The days passed by in a blur. Chloe’s mornings were spent training with Owen, and the evenings were spent going through spirit exercises with Belgemine. Whatever free time she had was spent building her bond with her familiar Onyx.

But in the last few days the training had taken on a new form. She woke up one day and her pipe and demon’s bane were gone. She didn't like the way the herbs tasted and smelt, so she didn't mind its absence, and she didn't bother mentioning it to the witch.

The next day, Belgemine refused to feed her. Chloe was pissed about it, but she decided she would show the witch how disciplined she’d become.

The third day with no food was about as much as Chloe could take. Her hunger had started to take on a life of it's own and she could feel her mind slipping back into predator mode.

Each time she saw Belgemine or a passing villager, she’d have to wrestle with her mind as it screamed at her to be fed. The impulse became so strong that one night, Chloe was forced to leave the hut out of fear that she would attack the witch.

She prowled around the surrounding area for an hour, hunting anything that moved. She caught a pair of rats and devoured them whole.

Owen was waiting for her outside her window when she returned.

“Going for a walk at this time?” he said.

Chloe stared at him for a moment. She wasn't sure what the witch was up to, but she assumed this was part of her training.

“You got a problem with that?” she asked.

Owen smiled, “You’ve got a little something on your cheek,” he said.

Chloe touched her mouth, and it came away wet and sticky.

She wiped her hands on her cloak, “I'm going to bed,” she growled as she passed the spirit.

“Get some sleep, little zombie,” said the ghost. “Your final test begins at sunrise.”

Chloe stopped and turned, “What test?”

“Get to bed,” said Owen. “You’ll find out when Belgemine wants you to know.”

Chloe cursed and kept walking. There was no point arguing with the man. He’d made up his mind to say no more, and there was nothing she could do to get him to speak.

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Chloe woke up to light rain on her window. The sun had just begun to peak over the mountains, and the birds were beginning to chirp in the treetops.

[Hunger 4%]

She got out of bed and threw on her cloak. The sooner she got this test over with, the better. The rat brains had done little to appease her appetite. She needed more, and she needed it soon.

She stepped outside. The rain had stopped, but puddles had gathered in the paths. The sky was dark with clouds, and it looked like more rain was on its way.

Belgemine was waiting for her in the backyard. She wore a black robe and leaned on a gnarled staff as she watched Chloe approaching.

“Fitting weather for a final test,” said the witch.

Chloe shrugged, “I’d have preferred to have breakfast under a blue sky, but I guess a test in the rain will have to do.”

Belgemine laughed, “I’m going to miss you.”

“Are you leaving?” Chloe asked.

The witch shook her head, “One way or another, this is your last day here.”

The words sounded ominous to Chloe. In the beginning, she’d wanted nothing more than to get the training over with, so she could find her sister. But now that it was over, she felt conflicted. The witch and even Owen were the closest thing to friends she’d had in this world.

"What more is there to test me on?” she said, smiling. “I've punched through boulders, dived off mountain cliffs and even hunted a deer with my eyes closed!”

The witch smiled thinly. “I think you'll find this test quite different from any you have ever done before.” She held up her staff. “You'll need to defeat me.”

Chloe frowned and stared at the staff. “I'm not beating up an old woman.”

Belgemine shrugged. "Some say age brings wisdom." She spun the staff around so that the silver tipped end pointed directly at Chloe. "But I have found that cunning is really what age brings. I may lack strength and the speed, but what I have more than makes up for any of my weaknesses."

Chloe narrowed her eyes. "How do we know when the fight is over?"

The witch leaned forward. "Many times over the years, people have tried to kill me. And every time they have failed. Fight me like your life depends on it, because it does."

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The two women circled each other, both keeping a careful distance and measuring the other's movements.

Chloe was used to fighting Owen, and he was fast and nimble. The witch was slow, each of her steps were deliberate and forced Chloe to face her on her weaker side.

Chloe shifted her stance, and Belgemine chose that moment to lung forward.

As soon as her staff touched down, Chloe threw herself backward into a roll, then came back up onto her feet.

The staff whistled past her head and she heard the witch laugh.

"That felt good," said Belgemine. "Now your turn. Don't fight me with claws and teeth like a wild animal. Summon your Ethereal Armament and fight me like a Crimson Hunter."

Chloe relaxed her hands, retracting her claws. "How?” she asked. “I've only summoned it once, and it was by accident.”

Belgemine shifted her weight and spun her staff. “Think of your weapon as more than just a blade,” said the witch. “It is the source of a Crimson Hunter's power. You have developed your link with your familiar all this time. Use it as a trigger to call upon your Ethereal Armament."

Once again, Belgemine’s instructions sounded vague and mystical. Chloe wished that things could be more straight forward. In video games it was, just press a button, but in real life it was all about feelings, and Chloe wasn't too good at that.

She gritted her teeth and tried to concentrate but as soon as she did, the witch lashed out again, this time the staff connected with her ribs and sent her flying.

This content has been misappropriated from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

She groaned as she got to her feet. "What the hell, I thought you wanted me to summon my weapon?”

The witch shook her head, "You aren't taking this seriously. Do you really think Malice will give you time to gather your strength?"

Chloe didn't bother telling the witch that that was precisely what Malice would have done if this were a video game.

She tried to concentrate again, but this time she was ready for an attack, "Come to me, Onyx," she whispered. "I need you."

Belgemine attacked again, but Chloe had expected that. She dodged left, avoiding the staff, and as she did, she felt her familiar’s answering the call.

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Chloe blinked as a streak of black darted through the scrubs and across the wet ground. The dark shape collided with her amulet and light flared up around her.

The witch stumbled back, covering her eyes from the light.

[Ethereal Armament: Pathfinder’s Scythe]

A black scythe as tall as Chloe appeared in her hand. One side of the blade looked like a demon’s wing, and the other was curved like the sickle moon. On the bottom of the pole was a round fluffy rabbit tail.

“I can sense that you have fed many souls to your weapon,” said Belgemine. “Use your will to unleash its power.”

That must be from all those gems I fed it in the catacombs.

“How do I use them?” Chloe asked.

“The weapon is an extension of yourself,” said Belgemine. “The scythe is a mirror of your own soul. It represents your desire to control life and death.”

“It's part of me?” said Chloe as she gripped the handle firmly.

So my soul is a secret edge-lord?

She smiled as she brought the scythe down and dropped into a fighting stance.

“Now you are ready to fight,” said Belgemine. “Defend yourself, your life hangs in the balance.”

The witch twisted her hand and green flames rushed out of her extended palm, flowing towards Chloe like a wave of death.

Chloe raised the weapon and the fire hit the curved blade, driving her back. When the flames died out, she uncovered her eyes and looked for the witch, who had disappeared.

"It was only a distraction," Belgemine’s voice came from behind her.

The staff hit Chloe in the leg, dropping her to one knee. The second blow was aimed at her head.

Chloe blocked with the scythe and saw a flash of silver as the staff hit it. The weapon bent, and she heard the clank of wood against metal.

"Good," said the witch. "But now it's time to get serious."

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She raised her hand and Owen, dressed in full silver armor, appeared from behind the hut, dragging a man by his ankle.

The man bled from multiple wounds and his face was bruised dark purple. When he saw Chloe, scythe in hand and eyes wide with bloodlust, he let out a wail of terror.

Those details meant nothing to her. All she could think of was the sweet scent of blood filling her nostrils.

“He is an outlaw bandit,” said Belgemine, and her words sounded distant. "He was caught exiting a young woman's house.” She shook her head. “Her body was found mutilated.”

The man’s legs dangled, and his arms hung slack as Owen lifted him up and dumped him in front of Chloe.

"Let's see how well you fight when blood is in the air," said Belgemine.

[Hunger 3%]

Chloe felt her animal instincts kicking in. She clenched her jaw and tried to concentrate, but the sweet odor kept drawing her attention. Her stomach grumbled and she could feel her mouth watering.

Belgemine grimaced. "Don't worry about him. I'm your target."

Chloe raised the scythe and glared at the witch, but her eyes drifted down towards the man, and she saw him moving slightly. A bloodied hand reached out from under his shirt, grasping at the dirt.

The prey is trying to escape.

While Chloe was distracted, Belgemine released a barrage of emerald green fireballs. The air sizzled as they shot through the air and exploded around Chloe in a ring of death.

“I'm disappointed, Chloe, after all that training, I thought you would be stronger than this.”

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The witch gestured at her husband, and Owen pulled out his silver dagger and ran it down the bandit's back, parting his flesh like a fisherman deboning a tuna. Blood sprayed, and the man kicked, screaming as he thrashed in agony.

Holy shit!

The metallic scent of blood hit Chloe like a freight truck, driving her senses mad. Her nails extended in anticipation. Her body was poised for the feeding it knew was coming.

She gripped the scythe tightly as her bloodlust came upon her in waves. She bit her lip, feeling her teeth sinking into her flesh.

Screw the test, I want meat.

She lumbered forward towards her meal. Her vision had turned red and all she could hear was the frantic beating of her prey’s heart.

The witch was doing something, but Chloe didn't care. Everything she wanted in the world was squirming on the ground before her.

One bite, that's all I need.

A fireball connected with her arm. She felt the pain and smelt burnt flesh, but she didn't register what it all meant.

It's just a distraction trying to keep me from what is mine.

A second fireball arced across the sky, aimed straight at her. In the back of her mind, she knew that this one was larger, more powerful. If it hit her, she’d be incinerated.

Her eyes snapped up from the man to the fireball flying straight at her. She needed to do something, or she would have her final death.

“Not yet!” she yelled.

[Oath Of Pain: Activated]

She concentrated the full force of the spell into her legs and shot forward in an explosion of dirt and rocks. The fireball exploded behind her as she flew at the witch.

Belgemine's hands twisted again, forming the fire spell.

At the very last moment, Chloe swung the scythe, and a small black wave arced out of the blade and sped across the ground.

[Rift Bolt: Activated]

The spell hit the witch in the chest, splitting her staff in two and teleporting her back a short distance away.

Chloe landed and directed power into her left leg. She pushed off again, changing her direction.

“Die!” she yelled at the person that was keeping her from her meal.

“You created a dimensional rift,” said the witch as she fired another fireball at Chloe.

Chloe ignored her words. She spun her scythe and a small black portal the size of her hand appeared before her.

[Pocket Portal: Activated]

The fireball entered the portal, and Chloe thrust the scythe downwards, creating a second portal at her feet. The fireball streamed out of the second portal, flying back at the witch who’d cast it.

The spell hit the witch square in the chest, knocking her to the ground.

“This ends now!” Chloe yelled as she spun in the air, her scythe arcing through the sky like a whirlwind.

Blood sprayed and Owen yelped in fright.

The blood spread across the ground in a torrent, running into the cracks and mingling with rain water.

Chloe panted heavily, feeling the weight of what she had just done.

The bandit's cry ended in his throat as Chloe pulled her scythe free from his limp corpse. Her attack had separated the man’s torso and neck from his waist and legs.

The man twitched and writhed on the ground, gasping as his lungs filled with blood.

The scythe pulsed in her hands, and her clothes dripped with warm blood. She wiped the blood off of her face and turned to face the witch.

“I can't stand by and watch you torture this man,” Chloe said. “Even murderers deserve a swift end.’

Belgemine stood up on shaky legs. "This test was not about mercy or justice, it was about you.” She dusted off her charred robes. “The test is over.” Her eyes met Chloe’s. “It is done. You have passed."

Chloe stared at the witch for a long moment. Then she looked down at the dead man. "All you wanted me to do was kill the man?"

“No,” Belgemine’s voice sounded tired. “I wanted you to think. To not be controlled by monster instincts or by human emotions. Even in the height of your hunger, you found it in you to show mercy.”

"What would have happened if I had given in?" Chloe asked, not sure if she wanted to know the answer.

"We would have killed you," said Owen as he sheathed his sword.

"You could be a great asset in this coming war,” said the witch. “But if chaos rules you, then your soul would be lost. The demon lord would possess you, and you would become just like Malice." She shook her head. “We couldn't let that happen.”

Chloe released her hold on the scythe and the weapon vanished into thin air. She didn't feel like she had passed. She felt hollow and exhausted. Her eyes locked on the dead man’s.

“What happens now?” she asked, looking back up at the witch.

“Now,” said Belgemine. “Now we go to war.”

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