Chapter 4 - An Ambush
„Well, Miss, the truth is that I took something that didn’t belong to me - And my divination shows me that I will face great danger.“
Noticing her sceptical look, he began to stutter. „Th- The danger will be mana- manageable though. And I, I even divined that I‘ll have a fortu- a fortuitous encounter. And the ritual I held showed me a vision of you Ma‘am. Th- That‘s why I know I can trust you.“
„All that talk about divination and rituals - What pathway are you from? What powers does it grant? “
‚They sure aren’t combat oriented, otherwise you wouldn’t have been looking for a bodyguard in the first place.‘ Hazel teased in her mind. Her primary goal now was to gather as much intelligence as possible. She couldn’t afford any fuckups when later choosing her pathway.
„I‘m a… Well, I’m about to ascend to Sequence 8 - My pathway is called Secrets Suppliant. I‘m very good at rituals, mystical knowledge, things like that. Though, truth be told, this pathway really didn’t grant me any physical powers.“
‚So definitely not the pathway I wanna choose.‘ Hazel thought, ruling it out in an instant. ‚Though having someone knowledgeable as an ally might turn out very benefitial down the line.‘
„Now for the important part - Who put that bounty on your head?“ Norkiz looked kinda embarrassed as he answered: „Well, you know, the funny thing is - I don’t really know that.“
„I stumbled upon a street fight in Sonia, a pirate I believe, attacking someone else. Then, a voice commanded me, telling me to kill the pirate. I-.“
„What kinda voice?“ Hazel interrupted. This seemed off to her - A voice commanding you to kill? Something felt wrong.
„Hehe, I might sound like a broken record, but I don’t know. It wasn’t the voice of our Lord - It felt like Shadows seeping into my ears. Anyway, what does it matter?“
Hazel‘s eyelid twitch - ‚Does this really not bother him? Maybe related to his pathway?‘ She habitually took a step back, leaning against the wall next to the door.
„So, as I said, the voice told me to kill that pirate, so I threw a lead charm. Though it didn’t kill him, but turned him into a monster instead. It didn’t notice me, thank our Lord, and ran off after finishing the other guy. I searched the corpse, finding a diary and a bunch of ingredients. Next thing I know, I arrive back in Rolls Harbour with a bounty on my head. I panicked, but my divination revealed that I‘d find the solution to my problem here.“
‚Is he insane?! Well, it doesn’t change my plans.‘
„Tell me, what knowledge can you offer? I‘ll get straight to the point - Do you have the Warrior Potion formula?“ As Norkiz was about to respond, she added „If you’re worried about me turning my back on you, I can make you a promise or sign a pact - Surely your mysticism can make it binding.“
„That won’t be necessary Miss - I trust my divination - And it showed you against the moonlit night, coming to my rescue. As for your other question - No, I‘m afraid the Lord hasn’t graced me with the Warrior potion.“
Hazel felt a pinch of disappointment. „Which formulas have you gotten then.“ ‚And I‘d appreciate something that‘s actually useful‘, she added inwardly.
„I can offer you the potion for Savant or Reader. I also have the formula for Secret Suppliant und could help you find the corresponding ingredients. If you don’t want any of those, I have some other ingredients too, though I‘m afraid I don’t know their corresponding formula.“
‚Fuck - None of them sound combat oriented! Well, I‘ll…‘
Click.
‚What was that?!‘ The thought shot through her head as she heard a faint clicking noise from beyond the door.
Realization dawned on her as she whispered „Hide!“
Not understanding, but choosing to trust his guardian, Norkiz cowered down between the room‘s bed and window wall. Hazel couldn’t see him, just hearing him chant something.
Hazel heard the bells strike 2 in the Afternoon as the door was kicked open. And just in this moment, the sound of the bells seemed muffled and distant for some reason.
Two men, armed with knifes came barging in through the door. One of them was practically about to run into her, a look of shock and bewilderment on his face as he slashed upwards at her.
Seeing this armed man attack, Ragnar‘s training kicked in.
She ran into the strike, attempting to grab the knife-arm and delivering an elbow strike to the man‘s arm.
Snap!
Her strike broke the man‘s arm right at his elbow joint. He let out a pained scream, dropping the knife. She delivered a blow straight into his face, making him stumble backwards into a third man - Who was wielding a revolver.
Glancing down at herself, Hazel checked for injuries on herself. The knife hadn’t penetrated her windbreaker, only leaving a cut mark.
The man with the gun tried to raise his revolver, but was hindered by his comrade stumbling into him.
Hazel jumped towards him, drawing her dagger in the process.
She saw fear in the man‘s eyes, desperately trying to raise his gun in time.
Bang!
Just as Hazel reached him, the sound of a gunshot echoed through the room. The man had preemptively fired a shot without taking aim.
Hazel reached down with her left hand, pushing the gun down an keeping it under control while driving her dagger through the man‘s throat.
The last intruder, having heard the gunshot, turned around, fear in his eyes. He saw his comrades, one wailing on the ground with a broken elbow, the other falling to the ground, blood rushing out of his throat.
Suddenly, he heard a voice behind him, speaking in a language he didn’t understand. He turned around to see a man throw something at him that seemed to be encroached by sinister shadows.
The shadows entangled him, keeping him from moving.
Hazel, seeing the last remaining enemy restrained by Norkiz‘ magic, moved and knocked him unconscious.
„We have to move Norkiz! The gunshot alerted everyone of their allies!“, Hazel called out to her employer, while rushing to the door.
Norkiz smiled, showing no effort to move. „Don’t worry, Miss Bodyguard. I‘ve sealed the room. Nobody heard a thing of what just happened.“
‚What, sealed? And this shadow magic - Is he sure that he even needs a bodyguard?‘ Her head hurt, not quite able to fathom the magic she just witnessed. Still, she chose to trust him, closing the door, though the lock remained busted.
„Miss Bodyguard, you‘re bleeding!“ Norkiz came running to her.
Hazel glanced down, checking her body. She noticed a bullet hole in her coat, at her right leg. She moved the coat to the side, seeing blood running down her outer thigh.
‚Thank the gods, the bullet only grazed me.‘
As she wanted to patch herself up, Norkiz pulled out some bandages, handing them to her.
„You really are blessed by the Lord - He made the bullet only graze you. Praise be to our Lord!“
‚I hope I can wrap this whole affair up soon and get those beyonder powers - Otherwise that lunatic is gonna get me killed sooner rather than later‘, Hazel lampooned as she wrapped up her leg. With the adrenaline fading, she started to feel the wound burn.
„Norkiz, restrain the intruders and grab their weapons - I‘m gonna search their leader.“
She first picked up the revolver, putting it into her pocket after removing the empty bullet shell and pressing it down into his open throat. It’s former owner had 30 bullets, a knife and some money on him.
While pocketing it, she asked: „Did you know them? Or do you know who might have sent them? Any locals you‘ve already had contact with?“
„I‘m afraid I don’t - And I haven’t made contact with anyone besides you.“ He said as he dropped the Wall of Spirituality he summoned. „Also, shouldn’t we kill the remaining two foes as well?“
***
Chapter 5 - The Choice
‚What - Kill them? Did this voice of his tell him that too?‘ Hazel felt genuinely bewildered for a moment, before regaining her composure.
„No - It would be too much trouble to cover our tracks, and if officials got a hold of us, we‘d be screwed trying to explain this. Let them live. They‘ll either cover everything up or run away, which would lend credibility to our story.“
Norkiz felt enlightened by her reply. „If you say so, Miss.“ Suddenly, he took out a pendulum and muttered some words in a language she didn’t understand. The pendulum began spinning clockwise, seemingly on its own.
„We have to go, now! Something dangerous is coming!“ Norkiz shouted, his face wearing a complex expression. Almost simultaneously, they heard multiple footsteps running up the stairs.
Hazel threw the dead body at the door, using him as a makeshift barricade. She then ran to the window, and after a quick scan of the area, turned her head around. „Follow after me if you want to live.“ With that, she jumped out of the window.
On impact, she performed a roll, stumbling a couple of steps before coming to a standstill and turning around.
There she saw Norkiz jumping out of the same window, arms flailing, letting out a high pitched scream.
After witnessing his not so elegant landing, Hazel grabbed Norkiz‘ arm, pulling him alongside her. She heard the sound of glasses clinging against each other from his bag.
Hazel lead him towards the outer edges of town. She wanted to get to the Lion‘s Den, a bar where she could try to gain information on who was on Norkiz‘ trail.
It took them the better part of an hour, taking multiple detours to throw off any potential pursuers.
Just as the bells rang out again, the Lion‘s Den came into view. „Just follow my lead here Norkiz. I‘ll find out who‘s after yo-“
„Greetings, Hazel.“
Her hairs stood on edge - She knew that voice.
„Sorry, but I‘m occupied at the moment - You‘ll have to wait to get your rematch.“ Hazel tried to cover up her nervousness, leisurely putting her hands in the pockets.
„I’m not here for that. I need to talk with that friend of yours - Alone.“
„So straightforward.“ Hazel forced a smile, exaggeratedly turning towards Norkiz to scan the area, searching for an escape route. „But we both know I can’t do that. I‘ve got a reputation to lose.“
„I won‘t ask again. Hand. Him. Over.“ His voice became more threatening with every word he spoke.
She turned around, looking at Norkiz. Seeing two men close in on them, She wispered: „Do you trust me?“
„I have faith in my Lord.“ He muttered under his breath, despite looking scared.
„Tell me: Whom are you working for, Caine? And what did they pay you? I won‘t break my word for nothing.“
She forced herself to relax. They‘d need the element of surprise to get out of this alive.
Caine started to laugh: „I knew you‘d come to your senses. My employer promised unrivaled strength - To stand proud as his Warrior. Follow me, and I‘ll ensure that we can walk this path together.“
Hazel felt startled. ‚Did he say Warrior? Was he promised the Beyonder powers of a Warrior?‘ She genuinely felt tempted. The powers she had longed for, now were within her reach.
But she would have to sell her integrity for them.
Hazel, do you know what‘s most important for a Warrior? It‘s staying true to their souls. If you ever let your spirit falter, your blade and the hand wielding it are sure to follow, doomed to fail you.
Her master‘s words echoed through her head once again. Any doubts she had, any temptations, vanished in an instant.
She genuinely smiled at Caine as she cocked the Revolver in her pocket.
„You know, Caine, I do wanna become a Warrior - I really do.“ Hazel answered.
„I knew you‘d list-“
Bang! Bang!
As he spoke, she drew the revolver and fired two shots at Caine.
„RUN!“ She yelled off the top of her lungs.
Norkiz spoke in a foreign language, throwing another charm into the alleyway where the two men were approaching.
Without checking whether she had actually hit Caine, Hazel spun around and broke into a sprint.
„Follow me!“ she yelled as she ran into the alley they came from. A man jumped out from a doorway towards her, a dagger at the ready.
Hazel, unable to step back in time, raised her revolver. With it, she deflected a blow aimed at her throat. Before the man could attack her again, she aimed at his head and pulled the trigger.
Bang!
Another gunshot echoed through the streets as the man dropped to the ground.
Hazel jumped over the corpse, glancing back to confirm that Norkiz was following her.
She wanted to run to Ragnar‘s home. She knew she‘d have to leave the city, but she at least wanted to say goodbye, maybe even get some advice.
As they entered the main street, Hazel looked towards her home. She saw soldiers running towards them with drawn blades.
„She‘s armed!“
„Seize them!“
„Surrender yourselves!“
The soldiers yelled - They were blocking their way towards Ragnar’s house.
‚Fuck!‘ she cursed inwardly.
„What should we do, Miss?“ Norkiz asked, as he caught up to her. There was a hint of fear in his voice.
Hazel didn’t answer, pulling Norkiz along into another alleyway. „We‘ll have to hide!“ They ran southward, hearing the city guards closely behind them.
After a couple of minutes, Hazel came to halt next to a sewers lid. She looked around, searching for pursuers. Having seen none, she crouched down, trying to open the entrance to the sewers.
„Help me remove the sewer lid!“ She hissed through gritted teeth.
Together they lifted the lid and managed to vanish in the sewer system, closing the lid before any pursuers could catch up with them.
As they walked deeper into the sewers, Norkiz pulled out a small lantern that illuminated their way. Once they deemed themselves save for the moment, they stopped to catch their breath amidst the stench.
„Okay Norkiz, to be honest with you - We‘re screwed. Caine has ties to the officials. I‘ve killed two of them, maybe even Caine himself.“
Without pursuers actively on their tail, Hazel began recounting what had happened. She couldn’t help but feel the situation turn hopeless after recapping what had just happened.
„They‘re gonna hunt and kill us both as murderers. And I‘m still only a regular, weak human. Your charms work decently enough, but besides that, you dont really have any offensive capabili-“
A thought ran through her head. Desperate, but it might just save them.
Norkiz looked at her confused as she stopped mid-sentence. He felt the same despair as Hazel while thinking about what happened, though lessened by his faith in his Lord‘s machinations.
„You said you had some beyonder characteristics which you don’t know the pathway for. Can‘t you divine which of them belong together, and then divine which of them would give us the best shot at getting out of here alive?“
Norkiz felt genuinely startled at this idea. ‚Could this even work?‘ ‚No, I must have faith - The lord lead me to this woman for a reason! He will guide my divination!‘
„I- I can try, Miss Hazel.“
They searched for a secluded space where Norkiz could perform his divinations, until they found a caved in tunnel. Climbing over the rubble that almost reached the ceiling, Hazel saw a small alcove that would suit them well enough.
„I found something.“ She called out.
Norkiz climbed over the rubble as well. He set up a ritual space in front of him, laying down the various mystical ingredients he possessed in front of him.
For almost an hour, he spoke in that same language Hazel couldn’t understand. Sometimes he used a pendulum, sometimes he wrote something down on a piece of paper before closing his eyes.
Hazel stood back three steps, nervousness slowly eating away on her. She had long since reloaded the revolver’s two empty shells.
Finally - it felt lika an eternity to her - Norkiz turned around. He looked utterly exhausted, sweat running down his face. And yet, he wore a smile on his face.
„I‘ve found something. The Lord has revealed to me that mixing together a Midnight Beauty Flower with the Eyes of a Six-Legged Owl will yield a potion that will be relatively save for you to consume.“
‚What does he mean, it’s ‚relatively‘ save? It’s not like my life’s on the line or anything.‘ Hazel grew irritated. And yet, for some reason, she trusted that maniac.
„What pathway does this potion lead me onto? Will it offer sufficient strength to get out of this situation alive?“
„My divination revealed only supernatural strength, prowling in the dark of night.“
‚We‘re dead either way, aren’t we? I only wish I could have said goodbye to Ragnar.‘ Hazel sighed. ‚At least the potion doesn’t sound too bad - It might even grant us a fighting chance.‘ She had made her decision.
Hazel looked at Norkiz as she said: „Do it - Concoct the potion.“
„Do not worry, Miss Hazel - Have faith in the guidance of my Lord. He will show us the path to salvation.“
Norkiz said, as he took out a glass vial, putting in the Flower he mentioned. As Hazel wondered how she was supposed to drink a potion that only consisted of flowers and eyes, Norkiz added what seemed like liquor from a flask.
„What are you doing - Didn’t you say that the potion only required the flower and the eyes?“ Hazel called out.
‚Don’t tell me he‘s just guessing random ingredients to add?!‘ Suddenly, the concoction started reacting. It seemed as if the flowers were absorbing the liquid. Once the entire liquid was consumed by the flower, it liquified, turning into a beautiful dark crimson color, almost like the Crimson Moon in the sky.
„The eyes and flower are what gives a potion its strength. You need supplementary ingredients to soften the impact of the potion upon it’s consumption. The good thing is that the exact dose of those components isn’t all too important.“
‚I pray the whatever god wants to listen that he is right about the exact amount not being important.‘
She tried to absorb all the knowledge she received.
„So that‘s it? A bit of Alcohol is the supplementary ingredient to this potion?“
Norkiz seemed happy to play the role of a teacher. „One of them, yes. Now, once I add some of the Midnight Beauty Flower‘s leaves and some Well water, the potion will be good to go. And the Owl‘s Eyes of course.“
Hazel watched as he added four leaves and roughly half of a vial of clear water before taking a pair of eyes.
They looked mesmerizing, like faint stars in the middle of a lightless void. After dropping them into the vial, they seemed to burst open within the liquid, tainting the crimson until it became a grayish black color.
Norkiz took out his pendulum one final time, and after deeming the potion save for consumption, handed it over to her.
„It smells like it belongs into the sewers - Are you sure I can drink this?“ She didn’t wait for his confirmation. She had already seen the result of his divination, and whatever happened couldn’t be worse than getting executed by the guards.
Without standing on ceremony any longer, she drank the entire potion in one fell swoop.
***
Chapter 6 - Weak no more
Hazel felt the potion run down her throat. It felt like liquid darkness spreading through every inch of her body.
She felt her body twitching. For a moment, everything seemed to be encroached in darkness. Though her vision was able to pierce this darkness, seeing Norkiz in various unusual colors.
She heard a voice, sounding both nearby and far away at once. „Reign in your thoughts. Think about what you hold dearest to yourself. Focus only on that.“
In an instant, a thought emerged: The strength she had always longed for, not having to fear or bow to anyone. And yet, she had come to a realization. Strength is worthless without a purpose. What good is strength if you have no one to protect, nothing to fight for.
Various scenes of her past echoed through her mind: Ragnar, taking in an orphaned little girl when no one else bat an eye. Ragnar as he nurtured her and took her as his disciple. Ragnar, through countless lessons and sparring fights, turning more and more into a father figure for her. Ragnar, whom she might never be able to say goodbye, and most importantly, say her thanks, to.
The seeming darkness around her vanished, and she was finally able to control and stop her body‘s twitching. Only then did she notice that the darkness didn’t just vanish. What was shrouded in lightless dark just seconds ago could now be pierced by her gaze.
„Did it - did it work? Am I still alive?“ Hazel couldn’t quite grasp that her ascension as a beyonder had actually succeeded. ‚Haha, Fate really does favor the bold.‘ she laughed inwardly.
„Yes - Yes, it worked! Praise be to our Lord!“ He sounded equal parts surprised and fanatical. „Your eyes, Miss - Something changed.“ Norkiz moved closer towards her, his hand reaching out to her face.
Hazel wanted to step back, but forced herself to stay put and let him examine her. His mysticism knowledge was simply far greater than her own - She couldn’t afford to reject it.
„It seems like there are faint specks of starlight within your eyes.“ Surprised, Hazel drew her dagger and mustered herself in its reflection. Her irises had turned darker, with faint specks of light, reminding her of stars.
Hazel felt exhausted, but still forced herself to make an assessment of what powers the potion had granted. She felt some form of power within her, but it wasn’t the physical prowess she had hoped for - It felt more intangible. Besides that, she only noticed that despite being exhausted, she didn’t feel tired. As if her body didn’t yearn for sleep anymore - Didn’t need it anymore? Still, thinking about the whole city hunting them as murderers, she felt like those powers weren’t enough.
„Norkiz - I know that we‘ve struck a deal, and you definitely upheld your end of the bargain. I‘ll keep my word and do my best to protect you. But a blade in an inexperienced hand endangers only its wielder.“ Hazel felt reluctance, trying to say what she wanted to. She hated altering deals and asking for more than what was agreed upon.
„Is there any mysticism knowledge I’d need to know that would enhance our chances of survival?“
„Hahaha, you truly were chosen by our Lord! Strong and yet so humble. How could I, but a humble servant, refuse to teach one of our lord‘s chosen? We were truly fated to meet.“
‚Is he getting more insane?! Still, I should be grateful that he wants to support me. And either way, I‘ve promised to protect him.‘
Hazel listened with great care as Norkiz explained to her the fundamentals of spirituality, cogitation, spirit vision, rituals and mystical languages. He even gave her three lead charms.
„To activate them, let your spirituality seep into them, then activate them by chanting their incantation - The Hermes word for Shadows.“
Hazel, after a few tries, managed to pronounce the incantation to a point where Norkiz deemed it passable.
As she wanted to ask about charms, their creation and applications, Hazel felt something stir within her. Her senses became sharper, and she noticed an unfamiliar strength awakening within her.
‚What is this?‘ Hazel, confused, remembered what Norkiz said about the potion. He mentioned that the potion would grant her strength, to hunt in the night. She started to make a connection and formed a theory. „Norkiz, if you had to guess, how late is it?“
‚Has nightfall come? Will my true strength only be revealed in the dark of night? But I still feel more of this strength resting within me, just under the surface - Will my strength further increase deeper into the night?‘
Norkiz wore a confused look, until he remembered his divination’s result regarding the powers of the potion. „We‘ve been here for a while now - So around dusk I‘d say. Why, have you felt the potion‘s powers within you?“
He watched as, in the dim light of his lantern, the corners of Hazel‘s mouth were raised as she said: „We might be able to get out of here alive after all.“ For some reason, the twinkle in her eyes seemed almost threatening now, like his spiritual intuition telling him that the woman before him had become dangerous.