Castlevania: Of Darkness and Light

Watcher of the Woods

It was nice being alone for a bit.

Not that Alucard liked me roving the woods on my own, but I needed permission  to cast  wards in a territory ruled by a reclusive forest spirit who detested vampires and the like as much as he detested night creatures. I told him to hang back and wait for me, which he did reluctantly. He trusted I wouldn't be stupid, and that I was more than capable of dispatching a few night creatures.

Luckily the forest spirit was more than happy to let me do my thing if it meant repelling demons from shitting and otherwise putrefying his turf. "Perhaps you can dispose of the roaming stragglers not far east of here. Near the dead oak." The spirit hissed in the ancient tongue. "You'd do me a big favor, Watcher."

"I'm sure I can handle them." I twirled my staff and set off. I found the dead oak, and  night creatures tormenting a small caravan of refugees.

"Shit!" I wasn't expecting this!  How desperate were these people to travel in such close proximity to Dracula's castle? It's not as if they couldn't see it rising far above the trees like an ominous mountain. My mind raced, wondering if I should signal Alucard and wait for him to come help.

No. They'll all be dead by the time he makes it here. It's time to put everything I've learned and remembered to work.

I pulled back my right sleeve, outreaching my arm with my runes gleaming white and cast a bordering wall of holy flame around the three carts. drawing it wide as it pushed back against the screaming groundling and singed the wings of the airborne gargoyles. The refugees screamed expletives and curses. Some crossed themselves while others prayed for a miracle.

That'll keep them from getting close to the caravan. Now to take them out from afar.

"Look! Up on the ledge!!" A woman cried pointing at me.

"It's a witch!" Screamed another. "God help us!"

Well, looks like the cat's out of the bag.

I leapt from the cliff and walked through the flames, cloak billowing and hood concealing my face. Staff in hand gleaming like the sun. The poor refugees cowered pitifully. Mothers clutched  their children to their breasts and old men gripped rosaries to their hearts, tremoring prayers. At this  point they were more terrified of me than the night creatures screaming from the bordering flames. "Be not afraid."

"Not any closer demon!!" A brave man confronted me waving his torch.

"No! I'm not a demon!" I waved my hand up. "I'm not a demon! The opposite actually." I  pulled back the hood revealing my face. " See! Just a woman! An Arcane mage here to help you."

"Mages deal in witchcraft!" The man spat unconvinced.

" Mages deal with the inherit magic within the earth and elements. Arcane mages specifically with Holy Light Magic. Not black magic, there's a difference!" I deflected the claws of a divebombing hellbat screaming and burning from the holy light of my staff. "See? I deal with the good stuff, you want me to destroy these things or not?"

A fleaman dived at me, rightfully getting vaporized. "Stay within the flames! The fires won't harm you but it will keep those beasties from getting close!" I turned around and ran, heat simmering against my skin as I confronted the hoard of demons.

A minotaur lunged aiming his spear at my stomach, though I blocked his attack with a quick thrust of my staff and drove it up his jaw. Seeing he was unbalanced I knocked him to the ground with my staff, slashing him across the legs with my silver sword and sending him collapsing face first into the dirt.  I blasted him in the brains while he was down.