Tales of magic: grimoire of transmogrification
Chapter 25
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Arc 2 - "The hunter and the beast"
Chapter 9- "Hide and seek I"
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The child who stood within the darkness was grinning. He looked about four or five years old.
"He's doing it again!"
A travelling spirit with the form of a finch passed through the darkness. It was curious as to what kind of Mage would decide to stay within such a gloomy place, without a Sanctuary.
What is your name, child?
"Ooh? You don't know? My name is Lancaster." He said with childish glee.
Okay child. Why are you so happy? Don't you know what this place is?
"I know. I know. It's a place for the Lost. But that doesn't matter! He's doing it again! It's about to happen!"
What's about to happen?
"He's about to cry!" ~ Spirit world. Beneath the Floating Sanctuary of Crow.
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1st May, 1886.
Campfire.
The Screaming Woods near Weidson,
Pridon.
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4:03 AM
The firewood was still burning and lighting up the clearing. The moon was mostly hidden behind the clouds but small rays of it's light shone down on the forest. The moonlight wasn't enough to illuminate the woods, as several tall trees partially obstructed the dim light that managed to brighten the area only a little bit.
Jordan curled up close to the fire, eyes tightly closed.
Lancaster walked to the fire, and squatted down. The sound of a dry branch cracking echoed in the area.
Jordan rolled to his side, but did not get up. His cousin clapped his hands twice over his ears, but Jordan didn't stir. Instead he remained still, his torso regularly moving ever so slightly, as a reminder that he was still alive and breathing.
'He's still asleep.'
The musician grinned. He was still wearing his green suit and tie, but the suit was now dirty with mud and sand. He heard the noise of mosquitoes and other insects flying around him, but he didn't respond to them. It was as though he didn't even notice they were there.
"The forest is full of fools. They don't even know what's coming to them. Oblivious idiots."
You'll have to tell them eventually.
"Yes, I will. Jordan for one, will most likely discover it himself."
And he'll hate you even more....You do know that he hates you, right?
"I got his girlfriend shot, of course he'll hate me. He'll get over it though, because he needs me."
You might be right about that; he doesn't stand a chance without your assistance. But remember that that sword cuts both ways. You need him.
Lancaster stretched his arms again and raised his head towards the sky. It was as dark as it was before. The moon was still bright, though. The noises of owls and other night animals were ever present.
'But not real.'
Quit bragging.
"I have full right to gloat, thank you very much. After all the effort I poured into this."
Effort? Don't make me laugh. You didn't sweat at all. You barely lost any Power.
"I didn't need Power. All I needed was knowledge. And who else would tell me all I needed to know other than my dear friends... Either way, I've essentially won the game before it even began."
But you lied to your brother.
"We're cousins, not brothers. Also, lying to him was a given. I never harboured any delusions that he was my ally, he's always been a tool. And isn't it pointless to tell a tool about your master plan?"
You broke your code. And, the contract..
"Was never legitimate. I simply wanted him to believe it was."
Sly.
"This is the perfect stage for me, demon. You should be happy, the War will end soon."
How?
"It's the perfect stage because it's exactly what I want. My enemy is all but weak and defenceless before me, and he's still clueless. They know nothing! The woods are called the Screaming Woods for a reason. Not too long ago one could hear the scared screams of innocent people who just happened to wander into the woods. Little Jordan wasn't wrong when he said there were monsters inside. The Monsters that call this place their home feed on the flesh of the timid and weak. Humans, animals, spirits, all of them fall prey to them and the biggest one- their leader- is unmatched."
You don't say..
"The game I've proposed is a game of hide and seek. Jordan and I don't know where Hunter is exactly, but I know he must've figured things out by now, and since he has he ought to be in the forest with us. Which means that he would be after us."
Continue. Or don't you want me to know the details of your master plan?
"You're mocking me."
You're stating the obvious.
"...As I was saying, It's hide and seek. I'm calling it that because whoever finds the other person first will win."
I don't get it. The way you explained it; it sounds as though you're trying to hide things from even me. I know your thoughts, you cannot hide things from me.
"Yes. I was. You see, I omitted the fact that I rigged the game so I always win. You see, this little spell formation of mine is not meant to alert me. It's meant to automatically activate the evil eye deflection curse on an already specified target.
Hunter.
"Who or whatsoever gets caught in Crow's snare will face the wrath of Hunter for more than two minutes. Enough time for me to flee the area in a way hunter can't guess where we're going."
This time, the demon was silent. The only noise that could be heard is the rustling of the bushes and the crackling of the fire.
"What do you think, demon?"
As I said earlier, things are working in your favour. But you overlooked the fact that Hunter could kill you from outside the range of your little spellcraft....I see, you didn't. You didn't overlook anything, Lancaster...
Just the opposite. You were very meticulous in your planning. You know that Hunter could snipe you to death.
"Yes, I do."
Then why? Aren't you afraid? Don't you have a shred of dread for the kind of danger you are in?
"I thought we knew each other, demon. You should know me far more than I know myself, shouldn't you? The game is too boring if there aren't any stakes. Safety nets are for weaklings."
The demon shook his head.
You're insufferable. Like Jordan, you'll die soon of you keep up this reckless behaviour. You say that your life is the only thing you care about, but I know you're lying. To yourself. You desire death, don't you?
It was now Lancaster's turn to be silent, refusing to respond to the demon.
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Near the center of the screaming woods
Closer to Rimus than Weidson.
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3:59
'William Sharpside. That was his name, wasn't it?'
The abnormally tall man was dressed in plain clothes. A tight black vest and black pants. He wore army boots and gloves around his hands.
From his dressing alone, one wouldn't suspect him of being a magician. There was nothing too abnormal about the way he was dressed. The only exception being his gloves, which on closed inspection reveals occultic diagrams painted in crimson.
Then there was his unnaturally big bag. It was almost rectangular and it had straps so that he could carry it on his shoulders. The bag was almost as tall as him, so it looked awkward to see him slug it around as if it was full of feathers.
Clock knew what was inside. And she knew that it wasn't paper or feathers. It was weapons. A lot of weapons. So many that it felt like a waste to her. He had too many guns, knives, bows and swords and she was surprised that he managed to fit all of that inside that bag- no matter how big it was.
"Stay close, Margaret. We're approaching the shapeshifter's den."
Clock had tagged along with him because he was the most normal Mage she knew. Hunter wasn't like The Crown or Seer. He wasn't like Dagger either.
He was different.
But what exactly was different about him?
The two of them made their way through the forest path exercising care not to looking to the sides, fixing their eyes ahead. It was something Hunter told her to do, and Margaret knew he was right, so she did as he said.
"Remind me, where are we going?"
"We're going to meet the lord of this castle. Or rather the ring leader of this cult; whatever you wish to calll him. His name is Lycan and he's the king of the beasts~ or so he is called."
'He talks at length about his adventures. But he never really says mych, about what's happening now. He's veering off course again'
"The king of beasts, here, is actually just a title. That werewolf isn't an actual king."
"I know, I get it. Why do you want to meet him?"
"You don't want to?" William chuckled.
'He's hiding something.'
"It's my play, Clock. You see, if we charge in towards him, I'm almost a hundred percent sure that they have a trap waiting for us. I mean, it's so obvious; Going to the woods? Leaving their firewood on, so we can know exactly where their hiding? This is Lancaster at work. He's the one who placed that curse on me before. The trap might be something related to that. Nonetheless, we can't go and fight him head on. Especially when we haven't received permission to do so."
"Permission?"
The two of them were interrupted by a sudden arrival. It was a teenage girl, dressed in tattered clothes. Her body looked battered. There where small claw marks all over her. Her abnormal silver hair was unkempt and her emerald green eyes were bloodshot.
'It's the girl he shot!'
"A zombie, huh?"
The girl staggered towards them, her leg dripping with blood. Before she could reach William, The man planted his foot in her chest, causing her to fall on her back and start to cough uncontrollably.
"What do you mean by zombie? She's not dead! I didn't see her die! You shot her in the.."
"Knee. I know. But you see, to me she can only be a zombie. Explain to me how an innocent would survive this deep into the Wolves' territory. She should have been torn apart long ago."
"Then why is she like this."
"My best guess is that she's a zombie. An undead corpse. If she isn't...then that means she's still alive."
Veronica got up from the ground with her tired muscles and ran with all her might towards Hunter. It was as though she was trying to hurt him, but her eyes didn't say that. Instead, her eyes looked tired and frustrated.
"However zombies don't move this fast." William continued, before using his fist to send her flying head first into the bushes.
"So she's alive? What are you doing to her?"
"Relax. Even if she's alive, she's trapped in her own body. A powerful demonspawn has hijacked her body. She's not attacking me of her free will. You see, these monsters aren't just afraid of me. They hate me. And since they're too chicken to fight me, they'll send something else to do the job for them."
'I should have expected this. He always goes over the line, before I can fault him for it there's always a perfectly good explanation for it waiting for me. Is he doing this on purpose?'
"But, you just said that they were werewolves right?"
"No. Only the leader is a shapeshifting werewolf. There are different kinds of beasts living in these woods. Lycan is the king of beasts after all, not the king of werewolves."
Veronica crawled up to her feet and lunged towards Hunter again.
"What do we do? We can't leave her like this. What happened to her was our fault.."
Turning his head to face Clock, William effortlessly sidestepped Veronica's attack.
"No, it was my fault, Margaret. Your hands are clean. But I understand where your coming from. There's only one way to take care of this kind of enemy."
Margaret's eyes widened.
"Relax. I'm not going to kill her. You must've had some kind of bad experience with other Mages if you expect me to kill my way through every problem. I'm going to.."
"Stop right there!"
"The crazies are here."
A young woman not much older than Clock marched towards them. She donned a dull chain mail armour with a white cape.
The woman also carried a huge greatword on a single hand with moderate effort.
"My name is Ashley. And In the name of the sovereign of justice Tyr I shall sever your demonic head from your body."
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