“...Hells...This is no coincidence; this was done in by the same beast that slaughtered the orcs!” The squire kicked over one of the corpses that littered the ground. The closest knights were doing the investigation of the smoldering elf village. The smoke could have been seen for miles. Unfortunately for the elves, they came as a second priority.

“How can you make this connection?” The female knight approached the squire; her face was still stern, her will unbroken by the mass casualties littering around the smoldering elf camp.

The squire stood, his height and her’s did not compete. He stepped to the side, revealing the body he turned. A chunk of flesh was ripped from the charred body. The hole was deep enough to show the inside of the elf’s back.

“This elf is just like the orcs.” He pushed the corpse slightly with his foot, shifting the body enough to get a better look at what remained of the organs. “The heart was crushed.”

“Wait.” The female casually dropped to her knees; She entered the gaping hole in the carcass. She looked mildly disgusted. “The magic organ has been removed.” she removed her hand and flicked it, splashes of blood flung to the ground.

“Lady Amalia?”

She stood wiping her gauntlet on her tabard. She outstretched her hand as if on cue electrical arcs danced around her fingertips and palm. “Tell me, young Mateo. Do you believe magic is limitless?”

“Of course I do, Milady! Those blessed with the god’s power are truly limitless!” He put a fist to his chest plate.

“Half true, Mateo. Everyone is blessed with magic. But, nothing is limitless.” She clutched her hand into a tight fist, ceasing the sparks. “There is an organ, the size of that organ determines how much you can use.”

“Milady, That sounds heretical. That would mean that the existence of this organ makes the church’s teachings false.”

“Believe me, young Mateo. There are things out there that will question your faith.” She sighed. “Believe what you will. Even if its delusions.”

Mateo stood in the same spot watching his master walk off. It had been the first time he’s heard her say such blasphemous things. He wasn’t exactly sure how to feel about this. His teacher, she openly denied that magic was a work of the gods.

“Mateo!” He heard her call for him, one of his duties was to protect her, even if she was more than capable of handling a small army she was still his teacher. He shook the thoughts from his head and ran to her voice.

Amalia had her blade pointed towards the head of a lone elf; His eyes were filled with tears. His face was twisted with anger. He embraced the corpse of another naked elf. There had been a hole similar to the other ‘victims.’

Noticing Mateo’s approach she gave him a command. “Ask him if he was the one responsible, so that I may cut him where he sits.”

She wasted no time in her order, as expected of his master. Being a squire, he traveled all over the country with his ladyship. He’s had more than enough to time during to learn various languages of the races.

He looked at the ‘battlefield’ a goblin presence was apparent. At least that’s what he gathered from the multiple corpses.

“Mateo,” Amalia said once more. Her now noticeably voice colder and more severe than it was a few minutes ago.

He snapped back to the task at hand. In elvish he asked something along the lines of ‘what happened, did you do this?’

He replied in elvish. The longer he spoke, the more he became an emotional wreck. Considering everyone he ever cared about was murdered or burned alive, his mental state was understandable.

“Mateo, explain.”

“He keeps saying that ‘she did it and that he was going to kill her.’”

Amalia pressed the blade closer to his face. “Who is this ‘she’?”

Mateo returned to ask the elf the questions. Blood was drawn from the sharp cut from the blade. The elf sounded neither startled nor sad. But what he said wasn’t a sentence, more of just a word.

“He keeps repeating ...Rina.”

The sword was repelled from his face, Amalia slid the blade back into its sheath. “Come, Mateo. We have to inform the other knights. If this creature is strong enough to wipe out an elven village and an orc raiding party, we’ll need back up.”

The two began to leave. Mateo threw a glance back; he witnessed the elf hugging the corpse tighter to his chest.

~

Rina stared at two paths that were divided by a healthy looking tree. Neither way looked like they saw much traffic leaving her with less substantial evidence of there being food in either direction. Her magical sense was also picking up cold trails. She pushed the hair that had fallen in front of her eye. She now had to rely on her original vision. She stood there motionless, unguided. If she took the wrong path, it could lead her to her demise of being lost in the forest and starving.

Her eyes darted back and forth between her choices, even a small animal heading down a path would be enough for her to make a decision. She would at least be able to save the organ she harvested to keep her satiated. But nothing, no creature approached either path.

She let the hair she was holding fall back down, covering the side of her face once more. She walked the path that she was physically blind from seeing.

The path wasn’t exactly exciting either. Just like when she was hunting most animals that could pick up on her altogether avoided her existence. After all, she was a predator hanging around the top of the food chain. Anything that decided to attack her without a plan would have been cut down in an instant the moment she touched it.

The journey of silence ended when she began to hear cackling and whoops. The sound was coming to her immediate left. Cutting across and few bushes she kneeled in some of the hedges. Goblins, she remembered slaughtering the lot of them. Even for her, these things were a problem mainly because they choose to rush all at once to their intended target. Rina only had two hands and judging by what she could see she’d need at least six more if she wanted to get through it alive.

She started to turn away from the shrubs to go back on the path, but the magic was permeating from the cave entrance. It was strong, but it wasn’t just a single scent, there could have been at least five or six different scents exiting the mouth. Like a shark to blood, this wasn't something she could easily pass up. She decided to stay and watch. Plan her method of attack.