Dagger: Chapter Nine

Chapter 9

By the dawning of the first light representing a new day, the fog had been cleared off now, and the sky was the color of red clashed against orange, one could even say it was blood orange, and so it was the gang lined up in front of the ancient ruins where the orcs had made camp.

            Mornings in Tmavy Woods were something of a spectacle really, sure the place was extremely creepy with trees having empty eye dumps and sniggering tree holes that formed eerie smiles, but in the morning, the freshness and rawness of the woods, the virginity of it constructs this earthly natural smell. And the vibrant morning birdies sing songs that one would only hear in the deep forest, where being lost meant being in a new place rather than just being absence than where one thought one would should be.     

With the gang’s weapons sheathed, they came in peace, and behind them were the Pokoks who led them to the orcs’ base. Obadiah and the rest of the gang were tensed as one of the Pokoks, the one with the beard approached the horde of orcs, and leading the horde was none other than Balbahak, the orc they met the day before. Without ballyhoo or any wild ruckus, the Pokok extended its outsized hand to the large white orc, to which the orc responded by shaking it, well the orc just held it very civilly. They couldn’t actually shake hands, because the Pokok would just crushed Balbahak’s entire arm.

A rather loud grunt cracked by Balbahak startled the gang and even breaking the symphonies of the morning birds. The white orc glared the gang who was standing idly and cautiously behind the Pokoks, and made notice he did not approve of the gang’s presence. Air pushed out from his nostrils as he grunted, and he was gripping the handle of his large cleaver showing he would have no fear in his heart fighting against the gang.

Obadiah discerned Balbahak wanted a rumble, and so the big man too was ready to pull out his large silver Dagger doubled edged axe to oblige the orc. But Ariam pulled her senior back prominently, securing him before he does anything brash and stupid. “Please, don’t fight them.”

Balbahak stepped forward alone, moving away from the Pokok and closer to the gang. Angrily, just like the sound of a mad bear-wolf would made Balbahak growled at the Pokoks, “Why did you bring them here? They wish to kill our brother, Jamarpabelle. Bringing them here only brings them closer to their goals!” Lurid snarls and shouts eructed from the crowd of orcs, as they agree the Pokoks had made a mistake bringing the gang to their sanctuary. The gang could do nothing, and so they waited for the tree men to explain to the orcs that they meant no harm. Captain Bernard almost expected the crowd would lashed a full blown attack on them, arrows flying, axes impaling and all the such was already in his mental images, but to flop his great imagination the orcs waited as well for the Pokoks to say something.

“I’m not happy at this,” Balbahak said, very unhappily, with an unhappy expression. Balbahak, in actuality was an upright and direct being. His only mission in life was to secure his horde and his people by any means necessary.

The tree men were silent for a while, and just as Balbahak was going to say more on the situation, the tree with the beard spoke out sluggishly but stridently. “They have come here to speak, not to cause trouble. They request an audience to speak to Batshibah, your Tree Mother!” When the Pokok with the beard said this, he pulled Balbahak away from the gang, as it seemed the leader of the horde was glaring eye to eye at Obadiah for these two rather large men were very nearly ready to go at it. The tension between this two made the rest of the gang very nervous. Balbahak pushed the Pokok’s hand, and then went on staring down Obadiah with an intimidating countenance and with full intent of spilling blood.

“What are you looking at?” hissed Obadiah.

“You, I am looking at you,” challenged Balbahak. “You are the leader of this horde, is this not? Then I challenge you in a duel. Once I pulled out your head from your neck, your horde should leave.” The orc grunted vulgarly, the air gushed out of his nostrils and seeped on Obadiah’s face. “Face me alone, if you have the courage, if you have the stones. Our might will determine if you and your horde are worthy to meet the Tree Mother, human.”

Ariam seized Obadiah’s shoulders and tried her best to pull her senior away from Balbahak, but the rather immense Dagger was too strong and he stood proud and stout in front of the orc, acting all tough. The orcs around the area whispered and rushed in to get a good look if these two giants were going to have a go, some even cheered. “Balbahak! Balbahak! Balbahak!” they went. Ariam wished they wouldn’t, as much as she knew Obadiah was tough and capable, she didn’t want any bad blood come between their group and the orcs of Tmavy Woods.

Obadiah shrugged off Ariam’s grip, and stood forward, closer to the orc now. Obadiah was about three inches shorter than Balbahak, but there he stood fearless. He faced larger things in his life before, and won, what was an orc compared to a werewolf, thought Obadiah. Obadiah grunted back, and rubberneck the orc down.

Then the white orc pushed Obadiah’s shoulders. The Dagger foolishly retaliated and pushed back the orc. The shove Obadiah gave him was the act Balbahak needed to initiate their duel. “Prepare yourself!”

Balbahak belted a roar, and unleashed his cleaver. Even though he had a body the size of a bastion, the orc could surely jump high as his first strike was a slam from above. Fortunately, Obadiah was prepared and as the orc’s body almost slammed the Dagger, Obadiah kicked the orc’s belly and pushed him aside. Balbahak quickly hoisted back up, gripped tight on his cleaver and charged towards his foe with eyes blaring of fury, and his veins popping out from his neck, and the muscles on his limbs pumping extensively.

The orc swung his weapon right across where Obadiah’s neck was, but the Dagger was no amateur in the theatre of combat, and even in his age, Obadiah was able to dodged it right under and swiped through the attack. The missed swung left Balbahak collide to a tree, breaking its branches and leaving him off-guard as he clashed onto it. Obadiah took this opportunity and ran towards the orc with his axe on blitz, but as he got closer, the orc nippily gave the Dagger a heavy kick to the stomach, bringing about Obadiah to fly off and jarred his back against a tree.

Both of them spat out blood before going for another assault. They were equally matched, Balbahak had youth and the strength of ten orcs, which is way too much power an orc should have, and Obadiah had him experienced in the field of combat and the powers of a Dagger. It can go both ways in this duel.

When Ariam tried to step in, Obadiah quickly pushed her away, dropping her to the ground. The Pokoks were to slow, whenever they tried to break off the fight, the two giant men would jump off to another area. And the other orcs didn’t help either, because they cheered and blocked the Pokoks’ way.

Raewyn helped young lovely Ariam up, and the gang could see the very situation they were in. The rest of the gang members had a weighty expression on their face as they held tight on their arsenals because by the looks of it, if Balbahak loses the fight, the horde of orcs would not hesitate striking down the gang by how the orcs were also weapons prepared.

Bernard gave the girls a nod, and the girls shook back, signaling what to do when the duel was going south. The captain reassured Ariam in a soft voice quietly, “Obadiah is a strong guy, he might win this, but this Balbahak seems to be relentlessly. Either way, if any of them is about to lose the fight, we barge in, you got it?”

Ariam nod as an answer, but she was sweating. The young Dagger, seeing her mentor fighting the huge warrior got her affected. She had seen him fight off many monstrous beasts before, but this was different, Balbahak seemed to be more adept. She wanted to barge in then and there, the urge she had back in Baixo, killing all those guards under Lord Ned’s order had arisen back, and she tried her best to manage it. She became twitchy, her eyes were fairly glowing in the colors of mana and it darted right at Balbahak in bursting intent of extermination.

Raewyn detected her companion had troubles in controlling herself, so the elf decided to held Ariam’s arms. Clearly it did not really do anything, Ariam could have just pushed the elf and be off to do whatever she wanted, but it helped somehow. Raewyn’s touch soothed Ariam in ways no other person can. Bernard noticed this, he looked at the both of them and he alleged to himself, “Is that love I’m witnessing?”

And if love was physical, she would smack Bernard’s right cheek and proudly claimed so, “Yes, this is love.”

Bernard was no philosopher or an intellectual, but in the glimpse moment as he stared at Ariam and Raewyn, he just kind of dazed off like he normally would and think of the world, and what it was made off, and he thought of one thing in particular that twinkling instant, each soul must have been made for each other in the different substance respectively, and whatever that may be, Ariam’s and Raewyn’s were made the same.

What followed the next minute challenged Raewyn touch on Ariam. After several forays at each other, bleeding with cuts and bruises, Balbahak was able to swipe off Obadiah’s large silver Dagger axe off his hands. The gang gasped in fear, the senior Dagger was all banged up, coughing blood, tore in sweats and tired. Ariam couldn’t hold it in anymore. She got frustrated, her eyes glowing even brighter now. The young Dagger pushed the elf to release the gripped that’s holding her back, and charged at Balbahak.

Ariam didn’t lunge or jump towards the orc, but instead she flung straight at Balbahak like a human cannonball. She slammed the massive orc with her own bodyweight before Balbahak could finish off Obadiah. The impact shoved Balbahak inches away, he was also tired as Obadiah, Ariam could rescind Balbahak’s existence with a few effortful strikes on her own. And she planned to. All the orcs weren’t just going to let their leader die in the hands of a Dagger, so they took prepare themselves with weapons and was ready to attack and end the rest of the gang.

However, before Ariam could enact a full blast strike to kill the man that hurt her mentor and the orcs go berserk mode on their visitors, a knife made of bear-wolf fang was thrown right at Ariam’s silver Dagger sword, causing her to drop her weapon and stop everyone from ripping each other’s heads off. this was the very knife used by the elf who fought briefly with Ariam in Ferdan, the elf that wanted to kill Batshibah the leader of Ferdan, the elf who live among the orcs and is also known as the Tree Speaker, the elf named Jamarpabelle.

Jamarpabelle was wrapped in bandages around his waist. The bandages must have been to mend the injuries he had gotten from Batshibah’s attack when he assaulted the small settlement of Ferdan. Jamarpabelle was young, his face was fresh and acutely sharp with small eyes, and his irises was the color of leaves. He fisted the air with his right hand, and with a harsh look, he told the gang and the horde not to do battle, “Stop!”

  Many of the orcs were confused. Why would he stop it? The orcs thought the gang, these ‘visitors’ wanted to kill Jamarpabelle, so why the very person who was in danger would want to let his attempted killers. The crowd was quiet, even the Pokoks went silent as Jamarpabelle walked down to where Ariam was standing to get back his knife that was impaled to the ground.

All the orcs halted, Balbahak rose up and endured his injuries and walked towards his brother, Jamarpabelle. By this time, Raewyn and Bernard already pulled Obadiah to safety and let him have a drink of his health potion. Everyone shared restless looks but did not act on their beastly instincts and ravage one another in the elf’s presence. It was only a few seconds, but it seemed to take forever for the elf to get his weapon back.

Once he did put back his knife inside its cover, Balbahak managed to walked to him and push the elf aside, away from Ariam. “What are you doing here, my brother?” Balabahak regarded the elf with a concerned look, and the gang was very surprise at this. They didn’t think the huge white orc could have other emotions other than anger. “Please go back to your bed, and rest, I will settle this for you, for the horde, for the Tree Mother. I will not let anyone hurt us, please brother,” Balbahak worried. He exhaled very nervously, in fear of his brother’s safety. And then he ordered a few orcs to escort Jamarpabelle back to their house, but the elf urged his brother, almost in anger, and said, “Do not worry. The Tree Mother has sent me.”

            Ariam shivered as the elf finished his sentence, matter of fact everyone did. All that had been done that early day was fighting. Fighting and fighting that did not bring anything good.

            Balbahak spun soundless toward his brother, and let the elf have the audience.

            “Brothers and sisters, the Pokoks speak the truth, these visitors do not wish to do harm on me or any of us. The Tree Mother assured this,” he announced concisely. Everyone tensed down, especially Ariam, whose eyes were now back to its animal looking color rather than glowing as it was a minute ago. Her thirst for blood had fade down. “Put your weapons down, I will escort them to Tree Mother,’ Jamarpabelle ordered his brethren.

            “This guy could have come a bit earlier. Before Obadiah and that huge white orc have a go at each other and Ariam went bonkers,” Bernard whispered tersely to Raewyn. “It could have saved us from carrying this big old Dagger sir. He is too heavy and I have no intent in lifting a man this size all day long.”

            “I can carry myself,” Obadiah admonished as he stood up on his own. Even after all that has happened he still acted all tough.

            “What happened, Obadiah?” Ariam backed up away from the elf and orcs and ran up towards Obadiah and asked. “I thought you trusted me, why did you have to fight Balbahak? What was all that for?” She sighed in disappointment, Balbahak wanted it, but Obadiah could have listened to her. “You are my mentor, what does it say if you don’t have trust towards me?” She said this and Obadiah’s eyes cowered and looked away from her. “Whatever,” she finished and Obadiah was embarrassed when he hear that last bit of lecture from his apprentice.

            There is only one thing for Obadiah to say to here, and it was hard for him to unleashed it, but he did, “I’m sorry,” he wisped. Two simple minuscule words when aligned together being said from a grownup to a child, have a colossal impact on a child. Yes, Ariam was seventeen, no matter how harsh the world she lives in with dragons and other monstrous beasts, she was still a child and not yet fully grown. Many grownups, especially the ones that matter don’t get how apologizing to a child is important. Adults need to understand that admitting something wrong to children, doesn’t mean the child will give and show less respect. It is probably the opposite, just saying, “Sorry,” to any child can instill them the value of what it is to be human, that no one, not even grownups are always right, and that a child can be right in a few things.

            It was important for Ariam to listen Obadiah apologizing, and it was vital that he apologized because he was her mentor, and in some way, her parent. He demonstrated that he knew he was wrong and accept the responsibility of his mistakes. This is the lesson, and this is the importance of apologizing.   

            “Okay,” Ariam stated. “It’s alright. But please, trust me next time.”

            While the gang had their moment, Jamarpabelle convinced Balbahak and the rest of the orcs that the gang can pass through their sanctuary and speak to the Tree Mother. Some did not agree to the elf’s orders, but quickly changed their minds when the elf’s brother, the large Balabahak turned a level gaze towards them.

            Finally Jamarpabelle turned and walked directly towards the gang alone with the orcs standing behind. “Are all of you ready to meet Batshibah, the Tree Mother?”

            The gang all shared a hassle-free look before answering the elf. Obadiah gave Ariam a nod and smile, an assurance that maybe this time Obadiah meant it when he said he trusted her. Bernard and Raewyn looked at each and both of them thought of the same thing, or in better terms, person.

“Yes, we are ready. Lead us to the Tree Mother,” said Ariam.

Within the Orc Sanctuary, all around them the ruins of ancient civilization were around them that must have been made thousands of years ago. The sanctuary was warmer than outside, even though the wind continued its waving gush across the land.

            As Jamarpabelle escorted the gang deeper to the sanctuary where the Tree Mother lies, Ariam could see from the irritated eyes of the orcs staring at them did not approve of this, but had no voice in the matter. Ariam didn’t want to bother the orcs of Tmavy Woods as much as the orcs didn’t want them there, but this was the only to proceed in their quest.

            Balbahak was not far behind, he followed the group from behind, making sure none of them, especially Obadiah don’t do anything stupid. The Pokoks in the other hand went back to their own sanctuary. Bernard said his goodbyes and thanks to the tree men and shook their hands.

            As they kept on walking, Ariam could feel it already, just like back when she was under Baixo, she could feel the relic. It was nearby, they were getting closer.

            “What do you this Tree Mother would look like?” Bernard said with his signature accent. This might be late information, but Bernard had a cultured accent of a man coming out from a rich noble family in the middle province, Ditengah. But he is far from that to be honest, as one could tell by now.

            “I don’t know,” Raewyn played with the captain’s question. “Maybe she might look just like the Pokoks, huge and strong, or maybe she might look like those dryads we encountered last night, beautiful and graceful. Or maybe she might look the Batshibah we met in Ferdan.”

            The two whispered to each as they walked, and then finally Bernard asked Raewyn’s opinion on Ariam. “Can you tell me something, pretty ears,” he calls Raewyn pretty ears because the captain thought the elf’s ears were delicately lovely. “Do you like Ariam?”

            “What do you mean?” Raewyn hushed, not wanting Ariam to listen to their conversation.

            “I mean do you like like pretty face over there?”

            Raewyn blushed, embarrassed, and she knew what the captain was asking about but was too shy to answer. It was fortunate that she didn’t have to, because as Bernard said that, they finally arrived to the chamber where Batshibah was and all of them were dumbfounded as they stepped in.

            The chamber had an opened roof, where a ray of sunlight shot down, all around the chamber wall’s it was covered in thick vegetation, and in the middle of this chamber was something extraordinarily magnificent, something none of the gang expected they would see. It was Batshibah, and she was not what all of them hoped to look like.

            This Batshibah known as the Tree Mother, was made of nature, there is no doubt about that. She was not like the Pokoks or the dryads. This Batshibah was a young small girl sitting indolently on a tall long chair made and swirled by trees, the four trunks are the legs of the chair, and this girl was utterly made of foliage and she had her feet dangling in the air. Looking closer upon the young tree girl, it seemed she was attached to this tree chair. Her bottom was one with the seat. Her head had grown branches, but there were no leaves on her body and hair, she was completely naked.

            Bernard tapped on Raewyn’s shoulders and pointed at the spectacle that was the actual Batshibah, “I did not expect to see this.” He said. “Do you?” Raewyn shook her head in astonishment.

            The gang regarded Batshibah who was sitting all the way up, her eyes were all black but it looked miserable and sad. The tree girl leaned over to look down upon her visitors and by how slowly and achy the branches broke as she did so, it must have been painful for her to move around. “Welcome,” the tree girl spoke an innocent small child’s voice.

            “Tree Mother, Batshibah,” Ariam stepped forward. “I am Ariam, a Dagger.” She introduced herself and then continues with presenting the rest of her companions, all three of them, Obadiah, Raewyn and Bernard.

            The black haired elf, Jamarpabelle elucidated to the Tree Mother how he first encountered the gang in Ferdan, and how unpleasant it all was. The Tree Mother made Jamarpabelle ask for forgiveness to the whole gang, and so he reluctantly bowed to each of Ariam’s companions including Ariam herself.

            “A thousand apologies,” sang Batshibah. “For everything. The orcs and Jamarpabelle should have been more welcoming, but their attitude towards outsiders has reasons. Outsiders have always… well they aren’t very nice to my children.” The Tree Mother frowned, “And I believe you have already met my Reverie. My nightmare. She has sent you to end my children has she not? I hope that is not your true purpose to come here. The Pokoks tell me otherwise, that you wish only to come for something that I have held for centuries. A piece to a door, a door to a place no soul should enter willingly. The relic.”

            “Yes, that is what we came from and only that. We do not wish to come between you and your Reverie, we have no plan to harm your children,” expressed Ariam. “So will you give it to us? It is vital, the Titans will return, if you do not. We came here to collect the relics before our enemies do.” Ariam could feel it. The relic was inside the Tree Mother, the same feeling she had back in Baixo, the same itch.

            The Tree Mother pondered upon Ariam’s request for a moment, pondered even more deeply on Ariam. And then giant tree roots risen on the ground where Ariam was standing and it lifted her up to the same level where the Tree Mother was sitting, the pitch black eyes were gazing top to bottom at Ariam, she was studying the Dagger. “You can feel it don’t you my child, the itch,” said Tree Mother. How does she know of Ariam’s itch? She couldn’t possible, gasped Ariam.

            “How do you know?”

            “I know this day would come, someone would somehow create something like you and collect the relics,” trembled the Tree Mother. “I have promise to the old civilization that I will protect it, but my days are numbered with the presence of my Reverie, as it may seem. And I don’t think I can no longer protect it. So if you speak the truth, I will pass it to you. This is why I let you enter here, and I hope you do not taint my judgment.”

            “Thank you, we will leave Tmavy Woods when you give us the relic, we promise you this.”

            “I’m sorry, but I cannot simply give it to you,” Batshibah explained. “I require your assistance. It seems you have the means to end the Reverie. Jamarpabelle, the one who listens to me, who the orcs call Tree Speaker, he is a good child and he follows every order I give him. But he cannot amass his heart to end the Reverie.”

            “And why is that?”

            “To kill the Reverie, is to end Tree Mother, the nightmare has taken its place in this world. I’m afraid my Reverie has become too vivid,” wept Batshibah “Your silver blade will do its works to the Reverie. Help the people of Ferdan and my children by ending me. My time has come. Do this for me, and the relic is yours.”

            How the Reverie came to be was a mystery even to Batshibah herself. Batshibah lived for centuries in this abandoned ruin even before the orcs call this place their home. As a tree, she has the power to heal. She aided the wounded and sick that sought her out all over Tmavy Woods, from little fire ferrets to big giant trolls.

            And as the time passed, Batshibah welcomed the orcs who have been maltreated by the rest of the world as her children, and let them call her Tree Mother. It is a title, and not a name.

            Recently, Batshibah dreamt of her past and all the sins she had done in her previous life. One night, the dream became too real and left Batshibah’s mind as she slept torpidly. This dream, this reverie took the form of Batshibah’s former self, a tall beautiful woman, and it wreak havoc in  the Orc Sanctuary, and soon after went to Ferdan and enslaved the settlers with its dark magic. This Reverie, in order to maintain its power, eats children, and it gets even stronger when it eats a newborn baby, this was what Batshibah did when she was not a tree.

            Ever since then, Batshibah had been ordering Jamarpabelle and the orcs to kill the Reverie but made sure they did not hurt the settlers, however once the orcs knew killing the Reverie would mean hurting their Tree Mother, they stayed away from Ferdan. However, Jamarpabelle was loyal to the Tree Mother, and that was why the day before he went by himself and tried to slay the Reverie.

            Perplexed with the task at hand, Ariam had no other option other than to agree, “I accept. I will end this Reverie for you. And in return, will you give us the relic?”

            “You have my word, young child.”

            And then Batshibah cascaded the tree root on which Ariam was standing on, descending the young Dagger so that she may return to her companions and go back to Ferdan to end all of it once and for all.

            When Ariam finally got to the ground, she explained to the rest of the gang what must be done, and so Jamarpabelle knew it was time. He looked at the Tree Mother, tore open a tear, just a single drop, and inhaled deeply before saying his piece. “Tree Mother, it is time isn’t it?”

            “Yes, it is my child.”

            Jamarpabelle caressed roughly one of tree chair’s legs as he said his goodbyes.

“Remember my child,” she threaded astuteness. “Be always strong, but it does not mean you have to be offensive. Show kindness, and remind yourself that is not a sign of weakness. Understand and listen rather trying to instigate, and let that resonate. Never lose yourself my child, be you, be present, but not conceited.”

            “I will miss you Tree Mother,” droned Jamarpabelle in a meek sound. “Ka leel bah siak syuk kur.” It is in Orcish and it means, “I have and will always be grateful.”

            Anguish flooded through his insides like tidal waves. Jamarpabelle didn’t show it, he just went silent. He clamped down the feeling and kicked it to the curve, he had his duties and so he focused on that. “Do you understand what is needed of you?” he asked Ariam.

            “Yes,” she said. “I do. I know this must be hard for you. Take your time, once you are ready. Call upon us, we will end this.”

            “I am well prepared. There is no more time needed,” he thought there was no necessity to linger his onuses. Actions speak louder than words.

             They all left the chamber, Jamarpabelle walked towards Balbahak and the orcs and he said to them in a very earnestly voice, “Say your goodbyes to the Tree Mother my brothers and sisters, it is time. I will end the Reverie.” He turned to Balbahak and spoke firmly, “I will make this quick, these visitors will help me.” Balbahak gave his brother a nod and said, “It is time then, isn’t it? What will we do without the Tree Mother? Who will guide us?”

            Jamarpabelle stated confidently, “You will my brother.”

            With all being said and done in the Orc Sanctuary, the gang and Jamarpabelle head back to Ferdan. Before they headed to their destination though, a small orc by the name of Leved went up to Jamarpabelle and presented the elf and the rest of the gang a clever idea for stopping the settlers that were under the Reverie’s control without having to kill them. Leved offered each one of them a few handfuls of bottled chemical, he further explained that this chemical he collected from the Tree Mother’s root contained a reagent that could safely pacify the settlers.

            The gang said their thanks and went off.

They headed back to the settlement of Ferdan, and on the way there they encountered nasty creep ghouls that had risen up from the ground, some of the ghouls were humans who had just passed, surely they came from the settlement. These nasty creatures were fast and deadly. They appear looking as corpses with long piercing edged claws that could rip a man’s heart out, and more frightening even, some of the creep ghouls had no noticeable eyes, but they were still able to locate their prey with ease.

            There was no mystery here. These revolting creatures were created by the Reverie’s dark magic. The creep ghouls attacked the gang either by its claw or by vomiting acid puke that could melt iron in mere seconds.

            Ariam and Obadiah used their hexes to knock back away the creep ghouls, so that the rest of their companions could finish the creatures off. Raewyn blasted them with her lightning spells, Jamarpabelle from a far unleashed his arrows and he did it with much grace and agility none of the gang members could match, not even Ariam, and Bernard sliced off the creatures’ heads with his sword.

            Once they have dealt with the creep ghouls, they arrived to the entrance of the settlement. Before engaging, Jamarpabelle reminded Ariam and the gang not to kill or harm any of the settlers. And so Ariam instructed everyone to hold off their attacks on the settlers and used the bottles of chemical Leved had given them, and if that doesn’t work, she told them to just knock out the settlers that are aggressive without killing them.

            “Alright,” Ariam confirmed the others on the plan. “You guys know what to do right? Don’t kill the settlers, our target is the Reverie.” Seeing her being in charge, Obadiah could not help but to admire her.

            They pressed onwards into the settlement of Ferdan when they had organized on their plan and were welcomed with angry mind-controlled settlers fully arsenal with weapons of their own. The settlers weren’t very inept in fighting, it’s the fact the gang couldn’t hurt them made this whole ordeal more difficult than it really is. “Don’t hurt them,” Ariam warned her companions.

            “It would be easier if they don’t want to kill us so bad,” Bernard wryly yelled as he knocked out some of the settlers using the chemical. “Huh, didn’t think it would actually work.”

            There were a lot of settlers violently attacking them like mad savages, and they were almost out of those chemicals by now. There were little options to handle the situation by then.

            “We need to take out the Reverie,” Jamarpabelle pressed. “We can’t hold the settlers much longer without them hurting us and us hurting them. We need to end this now, by killing the Reverie.”

            “Alright, you and I will go to the Big House, the Reverie must be hiding there,” the young Dagger spoke out. “And the rest will handle the settlers,” Ariam instructed the rest of her companions as she stormed to the Big House with Jamarpabelle.

            Ariam and Jamarpabelle, two very fast individuals raced towards the Big House, avoiding and dodging the settlers’ attacks on the way there very nimbly. It didn’t take long for them to reach the Big House. Once they barge in, breaking the door in the process there it was the Reverie standing assuredly.

            Both of them blitz towards their foe with full dynamism, Ariam prepared her hex on her left palm, and Jamarpabelle took out his knife. However, as soon as they got close enough, the Reverie unleashed a dark energy, that blasted the two out of the Big House through the walls.

The Reverie stepped out of the Big House, this time she didn’t look the way she was before. She was blue in skin color and was stripped of her clothing. She had two long dark devil horns and two small ones popping out her forehead, and her eyes were blood red. Her nails were long, dark scaly and a tail had sprouted above her natal cleft. Her teeth grew long enough to even scale to the fangs of a werebeast. Her snarls pricked the very depths of her opponents’ spines. There it was. She was no longer a woman, but a terrifyingly gruesome monster bitch demon.

By this time, Obadiah, Raewy and Bernard had already managed the settlers.

The gang left no time to contemplate at the sight, and soon found themselves fighting the wicked demon desperately. The Reverie set free a heavy dark pulse, upon impact, many of the gang members were knocked down. They feel tired with each passing second fighting against the Reverie.

Ariam with her sword in hand shielded her eyes from the bitch’s look, afraid that the Reverie might put a curse on her like the other poor settlers who were possessed. The team had a good understanding of one another. And so trusting her companions, Ariam threw her sword at the demon’s direction, distracting it from their real plan. Jamarpabelle from the side shot out two volleys of his arrows at the demon, one of his arrows managed to inflict a heavy damage. His arrow flew and plunged deep into the demon’s right eye, blinding her for just a brief moment.

Angered, in her fury the Reverie nefariously sprouted her atrocious vile fiendish wings. The party shocked at her sudden transformation went into their defensive formation. Ariam’s left palm charged up for the hex and as she did so, she dashed and picked her sword up.

Now off ground, the demon swoops down at Jamarpabelle’s direction. Her scratch landed upon him but nothing serious to be worried about.  Bernard joins in the fray in hopes to hit the demon with his sword. His attempts were fruitless as the Reverie was far from his reach.

Again, Jamarpabelle released his arrows to do damage, but for every arrow that plunged into the demon’s skin, two more dark projectiles come out from its wound and blast back at the agile elf. They realized their attacks don’t do much harm, except for Ariam’s and Obadiah’s silver weapons, but in order for them to attack, they need to get closer, and that was no easy task.

“We need to hold her down for me to get closer and kill this thing off!” Ariam yowled out to her companions.

Zap! Raewyn immediately released a flurry thunderbolt and it struck the ground, but failed to hit the Reverie. She then thought of a whip long enough to capture the winged demon. She cast upon one of her submission magic, one of the magic she used when conducting her pleasure needs. Never thought it would come in handy. She told Obadiah that she will need his help for this magic requires not true focus but a physical one and among all of them Obadiah was the man for the job.

She casted her thunder whip spell and hurled it at the winged demon, with luck by her side, Raewyn the Lightning Mage was able to bundle her electrical whip around the Reverie’s wings. She straightaway called for Obadiah again and, without a second to waste, he rushes to her. He grabs the thundery whip and pulled the demon down to the ground.

Raewyn released an electrical barrier to cage the demon, so that it won’t fly off.

Bernard acted on instinct went to the Reverie again, and slash and stabs the demon but it was fruitless for to truly kill it, a silver edge weapon is needed.

Ariam remedied this, with her left palm vivified in bright amber sun, she pushes her palm onto the demon’s body, unleashed her hex upon the demon, and a quick reaction was met - BOOM! Half of the Reverie’s body exploded.

Still alive but clinging to life, the Reverie spoke in language they could understand, pleading for mercy as it may seem. Ariam with a death look in her eyes, she stared down at the demon and stepped its head with her boots. She was about to recite the words of mercy but instead she said something else as she sliced off the Reverie’s demonic head. This was what she said, “I am the blade.. I fear no evil.. I am a Dagger. This is the end for you, Reverie. May the Tree Mother rest in peace.”

Some of the settlers had already gained their mind back. They thanked and apologized to the gang, knowing what the visitors had done to them. Bernard accepted some of the settlers’ money.

            “It is done,” Jamarpabelle whispered to himself as he watched the Reverie’s ashes fade off in the air. “I will miss you my mother. Goodbye.”

            Holding on to his shoulders, Ariam reminded the elf the promise the Tree Mother had made to the gang. “We need the relic.” The elf was silent for a moment, just looking at the empty air. But after a minute or so, the elf suddenly turned to the gang, stared them, no tears, no time for it, and said, “Let’s go back to the Orc Sanctuary. I will pass you the relic you are here for.”

Seething with relief, the gang and Jamarpabelle helped out the settlers of Ferdan and then went back to the Orc Sanctuary of Tmavy Woods.

With everything out of the clear, Obadiah and Balbahak finally made up and express regret on how they handle the situation they were in previously. The orcs were grateful that the gang helped them and endowed their Tree Mother’s wishes, even though it led to her own death. No time to waste, the gang did not stay for Batshibah the Tree Mother’s funeral, once Jamarpabelle plucked the relic out of the Tree Mother’s chest and buried her root, he gave it to the gang.

With the relic at hand, the gang had no other reason to be in Tmavy Woods, and so they say their thanks and gratitude. However, Jamarpabelle the Tree Speaker saw he could be good use to the gang’s cause, and he offered himself to join them. “Are you sure you want to do this?” Ariam asked. “You don’t have to do anything you don’t want. You can stay here and be with your people. You don’t have to be bothered with the world out from yours.”

Jamarpabelle, educated by the Tree Mother on the matters of doing the right thing, responded in such a way, wowed Ariam. “Is the world I live divided of the whole world? The world I live in is the whole world. Tree Mother would want me to help your cause.”

Pleased with the answered, the Grateful Dead was added with one more crew member, and another companion to join the gang’s cause to stop Sajib summoning the Titans.