How the Emperor trapped a Witch

Chapter Twenty: Removal of monsters

Note: Again, there is violence and gore in this chapter. Cuss words included.

The cracks quickly spread and deepen as the wolves looked around in confusion until large earthen spikes shot out the ground, impaling many of the wolves- suspending them into the air like ragdolls. 

However, not all the spikes had successfully injured or killed a wolf so we still had work to do. I picked up my sword and joined in the fight until there were no more wolves left standing. I leaned against a clean spike and tried to catch my breath when I notice a few people looking at me. 

Alaric and Kimbra were looking at me with small smiles but received hostile glares from the muscle man from earlier and the red-headed woman; the young magician was also staring but it was more open curiosity. I looked away and sighed, adjusting my cloak hood which had fallen down at some point.

"Tia." Alaric takes the sword out of my hands. "Are you okay?"

"Ya, I'm fine." I tried to reassure him but his face told me that he didn't believe me at all. "I'm just tired. I haven't used a sword in a long time and adding that to mid-level magic..." I trialed off as the two people from earlier came over with scowls. 

"What the f*ck Alaric." The man huffs at him, refusing to look at me. "You didn't tell us that you were bringing f*cking revolting Witch with us."

I flinched a little as he pointed at me while his face turned beet red in anger. I was used to people reacting like that towards me since I was a Witch, but it still bothers me a little. My view of the two people was cut off by Alaric's back causing me to have to look around him, seeing them turn pale and back up. I looked up to his face but it was passive until he noticed me looking at him and smiles.

"Sorry Tia." He apologizes with a small smile, his eyebrow furrowed as he looked at me.

"It's okay Alaric." I shake my head and stood up. "It's not unusual behavior. You were the strange one." I tried to joke but it falls flat. "I'm not sure why, but those wolves never showed up on 'search'- at all."

Alaric seems to sigh internally at my changing of the subject but let's it go. "It can't be a coincidence getting attacked by such a large number of wolves either."

"Should we turn back?" Kimbra asks as she approached, glancing over at the others. "We have some injuries."

"Let me take a look at them." I quickly pass Alaric and examined her arm. Kimbra had a long gash down her left arm from the claws of a wolf. I sped up it's healing rate: turning it from a bleeding mess to scabbing over the open wound and turning it into a faint red line on her skin. I release her arm and jump in surprise when I noticed the Magician standing besides me in awe.

"Sorry." He apologizes with his hands in the air and a shy look on his face. "Your magic is so  beautiful that I couldn't help but watch."

"It's okay." I smiled back. "Do you have any injuries?" 

"No, no, no. I'm fine." he responds quickly. "I was in the center the whole time casting so I didn't get injured; though I wish that I did so I could experience your magic for myself."

"I don't mind showing you magic later." I paused, realizing that I didn't know his name.

"Reid." He seems to realize that I was hesitating over his name. "And your Celestia right?"

"Yep. That's me." I nod as I turned to Alaric. "Are you injured anywhere?"

"I might have a bump on my head, got hit in the head by one of the wolves." He bends over, his face extremely close to mine. I carefully start to touch his head, lightly brushing my fingers though his hair as I looked for a bump.

"I'm not finding anything-" I froze as our eyes connected, finally noticing what I was doing. I pull away and felt my cheeks heat up causing me to be glad that my hood covered my face.

"Does anyone else have any injures?" I say louder to the other three people. The muscle man and red-hair women glare then shook their head while the last person- an blond male elf looks up from cleaning his sword.

He was almost as handsome as Alaric with a simmering green tattoo on the side of his face that accentuated his beauty. He wasn't as tall as Alaric with his sword resting on his knee and bow & quiver on his back.

"No. I am not injured." He declines politely before returning his attention to his sword. I glanced over at Alaric with an eyebrow raised; but remembered that he couldn't see it at the moment.

"Nolo is always like that." Alaric responds as his hand brushed against mine. "But I agree with you Kimbra- it might be better for us to turn back. The only respond all of us are still alive is because of Tia."

I notice the two people flinch at Alaric's words.

We quickly gathered proof of the investigation by pulling out the left upper canine of each wolf: 40 in all.

Alaric pours the teeth into a pouch and ties to his belt before we quickly set off- not wanting to stay any longer and risk something coming to investigate the thick stench of blood.

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We had been walking for about an hour before we started to relax a bit. I continued to use 'search' but since that didn't help with the attack earlier, I kept an eye out for anymore wolves.

I tripped over a root and noticed that my laces on my boots were loose and stopped to tie them.

"I'll only be a moment, go ahead and keep walking." I say to Alaric who stops. "I'll catch up."

Alaric and I were towards the end of the formation: the muscle man at the front, Kimbra and the Red-haired woman a few paces behind him with Reid in the center. There wasn't much underbrush around the trail that we walked on so they were able to have space between them as well.

Alaric nods as he continues forward and I quickly tie up my laces.

'There.' I stood up and started to walk forward when I suddenly hear-

Snap!

I freeze, immediately turning my head in the direction of the sound. I stared hard into the dark and gloomy forest, searching for anything.

A few moments pass and I feel the tension release me. I look away and take one step when I notice a blur out of the corner of my eye and instinctively raise my arm to block whatever was going towards me.

It was a wolf; way larger then the wolves before. It's eyes were a dark murky red that contrasted against its bright silver hair.

"Ahh-" I started to scream as it closed its mouth over my arm and wrenched me off my feet: dragging me into the forest.

"Tia!!" Alaric yells in surprise but doesn't seem to run after me then I hear growling and knew that it was an ambush. The large wolf had the other wolves attack Alaric and the others to escape with me.