Tales of magic: grimoire of transmogrification
Chapter 22
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Arc 2 - "The hunter and the beast"
Chapter 6- "The woods."
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The demon that was sealed within the book of magic was not a fool. He knew exactly what he was doing. The evils knew he wasn't, because fools never had the kind of power he possessed.
"What do they want from me?" The demon god spoke.
The abominable entities were too afraid to speak. They only shivered while their god chuckled.
"Number two has been seriously wounded. Hunter...."
'I might be getting too involved in their battle. They are fighting over me after all. I will watch for now, and see how it plays out.'
~ Book of Magic. ????
30th April, 1886.
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Entrance to the Screaming woods.
In between Weidson and Rimus.
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"Wake up!"
Jordan stirred a bit. His eyes slowly opened up, and he saw the aloof musician's face staring at him from up above. He was lying down but he still felt the heat of the firewood burning close to him.
"Good. You're up."
Lancaster held out his hand towards Jordan.
'Damn...what happened to me.'
Jordan took his hand. His cousin lifted him up. In the process, he felt a sudden pang of pain in his shoulder.
'I know this pain. It's a bullet wound.'
Journal, why would I have a bullet wound? Yes yes. I probably got shot, right? It's not funny? Okay.
Shit, it hurts.
My leg also hurts.
It still hurts more than my leg.
Journal, do you think I'm complaining too much? What? I should man up and just take it? That's preposterous of you. I am in pain! Have you ever tried to endure a damned killer dog bite and a bullet to the shoulder in the same day?
"Thanks." Jordan managed to speak, weakly.
Shut up, Journal.
'Wait, am I going mad again?'
He paused to focus on his Title.
Yes, Journal. Special technique to check the state of my Sanctuary. As far as I'm not ready to go there, I won't.
....I think.
He nodded his head.
'It's all good. No evil spirits.'
The Middlesworth boy checked his left arm and saw the bandages around his shoulder. He looked up towards Lancaster.
"You don't need to thank me. The contract forbids me from letting you die, especially if it was my plan."
"Thanks anyways...So who shot me?"
"Hunter."
'Damn. Hunter shot me, huh? So that dog really was from Hunter?'
Journal, the bullet was from Hunter. I got shot by William shitside. How? Yes, I'm asking the wrong person about this. I should be asking Lancaster.
"Lan..."
"He shot you from outside the restaurant. Would have killed you if I didn't push you at the last moment before the bullet hit. Tried to end you with another shot, but I cursed his Evil eye before he could. If turns out he shares eyes with his dog. After that, it was just a matter of walking out of the restaurant."
"Nice explaination as always."
'I owe him. He just saved my life. I hate him less now.'
"Oh.. and I used your friend as the target. I knew her full name, so it wasn't difficult."
'No. I still hate him.'
"Why? Why did you.."
Lancaster relaxed his back on a tree, with a deadpan expression.
"I just told you, Jordan. I knew her name. She was the only person nearby that I knew. Sure, I could have said hi to a random stranger but Hunter is not stupid. It was easier, and you might have been dead if I had delayed back then."
"What about her, is she hurt? If she is, I will not forgive you."
"If she died, she did so to save your life. She was shot, but I didn't stay to watch."
'Why am I getting so worked up? I was prepared, wasn't I? I was prepared to do anything if it meant winning the war. If Veronica got hurt, it's as much my fault as it is Lancaster's. I'm not crying about it, though... I can only hope she's okay.'
Jordan still held his fist up towards Lancaster. His eyes were menacing.
'I still hate you.'
"Stop this pointless anger, Jordan. Let's focus on the now. Now, we have fled to the Woods- the last place Hunter would come looking for us. We don't have food, but we have a reasonable amount of Power. Our first priority is Keeping this place safe. I've handled that already, as you can see..."
Looking around, Quill noticed the circle bounding the clearing area. It was drawn on the dirt ground, uneven, probably using a stick. He also saw smaller patterns drawn in regular intervals around the inside of the makeshift magic circle.
"What spell is it?"
There were tremors in his voice as he spoke.
'A barrier? A ward?'
"It's a complex spell formation. If you don't know what that meant, look it up in your Knowledge. For this particular spell formation, whenever it's activated it would light up brightly to signal me. It would also temporarily mess with the Evil Eye of the one who activated it, effectively buying me enough time to deflect their evil eye to another target. It's more than three spells in one. The three have different ..."
'He's happy. He's actually excited....'
"But who's the target? My step-mother, my dad? Who are you going to kill next?" Jordan raised his voice, interrupting his partner.
Lancaster remained silent for a few seconds.
"It's late. Hunter might attack. Wild animals might show up too. We should take turns to keep watch. You're going first. Tap me in four hours, okay?"
"What did you just say?"
Lancaster closed his eyes, getting comfortable on the rough prickly bark of the tree. The smell of urine and blood was heavy. The winds were annoying, and the noises of rats, squirrels and other things hurrying around were not music to anyone's ears.
He still started to yawn a moment later.
'So calm and relaxed when so much shit is happening.'
The woods at night always felt scary to Jordan. The trees all around, looking almost exactly the same as if built to make it easier to get lost. The darkness, that may or may not hide deadly snakes or spiders. The noises of all the nocturnal animals waking up and prowling around some of them searching for prey, the smell..
There was also the fact that he was a long way away from anyone who could support him incase of danger from wild animals, because to him, Lancaster didn't count as proper support.
In truth, the greatest danger here wasn't the animals, but the human beings...
'Hunter probably knows his way around the woods, he'll kill us the moment he gets out of that weak curse trap thing. What was on that bastard's head when he took me here?'
Jordan got a good look around the clearing.
Apart from the tall bushes, there were a few bags and boxes. Upon closer inspection, he saw some scones tucked inside a bag. The other bags had all sorts of food items.
'He's planning on staying here long? Do we really need this much food?'
The boxes didn't have food inside. Instead, there were weapons and tools. From guns and knives to ropes, torches and matches. Even charcoal was in one of those boxes.
Another one was full of dynamite.
Close to the center there was a campfire, Lancaster lay on a tree facing it.
I hate that guy.
But he wasn't always like this.
Is he possessed?
Was it the initiation ritual?
'I don't get it. I don't think I'll get any kind of answer by just sitting here.'
Journal, what do you think I should do about this? About him? Should I break off the deal and kill him? No. I'm not a murderer. Yes, I'm planning to murder people to win the book of magic.
But I don't kill innocents....I don't really kill anyone.
So I won't win then? I won't obtain the full power of magic?
....After I get my revenge on William and The Crown, I could just ditch the war. I can decide to hide and lay low. Or become strong enough to completely defend myself against the others.
That way, I could ignore the fight, and just focus on...
What am I saying?
Jordan held on to his chest tightly.
I want to win. The thought of not doing it almost feels physically painful. I want to know what that much power feels like. I want to ... be god. I want to ...
The young boy thought critically. He scratched his head.
'Lancaster is ruthless..'
He's useful though. He is powerful after all.
No, why am I thinking of him as 'useful'? As if he's a tool....
Viewing sentient beings as though they were tools to be used, is infact the basis of all advanced magic.
'Demon?'
Yes. You must've recalled my voice, child.
The figure if the chained 'man' appeared behind Quill, whispering to his ear.
"It's not like I wanted to."
'Nice. Another shady character that never ceases to disappoint.'
You insult a god to his face? Lancaster is training you well, I see.
"I don't learn shit from that bastard."
... It seems as though there is something worrying you, boy.
"It's nothing."
No. I feel your presence. It is different. There has to be something bothering you. What is it?
'Why would I say anything to him?'
"I thought you could read my mind?"
I can. But you don't want me to, don't you. I could enter the deepest portions of your psyche if I wished to. It is not difficult at all. You're weak-willed after all.
"How do you have so much power, but you're supposed to be locked up and sealed away? I mean you shouldn't be able to move."
The chains tying me to the book of magic and restricting my abilities weaken with evey new Mage I initiate. Eleven chains have already been broken.
"So If you keep initiating people, you'll eventually break out?"
I can't say. It's a secret.
'F*ck you.'
Wow. Such vulgarity. Even in the confines of your thoughts, you still utter such foul nonsense. Where you not brought up well by your humble parents?
"Just stop it. Why did you come here? You never just come to talk to me for no reason."
Start killing. It's several times easier to battle to the death when you are actually battling to the death. Don't we worry too much about hurting innocents, be who you are. Go back to that single minded-focus.
"Thanks but no thanks."
Also. The spirit gods are not playing.. they are waiting for the perfect time to screw you over.
'Why is he telling me all this? Is he... actually just giving me advice? Is he on my side?'
I'm not. I believe it makes sense to aid a dying man.
"You're not making sense anymore."
You will die soon, Jordan. The spirit gods want you dead. The moment you became a mage, the spirits of Order and the great Justice Tyr has been against you. Now, you have set the spirits presiding over magic against you. The spirits of Chaos want you dead. You see, Chaos was once my subordinate back in the day, I know exactly how he operates. He will kill you fast, and very soon when you least expect it. He thrives in the heat of the moment, where things don't make any sense.
That's when he might strike and take back what belongs to him.
"My name?"
There is no negotiating with Chaos. Especially after what you did.
'So I'm screwed no matter what I do.'
No. You're dead whatever you do. But I guess he might choose to torment you first.
"How do I go about fighting something like you?"
It's impossible. You're only able to exist in my presence because I'm chained up. If you stood in the presence of Tyr for example, you'll become like a pebble.
"I don't care."
What?
Jordan shook his head.
"I don't give a pig's shit about whatever this Chaos person thinks of me. I knew exactly what I was doing when I said it. I'm not afraid."
Anyone else talking to you would think you had a plan, saying that. I know your heart though. You don't.
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