The two men traversed through the damp, cold caverns with their weapons in hand. Their wounds by this time were already fully healed except for the small cut that Godric left on Evander's leg.
The missing lord of House Huntingborne always kept an eye on the remaining wound as he found it peculiar that it never regenerated like the rest. He found difficulty in walking as he observed the strange phenomena. "The cut on my leg," he said. "It still has not remedied itself. A bizarre weapon you have there." This caught Godric's attention as he paused to inspect the damage.
The young man noticed that Evander had an enormous pool of mana coursing throughout his entire body; honed by the years spent surviving alone in such a gods-forsaken place. The mana flowed through every inch of his being except where the damage was inflicted. Mana was returning to cover the wound, albeit very slowly. Godric shared his findings with Evander, hoping that they would be able to find an answer.
"Really?" Evander answered, surprised. "A weapon that can disrupt the flow of mana? Hah! Could you give me a moment to inspect this sword of yours?"
Godric obliged and handed him Death's Lament. Evander carefully inspected the weapon akin to how an artist would critique his work to check for imperfections. He then stopped and smiled. "There it is," he said as he rubbed the hilt.
"There are two runes that are marked onto its hilt. However, the inscription on them is in a language unfamiliar to me as it is neither Elvish, Dwarven, or Abussonian. Earlier on, I noticed that you could separate this weapon into two. Can you demonstrate that again for me?"
Godric did as Evander requested and the weapon split into two blades. "Now that is a horrifying image. Now that I look at it, its curved shapes turn the blades into war sickles; it's as if you were Death itself." The hunter then stood up, satisfied with his findings.
"It seems we've solved the mystery here. Although I am unfamiliar with the language, your weapon essentially has two runes: one allows it to sever mana from the body, and the other is its ability to alter its physical form. Elmar might have made the weapon, but I'd recommend you ask him about the runes, they are intriguing." He remarked. "And here I was, thinking my weapon was special."
"Your spear has magical properties as well?" Godric asked.
"Of course, I don't know if you've noticed but have you seen anything out of the ordinary with my weapon?" The young man looked at the hunter's spear which looked plain but later spotted something odd.
"It seems you've noticed it then," Evander smiled. "My spear too, has a rune marked onto it." He said as he proudly presented his weapon, revealing a carved symbol that meant 'unbroken'. "I'm sure you're familiar with it by now, but its proper name is Thrillseeker."
"I sought advice before embarking on this mad journey, so I went and visited Anarórë. Believe it or not, she was against this entire plan of mine but eventually surrendered as I was stubborn as a rock." He said. "Before I left, she gave this to me--said it was an old gift from the race of Men a hundred years ago, and that it would be fitting that a mortal should wield it."
"What does it do?" Godric asked. "The enhancement is straightforward. The piercing power of the weapon depends on the strength of the wielder. Also, since it is an enchanted weapon, it is quite durable. A normal spear would have broken at first contact with my blood-lusted beast form." Evander replied.
The two continued their discussion as they resumed their journey deeper into the cavern.
"Are there any more weapons such as ours?" Godric asked as the idea piqued his interest.
"Each Great House has at least a few, depending on tradition and culture. Ours is Hearttamer--a wombtree staff with an orange gemstone. The gemstone is embued with a rune containing the power to gain the allegiance of almost every living human, animal, and beast.
For House Alastrassa, it would be King Ithilien's elven longsword, Stargazer. An ancient weapon, that one--they say that a touch of the blade could easily pierce through the thickest of scales, and most well-made armor." Evander narrated.
"There are more, but I am afraid my memory is a bit foggy. Also, these weapons are hard to come by these days."
"And why is that?" The young man questioned him as they were where Godric had placed a mark to avoid being lost. The water trickled down from the stalagmite rocks from above, splashing onto their beaten armor and skin.
"Because the art of creating a weapon that can be imbued with enhancements has been lost. In ancient times, few individuals knew how to create such weapons and pass the art on to their next of kin. However, according to old tales, their families were butchered due to jealousy, and now, based on records written by the scholars of Raven's Nest, only a handful of them remain. No one knows their whereabouts. They still live--although I doubt the survivors would know the process." Evander replied.
Godric pondered on the idea of entire bloodlines being put to the slaughter only because of the petty emotions of others, but then a chilling thought crossed his mind.
"Evander, why hasn't the witch shown itself yet?" He held his weapon tightly. "I was warned about people being uncontrollably lured into the caverns, charmed by her magic. Shouldn't we have seen or heard from it by now?"
"Oh, you're damn right it has already noticed us," Evander replied. "The caverns have eyes and ears everywhere. The only reason why we still have our wits is because our awakened mana is acting as a living barrier. I take it that the elves have told you the tales as to why many of their kind die when they are near this gods-forsaken place?" Godric stayed quiet.
"This is because the witch has an uncontrollable thirst for elvish blood. It treats it as if it were a delicacy, very intoxicating, and addictive. The memories from that day are best left unspoken, save for the lives of the elves who rescued me. The only reason why we're still alive is because it doesn't even treat us like worthy prey." Evander recalled, his voice filled with sadness and a bridling anger.
"I'll make that monster pay, and on this day--the predator will now become prey, the Divines be my witness."
The two of them eventually found themselves where the path split off into two. "This is the place," Godric said. "The route there leads outside, but I've yet to delve into this one." Godric pointed toward the pathway that seemed darker than the one they came from.
"That's where our prey resides. We're not leaving here till that thing is dead--let's go." Evander led the charge without hesitation, and Godric followed suit. The lost lord of House Huntingborne knew the track all too well. He cautioned Godric on which areas he should avoid stepping on, lest he risk himself slipping to death. Battle strategies and tactics were also discussed during their descent toward what seemed to be impending doom. Godric listened intently to every word Evander spoke, and he was incredibly impressed.
This is how a noble from the Great Houses of Men should act, He thought to himself. Eloquent, intelligent in many ways, brave, a great warrior, and most importantly, kind. Godric silently left a mental note to himself to become at least half the man Evander was. If they could get out of this alive, the young man could easily find himself pledging his life in service for House Huntingborne; enjoy the company of the hunters at the Whiteflower, and visit the old man and Coraline from time to time.
"We're here." Evander stopped in his tracks and signaled Godric to steel himself. The pit they were in caught Godric by surprise. Despite being in the deepest reaches of the caverns, sunlight shone through--illuminating a portion of the area. In the center of it, all was a sparkling, captivating flower that blossomed without the need for water or soil.
"Is that..." Godric began to speak but Evander simply cut him off. He nodded and prompted him to look beyond the flower, where a jagged staircase of stone was found. As Godric did so, he was met with a pair of eyes that shone like pale moonlight.
Its gaze pierced through his heart, calling out to him--almost as if to say that they longed for his touch. He slowly approached the shadowy being, but Evander shouted at him and quickly tackled Godric to the ground, snapping the young man out of his trance.
"I've been through all seven hells and back these past five years, witch. I know each one of your tricks." The lord then stood and spat on the ground in an act of defiance.
A cold and evil laugh then echoed throughout the caverns which woke the nocturnal bats from their slumber as they fled to higher ground, away from the impending danger.
"Oh but do you?" A feminine voice spoke in the darkness.
Moments later, an ethereal figure appeared, bathed in the sunlight. Godric was taken off guard not because of how tales of the monster's beauty were true, but because the monster in question was not human, but instead was an elf. She wore nothing but a silken, white dress that reached her knees, and she walked barefoot on the cold, stone ground. A thought crossed the young man's mind, but he quickly brushed it off.
"...What are you?" Godric asked the elf, but he was only met with a sinister smile.
"Surprised, are we?" the monster replied. "I know what you're here for, mortal. Your scent was hard to not notice. You carry something that has an elvish scent, and I thank you for that--your item and corpse shall be pieces to add to my fine collection. Your friend here knows how well I treat my friends."
It laughed, taunting the lord as she stepped in between the two who were now circling her.
This sparked something in Evander, who began to growl in anger. Fangs slowly began to appear between his teeth, however Godric was glad that he was still in control of himself.
"Today is the day you die," Evander shifted to a fighting stance, his spear in one hand. "On my life, I promise you this." In one quick motion, Evander and Godric immediately rushed toward the elf in an attempt to end the fight quickly, but the monster responded by protruding a wall of flesh and bone out of both of its arms, revealing that its physical appearance was nothing more than a facade.
"Entertain me." The monster spoke in a garbled tone as its once-elvish body now turned into a humanoid figure that had spiked bones for weapons and bodies of different victims as a line of defense, covering its main body. It now began to throw sharpened spikes made out of bones at the two who did their best to avoid getting hit.
"Avoid getting pierced by the bones!" Evander cautioned Godric as he slowly began to polymorph. "One hit and the poison will enter your body and take effect!"
Evander closed the gap between him and the humanoid being as he ducked and swerved through its offense. Using his enhanced strength, he thrust Thrillseeker into a wall of flesh that acted as a defensive form for the monster's main body, but it never made it through entirely. It was instead lodged midway, and Evander was knocked aside with incredible force as the humanoid figure slammed an extension of decomposing muscle at him.
"Evander!" Godric worried for his companion's well-being as he struggled to defend himself against the monster's attacks. Unlike Evander who had impressive speed and strength due to his magic, and experience in fighting against this beast, Godric found it difficult to find even the slightest opening to land a blow.
The humanoid laughed at Godric. "Poor little thing," it taunted him. "Did the great, king Ithilien send another sad soul to die in vain?" It launched a flurry of attacks at Godric by sending wave after wave of muscle and rotting flesh, to which Godric desperately hacked and sliced his way through as there was no possible way for him to dodge.
A quick moment gave Godric enough time to split his sword into two blades, creating a burning spark in the air. This was enough to increase his chances of cutting through the seemingly endless barrage of flesh being sent toward him, however, this also became a concern as his energy was depleting quickly.
Out of nowhere, a thin spike flew out of the wall of flesh, catching Godric by surprise, piercing his left arm just below his wrist after a desperate attempt to block the projectile. This caused him to drop one of the blades out of dizziness as he began to experience an unknown feeling course through his body.
He groggily dropped to the floor as he defended himself from the attacks, and just when all hope seemed lost, Evander appeared out of nowhere in his man-beast form and jumped on top of the monster, scratching and clawing his way deep into the wall of flesh in an attempt to reach the monster's core. It let out a scream of pain accompanied by Evander's howls of anger.
Godric groaned in anguish, and his entire hand convulsed and shook uncontrollably. He attempted to use his mana to slow down the poison but struggled to do so as this was the first time he experienced such a feeling. As Evander and the monster were locked in a deadly struggle, Godric remembered the cure and desperately crawled toward the flower to remedy himself.
It felt like an eternity, but he was able to grasp the flower's petals. It was soft to the touch and gave Godric peace of mind. It took no longer than a few moments for him to notice that the poison no longer existed. The wound was still there, but it only felt as if he were punctured by a needle; nothing more, nothing less.
As he gained his bearings and prepared to join in the fight again, in the corner of his eye he spotted a piece of flesh that he had cut off earlier. He looked as it slowly decomposed, rotting away, piece by piece until nothing was left. Godric found it odd at first but then he observed his wound.
The puncture was still there, but he noticed that the wound spread out from the source, like it had rotted away. Suddenly, a thought crossed his mind. It was a dangerous bet, but in the circumstances they were in, Godric had to try.
"Evander!" He shouted to the lord who was alone, face-to-face with the monster. Godric observed that he was attempting to retrieve his spear, which was still lodged in the monster's body. "I know its secret! The wound inflicts decay! Not poison!"
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"Are you sure?!" Evander screamed as he dodged the oncoming attacks from the wailing beast. Godric picked up the other blade and threw it with all his strength at the wall of flesh, missing Evander by a hair as it lodged deep inside muscle and flesh.
"Careful where you throw that thing! I don't heal if my head gets impaled!" He shouted.
"Rally to me! I have a plan!"
The lord of House Huntingborne then ripped the other half of Death's Lament from the beast as it wailed in agony, with chunks of meat dropping onto the stone floor. It retreated a few distances back as it seemed as though it had taken a considerable amount of damage.
Evander headed to where Godric was, and the two headed toward the other side of the lair, parallel to the monster, who was now inching closer to the flower.
"I'm here," He panted, clearly tired from the fight. "Your presence here made this struggle last longer than I had expected, but still we're far from achieving what we came here for. What did you have in mind?"
"Look over there," Godric responded. He pointed at the chunks of flesh that Evander cut off earlier, and they saw the same thing Godric had seen after he had healed himself. "The flower has the properties of curing decay. When I touched it, the pain was gone and the wound remained--however I noticed that something was off." Godric showed him where he was struck earlier and it showed that the area around it was withered.
"I think you might be onto something here," Evander said after piecing together the clues. "What now?"
Before they could move forward with a plan, a desperate shriek came from the monster as it transformed back into its elven form. "Curses!" It shouted.
"Why won't it work?! My wounds, my beauty! They are not returning to what they used to be--What did you do to me?!" It touched the flower again and again as the once-captivating form slowly shriveled into an old, rotting, and unnerving figure.
"I'll kill you for this!" It screamed as it ran toward the two of them and immediately transformed back into a mess of corpses and bones.
No word was spoken, but the two immediately responded by heading head-first onto the danger, each one of them grasping a blade of Death's Lament in one hand. They hacked and slashed through the defenses with ease, as Godric's weapon seemed to finally take effect.
The cuts and slashes they inflicted healed slower than normal, and the monster's power of decay was now doing more harm than good to its master, as it could no longer remedy itself using mana, and the flower could not completely wipe out the ability of decay. The main body of the beast was now completely exposed at this point.
Evander saw his spear in sight and immediately pulled it out with ease.
"There you are!" He screamed in joy as he kissed the weapon.
"Godric, catch!" The young man turned and caught the spear with the other hand as he lodged his blade into the wall of flesh.
"Finish it!" Evander screamed.
With one mighty shout and a thrust to the frail, decomposing core, Godric lodged Thrillseeker onto its forehead. No sound was to be heard nor movement to be observed from the monster. Godric and Evander, soaked in blood and sweat, breathed heavily as flesh and bone fell hard onto the stone floor--the harrowing sound echoing throughout the caverns. The two of them stepped back to study the situation and take in what had happened.
"...W-we did it," Evander said as he fell to his knees. "By the Divines, we did it!" He celebrated as he laughed and punched the ground in celebration.
Godric smiled and laughed as he stopped to approach the massive lump of rotting flesh. He retrieved Thrillseeker from the monster, leaving behind a gaping hole in its forehead.
"I believe this belongs to you, milord." He presented Thrillseeker to Evander who retrieved the weapon from him and stood up. "Thank you, friend. If it weren't for you, this wouldn't have been possible." The lord extended his hand to Godric, who accepted it with a firm grip.
The respectful handshake then turned into celebration as Evander pulled Godric in for a hug, showing his appreciation for his new brother-at-arms. "You have no idea how long I've waited for this moment," Evander smiled. "Let's go, our treasures await us."
Godric walked back toward the body of the monster as Evander went ahead and retrieved the flower from its place. The petals reflected the light of the sun and emitted a warm glow to the cold and damp cavern. Godric searched and searched for the relic of House Alastrassa, and after minutes of digging through the wall of flesh, noticed glimmering stones attached to one of the corpses. He approached and upon closer inspection identified that it was no mere gemstones, but a necklace that resembled the crescent moon.
There was no doubt in his heart. This must be it. Godric excitedly thought to himself. He felt proud of himself for he felt that for the first time in his life, he had done something of extreme value. He felt redeemed, and along with that feeling, came an overwhelming emotion of happiness. The young man found himself trembling as he then broke into tears.
Evander approached him with the flower in hand and patted him on the back. "You did well lad, stand proud." He asked for Godric's satchel and gently placed the flower inside for its safety and convenience. "Come, let's get out of this shithole."
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The two of them trekked back up the trail, inching closer and closer to the entrance of the witch's lair. A silence befell the two, as they were now in deep thought.
"Now that we've finished our business here," Godric asked Evander. "What will happen to you?"
"I will return to Stagvalley, and resume my duties as head of House Huntingborne. I won't let my poor cousin do all the work now. It is hard enough to act as the priestess of the wild and head of a Great House." He responded.
"And what about you? It seems that the Polifios have you marked for death. You could stay with us in Stagvalley. House Huntingborne can offer you what you need to start anew, you know. No harm will come for you there. You will have the chance to live amongst the race of Men."
The offer was tempting. Godric thought about it for a time as they walked. He could return to the elves, return the relic, and say his goodbyes, but he had grown to love the elven world for its wonders. The young man was now suddenly forced into a dilemma.
"...I'll have to think on that, but thank you for the offer, milord." Evander laughed as they were now close to the exit of the cave. "Don't act so formal!" Evander laughed.
"You're a brother-at-arms now, and a guest of our House. Simply call me Evand-" The lord stopped mid-sentence as he grasped his chest, almost as if the air in his lungs were taken from his body. He cried out in a deafening roar of pain, as his body had begun to grow in size.
Godric stared at him in horror as he noticed that Evander was slowly returning to his man-beast form from when they first met. Evander looked at Godric while he still could. His brown, human eyes were a mixture of shock and sorrow.
"Run." The lord mouthed at Godric, who was already armed and ready for another fight.
Afterward, the two of them stopped dead in their tracks as they heard the most bone-chilling shriek of anger from the direction they came from. What followed next was a massive earthquake that shook the entire cavern, almost as if the mountain itself had awoken from a deep slumber.
Then came out of the darkness was the monster they faced before, only this time, no trace of humanity was left. What they encountered was not of this world. A chill crawled down their spines as it approached them in its true form. Godric was not able to fully comprehend what he was seeing.
Its body was a mess of faces from all kinds of beings it had consumed throughout its lifetime. It had wings fashioned by the feathers of various animals which were held together by dislodged and decomposed arms that reeked of death. At the center of it all was the witch, with one half of its face showing its true, old, and rotting form, while the other was the decomposed skin and features of the beautiful elven skin it had earlier.
"Y-you... " it reached out to Godric, as it. "You did this...to me!" It shrieked and flew toward Godric who was quaking from fear, but was still within his wits to defend himself.
Out of nowhere, Evander jumped onto the monster and wrestled with it mid-air, causing damage after damage to the cavern as the stalagmite rocks from above fell, almost piercing Godric. The stone pillars that held the caverns were now beginning to crumble due to the chaos, and the entire cave was soon to collapse.
"You have the flower Godric! Leave me, now!" The brave lord of House Huntingborne roared at him as he struggled with the monster, who was also inflicting significant damage to the man-beast.
Evander still had a semblance of humanity inside him as he was still able to communicate properly, but deep down he knew that it would not take long before bloodlust would overwhelm his mind and turn him into nothing more than a mindless creature again.
Godric was left with no other choice, but to turn and head as fast as he could upward and out of the caverns. With each step he took, the heavier his heart felt leaving his new friend to himself. He was already at the entrance and was now greeted with a cool breeze as the rain clouds began to hover overhead. He looked and shouted for his steed, who had already risen and was now darting toward his location.
However, something strong and cold gripped his leg, tripping him over and dragging him back toward the caverns. It was the monster, all bloodied and beaten whose eyes were now dangling out of their sockets, while its body was disfigured from scratches and bite marks.
"If I die, you shall die with me mortal!" It cackled and gleefully laughed as it dragged Godric, who was now clawing and scratching at the dirt, back inside.
"The only ones dying this day will be the two of us, monster!" Evander, who was bloodied all over, suddenly appeared on top of the monster and thrust Thrillseeker onto its back, which made it lose its grasp on Godric who immediately got up and swung his sword onto one of the monster's wings, detaching it completely off the main body. It struggled, but Evander kept a firm grip on the monster and began to drag himself and it down back to the dark pits.
"I swear to the old gods, and the Divines be my witness, you will never harm another soul again! I'll drag your corpse down the seven hells myself!" Evander with all his strength, then howled and punched the rocks that held the entranceway together. Rocks now began to tumble down the mountain and were now blocking the passage. The brave lord then pulled his spear and threw it at the ground near Godric's feet.
"I am glad to have met you Godric, even if our meeting was brief. You've allowed me to experience the hunt of a lifetime, and for that, you have my eternal gratitude--in this life and the next." He laughed.
"You don't have to do this!" Godric screamed as he attempted to approach Evander despite the avalanche of rocks now falling on top of the entrance, covering it slowly.
"It's too late for me now," Evander responded. "Tell Anarórë that I'm sorry for breaking my promise!" He pulled Thrillseeker from the monster's body and threw it at Godric's feet. Cloud had now approached Godric and caught a glimpse of his former rider. Evander, who spent years in the dark, smiled after seeing his loyal steed again for the final time.
Goodbye, my friends. Evander uttered silently. After one loud rumble of the mountain range and a pained cry of the monster, the dust cleared, and the caverns were now completely buried underneath layers of rock and stone.
Godric crumpled to the ground, defeated. It had happened again. Someone had now, again sacrificed their own life for his sake. An abandoned farm boy with nothing to his name but a wooden basket had now been saved twice by people he called friends. The rain poured down, bathing Godric in water as droplets trickled down his battered armor. He hobbled over to Cloud, who was seemingly crying at the loss of his former rider.
"You too?" Godric asked the steed as he cupped his hands over its head in an attempt to comfort the poor soul. "Come now, Cloud--we still have work to do." He said as he got up on the saddle and signaled the horse to retreat into the vast, open fields and toward the inn down south, silently crying with his head bowed down as he thought about how he would explain everything.