The mist sat heavily upon the Blood Witch's cove—more so than the forest below. It could be likened to a fallen goddess, the mist being her tattered regalia. Roe'nika breathed deeply as she began to speak.
An army stood silently behind the Erref, horses prepped, figures fading into white. The wind hummed gently upon the hill, the mist seemingly whispering an ancient tongue. Particles flew randomly across Roe'nika's face.
Standing at the table in the clearing, the Erref had surrounded her, listening. Adrel stood closest, his hand resting on his sheathed sword's hilt.
She began.
"I found Rahiel more than a month ago. He lay limp in a pool of blood. A girl mourned over him—the one you call the 'royal blood'."
Adrel's face tightened. His silver eyes cut through the mist like a double–edged sword.
"I saw fire in the girl's eyes. Dim, but still burning. She wished to bring Rahiel back from the dead. I had pity on her and her impossible wish, bringing her to the Blood Witch."
Roe'nika sighed sharply. The air stung her lungs, as she recounted the meeting with the girl. Adrel couldn't believe his ears. According to Roe'nika, Rahiel lived because of the royal blood's actions.
Adrel remembered the tracks they had discovered. Roe'nika's story was on point. She was the woman leading the royal blood.
"At first, my Mistress thought nothing of Rahiel…he was no more than skin and bones. However…"
Roe'nika's eyes narrowed, her blank expression turned into sharp dissent. Her voice darkening, she spoke.
"She soon lost her mind about him."
Roe'nika paused. Her arms were crossed, but they trembled nonetheless. The corner of her lip folded downwards, turning into a pitiful frown.
Adrel took note of this. It felt like she wanted to say much, much more. The pain silenced her.
Roe'nika shook her head, and continued.
"Anyway," she said, changing her tone sharply, "working with my Mistress, I understand some things about him. In addition to his heightened senses, my Mistress has made Rahiel impervious to all manner of attacks. Be it flame or sword. "
Adrel's eyes widened. It couldn't be. There was no way such a thing was possible. His hold on the hilt tightened.
"For the sake of your understanding; he won't die by conventional methods."
The Erref remained silent. Their faces made all the noise. They were the faces of men who had made blundering mistakes. Adrel's expression was the worst. It was shock inherently, however, masked by a silly pride.
Roe'nika smirked, looking at him.
"However, there is one thing my Mistress couldn't take into account. Malum—what you Karakhian's call 'Calor's blessing' "
Adrel's expression lightened.
"Wait, how do you know of Calor's blessing?" Legt demanded.
"How can you fight against an enemy without knowing anything about him?"
Roe'nika's answer buried all other questions.
She continued.
"I believe all of you posses this…the Malum?"
Roe'nika's scanned the faces of the Erref. Her gaze landed on the man whose life was bound to the pact. Ehud could barely look her straight in the face. Roe'nika could see the scar drawn on his throat. A smile broke out at the corner of her lip.
"It's going to be one of us" she muttered.
All the Erref nodded slowly.
"We do," Adrel stated, relieved to finally have something he could be proud of.
"But…it can't be that simple, right?"
Ut'ia's clear voice bounced between the ears of all the Erref. The doubt cut through the mist, revealing the open flesh of reality.
Adrel frowned at her.
The Erref turned to Roe'nika.
"Exactly, Erref woman. It isn't," Roe'nika announced in a semi-impressed voice.
"If it was, just five of your best would be more than enough for Rahiel. As it stands now, no amount of your skill will beat him."
Adrel dreamed of the possibility. His mind was suddenly drawn back to reality.
"We need Malum in its purest form. Untainted and super concentrated. That is our weapon against Rahiel."
Roe'nika's eyes widened with determination as she spoke, their crimson interior raging silently. A slight hope began growing in the hearts of the Erref.
"So how, and where do we obtain this 'pure Malum'? " Adrel asked, twitching his neck.
Roe'nika sighed.
"It flows within you, idiot." She anwered, harshly.
The insult hit Adrel hard. His lips remained shut, however. The woman before him was the one in charge of the situation. Not him.
Ut'ia looked at the hands in her pale skin.
The weapon pulsed within her.
Turning sharply to Roe'nika she asked,
"How do we utilize it?" Her face burned with a serious tenacity.
"We draw it out, and collect it. I will use my supposed 'accursed art' to remove a majority of the impurities."
"Then let's get to it then," Ut'ia declared.
Ut'ia's forwardness pulled in the rest of the Erref. They were awakened from their slumber.
"Perfect," Roe'nika said, shooting Adrel an ugly glance.
Adrel gasped slightly. His bones shivered with rage.
Blood flowed on Roe'nika's blade as she drew small amounts of it from each of the Erref. Hands twitched as a sharp dagger cut through the skin, a searing pain shooting out It flowed into a glass vessel Roe'nika had produced from her pocket.
"I require a flame." She ordered, collecting the last drop.
Adrel hesitated. So did the rest of the Erref. It was already enough that they were siding with the accursed. Under normal circumstances, her breaths wouldn't even be tolerated. No one wished to actively use Calor's blessing for accursed work.
Then came Ut'ia, boldly stepping forward, her cloak cutting through the mist. Her dark eyes spoke of a vessel slowly being cracked.
Chains being broken.
Adrel glared at her. She didn't know what she was doing.
"Here," Ut'ia said.
She stretched out her hands.
"Flammam tuam voco," she muttered. The mist shook at the sound of her voice. The clearing rasped with silence.
A flash of yellow energy came from her open hand, being immediately followed by the orange of a shifting flame. The mist circulated around it, obeying its pulse.
Roe'nika only smiled.
"I think I'll like you," she said looking deep into Ut'ia's eyes.
Roe'nika pushed a strange blue leaf into the vessel. It dissolved in the blood, creating a sickly violet solution. Placing the vessel over the open flame, the solution soon began to boil.
Holding onto her talisman, she clasped the seething hot glass, its base glowing dark red. Adrel watched in amazement. She didn't jump back from the pain. She seemed to be oblivious of it. Even without Calor's blessing, she was that strong. His hands shook with mix of awe and fear. His understanding of power had been tampered with a lot since he entered the Akar Forest.
A red energy enveloped the vessel, and a faint crackling sound like lightning emanated from the solution. The solution turned from a sickly violet, to a deathly black, reducing slightly in volume. A pungent odour hung near the opening.
"This," Roe'nika began, "is a simple purification technique. Nothing so witchcraft-y." Her crimson eye sparkled.
Her humor sickened Adrel.
Holding the glass vessel high she announced, "Rotzeshel, the killer's killer."
"You shall coat the tips of your arrows and your blades in this. To you, this is a harmless black water."
Roe'nika continued, glancing from face to face.
"To him, it will be literal hell." She hesitated, feeling the weight of her own words. She went on, a little voice screaming inside.
"Added to fire, it will be unstoppable. With every cut you deliver, it'll consume his insides faster and faster. It will cease only when it is nullified by an impurity. But that's not going to happen. Do you know why?" Roe'nika asked, menacingly.
"Because you shall trap him. Separate him from the girl and my Mistress," she said, gesturing wildly.
The Erref looked at her with a sickening fear. Ut'ia breathed deeply, as she ceased the flame.
"This is the plan Inquisitor. Using Rotzeshel you will draw a ring within the forest. A group will lie in wait. The Rotzeshel will hide your presence from him. When we are close, I shall push him into the ring, and one of you shall ignite it."
Within the thick unease that settled in the clearing, there was a hope. The Erref were on the path to victory, however, they wondered whether it was truly the right path.
The Erref took turns, soaking a cloth with the Rotzeshel, and painted the tips and edges of their blades with it. It stood out as hasty brushes of black upon steel.
The Erref inspected their swords, turning them and swinging them. Within them, a burden had been lifted. Glory awaited them.
"There remains one problem."
Roe'nika's voice walloped whatever resolves they were building within them.
"Escape," she said, her dark voice contrasting the hazy white.
The Erref shot pondering looks on their faces.
"True," Legt reluctantly said. "We need to find a way to reach at least one of the capitals as quickly as possible. We cannot keep the Emperor waiting."
The Erref nodded in approval. Adrel faded in the background, eyeing the black on his sword.
Reality hissed.
"It's far from that," Roe'nika began, "It's getting away as fast as possible."
The Erref eyed her.
"I have a feeling Rahiel might somehow get out of our trap."
Ut'ia eyes narrowed. The mist particles danced amidst the scheming humans.
"Is he that powerful?" Ut'ia asked, her voice laced with resistance.
"Worse. He's capable."
Roe'nika's answer tore across the crowd.
Adrel hissed. It felt like a shot at him.
A silence mixed with the mist.
"I think…I have a way."
Patriarch's calm voice caught the attention of the Erref.
"In which direction is Rahiel headed?" he asked Roe'nika, respect fused with caution.
"He moves north, with the girl and my Mistress."
Patriach pondered for a short while. A slight smile broke out on his face.
"There is a ruin upon a hill in that direction. An ancient altar. The priests of Melos used to carry out offerings at that spot. They said Calor's essence was particularly strong there."
The Erref listened closely.
"However, the distance from here to Melos is quite long. A journey would take days. As such, the priests came up with a way to instantly transport themselves and their offering instruments…right from Melos to here."
Intrigued eyes were locked on him. Ears were perked to his speech.
"They called it Hae'l. A portal to god."
"Does it still work?" Ut'ia asked.
"No. The priests don't use it anymore. They say his presence has shifted. However..." Patriarch's tone rose.
"With Roe'nika's knowledge, we might be able to rework it."
Low gasps emerged from seemingly closed mouths. Even Patriarch himself was surprised by his words.
"How exactly, when I'm not one of the priests who built it?" Roe'nika asked, doubtful.
"Rotzeshel," Patriarch announced.
Adrel's annoyance hit its limit. It overcame his fear, and created an anomaly, breaking free.
"No for god's sake. No! Return to your senses already, Erref. What madness would it be for the proud Eye of Karakh to be darkened by this accursed entity. Because of her the life of one of our own hangs by a thread."
Ehud gulped.
"I'm not going to be deceived. We are not going down this path. We–"
"Adrel, be silent."
Ut'ia's distinct voice crushed Adrel's rebellion like a hammer on a the head of a damned.
Effortlessly.
"With all due respect, but we don't have time for your weakness. Miss Roe'nika, please continue."
Adrel's mouth hung open. He reached for his sword, but his hands shook so much that he could barely unsheath it.
As he fumbled, Roe'nika continued.
"We've spent much time."
Pointing at the map on the table, she went on.
"We shall break into three groups. Two groups will head here, far ahead of Rahiel's path and prepare the trap, ready to ambush. After trapping Rahiel, one group will take the royal blood, Nhea, and my Mistress, the Blood Witch."
Her hands brushed over the old map, staining it with blood.
"You." she said, pointing at Patriarch, "You shall guide a third group to the Hae'l. Carry a portion of the Rotzeshel with you, and rework it. The first group will be led by the Inquisitor."
Adrel scoffed.
"My dear Inquisitor, if you want all of us to die then so be it. But know that you will die with us. Our souls will make sure that you will be a restless phantom. So stop your foolishness."
Adrel glared at Roe'nika. Her words stabbed his instability.
"Now you know what to do," Roe'nika said, ending. Stepping back she continued.
"There is no room for mistakes, Erref. As you say, 'For the glory of Calor...' "
No one responded. They all knew that they were far, far away from their god.
To Roe'nika the phrase tasted like sickness.
As she headed back to Quantum, tears suddenly began to fall down her face. She slid to a stop, breathing heavily. The dirt flew past her.
It suddenly dawned on her, what she had done. She clutched her chest, and it felt empty. Her heart already hung over a bloody pact. The mist seemed to drip red with blood. Drops of water on her skin turned red. The forest sang a mournful tune.
'The blind man never saw the one leading him.' It said.
Roe'nika shook her head in frustration, rubbing her eyes dry.
She forged onwards, her heart pounding in her chest.
A thought buzzed through her mind. When was the last time she referred to the Blood Witch as Nekea?
The question rung in her mind as she met up with Quantum. His questions faded to the back of her mind, and were answered half-consciously.
Deep inside she thought.
'Have I made a mistake?'
Far away, horses raged through the forest, carrying a broken Erref and sinking faith.