“The downside to the seemingly limitless potential of magic is ironically one born of its own making. Simpler spells like a fire bolt or water spray ( ranked at tier 2-3 in complexity depending on the size and strength) can be easily blocked by the most basic tier 1 or 2 wards (think arcane shields, or elemental barriers). Complex magic (such as lightning storm, tidal wave, or quake) , while devastating, has complex rituals, sigils and utterances that must be accomplished before they can be cast. Though there are more complex wards that can sustain the damage and keep you safe, the most efficient way of killing a high tier caster is simply a sword or arrow through the face as they channel the spell. After all, even if you can’t kill them in time, if they get distracted and channel it incorrectly, the chances of them being the recipients of their own spell increases significantly. “

- Grand Inquisitor Horatio Moreau, Second Era Publication, “Inquisitor’s Manual on Breaking Spells and Killing Mages”

“Hail travellers!” A throaty gruff and sarcastic voice boomed from in front of them, the open and free fields doing nothing to dissipate the sound.

Snarled twisted wolf like creatures on all fours approached with malice filled eyes and hungry protruding canines. Their shaggy and unkempt fur matted by occasional flecks of blood and dirt, recent victims of their vicious jaws. The riders above looked no less menacing with their bulging muscles and standing just as tall if not taller than the minotaur. Sharp reddish yellow eyes glared at the party as the riders brandished their weapons; greataxes and other implements of dismemberment, in a display of force. Some were clad with proper steel armour pieces, whilst others had on just pieces of leather pads or straps over their bodies, their muscles looking as firm as chest pieces they wore. Still, at the front of the pack was an orc taller, bulkier, and more devilish looking than the rest.

His face was much like the others, slightly elongated and twisted into a near permanent snarl as two tusk like teeth protruded from his mouth. A large scar clawed its way across his face. Much like his mount, a hungry look passed through his eyes as he looked at the party.

To her surprise, when Sophie examined the orc’s armour, she found that, although he mostly wore heavily fortified leather like most of his kin, on his left shoulder he sported a metallic pauldron with rims of blue and gold alongside the unmistakable sigil of the lion barely carved onto one of the plates. So they were connected.

“Orcs.” Sergeant Wilde hissed under his helmet and Apprentice Mila nodded as they both tightened their grip on their weapons.

“Stay wary, Apprentice, Ranger, get ready to flee should the need arise.” Taurox grimly stated.

“But I can fight! I trained with Seri-”

“Enough Apprentice, my order is absolute. Or do you question your superior.”

“I-I understand, yes my lord.” Mila reluctantly tendered her apology, though the scowl only deepend.

“Now be at the ready,” Taurox growled before turning around, “Ranger, I trust there are no objections? Good.” He answered for himself as Anna shook her head.

Sophie clutched onto the folds of Anna’s shirts and she felt everyone tense up the closer the orcs got, their wild advance mimicking one where a predator stalks its prey, just out of reach but close enough for a vicious pounce. The muscles of their mounts bulged out with every step, wolf-like creatures twisted by the magics of lands unknown. One of them met Sophie’s gaze and snarled, the spittle dripping from its mouth at the sight of prey. A small shiver shot down her spine but curiosity and fear mixed in equal measure, enough for her to maintain its gaze causing the creature to growl, much to the amusement of its orcish rider.

“That’s a warg Sophie,” Annalise whispered and drew Sophie’s attention, “It’s rude to stare lest you want it to make you prey.”

“Ah..sorry.” She quickly replied.

“There’s a time for questioning monsters later, right now I need you to stay sharp.”

“Yes mam!” Sophie affirmed quietly. Just gotta stay calm.

The two parties stopped naught but a short sprint from each other as the largest orc strode forward and the blademaster did the same, stopping barely a horse away from each other. The two giants regarded each other with gazes of steely determination as they seemed to wage a silent war, their mounts growing tense from the quiet as the warg bared its fangs at the horse. Though it retreated slightly, Taurox maintained a close grip and the two continued staring at each other until the orc finally spoke.

“Long way from the isles, minotaur.” The orc smirked, his red eyes giving him a more malicious glint the longer Sophie watched.

“I could say the same to you, orc.” Taurox replied, his own demeanour much more calm than the rest of the party.

“Heh, got some bark for a foreigner…didn’t you know you blackcoat's are barely tolerated here? This land belongs to the green and the people.” The orc sneered.

“Perhaps, but the green is subservient to the Goddess, as are we all.”

“Oh? You’re here to ‘civilize’ us all then? To bring us back from our errant way? Hah!” The orc barked and the rest of the orcs laughed alongside him.

Taurox didn’t even flinch and merely puffed out a sigh of frustration before he resumed his stance, though Sophie noted how the other orcs began drawing closer.

“Surprisingly no, we were just on our way out of this Goddess forsaken land.” Taurox feigned a sigh.

“Huh? The orc growled, “Leaving?”

“Yes. Leaving.”

The two traded another set of intensive staring before the minotaur relented this time.

“We’re bound for the port of Melisgrad. Ship out down south and out of here.” Taurox revealed.

A risky gamble if the orcs have a master, Sophie nervously fidgeted as she turned to look at the orcs. A brief wave of relief washing over her at how the orcs maintained their distance, for now.

“Hah! What a convenient excuse! Just arriving to leave…”

The large orc’s chesty voice echoed almost as much as the deep baritone of Taurox’s as they spoke, but Sophie felt a needling sensation creep into her mind. Small pricks of irritation that slowly built up to something all the while she felt her chest tighten and constrict itself. An eerily familiar sensation of how the tentacles of the entity squeezed her, she felt her body tremble and her stomach churned from the pressure. Yet the sensation only grew stronger as the seconds flew by. Then her heart, or lack of a heart twisted and scrunched itself together on the verge of collapsing, a sudden spike of pain that tore her from everything around her. Guh! What the hells?!

She looked around in a panic, reasoning that maybe an orc had flung a poisoned arrow or dart at her but found nothing besides the sweat erupting from every pore on her body. Her muscles tensed and she teared up as her whole being threatened to explode when just as suddenly as it had arrived, it vanished.

Something in the distance had happened. At once there was a lightness that draped a calming veil over her, the burdens of the world flickering out of existence as a feeling of pure ecstasy coursed through her veins. Her mind faltered, confused at the drastic shift in emotion and physical sensations when the quiet whispers of a being far beyond the realms of reality tickled the edges of her mind.

Divinity

For once the entity’s words did not send her into a frightened panic, the usual helplessness she felt under its gaze was no longer there. Instead, it was as if it was guiding her, drawing her close to a feeling that she remembered fondly. Divinity…like when I met Eva…like when I met Eva! The sudden realisation caused her to audibly gasp much to the surprise of everyone around her as the tense atmosphere now hung at a knife’s edge from the interruption.

Mouths moved as curious and hostile eyes landed on her, but the compulsion, the sensation that tugged at her was too great and she found herself unwillingly dismounting much to Annalise’s protests and shock.

“Sophie what the hells are you doing?!” She could read the words coming from Annalise’s mouth, but try as she might she could say nothing as she simply trudged forward, toward the edge of the road to another small patch of forest behind the orcs.

She trudged forward to the surprise of even the orcs and paused as she stopped next to Taurox and the large orc, both leaders staring at her like witnessing the passing of some strange creature.

“May I pass?” Sophie asked, in a voice not quite her own.

Taurox looked furious at her, but the orc looked mildly amused, especially when she looked up and she could see him realising that she was not entirely human.

“An elf?” He scoffed, his heavy breath brushing past her as if she wasn’t there at all, “Pray tell what does one of the ‘fair folk’ require of us humble servants of the green?” His voice dripping with sarcasm, and though he spoke towards her, she could tell the words were meant for the inquisitor.

“That is my, our ward.” the minotaur bristled, his voice calm but his eyes glaring at Sophie, “As is the one legged ranger.” He gestured carefully to not provoke the orcs, “Not exactly a conversion or hunting party is it? I doubt cripples and a slightly deranged civilian, elf or not, will be much trouble for warriors of your caliber.”

“Anything else you want to say blackcoat?” The orc grinned with malice.

Everyone noticed the grip the orcish leader placed upon his battle axe, the subtle movement of his hands sending off a wave of tension that had everyone else ready to jump into the fray.

Yet in the distance, the beacon called to her and Sophie felt it again, a tug that dragged her away and she struggled to stay still, to hold her position even as her legs desired to just sprint away. Fear clouded her mind, or at least the concept of fear as it swam to fill every recess of her rational mind. Emotionally, she felt naught but the faint longing for divinity, like an empty husk with just a spark. Shaking herself off, she looked up at the orc and Taurox, she could see the faint traces of her impassive expression in their eyes even as the two traded snarls with each other.

But there it was again, another flash, another flicker. This time she knew it was not just in the forest, it was from further away, much further away. Beyond the river? Perhaps even the city? Are they already there?! Panic coiled around her as her calm facade began cracking, the slivers of emotions now rushing to the surface until she looked around herself in a fright, only to find that as before, time seemed to have fallen still. Droplets of faint moistures as the orc spat more words at the minotaur, Annalise’s frozen expression of concern, Mila’s scowl but doubly so with one eye trained on Sophie, the half movement that Sergeant Wilde made to grip his blade’s sheath for a quick release, the wargs and the orcs ready to lunge.

Long black tendrils invaded the space around her when the entity materialized itself in front of her, its distance so close that as it flicked open its main eye, Sophie could feel the coldness of the outer realms radiating from its form. Her mind went blank as rationality left her, but she noticed something equally strange. The entity itself seemed displeased, its form flickering and stretching into grotesque molds that seemed even more haunting than it had ever been.

No, it’s not real, she blinked and the entity disappeared, only for her to blink again and for it to reappear. It’s all in my head, it’s in my head. She steeled herself and opened her eyes once more, the entity no longer present even as she felt the physically of its presence far more acutely than just moments ago. Focus, Sophie, focus! What’s happening to me?

It desires a response

Low guttural tones reverberated throughout her bones as she felt the vision etch itself onto her mind.

Sing, guide, sing for the forsaken

Her mind quaked at the sudden pressure placed upon it, the entity bursting in to assume direct control much to her horror.

“Would be a shame for something to happen to those pretty eyes of yours, reminds me of the demons of the north.” The orc snarled right in front of her, droplets of spittle landing on her face and dragging her back to reality as time seemed to flow once more.

“Don’t you dare, orc.” Taurox hissed as he lifted his weapon, and now all the combatants seemed ready for a melee.

Orcs and wargs drew closer to the inquisitors, Annalise pulled up her bow even though her desperate glances at the idiotic maid seemed to fail to reach her target. Sophie stood, swaying gently under the gaze of the two giants when the orc leapt off his warg in a swift move and grabbed Sophie by her head, lifting her up with his giant green hands like two hammers against her skull.

“Are you threatening me? You are outnumbered blackcoat, and your ‘charge’ here seems a little damaged in the mind already.”

“Damaged or not, this is my responsibility. A devout of Astralis is blessed regardless of race even if they are an elf.”

“Heh, thought the knife ears never believed much in her anyways. Though I suppose I know why you keep this one around, easy on the eyes, perhaps a good gift for the grand chieftain. Her actual eyes would make a good trophy, so vividly blue, like a jewel almost. I’ll even consider a trade, her for all of you to pass.” The orc taunted as Sophie dangled limply in his grasp, the alarms in her mind racing to regain some control only to fail at retaking control of her body.

“That is preposterous!” Taurox protested.

“Preposterous? Watch your words blackcoat lest you find…” The orc’s words faded once more.

Sing!

A voice roared in her head. Sophie winced and screamed back internally, the tension and suddenly noise startling her senses. Around her she watched in growing horror as Taurox’s right leg seemed to tense, a clear sign that he was about to jump into action. Stop! Please stop!

Divinity escapes! Sing!

Her mind twisted at the barrage of noise, the discordant and horrifying voice now tearing into the very fragments of her sanity. It hurts! My head hurts!

Time grows short! Sing!

This time it was a forceful command, an overpowering noise so powerful that she felt her consciousness temporarily get launched out of her. Graugh! Huh?! What…what’s happening? she stared, perplexed and stunned as she looked down at herself from over her shoulder, her body jolting and twitching on its own accord much to the surprise of the orc.

“She finally struggles? Pathetic.” The orc snarled and drew his axe, a move that prompted Taurox to leap off his mount in front of the green giant. He landed with a heavy thump and suddenly the wargs grew agitated, the pack snarling and howling at the sudden action, their riders looking eager to jump in.

Sophie, or at least she assumed she was still Sophie, watched her body try to contort under the orc’s grasp. She watched in morbid fascination as limbs and appendages wiggled and struggled against the orc to the creature’s amusement. Only in that moment did she realize they were trying to form a shape or drawing of some kind. By Stellesia, what am I doing…

“Sophie!” Annalise cried from behind but she was too focused on herself to heed the ranger’s call.

Repeat my song! Through the light and the dark, there is nothingness!

Her very spirit was dragged around by some malevolent force and she felt the entity emitting waves of rage from somewhere within her. I…it…me…it’s a sigil? A sigil!

Fool! Time! Sing! Now!

Something…burns…it burns…

Through the light and the dark!

So loud, it’s all so loud and dark!

Cease! Repeat!

I…

Through the light and the dark, there is nothingness.

“Through the light and the dark there is nothing.” Her weakened voice cried out much to the surprise of both Taurox and the orc, the latter whom stopped crushing her fragile head and eased his grip slightly in confusion.

“Truly, she is insane?” He questioned.

“Release her!” Taurox growled, brandishing his own axe.

In the nothingness…

“In the nothingness…” She croaked and at once the orc’s eyes widened, he clasped his hands around her neck and squeezed, his red eyes narrowing as he seemingly struck a realisation.

“A spellcaster!” He roared accusingly, “Enough games! Dispatch our quarry!”

“Formations!”

“Break left!

“Fresh prey at last!”

“Graurgh!”

“Ranger! Fire!”

“That meat’s mine!”

“For the war-chief!”

“Sophie! Sophie!”

“For Astralis!”

The confused voices all blended into one but it mattered little to her.

There is only the void.

“There is only the void.” She rasped as her vision dimmed.

For a moment the world grew quiet and still. Then, there was nothing.