The War of Gods

Chapter 6 - Part 3

Mavar sighed at this. "This is dangerous." He said. But his voice sounded different... deeper. "It's too soon."

"Bah, don't lecture me about patience." She answered. Her mannerisms looked so... young. She had an unnatural spring to her attitude that did not match her age. "Quite the impressive lot you found here. I just want to have a quick look at them."

"You meddle too much, child." Mavar said. "You step too far."

"And you don't?"

Mavar did not answer. The old witch sighed.

"You're impossible to deal with..." She continued. "Let's see here... A Bonded elf... scholar, is he? Cute! Really thought he would be a warlord or something. Why the brainy fascination all of a sudden, cousin? Getting old, are we?" 

Mavar did not answer.

The witch seemed unimpressed, so she turned to Nerith, inspecting her with a curious eye.

"And... ah... The Horned One of Tytherlyt..." Nerith winced at that. "Child of Prophecy... Great things await you, young one."

"Don't call me that, you wench." Nerith said, her voice a low growl.

"Hm?" The witch said, amused. "Fiery, are we? How ironic... and fun!"

The witch got up and began slowly rounding the table, moving behind them. 

"Peace now, child," she continued. "Be proud of you are! We have no one but ourselves in the end -- well, your friend here would disagree -- so, it's best that we embrace the things that make us us!"

She gripped Nerith's shoulders and got in close beside her ear. By reflex, Nerith instantly grabbed the witch's wrists, which began smouldering with a bright orange glow. Yet the witch seemed unfazed.

"I," the witch whispered, getting even closer. "Could tell you things about yourself that would make your skin crawl, Horned One." 

With a flick of the wrist, Nerith's chair turned on its legs as her hood fell at the same time.

Revealing a pair of two wavy brown horns.

Nerith whimpered.

"My magic!" Nerith yelled, scrambling for her hood, but a violent wind pushed her back as the witch slammed the chair. Nerith's eyes widened as the old hag now stood face to face with her, less than a breath away.

"Wouldn't you like to know more?" The witch said. Joel expected it to be a threat but... it came out almost as pleading. "I could give you so much..."

"Cousin." Mavar said flatly.

The witch glanced at him, and then let go of the chair. With another flick of the wrist, Nerith's horns vanished into mist, just how she often hid them. The old lady pulled Nerith's hood back up, gently, and patted her on the shoulder with unexpected fondness.

So finally she turned to Joel, to whom she raised an eyebrow. 

"And... you." She leaned closer to him, amused. "Tell me, Natural One, how do you fit in here?"

"I... " Joel felt small. "I'm a druid. I guided us here."

"Wrong." She answered. "I guided you here. You just followed my messenger."

Joel frowned.

"Curious how fate works, isn't it?" She continued when he didn't answer. "Such potential, all brought together under one roof! A brilliant scholar, with feats under his belt that his two companions could only have nightmares about. A promising sorceress, with a past and a future that are equally as intriguing and exciting. And a former scoundrel, that took up a mantle and a staff, and decided to treat mushrooms a little better."

Joel began boiling inside. He tried to think of a quip, but nothing came out.

"So," the witch pushed on. "I will ask again, young druid: how do you fit in here? Why should I choose you?"

"Cousin!" Mavar yelled, with an overlap of inhuman voices. Joel and Nerith jumped at the sudden outburst.

"Yes, yes." The witch dismissed him, casually. Then leaned closer to Joel, her eyes locked onto his. Joel's inside began simmering once again.

"You intrigue me, my friend." She whispered. "You all do, in fact. I'm excited to see what victories you conquer in this world." She glanced over at their bloody and ripped clothes. A disappointed look in her face. "And what losses, it seems..."

Joel grimaced, then he exhaled a puff of smoke, that he had been holding for the past hour or so, into the witch's face. Pity to waste a perfectly good puff. The witch smiled at this and deeply inhaled.

"Who are you?" Joel asked, still locking eyes.

"Ah!" The witch answered. "About time you asked..." Then she made a quick gesture to their tattered clothes. "You haven't earned it though. So I'm afraid this is where we say goodbye. For now."

Joel scoffed. "Why should we care to earn it then? What's in it for us?"

The witch paused, as if considering her answer.

And then, an overwhelming sensation washed over Joel. She grinned as their eyes remained locked, and he saw it. He saw a gaze that stretched towards infinity. He could sense a connection to life itself as he never had before. This person — this being — could reduce all of them to a speck of dust if she so wished. She could give them knowledge so unfathomable that their minds would melt upon hearing it. Whoever this was, it made sure that they knew what the rewards would be.

Answers. Understanding. Redemption.

Peace.

That is what she offered.

She broke her gaze and the feeling was gone in a second, as she relaxed and went back to her chair. Joel's anger quickly dissipated.

"Run along now, children." She said. "Wouldn't want my cousin here to throw a tantrum."

Mavar huffed at this but made no objections. They couldn't leave though. Joel saw Nerith's mind racing as she analysed this whole interaction as well. She knew as well. They needed this. They needed guidance. This could be the advantage they had been searching for, a way to get out of this-

Everything went dark.