“I was disinterested at first, but maybe you’ll make for a good leg-stretching for my hunt.” As soon as he said this he lunged forward, stretching his arm forward with a long rapier in hand. Alroc's weapon was inches from Metas’ face before he could even react. “Interesting.” Metas’ “wing” sprouted from his arm and seemingly blocked the attack between its joints of its own volition. 'I don't know how, but you can do this guys!' The boy optimistically remarked. Alroc seemed to move even before they could process, but as Alroc spoke, Ellyn unloaded a volley of bolts at him. He leapt back with the grace of a swift bird, easily avoiding the shots, his black cloak revealing not a feature of his body except his hand in a metal gauntlet clutching his thrusting sword with ornate design.

As Alroc landed, his head swerved to the side, narrowly avoiding the thrust from Metas' chained spear. "Oh ho!" Alroc remarked. With his attack, Metas recalled a memory from their discussion earlier. 'If we encounter him, we may have to kill him.' Metas said sternly with a serious expression. Okay?' 'Then I'll be ready then.' Responded Yuria and Ellyn seemingly confused. Metas realized who he was talking to: A hunter who is concerned for survival and someone born in the dangerous back-alleys, effectively a child concerning the matters of the outside. 'It's not like we haven't done it to people who were out to kill us before?' Yuria answered.

Back then Metas realized, it was abnormal for individuals to immediately dole out justice, as any average citizen of a kingdom like the one he grew up in would hesitate before delivering the killing blow. He became desensitized to this too, because either beast or bandit he was given discretion and even permission to take them down in the service of his great kingdom. It was now his duty as their leader to ensure that they do not become like the descriptions of the beasts and fugitives he hunted, bloodthirsty butchers who would stack corpses and had no regard to any human life except their own.

'I have a request.' Said Metas. 'What is it?' Asked Ellyn. 'Maybe we shouldn't kill those we encounter on sight.' 'Why is that? Aren't we only protecting ourselves?' Asked Yuria. 'Well...' Metas stammered, even though he rarely did. 'Even though we're on opposite sides, the Knights are still my former comrades, and if they paint us in a negative light, they could have no choice but to fight, and cause conflict they don't mean. And maybe bystanders who aren't involved get caught up in on it.' With this statement they recalled the destroyed structures and burned towns and with this point they reluctantly agreed. 'But when it's life or death, we won't hesitate to defend ourselves.' Ellyn answered. 'Yeah!' Yuria answered before coming upon another piece of food she had acquired. 'Yeah.' Metas concluded.

"Aim to kill." Metas in the present sent a small bullet of flame at Alroc in great speed. The cloaked Knight quickly snuffed it out of the air with a flurry of slashes. "A prosthetic arm, wonderful!" He remarked. Sensing something, he quickly turned around and came face to face with a giant feathered claw in which he swiftly tossed daggers at it, melting it with the acid that tipped his throwing knives. "And magic too. Actual magic, this is simply splendid, and I thought you were simply a band of nobodies, not worthy to hunt." Alroc talked with an unchanging tone and did not falter even as he danced between projectiles and sharp slashes. Another figure from the shadows emerged and momentarily watched them silently. As the figure moved, Alroc noticed and immediately leapt with inhuman speed, towards the rooftop of the alleyway.

"What is it? Are you going to turn tail and run?" Yuria mockingly asked with her chalice in one hand and the other in her pack. Metas cautiously readied his guard, with a tight grip on his spear and his wing over him like an additional limb. 'Something's not right here.' The boy cautiously warned them. "Speaking of real magic, my real prey has arrived." Said Alroc. "How surprising. One of the most prolific witch hunters struggling with a bunch of children?" The figure emerged from the darkness. A dark claw jolted out from the shadows towards the beaked-mask knight. Alroc threw another flurry of daggers which all seemed to pass through the claw, leaving it fragmented but immediately reformed into its original shape. The unknown witch jumped swiftly to avoid the daggers but Alroc sprang up rapier in hand, immediately jumping up to the roof level which she was on. But immediately, he stopped still midair. Two smaller hands stretched out from a shadow from a distant corner and clamped down on Alroc.

‘That.. wasn’t me!’ Yuria internally exclaimed to both Ellyn and Metas. The three stared the two down, unsure but on their guard. Ellyn aimed but waited before she shot, not completely refusing of the idea. Metas was unsure if he would call the other two to interfere, now looking at his shoulder which had a numbed stinging feeling while the growth that protruded quivered readily. As Alroc struggled, the “witch” grinned widely. The elite knight broke loose of the grasp and loosed a jab into her direction. The attack seemed to connect and from the viewpoint of the others, there was a clean strike to her face and she quickly tumbled off from the roof and onto the ground. Alroc’s cloak had been partially torn, revealing shining silver armor, not even a trace of the scratch. He jumped from the rooftops and threw more thin ornate daggers, and Metas jumped in and swatted them away.

Metas glanced at his wing, part of which slowly dissolved from the concoction applied from Alroc’s blades. A volley of bolts rained down on Alroc, but he deftly broke apart and deflected each one with a strike from his rapier. Yuria moved in to help her but Ellyn warned: “Don’t get too close!” 'She’s right, we’re still not sure who this is, and I’m feeling a strange aura from her.’ The boy seconded the warning. “But-“ Yuria kept quiet right away and stood a safe distance away from the woman. Yuria observed her. She let go of the thought crystal and began observing. 'She’s a witch.. Same as me. She used abyssal magic too. She’s wounded, a cut to the cheek.’ Yuria noticed her facial features. Pale, gray hair, like Metas’. She seemed to be struggling, maybe because of the chemical Alroc used.

This story has been stolen from Royal Road. If you read it on Amazon, please report it

Metas clashed with Alroc, only being on the defensive and reflecting attacks, with Ellyn providing distraction and cover. ‘Focus.’ The boy alerted, Yuria instantly reached into her pack and clutched a bone she carried along other items, instantly sending forth a spear-like bone into the witch hunter’s direction. Metas swung his spear like a whip vigorously, being deflected by him each time. Alroc gave Metas a swift kick, which he blocked with his wing but slid backwards due to the force. The bone projectile shot out at an almost instant speed, but Alroc quickly raised his armored hand, catching it and crushing it to dust. ‘Something’s happening, watch out!’ Metas, Ellyn and Yuria quickly noticed a dark pool formed under them, Alroc stepped back and looked on curiously and before any of them could react, they were swallowed up by darkness, leaving Alroc standing, slightly disappointed. “Well.” He sighed. “A hunt concluded to quickly is no fun at all.” He hid his weapons once more and let his cloak drape over himself, sparkling silver shining brightly through the holes and tears in his cloak.

On a distant shack, right below its wooden roof a dark vortex appeared on which Metas and the others, including the witch fell through. Metas fell on his feet and used his spear as a point of stability, driving it into the wooden floor as he impacted on the ground. Yuria was falling on her back, but before she impacted the ground, she used the enchanted chalice and swept it through the air. I hope this works.’ She then spread it out and a gust of wind slightly cushioned her fall. She instead flipped over and fell face first onto the ground. “Hmph.” Ellyn fell on her knees in a crouched position. “Are you guys alright?” Metas asked as his wing dissipated into dust and he held his spear readily. “Yep.” Yuria raised her head and Ellyn helped her up. “I was afraid we would go directly into the abyss after we passed through the portal.” “Well, its not something I don’t want to experience.” Said Ellyn.

“I made sure we’ll certainly get here; well, it was for me anyway…” The stranger remarked. Ellyn raised her arm and Metas pointed his spear. The witch stood up and slowly made her way towards a table in the room. Yuria looked up and observed the location. The entire place was made entirely of wood, not of any refined or cut lumber, but it was like inside of a hollowed-out tree. Cabinets and cupboards were in one side of the area. Strangely, their ornate design mismatched from the location’s more natural nature. The witch slowly walked over to it and to a crude stone stove and turned it on with a weak spark from her hand and a flame formed under a large pot partially filled with water. She pulled open a drawer and then gathered a clump of dried herbs and a clove of petals and tossed them into it. The “shack” had open holes on it, revealing the outside sunlight peeking in. There were no portraits or excess decoration, but candles and lamps were placed around the room to act as a light source, though put out. A long table with ornate carvings lay, topped with velvet cloth but it is completely unused and empty. At the other edge of the room, a simple wooden bed lay.

“So, this place is the dwelling of a witch…” Yuria remarked. Metas and Ellyn were still on guard, but for some reason Yuria felt at ease even as she readied her tools for combat. “Well, its not like I intended for it. In the end, I was branded for it anyways.” To Yuria she seemed like not what she had in mind. She wore a simple black dress, with a shorter and less exquisite design, and seemed grimier and more worn than she previously saw from a distance away. She wore rugged black gloves and boots seemingly already been used for a long time. She then poured the contents into a bowl, and momentarily laid her hand upon it. A shadow crept over it and the mixture became darkened. As she picked some of it up, Metas and Ellyn twitched uneasily.

“It’s fine, you’re not my enemy anyways.” The 'witch' said as she applied it to the cut on her face and she flinched momentarily before it healed. “If you want to, you can become my enemy all the same.” She looked back at them with her injury fully healed with a serious glare. “Well, you guys are fugitives now, so there’s no point for us to fight. Especially you.” She pointed towards Metas. “Your posters are everywhere in town.” Seemingly from out of nowhere she threw a piece of paper at his direction. He caught it, and held it up, it looked like the rest of those posted on walls in the town, then he threw it away. “How about you, didn’t see a poster of you anywhere?” Yuria mockingly asked. “Of course they don’t, I’m-““Enough. Tell us what you want or send us back.” Ellyn interrupted the 'witch'. “I want what you want, our objectives align.” “What objective?” Metas asked. “You are being hunted by Alroc right? And the entirety of the kingdom’s knights is after you. I propose an alliance, I plan on taking on the kingdom’s secret knights, its shadows and I aim to claim its throne.” She remarked.

“Hmph.” Metas crossed his arms. “Grand plan. But why do you think we should help you?” He remarked. “I can sense it, we are kindred.” Through her eyes, a miasma of darkness appeared. Coating both Yuria and Metas. “A name first?” asked Ellyn suspiciously. “Hmm… Its Serafion.” She remarked. Yuria sat on the unoccupied wooden chair and Ellyn leaned on the wooden wall. Metas walked forward and lowered his spear. “So .. . This area seems remote, I suppose you can travel to and from the kingdom, I don’t think you carried all this furniture here.” “It is indeed true, with my magic I can instantly transfer an object to where I so choose.” Serafion waved her hand and for a moment it was colored a silky black and abyssal liquid dripped off of it. Then a cup appeared in her hand, and she immediately drank from it. “So, you’re powerful. And overconfident.” Said Metas.

She stopped drinking. “I see, so the arrogance and repulsion you had from back when you were with the knights has stuck to you until now.” Serafion remarked. “You can’t deny, what happened back there. You were confident in your abilities to dispatch the enemy, but your attacks had no effect.” He remarked. Metas sensed an odd aura from this place, and from her. In the back of his mind was the thought of their time running out. This added to the fact that they had lost contact to the boy, who was serving as their guide worried him as well. He took his hand off the now lightless crystal. Yuria glanced at them who were having a conversation before looking up at the wall. There were markings and what could be considered crude drawings of shadowy hands and a rendition of various layers of darkness, the language in which reminded her of that in the ruins.

“Actually, my attacks can punch through the toughest armors, even if it appeared to do no damage, it has actually a greater effect than it so appears.” Said Serafion. “When can we return? Its urgent.” Ellyn asked, not looking up and tinkering with her prosthetic. “So hasty. Its about time, I’m tired of waiting in the shadows anyhow. You can feel it can’t you? A storm is brewing, something bad is going to happen.” Serafion remarked. “Hmm?” Yuria was busy looking at the markings on the wall. “You can read it?” Serafion asked.