Hello guyz, I was bit too busy During the Day so I couldn’t write at all, but I have insomnia so there is no problem with writing at night, is there?

Just to let you know, I am going to speed up the story a bit. There isn’t really much more “to do” in the forest so in 3-4 chappies we will kick Zarri out and finally (god bless it) we will head into a bit more entertaining thread.

Here ya go:

Edited by: KenChi死

Have you ever played FPS game with wall hack on? Well, I didn’t. mostly because I am not really into fps. So why am I even mentioning those? Because I basically have a wall hack now.

The ritual cast spell on me called [Echo of Gaia]. Allows me to finds every living being within its radius. Then it allows the caster to “mark” one kind of being and burns the image of those within the caster’s mind.

The kind I marked was human, and now I simply know where the 26 remaining hunters are. They are appearing like red silhouettes. I can see their shapes through the trees and hills and everything else. So yup, basically a wall hack.

No more tracking! No more hiding and planning! I can just cut someone’s throat, as they would leave a camp to well, to pee.

Or as I can tell the direction they are heading for miles away, I could simply set a few traps. Easy? Easy!

But for now I took a few hours off. Once again I need to refill the life force of Greg’s host. For now the [Shade] is completely useless to me. It was said, that main purpose of a [Shade] is scouting, and maybe, just maybe, a bit of… now, I don’t even know how to call it? Assassination? That would take a few months? How long would it take for a shade to suck out a life from a human? Probably very long. Too long. And he can’t “walk” under the light of the sun. So I will just here, refill his host, and hope he will evolve into something more useful, less creepy, and something that will not make humans wish to see me on a pyre…

It didn’t take me long to find a clearing with a mighty oak that was now a vessel for an undead. In the end I just simply know the places where my familiars are currently staying.

But something was odd. The earth under the tree was…warped… corrupted… So were few nearest plants.

The shrub of barriers under Greg had sickly looking violet fruits. No one needed to be a specialist to say that one who would eat it would die in pain. This, or at least really nasty diarrhea.

But the thing that was mostly… “disturbing”… was the tree itself. It was moving. It’s branches were wiggling like tentacles of some monster from a hent…. Never mind. Just moving a lot. Got it? Let’s just pretend there was no last part, kay?

I took a few steep closer

“Greg… are you there?”

The tree turned its trunk. If it was a human, then his/her spine would snap. And then I almost died from heart failure. Again.

The tree had… a face. Wicked, twisted, with empty eyes, but reaaaaally big mouth. If one of those tentacle-branches would grab me and toss me into it… I would fit in just perfectly.

“Aaaaahh… maa-ste-er… greee-tingsss. I ha-ve al-most take wh-ole con-trol over t-his vessel…”

Speaking giant raven that is a symbol of disasters, the really big furless dog-wolf that was walking muscular bloodsheding machine, and now some kind of freaky treant. And I was complaining that I would be burned for necromancy…

But… maybe I just got myself a tank?

“How are you doing my friend?” I asked with a smile “How long will it take to dominate your host?” “The tree… is old… it… re-sist… it was… em-power-ed… by nu-tri-tion… from e-arth…” “ So you first poisoned the ground to weaken it? But won’t it make your vessel more… fragile?” “N-o mas-ter… Day… or two… it will t-ake… a day… or two.” “Very well” I said taking my hand off the trunk as I finished refilling the tree with pure life force. This was the necessary part. To maintain the life of the tree as Greg was making himself comfortable within it. “Will you find me as you will be able to walk? If you will be able to walk…” “Wit—hout de-lay” “it’s good to hear that… but for now I have a job to be done. Till then, Greg”

I left the clearing. Damn, I feel bad about my attitude to both Sebastian and Greg. They are really a great help (or at least Sebastian) and they never really mean any harm(… wait, didn’t Sebastian pushed me into some kind of dungeon?), yet I keep judging them by their avatars. I will have to say one day how grateful I am… the power of friendship and stuff…

But for now I have to check once again my equipment. The string of the bow is in good shape, so it will not break anytime soon. If I wouldn’t miss, I had just enough arrows to take down three whole squads. Dagger tied to the calf, a few centimeters under knee… No potions. I was supposed to cook a few as I get back from the dungeon… but I was kicked out of the house by some mad green haired deity… Nah, I have my healing magic… it should be enough.

I took a look at the nearest silhouettes… about 10-12 kilometers ahead. If they will not move into different direction I should get to them in about 2hours… no, wait. 2.5 to 3 hours, in the end I will not be walking in a straight line.

Eh, time to hit the road… no, dear reader. Go away. No honestly. There will be nothing to read about for next 2.5-3 hours. Go! Do something productive! Or get a POV change, that would do too.

Same time – Capital of Holy City.

I was walking through the corridors of the dungeon under the inquisitor headquarters. My name is Everin Marakin and I am an older high inquisitor. Ho? I never liked my name. I am a son of former slave that was granted freedom for saving his masters life. As my father hails from the far south he decided to name his offspring with a traditional names from his nation.

Stupid old prick. He even forced me into this shitty “job”… calling this sick madhouse an organization is a really big abuse. But, for my great satisfaction I can more or less pick my own cases.

I have never picked a quests to hunt some random “witch”. I always chose to fight some really dangerous one, not the one that was quietly sitting in her village doing nothing bad. Because what was evil in one? If I really have to kill someone I prefer them to be at least villains.

And those idiots, my “colleagues” are thinking that I am doing so because I want a challenge!

Eh… I am already so tired of all this mess… when I was forced here… I still had a few hopes. That there are many people like me, who wanted to deal with true evil and not just to slaughter some random kinds only because they can ignite a candle with fire… oh pardon me, with not an “unholy” fire.

After a month I was still hoping that at least half of those inquisitors are “normal”.

After a year that every tenth is normal.

Now I know there are really few of us. I can count them on the fingers of one hand… A madhouse… a madhouse…

After 10 years of hunting my name got some kind of respect. Bah! I was even considered for the next Grand Inquisitor! On that position I could really have something to say! To change this burning brothel into a real organization!

And then my hopes died. I am still considered a “Candidate”… but I know I will never be one. Why? Because the Grand Inquisitor has a nephew. And this nephew is “visiting” him. Every 3months he came for a duration of 1 month to “study” under the enlightenment of out beloved leader… Well, those studies are mostly parties, sleeping with noble ladies, and getting dead drunk. In mixed order.

But it will still means that with such great amount of “experience” that came from “studying” under our “brilliant” leader this annoying, overconfident and arrogant brat will be found “qualified” to extend the teaching of “Light”.

Politics. It means that every position that could change anything will be filled with family, family of family, friends, friend’s family and hooker, pardon me, ladies of noble houses that you have fuck for over 5 years.

This place should burn to the ashes, because nothing will cure it now. You can only stop the disease from further growth.

“Greeting Older High Inquisitor!” one of the guards screamed. “Good day to you too Charles. You have an easy guard today I presume..” “Sir, yes, sir!” “Good to hear that… tell me, isn’t it a bit to quiet? I thought that our agents should have came back a few weeks ago… you knows those who spy on Neira Kingdom.” “Sir! The Prophetess herself mobilize them to hunt a monster is the Forest, Sir!” “A monster? Do you know something about it? What kind of monster?”

The eyes of young inquisitor on watch duty were shining probably because he found himself useful to someone like me… or he though I found myself another “challenge”.

“It is said to be as wicked as a devil.” He said quietly and less formaly. Looks like he wanted to make me think that he is sharing some kind of secret. “It can you most of the unholy magic! The monsters are listening to its orders, the ground is rooting under its feet, the trees are streaming down with blood in his vicinity… and it eats the believers. And its nest is in the center of the forest!”

I will make you a favor, and I will translate this fanatically speech into used by most of the humans language: the non-retarded.

So : no one knows what it is, no one knows what magic exactly it can use (but looks like it actually can use it), the earth beneath him and trees around him are all good and he dose not eat believers…. Mostly because there are no believers in the forest.

But to mobilize agents… by prophetess herself…

“Do you know how many were send?”

Once again his eyes shown with as much pride as one mortal can possibly hold without getting horns…

“50 of them… and among them… there are the siblings.

SIBILINGS! Oh please, I pray to you goddess of light, whatever this monster did… even if you truly want him dead… can you please make him accidently kill those two?

But to know that such resources and forces were used for a single target… Maybe I could, just a little, cause a some small chaos within this hellhole?