Tales of magic: grimoire of transmogrification

  Chapter 38

  _____________

  Arc 2 – “The hunter and the beast”

  Chapter 22- “Sacrifice and slaughter”

  _____________

  “Go on.”

  Mrs. Reinhardt nodded.

  “My grandmother... She was one of the people who were said to have disappeared on the 28th. The truth is: she isn’t missing. She... was eaten.”

  The woman paused for a moment, allowing it to sink in.

  “...And before you call me crazy, I would like to mention that I have definitive proof.”

  “Then, why didn’t you say it earlier?”

  “I just told you. I didn’t believe it myself. But with that fire and that explosion earlier, I’m starting to think it might be possible. I... I knew she was going to die, but I didn’t do anything. Because I didn’t believe it. I dismissed it as if it was nothing...”

  Her voice was a bit strained towards the end. Shaun gestured for her to continue. ‘It’s not the time for sympathy or sensitivity. I don’t really care if you’re going through anything right now, deputy. All that matters is that information. Tell me. Is it really true? Was there really a monster?’

  “The day before she....passed on, I saw her. I went to her kiosk to talk to her. We were just chatting, when a strange man walked into her shop and asked to speak in private. I excused them, but kept watch in secret. I didn’t hear everything- neither did I remember everything, but I did hear the man telling her to go to the hill with an umbrella.”

  “Was it raining?”

  “No. It wasn’t. It struck me, when I heard him tell her to go at midnight. She was listening – so kind- but she wasn’t really serious with him. My grandma treated it as a bad joke- and I was tempted to do the same. But the moment he mentioned a single phrase, she was immediately alert. I hadn’t seen anybody that.. serious about something in my life. She was so intense...”

  “Stop beating around the bush. What did he say?”

  “The man said: ‘The Crown.’ It was like a magic word- she instantly agreed with him and nodded to whatever he said. I couldn’t believe it.” ~ Conversation between Sherriff Shawn Howard and Deputy Sheriff Mabel Reinhardt. Two minutes before the roar, and one minute before a crowd of monsters crashed into them.

  _______________

  1st May, 1886.

  The shapeshifter’s domain,

  Woods belonging to the lord of beasts,

  Pridon.

  _______________

  The crimson skies and black moon left foreign to Margaret. However, she truly believed that they were beautiful, in a way. The giant majestic wolf, sitting gloriously, not too far away...

  However, fate remained cruel. More beasts suddenly blocked her path, obstructing her view of her father. They stalked around her for a moment, before they struck. All sorts of monstrosities desperately lunged towards her for a taste of her flesh.

  ‘I’ve already broken the limit once. Doing this would make it the second time.’

  “Maiores Temporis domini, humilis servus te rogat.”

  The beasts dashed towards her. Margaret- whilst chanting- ran straight ahead towards the nearest beast. She jumped to the side, dodging three claws aimed for her head, and preventing a collision with the moving monster.

  “Da mihi potestatem temporis leges delendi.”

  Margaret didn’t stop moving for a moment, breaking into a run the moment she landed on her feet. She managed to keep the chant going as yet another monster tried to attack her; from the back this time.

  She only managed to notice it at the last moment. An especially long needle like appendage extended from somewhere close to the beast's mouth. The thing attempted to stab it into her, but after a quick glance at her back, she managed to dodge it by a hair’s breath.

  If you come across this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it.

  “... et flectere ipsum existentiam universi ad voluntatem meam. Omnes adhuc erunt – Causa leges frangere! Tempus legis delendi.”

  The moment she finished that statement, the world around her was affected by her magic. The beasts stopped moving abruptly. All that was within the area of her abilities’ effect had turned monochrome. Greyscale. Everything in that range suddenly stopped all movement...Everything except her.

  ‘Not 3 minutes. 15. That should be more than enough. Casting it at this scale shouldn’t incur a backlash of that magnitude again.’

  So she continued to run, avoiding all of the inanimate figures of beasts all around her, making each and every second count. She didn’t waste a movement, each big movement, being made to get around one beast after the other. However, it felt as though her chances were dwindling. The horizon seemed to withdraw itself further and further into the distance, and the stretch of hideous monsters seemed to go on forever.

  ‘Was it an illusion? I know I saw him, there was no mistaking it.’

  Not slowing down, Margaret continued to weave her way around the crowd.

  Until she ran out of time, when she was still somewhere in the crowd of beasts.

  ________________

  The night was slowly giving way to morning. The sun was still asleep, but in due time, it would rise.

  However, the sun wasn’t really his concern at that point. No, Iadis- the powerful tiefling sorcerer-was scared for his life.

  “What... What did you just do?”

  “What is it, lesser demon? You haven’t witnessed a genocide before? Then again, it isn’t murder if both parties aren’t of the same species. This is...a slaughter. Yes, slaughter is okay enough. A mass slaughter of worthless humans.”

  For some reason, Iadis felt a chill run down his spine. This entity didn’t just have abundant power- he was also willing to use it in the most brutal ways.

  In a way, Lycan wasn’t too different from his master. Though, it could be said that his master would never do such a worthless action.

  ‘If they really were alike, there must be some reasoning behind this.’

  “I don’t really see a point begin all this bloodshed? You could have simply refused my offer..”

  “Your master’s offer. And since when did I ever have no need a reason to want to kill? It’s the same as wanting to eat or sleep. Do you ever question a person about why they made the decision to eat?”

  “Following that metaphor... you’re not hungry. And you haven’t killed this many in a long time. Why now?”

  “An abomination has wondered into my woods. A real abomination. An entity rejected by Light and Darkness . One who is despised by Order and hated by Chaos. Jordan Elyas Middlesworth is his cursed name.”

  “Jordan...”

  “His Title happens to be Quill. How ironic. Fate can be quite cheeky.”

  “I believe you mean karma, sir Lycan.”

  “No, I mean fate. Nonetheless, there is difference here. Ever since he walked in, I felt it in my bones. I knew what I needed to do. It was... Instinctual.”

  Iadis tried to make sense of it, his mind wandering away several times.

  “...chaos?”

  “Correct. The lord of chaos has added a new instructions to my genetic material. For the advancement of my abilities, I must first kill Jordan. Of course, I realised that killing him might not sit well with Hunter- who doesn’t want me to kill at all. So I decided to screw him, and make it an all out attack.”

  “Each human body would grant you some measure of power... With that many, you’ll be almost... untouchable.” Iadis realised, his eyes wide.

  The gigantic wolf smiled again. It would certainly have been an horrifying sight for human eyes- however, Iadis had seen worse.

  “Doing this doesn’t bring any goodwill to the lord of vampires.”

  “Do I care?” His voice was like thunder. Worse than before. His face contorted in rage, and he bared his fangs. Iadis took a step backwards.

  “Now do me a favor, demonoid, move closer.”

  He obeyed without questions, sweat dripping from his forehead.

  “Yes. Stand right there.”

  It only took a moment. One second, his arm was still joined with his torso. The next, his hand had already been violently torn out of his shoulder. Blood oosed from the open wound.

  He never thought he would ever have that expression on his face. He never believed that he still had it. He still had the ability to cry.

  “Ahhhh!” Iadis wailed. Lycan held his severed arm with his teeth, then he swallowed it.

  “It tastes disgusting. Nonetheless, it would do. Go to your master. This is a far better way to send him the message.”

  “War....”Iadis stammered.

  “War? You really think your washed-up vampire lord can fight a war, against the likes of me? Harbinger of the vampires, go back to your master and tell him everything.”

  Iadis was conflicted. There were so many emotions swirling up inside of him, but the one of them that had chosen to surface from the depths of his mind, was anger.

  “You... Monster!” He took off, his wings sending his body to the skies.

  “Says the demon-born.”

  ________________

  Margaret couldn’t believe her eyes. She actually smiled, holding on to the time piece.

  “I don’t need a limit break to get rid of you. 30 seconds is more than enough time.” She clicked a button by the side of the time piece, and a few monsters paused. Rather than just weaving her way around them, She decided to do something wreckless. She charged in.

  Margaret climbed unto the head of a still beast, and then in the same motion, she jumped right into the thick of the moving ones. Wolves. Bats. Rats. These were the most prevalent species there.

  Before she landed, she clicked another button on her small time piece, holding it in her hand. Something sharp protruded from the inside. It was a blade. A small, sharp blade.

  She landed and then closed her eyes. Her blade found it’s way to the necks and chests of several monsters. Her feet carried her around, her body twisting and turning to avoid attacks.

  She killed several of them, but of course more took their place. However she didn’t give up.

  Attack, dodge, counter attack. Nothing else mattered. Margaret herself ironically lost sense of time for a few minutes, as she completed focused on her task. Attack, dodge, counter attack.

  However, it wasn’t long until there was nothing left to fight. Margaret panted heavily. Her clothes were soaked with blood- of different colours. And several cuts and bruises had crept past her defences.

  ‘But I did it...’

  She took a glance ahead. He wasn’t far away now.

  Suddenly, though, huge shadows covered her. Wolves. Huge ones. Far bigger than anyone she had fought. She almost cried, and laughed at the same time.

  ‘Thanks a lot, fate. Just when I was this close to him.’

  “Who are you?” One of them asked. It’s voice was deep amd guttural.

  ‘It can talk?’

  “Let’s just kill her and get this done with.” The other one remarked.

  “A lower life form like her isn’t worth much anyways.”

  ____________________