23 A Spirit at Peace (1/2)

Li sat cross-legged in front of the builder's cottage. He sat in front of the main door which Charles complained rattled the most. It was almost midnight. Clouds covered the moon, making the night darker than usual. The only visible light came from behind Li, where a window in the cottage reflected a dim firelight that kept the house harm.

Inside, Charles was probably a nervous wreck as he waited for Li to put an end to a week-long session of misery.

”Looks like it's getting near us,” said Li as he looked at the forest's edge. Under the shadowy veil of night, the trees loomed tall and intimidating like stakes of darkness. Everything had gotten quiet and a deathly chill had filled the air.

Had Li been human, he was sure he would have shivered.

”Indeed,” said Zagan. The demon sat in front of Li, his snout pointed towards the forest and sniffing every so often. ”Master, I do not mean to diminish your capabilities, but I could have handled this issue myself. There is no reason to dirty your personage with such a menial task.”

Li rolled his shoulders to get a stretch in. ”It's suspicious if I'm not the one doing it. Plus, I don't want people to know you're more than what your disguise entails.”

A cold wind danced by the two, carrying errant leaves.

Zagan stood on all fours, his ears pointed and alert. ”It is here.”

”Yeah, I can feel it too.” Li cracked his knuckles and got on his feet as well. His hands opened as he readied to channel his eldritch Druidry.

At the forest's edge, the wraith manifested. Wispy tendrils of fog gathered into translucent mass that became more and more visible as it approached. It stood at the main road, in front of the house, and looked at Li and Zagan.

It was a houndwraith, significantly larger than a man and composed entirely of misty white fog that became solid at chaotic intervals. Its eyes were a glowing black that stood out even in the night. The head was entirely skeletal, showing off a full row of bony white teeth sharpened to deadly points. Its jaws were easily capable of tearing human heads from their bodies.

Li knew the houndwraith as a level 30 monster that was the spectral counterpart of hellhounds. Where hellhounds specialized in brute force and fiery, elemental damage, houndwraiths inflicted mostly magical damage in the form of potent curses. They were the complete counter to physical damage dealers, not only taking reduced damage from physical blows but also respawning infinitely unless they were killed with a high enough rank spell.

Among Jeanne, Sylvie, and Azhar, there were no primary magic users, explaining why they couldn't permanently deal with the creature.

”I shall smite this lowly spirit from the astral and physical plains. There will be no trace of its miserable existence in any corner of every world,” said Zagan as he bared his own teeth in a snarl.

”Wait,” said Li. Something struck him.

The houndwraith was afraid, its skeletal body flattening against the ground as it trembled. But that wasn't the interesting part. It was obvious for the houndwraith to find fear in the face of two existences that overshadowed every single part of it.

What Li found interesting was that it still wanted to fight. It was a relatively intelligent creature that knew that to fight was to court oblivion, and still, through the trembling, the wraith still bared its teeth and managed out a growl.

”To not show complete and utter submission before you, knowing that you are an OId One. This spirit begs for death,” said Zagan.

Li stepped past Zagan and neared the houndwraith. He knew from Zagan that spiritual beings understood his power even in his human form. He knew how overwhelmingly crushing his presence was to spiritual beings. He knew that each step he took closer, the houndwraith would feel mountains of dread collapsing upon its being, crushing at its every inch of existence. Yet even when Li was close enough that the creature could no longer grow but instead only mewl out a whimper, it still tried to bare its teeth.

There was drive within this spirit that transcended any fears of death or undeath. Not even if the world itself were ending would this wraith budge from its spot.

Its will to live was immensely strong, and Li shook his head. Why was he about to destroy the houndwraith at the behest of a mere mortal? It wasn't as if the houndwraith was an existence worth any less than Charles. Life or undeath – it all mattered the same.

Li pointed to the forest and tried an alternative. ”Go, and do not return.”

The houndwraith did not move.

”I cannot tolerate this disrespect any longer. From a mortal that is clueless about my master's greatness, perhaps I could understand, but you?” Zagan also came forwards, and as he did so, his shaggy fur started to shimmer, flowing with the wind as jet-black flames. ”You are a spirit that understands his rank. You know better than to disobey. Now bare your neck and die.”

Li stretched out his arm, stopping Zagan from eviscerating the houndwraith. ”Wait, Zagan. Communicate with it. Let it explain.”

Zagan stared at the houndwraith. It was a little comical, seeing a massive monster such as the houndwraith cower to Zagan who was simply at the size of a regular large dog, but the houndwraith complied, bowing its head as it communed with Zagan.

”It wishes to see the children within the house, but it cannot homes built with runic protections” said Zagan. His fur solidified again, turning from flames back to hair. His snarl mellowed out, and once more he regained a dignified stare befitting a general among demons. ”It means no harm and no disrespect.”

Zagan nodded to the houndwraith. ”I commend your loyalty. It is firm and undying, as fierce in death as it was in life. However, ensure you do not insult my master further.”

Li had an idea of what was going on. He hadn't gotten the full story from the builder.

”I'm going to have a little talk.”

_________________

Li stood by the round table while Charles sat, his eyes glued to the table as he shivered. The presence of the houndwraith was still active, casting a chilling aura all around the cottage. The fireplace's light was dim, the logs black and shrunken.

The dim light they cast an ominous shadow over half of Li's face, and Charles could not look up to meet Li's eyes.

”Tell me,” said Li. ”Do your children feel this chill too?”

”No sir.”

Li knew the lore behind wraiths, and that knowledge did not bode well for Charles.

”As I recall from wraiths, they haunt people or places they had strong bonds with in life. Their passive, [Haunted Presence], only affects those with guilty consciences that wronged them in life.” Li rapped his knuckles on the table. ”What did you do, Charles?”

”Nothing wrong, sir, just my duty, sir,” stammered Charles as he bit his lip.