††† Jenna †††

First-class enforcer Jenna walked cautiously towards a picturesque small hut. It was a simple but sturdy home of bright, waxed logs and a thatched, peaked roof — all in pristine condition. A lovingly arranged flower garden, encircled by a shallow streamlet, completed the serene little paradise amidst a deadly swamp where even the smallest critters were lethally poisonous.

Jenna had thought herself lucky when she came across a small scouting team of canine-human hybrids. The mutts had caught sight of a tall, male human accompanied by a feline hybrid just the day prior. She followed the lead, finally finding a second eyewitness at the border of the dreadful swamp.

Siegfried had been seen in one of the few areas that the enforcers were instructed to avoid.

The Blind Hermit's shelter.

Jenna couldn't fathom why that mysterious entity would harbour the fugitive. But the boy would not have survived half an hour in this hostile environment otherwise.

And thus, Jenna disobeyed one of Ultor's standing orders to follow another. As one of only twelve first-class enforcers, she still counted amongst the most dangerous beings in this world.

As she stepped over the flat rocks bridging the streamlet, a lanky figure stood at the opposite end of the garden. Jenna had not seen it move there or appear. It was as if it had been standing on that spot all along.

Although slim, the figure hinted at a male built. It was completely wrapped up in grey bandages, covering every part of its body, including the face.

"So that is why they call you the Blind Hermit?" Jenna calmly stated.

The bandaged figure cocked its head in silence.

"My name is Jenna, first-class enforcer of the City of Nemeah. I do not bear you ill will. I only want the boy.“

Again, the mummified person kept quiet. But they slowly moved into a broader stance, clearly barring the way.

Jenna didn't bother replying but chance her stance as well, one hand on the long handle of her slim, curved sword. Dirt exploded behind her as she sped forward like lightning. She drew her blade in a horizontal arc with enough speed to slice steel like it was paper.

Sparks flew from her opponent's torso. The bandages had turned black where Jenna struck.

Countless spiked roots jutted out of the ground at the same moment. She backed up by instinct, the force of movement transition rattling her bones.

Jenna felt the earth vibrating and sidestepped another dark-brown root that ripped a hole through the bottom of her mantle. A mantle that withstood most stabbing weapons with ease.

The flowers around them were ripped out by the air currents that followed Jenna's movements.

The bandaged person had hardly moved.

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Likely their body and mind couldn't move at such speed, and the hardened bandages and roots were a kind of automatic defence. This couldn't be an ability. The Blind Hermit was an actual magic user. A myth come real.

Even with Akali's gift speeding up her mind, the enforcer had no time for thought. Spiked roots sprouted in her path. She focused on evading, never giving the enemy a pattern to her movements.

Until she noticed that all roots in front of her enemy had vanished. A limitation?

Jenna burst forward in a feint attack. She changed direction at the last moment, only three roots trying to impale her instead of a dozen.

The first-class enforcer changed her tactic. She evaded while always passing closely by her opponent, forcing them to use more roots from different angles in defence.

Dust and lumps of earth in the air made for an additional challenge, but she had counted fifteen roots at a time.

An opening presented itself when Jenna forced all of them to shield their user on the back and side.

She timed her attack to execute a wide swing, building up additional momentum.

And her sword cut through the midsection of her target.

The enforcer's instincts screamed as two more roots appeared below her, missing the left foot by a hair but scratching her shin before she could back up once more. She’d been outsmarted.

The deep cut on her enemy flashed white. The wound closed so quickly that an ordinary human would have missed it completely.

Still, if they had attacked with ten more roots instead of two, Jenna might have died.

Her assessment was still valid. Magic had a limit. Her enemy was just smart enough to hide the exact amount. This would be true for their healing as well. Determined, Jenna exploded towards the bandaged figure once more.

And stopped so suddenly, her innards screamed in protest.

The mummified thing, just a step away from her, was frozen as well.

The wooden door of the cosy, small hut opened slowly.

"I believe that to be enough," a strangely pleasant baritone reached Jenna's ears. The man who stepped out into the garden was clad in a humble, white garb that hid his bodily features unto the sandaled feet. But his face, framed by long hair as white as his blind eyes, was the epitome of human perfection. He was almost too handsome. Too symmetric. Without a single flaw.

No, he could not have been human.

"You did well, Gherzad. Leave and replenish your energy.“

The bandaged figure started to move again, bowing to its master quietly and vanishing as quickly as it appeared.

A creature capable of resisting a first-class enforcer was an underling to the real Blind Hermit. Now Jenna understood why Ultor forbade them to enter these swamps.

"You are strong, child," the Blind Hermit commented nonchalantly. "For Gherzad not being able to calculate your movements in time, Akali must have favoured you with her gift.“

There was a minute of silence as the Blind Hermit studied her frozen face. It was unnerving, but there was nothing Jenna could do. She tried to use Akali's gift to break through the power that held her, but the hermit only lifted an inquisitive brow at her efforts.

"It seems you were not told what would await you here," the hermit concluded correctly. "Tell me why you were sent to this location," the mysterious man requested. His tone did not give away any emotion, but his sheer presence commanded obedience.

Jenna regained control over part of her muscles, just enough to move her throat, mouth and tongue. "First Enforcer Ultor ordered me to catch a man named Siegfried," she spurted out immediately, gauging the Blind Hermit's reaction. Again, a single lifted brow was all she got. So Jenna elaborated, telling him the whole story as far as she was made aware of it.

"Child, you have been deceived," he stated calmly. "The man you seek is not here. The witness you saw was a stygian huntress.“

A stygian huntress. Jenna did not question the information. If the Blind Hermit wanted her to fail in her task, he could kill her at any given time. But stygian huntresses were as much of a myth as he was. Evil, vile creatures with dark magic that could alter their victim's perception of them. Could she have fallen for such a trick?

The answer was yes, she could have.

"Then I will leave and hopefully never come back," Jenna answered, glad that she was now able to bow her head in deference.

"I will hope so too," the Blind Hermit answered. When he closed the door behind him, Jenna's body was entirely hers once again. It was apparent that her quest just got a lot more complicated than Ultor had anticipated. Siegfried had no means of instigating a diversion like that. Especially not when it involved a stygian huntress. Someone was backing him.