Edited by:tommyjl7

The fog that raised all around the clearing at which the altar was supposed to be placed didn’t allow one to see further than two-three meters. Every once in a while I used pure magic to cast a wind circulation that would blow it away, but the effect didn’t even last for half of a minute. It resembled the fog I used in the forest of dread in order to hide a huge part of the forest (and myself in it) from inquisitors. Back then I used totem and dragon-mana-vein to both create the spell and permanently maintain its fuel source. If here the spirit was using a similar method, we would be just wasting time trying to get rid of that, for I doubted that he was stupid enough to leave such important spell-source in plain sight. The only reason I tried to blow the fog away was to check if some of my party members didn’t mysteriously vanish in the fog.

Yet all of them were just as alive as when I left them. So, the fog wasn’t supposed to be an ambush cover but was meant only to slow us down. Damn it, if not a [Map mind] I would not be able to remember which “fake altars” I have already checked. My teammate had it bit rougher.

Each time we tore the vines off the “sculptures” that appeared to be similar in posture to the pedestals that Marie mentioned, it just kept regrowing in absurd speed covering tree-trunks we mistook for the altar. I heard them cursing, Marie was almost crying, Rupert used a chain of words that would even make a sailor blush. Only Lanele was staying calm. Maybe because she didn’t view time like the rest of us?

Whatever, we would eventually find it, if not them, then me.

Yet eventually, I heard an excited squeak

- “I found it!” Marie shouted

All of us dropped everything we were doing and rushed to the place from which girl’s voice was heard.

Marie was standing there, hugging the stone structure that was already being covered in vines, as if being afraid that at the moment she would leave it, it would magically change its location.

- “Atta girl! You sure it’s the one?” Rupert smiled

- “Yes, I tried remembering the general location from the last time I was here… and, it’s the only stone altar around here! Even damages are exactly the same! Crack at the foundation, damaged edge…”

- “Great. Now, I have to ask you to do a less pleasant thing. Can you repeat the summoning rite?”

- “WHAT?!...” the girl’s eyes opened wide, almost popping out “… No! Please, no! It was scary, so scary! I do…”

Rupert moved to the shaking girl and hugged her tightly, he buried her head in his chest and put one of his palms on her head, patting her trying to calm her down.

- “I know, child, I understand that you are scared. But, the creature is the source of the curse. If we would manage to exorcise it, the curse would perish alongside with it. And… Johann could get better.”

I heard a lie in his tone. He did not believe what he was saying.

Rupert was an old man that spent his life fighting with monsters that came from human’s nightmares. He got old in a profession where people die young. He saw many things, experienced no less. And he saw what this spirit did to the forest and heard what it did to Johann. In his eyes, he already measured the power of the monster, and the outcome of the measurement was not pleasant. Not for us.

When he noticed that the spirit managed to force the forest into hiding the altar when he saw that it magically summoned a fog… he actually started shaking. A little, he was trying to walk outside of our vision range, so we wouldn’t notice.

I didn’t have to see him, I heard his heartbeat, which right now could be used instead of drums in a national orchestra. The man was afraid, terrified even.

Yet he still managed to comfort the crying girl in front of him. If that is not a true heroic courage, I have no idea what is.

- “I-I will do it.” Marie calmed after a moment. Actually, saying is a wrong term, she just started shaking a little less which allowed her to move on her own.

- “Atta girl, atta girl…” he said once again before shifting his gaze and looking at his companion

- “Sam, pass the salt! We are going to bind the creature!”

- “You want me to draw a lesser seal of Solomon, sir?” man wanted to make sure if his actions were correct.

- “No! For light sake! I want you to rub it in your chest while yelling OF COURSE, I AM TALKING ABOUT LESSER SEAL, YOU NITWIT!”

Samuel started taking out the herbs and spices and started creating a symbol all around the altar. A very complex one. The pentagram within a circle, and around each of the pentagram’s edges a lesser circle filled with symbols, glyphs, sigils.

I was watching it an awe. A non-magician using magic. Yes, the magic was all about the symbolism, even when the magician cast a spell they were creating a conduit either by words or thoughts. Here, they used symbols. Each time a line connected, each time a circle was closed, the sun falling on the grains of salt, on leafs and fruits of wolfsbane, on petals of jasmine, they would start vibrating with magic. A weak one, yet getting stronger with time. After half on an hour, the seal was complete.

- “Marie, child, if you may…” Rupert with gentle push force the girl to move closer to the altar.

She got closer, trembling a little, and when her hands landed on the stone pedestal, she turned her head back

- “I-I am afraid I don’t have enough magical powers to perform this rite again…”

She smiled shyly. It was more than obvious that she was having a second thought about facing a spirit. But why? I was sure that she loved her boyfriend. She was traveling for a month, sleeping on rocks, eating garbage… and here she wants to run away. Why?

- “Marie. Forest is filled with mana to the brim. Stop looking for excuses. We are here for you, literally, for you clinched to my leg begging for help. Either you do what you have to, or you will get back to the village pretending nothing happened. I am sure that hunters would manage to hunt Johann down and ensure safety to the village.”

I said with my arms crossed on my chest. We had no time to waste. Either one way or another. Someone needed to show Marie that she ran out of options a long time ago. That she needs to make a decision. Now.

She clenched her teeth and fists, almost start crying again, yet in the end she faced the altar, raised her hands above her head in worshiping matter as she started singing.

- “I summon you, the son of the trees,

Answer the call of a daughter of roots,

The one is willing to bear your fruits,

And embrace life like a purest breeze.

I am the one, that calls for your aid,

Show me your face, that I could adore,

Let my soul rest in your shade,

And serve thy command as I was meant for...”

Her song continued, echoing across the clearing. As she sang, the fog was slowly disappearing. Or, instead, I should have said it was concentrating at one point – in front of the altar, in the middle of a huge seal made by hunters.

The seal was over five meters wide, yet when the fog perished, the creature that was standing inside of it was filling it almost completely.

The beast’s body was made of purest, darkest smoke, it’s edges seemed to be blurred, shaking, just as if made of condensed gas. The only things that seem to be clear, visible from the shaking mass were its eyes, mouth, and claws. That creature was a devil. A real devil. Lesser one, he wouldn’t even be allowed to lick Sebastian’s boots in the hell realm, I am sure, but it was still a devil.

The colossal barghest was gazing upon us with maw twisted in a blood-freezing grin. It’s crimson red eyes, that most likely shined brightly in the night were locked on Marie. I think that I could guess now why the girl wanted to avoid meeting with this creature again. Only one question remained in my head – why the hell would you want to make a deal with such a being?! His whole body was literally screaming !

- “Why did you call me, servant?...” the monster asked, and it’s tone sounded like a voice of dozen suffering souls “… I am sure that I have met my end of a bargain? Or, perhaps, you were so pleased with my performance, that you came to beg for another one? In that case, I have to sadden you, I can’t create a new pact, for the previous one is yet to be fully fulfilled.”

He was elongating the words as he spoke in a ghastly way that made every hair on your body raise in terror. Its presence was suffocating, it’s corrupting influence visible, as miasma started forcing the ground under its feet to rot.

- “I-I came… to ask you… To make you… release Johann from your curse!”

Marie wanted to make her voice firm, commanding, yet it ended as a frightened plea.

- “Curse you say?...” beast raised from its slumber-like state and started walking around its tight cage. “… none curse can I lift, for none curse have I cassssteeeed.” The last word was spoken in an extremely awkward manner, as its mouth were once again twisted in a savage grin

Spirits can’t lie. Not angels, nor devils, nor guardian deities. Yet, they could bend the truth.

- “Curse and blessings are the same forms of the spell, a permanent enchantment that affects one body. What you integrate as a curse, he sees as a blessing, thus he can lie without lying.”

I said from the corner. It was at this moment that the creature seemed to notice our presence. Not because it senses were dulled, but only because he just wanted to lock his whole attention on Marie. Yet now, he moved his head toward me and let out a furious roar.

- “Be cursed, child of dirt! How dare you accusing ME of lying!”

- “That’s not what I said, I just pointed out you are allowing to let people believe in what they think is true…” I moved closer to the altar “… now, be a good doggy, remove your magical influence from Johann’s body, mind, and soul and then leave this realm. This is what we want… And this is what Marie wants, is that, true Marie?”

I turned my head toward the witch. She was the one who made a deal with this spirit. If she wouldn’t say these words, the beast could just ignore me.

- “MARIE!? I asked, if that’s what you want?” I raised my voice, for girl apparently forgot how to speak

- “Y-y-yes! That’s what I want!”

And monsters smiled once again.

- “I refuse.”

Of course. Hearing us out was only one thing, making him do as we please, another one.

- “What if we would make you?” I titled my head

- “I would love seeing you try… before I would open your chest and devour your heart!”

… he was not supposed to lie. As a spirit, he can’t harm anyone in a physical way – not directly. He could throw a tree at me, he could summon wild animals he corrupted and order them to kill me, but there is no way he could personally feast upon me.

Unless…

- “That’s why you want Johann…” I said

Monster squinted its eyes, visibly displeased it spoke too much.

- “W-what? What do you mean?” Marie raised her head

- “The words of your pact… until evil bears its fruit I could claim the place I could call home….”

- “SHUT UP!” monster roared rising its paw as if it tried to scratch me, yet its movement was stopped by invisible barriers made of salt and Wolfsbane

- “He wants I thought he meant forest, but that was only a method to let him reach his true goal… He started changing, corrupting Johann’s body and mind to…”

- “SILENCE, YOU SON OF A WH…” the words froze in its mouth, as he was not able to lie. Not in this realm, not in this form

- “… make himself a vessel. A corrupted mind is easier to possess, a cursed body is stronger. He just wanted to have a body that would not resist and would be strong enough to wreak havoc upon this world…”

The forest was only a hunting ground, place where Johann could faster adapt to his new powers and body, that would help him to faster let go his sanity, mind and open his soul for the influence of the beast.

That’s it. That’s the way to stop him.

- “We need to find Johann.” I turned around and started leaving the clearing

- “W-what about the spirit?!” Rupert was clearly confused

- “It is not important! He is harmless! All we have to do is to catch Johann, bind him, and take him as far from the forest as possible! We have to LET HIM undergo changes! When the curse would be complete, the spirit would HAVE TO possess him, otherwise, he wouldn’t meet his end of the bargain, making it invalid. The spirit would eventually perish from this realm as mana from the forest would perish.”

Rupert once again cursed looking at the bonded spirit, the fact that they leave this creature be just like that was driving him mad, yet he was not stupid enough to risk lives of his men for something that would be solved by itself within a week, maybe two. Locking forest down till the time when spirit would be forced to leave this realm was safer and cleaner than tearing a rift between dimensions to banish it forcefully.

He turned around and started leaving with me. Spirit couldn’t do anything, it was still within the seal.

- “Ha, so prideful, do you really think that I did not prepare myself for such childish play?..” he scratched the ground next to the end of a barrier. “… there is no way I will let you destroy my plans, not now, when I am closer than ever!”

He raised his head and cried

- “LISTEN TO ME, FORGOTTEN AND OLD,

Listen to my call, of keepers of bogs!

Disgraced and left, to decay and rot,

Raise once again, to do as I have told!

Bring out your rage, from the other side,

To pay back for crimes, for which you have died!”

Magic? Devil using actual chant-magic?!

The ground started vibrating, then shaking. Every single tree-trunk we hurt during our search for an altar started growing, twisting and… getting up. What we thought were just fake-altars that were supposed to slow us down, were actually treants buried in the dirt. Now, they were waking up, rising from below. Each of them looked weird, corrupted. The hollows in their bark that resembled faces were glowing with sick dark-green light. These were not treants that belong to Aira. They were possessed with minor corrupted spirits.

One, two, three of them. Six, seven, eight. Fifteen, sixteen, seventeen… more and more. The situation was turning ugly, and only Wolf-spirit inside of the seal smiled widely.