90 Chapter 18 - A Twisted Heart Cares No (1/2)
Within was a cave that stretched downward, guarded by Bewitched warriors that got in Kenji's forces way. They fought with bitter slowness, eventually making their way passed mounds of bodies and to an iron door.
Breaking it down, Kenji entered to find a blazing green pentagram, a shifting spring green orb with golden cracks along with it, and a Witch with a beaklike nose and knobbly fingers.
”You chose poorly, in coming down here,” she cackled, whipping horrid green energy through the air. The Iron door rose off the ground and refit itself to the wall, while with another flick bright green symbols flitted across the floors.
”Try me, and see what happens,” she whispered, raising a thick green shield in the air before returning to her ceremony. The Bearfolk attacked immediately, Kenji's cry not halting them as they charged onto the symbols and were struck with a barrage of green light.
When the ligth faded, the Bearfolk's own eyes now glowed green, as they turned slowly to stare at Kenji and those Bearfolk arriving behind him.
”They've been bewitched,” Kragg grumbled. ”Blast it!”
No one else got a word in as the bewitched Bearfolk charged, their Thorn Spears now turned on their allies to devastating effect. Kenji knew to fight them was pointless, and so with a blast of air flittered above the battlefield and headed straight for the Witch herself.
Wind blades and steel knives crashed into the thick shield, leaving only small cracks.
”Give up dearie, just let this happen,” the Witch laughed again, the pentagram widening as a whirling dark appeared from within. ”Let me do this, it's for this world's own good.”
”I'm of the 18,” Kenji hissed, hoping this was one as well. ”Daario sent me, he says to stand down.”
”We're long past pretending, dear,” the Witch replied as another series of windblades crashed into her shield, and a dribble of sweat running down her beaklike nose as her fingers began to tremble, ”if that were so you would have come with the rest. You would have spoken up earlier. You would have stated your name, and waited.”
That was a lot of excuses for something that shouldn't matter.
”Daario will have your head on a spike,” Kenji hissed, the Witch twitched. Turning her hagged head she stared at him.
”So bold. What will your lies earn you, I wonder?”
The darkness began to envelop her pentagram, cracks appearing in reality, something else looking back through at him.
”The werewolves are gone if that's what you wanted, and killing me would earn you nothing. Not now that I have succeeded,” with a snap of her fingers the entire room burst with green, as a great rush of life energy funnelled through the caves to slam into her pentagram.
When the light faded, the Witch's shield broke. She didn't struggle as Kenji slit her throat, merely continued to build up a little ball in her hands. Kenji realised what she had done too late, and threw himself back as the Witch exploded into a ball of green flames.
She hadn't looked at all frightened, merely content.
The cracks began to spread, and through the dark kenji made out a burning aura that made him naseus. Whatever it was, it was endless in strength and primordial in nature.
[Level up] announced in Kenji's head, twin banners displaying in his mind.