your little performance?¡±

    ¡°You knew¡­? But then why¡ª?¡±

    ¡°Sure, I believed you at first. She certainly did. But when my sister and I are split, certain levels of our intellect become affected, as such, things like our perspicacity tends to take a plunge, for example. But once we reform, the bigger picture becomes a whole lot clearer to us. I believe she only really wanted the excuse to come exact her revenge as soon as possible. And as you can surmise by now, the id that is my sister becomes very adamant and impulsive about certain things. Such as my temporary death at the hands of these fanatics. She is my complete opposite and it¡¯s a very frustrating thing to deal with. In truth, I sometimes wish we wouldn¡¯t split at all.¡±

    ¡°Why are you telling me all this?¡±

    ¡°Well excuse me for believing we were having a moment.

    ¡°No! No, no, no! Of course we were! I mean, I thought you disliked humans. I didn¡¯t think I was worth your time, honestly. Your feelings are completely valid to me.¡±

    ¡°Now you¡¯re just making it awkward.¡± Tammy walked off in a huff, her long braided ponytail dangling in the wind. ¡°At least you managed to dispatch this piece of garbage.¡±

    You might be reading a pirated copy. Look for the official release to support the author.

    ¡°I-I¡¯m sorry! Wait!¡± June ran after her but quickly crashed into the woman¡¯s back. She thought the priestess had walked off, but it appeared she didn¡¯t make it very far before stopping.

    ¡°What are you doing, you fool? We¡¯ve finally arrived at the chamber. Why do you think that sentinel was posted here? We¡¯ll have to be extremely cautious from here on out.¡±

    ¡°Wait, we have? But I don¡¯t hear any chanting.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re right. It seems their little ritual is coming to its climax. We need to hurry.¡± The mirror priestess carefully snuck into the room, keeping to the shadows as best she could. She hoped these things couldn¡¯t see in the dark. ¡°Stick close. I wouldn¡¯t want your blood-curdling screams as you¡¯re getting stabbed to give me away.¡±

    ¡°R-Right.¡± June pressed herself painfully hard against the wall next to the other Tamsin. She listened carefully for her breathing, taking note of any kinds of changes. She was impressed with how easily she was able to maintain it so steadily. It was the kind of small detail that proved to her just how brave¡ªor crazy¡ªthis priestess was. But as she listened, she could hear the breath catch in her throat.

    ¡°Dear Goddess,¡± mumbled the mirror Tamsin, watching in horror at the display happening before her.

    In the center of the chamber, floating in the center, was a large void blacker than night. It seemed to darken the room around it¡ªalmost the opposite of a source of light, it would be more accurate to say it was a source of darkness. Like a hole in reality, even straining one¡¯s eyes never seemed to help in focusing on its presence. It was simply a void, cruelly sucking in anything that got too close to its edge. And more frightening than that, the priestess realized that the void was gradually expanding in size.

    June wanted to ask what was going on, but was afraid of making too much noise and giving away their position. Quietly, she listened for any kind of peculiar sound. In the absence of chanting, the room had gone unnaturally silent. In fact, it felt more like any sort of noise was soundlessly absorbed into the dark and eliminated.

    The second Scarlet Sister continued to observe the otherworldly spectacle, wondering to herself what sickeningly eldritch rite they had stumbled into. Circling the room were ancient, stone stands that rose dizzyingly high and were lined with millennia old cracks. Seats that seemed impossible to reach, and yet there were perched all the cloaked figures who were now flapping their arms in a disjointed act of celebration. Bulging from the pitch-black walls above, faint forms could be barely seen of what appeared to be stone carvings shaped from inhuman, cyclopean faces that overhung the entire chamber, as if observing silently the all-too-real nightmares brought upon by these savage cloaked cultists. One by one, the cloaked figures shed their coats and leapt from their seats, diving head first into the abyssal portal growing in size in the center of the room¡ªtheir inhuman forms blending into the tenebrous darkness of the lightless room and making it impossible to see what they truly looked like. Whether they somehow flew or gravity simply pulled them in, Tammy could not confirm. As they sunk into its event horizon, their bodies slowly melted away into the shadows. It almost seemed like some ritual act of suicide. But could the strange vacuum have actually been an entryway into an unfathomable place much darker than the reality she knew?

    June grew frightened. And in her fear, the princess held her breath. Held it until the dizzying lightheadedness forced her to relent. As the air escaped her lungs, so too did the sound fill the now empty room. The large hole that had slowly been expanding and eating away at the space of the chamber suddenly collapsed in on itself and sunk into the hole of its body. In its place was the untouched remains of the area, as if nothing had happened at all.

 Chapter 130: Last Bus Home

    ¡°June¡­?¡± A voice crept up behind the princess and was met with a quick slap. It had been her brother finally catching up. ¡°Ouch!¡±

    ¡°Bart! Oh! I¡¯m so sorry! Don¡¯t sneak up on my like that!¡±

    ¡°I didn¡¯t think I could¡­¡± Bart mumbled, rubbing the painful spot on his nose. ¡°What in Sarracas happened in here?¡±

    ¡°Didn¡¯t we tell you to keep your trap shut?¡± The original Tamsin walked up behind him, then pointed at the spot where the world had seemed to collapse. ¡°Someone¡¯s still out there.¡±

    ¡°Well, well. It would seem you¡¯re a little late to catch this ride. I¡¯m afraid that was our last bus for the evening.¡± The creepy voice slithered out from the shadows, along with the click clacking of hooves on stone as the owner walked forward. A face with an impossibly stretched-out smile emerged from the shadows with eyes covered beneath a round, golden turban and rusting metal jewelry hanging from his neck. A sickening yellow robe stretched out around his waist and hid the inhuman feet that gave him an unnaturally creepy gait, while his emaciated, hirsute torso was visible for all to see¡ªwiry hair spread thin on skin sinking deep between swollen ribs and further still beneath it. It was the man that June and Bart had spied on earlier, only much more frightening as the miniscule specks of light that had reappeared emphasized the contours of his ghoulish grin. On a small stone altar behind him sat a strange, ringed artifact. ¡°You don¡¯t have to go home, but you can¡¯t stay here.¡±

    Both Tamsin and her twin scowled in fury at the lone figure, while Ash raised his crossbow, aiming it steadily at his head.

    ¡°You¡­!¡± mumbled Bart. His sister stood frightened and confused next to him, unsure of who they were suddenly facing off against. The eerie voice struck a discordant chord in her memories.

    ¡°Ah, my mistake. I suppose you¡¯re no longer allowed to go home and you absolutely must stay here.¡± A menacing chuckle escaped from between his teeth as he flicked his wrist and, in his hand, appeared the artifact. A heavy pressure built up in the air as a subtle and ominous glow radiated from the object.

    ¡°What was that?!¡± shouted the other priestess. ¡°Where did they all go?!¡±

    Stolen novel; please report.

    ¡°Back home, of course. They have taken the first step in the long, arduous trip back home. They¡¯ve completed their jobs and keeping them here any further would have only led to a very annoying cleanup job. They don¡¯t belong in this world. And neither do I, for that matter. This universe does a very patchwork job of hosting chaotic beings. It rejects us, treating us like some intrusive virus. It¡¯s actually pretty rude. But we make do.¡± The smiling figure walked forward, with one arm behind his back and the other holding up the glowing artifact. His grin seemed to stretch back even further, as if he were trying to grin over his already frozen rictus.

    The nascent atmospheric pressure grew thicker and heavier¡ªto a suffocating degree. June felt it first as the weight pressing down on her body grew and slowed even the smallest movement she attempted to make. The princess tried not to panic, even as the difficulty in breathing set in. At first, she thought he had somehow affected the gravity in the room, making it heavier and causing their bodies to stiffen up, but she then soon realized how much worse it actually was. It was time itself that was freezing. June had known this would be a dangerous mission, but she wasn¡¯t prepared for just how out of her depth she would be.

    ¡°As if I¡¯d let you¡ª!¡± Tamsin and her twin shot their whips out in unison, but as their ends stretched out to lash the devious figure, their snap-rapid movement dwindled away quickly as their momentum came to a screeching halt.

    ¡°Why, if it isn¡¯t more lovely Scarlet fodder. Come to avenge your fallen, I presume? What a pitiable waste of time. My time. Your time. What did you honestly hope to accomplish stepping foot within our tabernacle room with such a meagre group of conscripts?¡± The priest made his way forward, past the two Scarlet Sisters, and pushed away a bolt that had frozen in midair with his finger as if it were nothing incredible. He stopped in front of Bart, who had attempted to block his sister from view. The man raised another finger, decrepit as it was, and raked a jagged nail along the prince¡¯s cheek, drawing a frozen line of blood. ¡°Foolish young men just eager to die. Isn¡¯t that right?¡± he asked while facing Bart, his smirk growing ever longer.

    June, the world still blind to her, tried not to cower as her brother stood between her and the cultist priest. His menacing voice had chilled her to the bone. She wondered just how much her body would be shivering if it weren¡¯t completely frozen in time.

    ¡°I¡¯m just talking to myself here now,¡± he said, crossing the scar on Bart¡¯s cheek. ¡°Your simple, little minds aren¡¯t even processing words anymore. You are all completely lost to the whims of the universe. I mean, isn¡¯t it just divine how powerless you are to the almost unfathomable system inside of such a complex little creature? And who knew how easy it was to manipulate the all-encompassing when you know how to read the manual.¡±