Book 2. Chapter 46

Book 2. Chapter 46

Effa was bright and alert from the moment he walked in. She didnt pretend to be senile or mentally ill or whatever shed been doing this whole time.

She smirked, her eyes dancing, though she didnt get up from her chair. Her dress, her skin, and the house were filthy. A rotting queen on a putrid throne.

Micah followed Brin in, eyes downcast like always. He poured a drink for Effa in a dirty glass, placed it in her hand, and then turned around to leave.

He paused at the door. We would have done anything for her. Do you understand?

Im beginning to, said Brin.

Alert! [Call Sound through Glass] leveled up! 6 -> 7

Brin made a mental command that he didn't want any more skill up notifications until he asked for them. Hopefully the System would respect it; he couldn't afford to get distracted right now.

Micah nodded and left the room. He didn't shut the door behind him, giving Brin a completely unimpeded view of what was going on through the doorway.

Effa picked up her glass and swirled it a bit, then looked up at Brin and gave him a measuring look. She said, After all these years, I cant get him to stop saying that.

He shrugged. Thats the problem with familiars. Theyve got just a little pinch of autonomy. I bet thats by design, you know. [Witches] trend towards megalomania. They need someone who can question them, who can push back against some of their worst ideas and prevent some of the self-sabotage.

Effa nodded. But if a familiar hates you, then hell resist every little thing you do for the rest of your life. Hell obey orders, direct orders worded very carefully, most of the time. But nothing can get him to stop saying that thing he says. I should have released him years ago, but you know, I have such a hard time throwing anything away.

Brin laughed. Her house was more disgusting than hed ever seen it. Clearly no one had come in to clean since the last time he and Hogg had visited, and the filth had piled up. At least he couldnt really smell anything at present, which was a mercy.

She had all the hallmarks of a hoarder; at least thats what theyd call her in his old life. Hed only learned a little bit about hoarders back then, but hed heard that it was caused by some kind of trauma. Some terrible action or event that they couldnt get over, leaving them unable to move forward and scrambling to hold on to any reminder of the past. An event like the death of a daughter?

She gestured with the glass at the piles of detritus. Well, are you going to clean?

Brin chuckled. In a minute. Theres a couple things I want to know first.

The smart thing to do would be to run her through immediately. She was more vulnerable now that she might ever be again, and giving her time to talk meant giving her time to summon some kind of rescue. That was Brins problem; he was too curious, and if he didnt ask now, he might never get another chance.

Effa nodded. Me too. How did you figure it out?

Youre a [Seamstress], which means that you could be the one making clothes for the undead. The way your daughter died gave you more than enough pain for getting an evil Class. You were one of the first people I suspected, but I could never really believe it was you.

Oh? And why is that?

Hogg. If you were the [Witch], theres no way that Hogg would miss it. At least thats what I thought. Still, I shouldve looked into it closer. You gave me plenty of clues, like the time you got a job working in the public house. Thats the perfect place to gather small crimes against hospitality to make people vulnerable to hexes. The adventurers especially didnt interact with many other people. The best clue was when Hela got hexed. The rest of them made sense, high level people, town elders, leaders... but Hela? Shes not particularly dangerous. My guess is you just dont like her. Nobody likes their boss. I should've figured it out at the time, but I had a lot going. Then there was the giant undead. We stumbled right on top of it because it was protected from Zilly's extra senses somehow. We assumed he had enchanted clothing, but now I think it was the dirt he was buried under. That could be Micah's work as an [Earthmover]. The thing that really nailed it home is my trip to the public house. Or I should say, the trip I never took. I wasn't there. You put that memory in Elvira's head, probably some attempt to undermine the town's defense? When I had a location, the rest wasn't hard to put together.

Brin [Inspected] her.

Effa Peck

Level 31

Seamstress

Even now, it didnt say [Witch]. That wasnt tracking; the rest of the [Witches] messages had updated after hed figured it out. So thats how it was. Well, he prepared for this, too.

Youre not the [Witch]. Youre really what you look like. Youre Effa Peck the [Seamstress]. Brin shook his head. Your daughter Siphani is the [Witch].

Effa crooked an eyebrow, not speaking.

Brin continued. How did you fool Hogg all this time?

Effa sighed and set the glass down. Brin frowned. Was she really not going to drink it? She glanced at the window, no doubt thinking about whether or not she had to answer. Would you like to play a game of questions? Ill tell you, but then you answer one of mine.

Fine, said Brin.

I suppose you deserve to know. The Wyrd has many ways, ways for bedazzling the mind and entrapping the spirit. For Hogg, she only needed to change one thing, one tiny little detail on his oh-so-exhaustive [Inspect]. She only needed to remove the word Undead. Oh, and the fact that were her familiars. Living people cant be familiars, you know. Siphani didnt need to fool his [Inspect] because he never saw her.

Then how

Effa brought up a hand to shush him. She wasnt near enough to touch him, but he stepped back anyway. No, no, now I get a question. Why are you not dead? Specifically, why have you not succumbed to the very powerful hex that was thrown at you? Its as if youre completely immune to the Wyrd and Id like to know why.

Brin thought about it. If he refused to answer shed probably clam up as well. He knew they were both just trading information under the assumption that it wouldnt matter because the other party would be dead soon. On the other hand, she was asking for something that might help her kill him, while he was just trying to assuage his curiosity.

He decided to go for it. I had a protective spell put on me by some friends of mine.

Effa sat up straight, hunger in her eyes. Who was it?

Not so fast. I think I deserve another question, said Brin.

Oh, very well. I suppose I can tell you

No, Id like to be very specific with my question. He thought for a moment. You said that Siphani fooled Hoggs [Inspect] by staying away from it. Shes hiding. But shes here. Thats real human waste in that chamber pot, from a living person. Shes probably been hiding under the floor or somethingthats not the question.

Effa chuckled. I dont mind telling you that my heart beat a little faster every time Hogg mopped a certain loose floorboard.

I think I already know that youre a student of Arcaena, or a student of one of her apprentices. The thing about how she kills all the other [Witches] she finds is a farce. She recruits heavily from the neighboring kingdoms.

Effa raised an eyebrow. Is that your question?

No, said Brin. Ok, Ive got it. The night that Hogg killed Siphani, or thought he did. I mean, this is Hogg were talking about! Theres no way he wouldnt have someone check his memories for any Wyrd-ness. How did she fool him?

Well, youre quite right, she couldnt. It was me who died that night. Siphani was a new [Witch] back then and just come into her power, but altering the appearance is one of the first things a [Witch] is able to do. She gave me her face and I ran off into the woods for her. Then everything else is exactly how Hogg remembers it. He pursued me, threatened me, forced me to swear an Oath. I swore to never use any [Witch] powers for evil, and of course I kept that promise until my death. I drowned myself. All exactly as he remembers. Effa said it all with a wide, triumphant grin.

Something about this was not right. This was not the way a person tells the story of her own death. Even if Effa had been proud of killing herself to save her daughter, Brin couldnt believe shed tell the story like that.

What utter nonsense.

Effas eye twitched. Believe it or not; I dont care. I told you what happened. Now, my question is

Hogg got a kill notification for a level 1 [Child]. Theres no way he would miss it if you were a level 31 [Seamstress]. How did you change the notification?

I dont know. Perhaps the eyes of Arcaena were on us? Or perhaps my daughter is more talented than I ever realized.

Brin shook his head. No. How can you say that? She betrayed you! She ruined your family! She killed you!

For a moment, Effas features twisted. It looked like her face was at war with itself. Then they resolved into benign calmness that was almost believable. Who are the [Witches] of Hammons Bog?

No. Ill put myself in danger, but I wont betray people whove trusted me. Choose another question or this conversation is done.

Effa hissed in frustration. Then she abruptly smiled as if shed just thought of a funny joke. Fine then. My question: Why in the name of the three Fundamentals did you think that I would actually drink this?

She picked up the glass and poured out the contents. Brin winced as his very expensive potion of Turn Undead mixed with the rat droppings and rancid food on the floor.

Well?

I figured Siphani ordered you to eat and drink anything that anyone gave you, to keep up appearances. She seems like the lazy type, so I didnt think shed want to have to order you each time.

Ridiculous. You think a [Witch] wouldnt be wary of needlessly partaking in hospitality?

Hey, I answered a question, so that means its my turn, Brin said. Wheres Siphani?This chapter is updated by nov(e)(l)biin.com

Effa drummed her fingers twice against the armrest of her chair, and then she stood, and as she did the gravity in the room seemed to double.

He wasnt sure what it was, but Brin felt his pulse pounding in his ears, all his instincts telling him that this was the time to run. He felt his skin crawl in fearful anticipation.

She grabbed both sides of her own face, and pulled. The skin tore away in a straight line, as if on a seam, and kept going down. No blood spilled; her body had been built to split like this. Hair, clothes, skin, it all tore in half in a straight line, revealing a porcelain-white figure underneath.

Brin used [Inspect] before shed completely erupted from the zombified skin of her mother. She mustve had a high enough [Hide Status] to block it, but shed left some things visible.

Siphani Peck

Level 45

Witch

Alert! You have uncovered the identity of every Witch in Hammons Bog.

Through your efforts, you have earned a new Skill.

Know Whats Wyrd - You can sense the Wyrd. Increased resistance to the Wyrd and Wyrd-related abilities.

Brins mind barely had time to register the notification; he was too stuck on the image of Siphani Peck erupting out of the zombified corpse of her mother. Effa hadnt been a whole zombie, just a costume, and she fell limply to the ground. Siphani daintily stepped out of the mess. Her nude frame was ghastly and thinner than should be possible. Her ribs stuck out prominently and her hips looked like a shrink-wrapped skeleton. Her arms were round and noodly, almost as thin as Myras ropes. It seemed impossible that her thin legs held her whole weight. Only her head was plump, it was like the ball on top of a lollipop, perfectly round, with thin uneven hair.

Shed clearly altered herself with the Wyrd. Shed monsterified herself as much as Clementine had done, only Siphanis body hadnt been a rush job. It had clearly been the product of passion. The perfect vision of beauty, from a deranged, psychopathic anorexic.

The undead charged. The defenders were still stunned, and there was no one left except noncombatants.

Brin sent his mirror image ahead of them, charging at Siphani to give them an edge, but she ignored him and his mirror image ran straight through her. How many times did you think Id fall for that? Advance, you warriors of Arcaena!

Go, Micah! Stop her! Brin yelled. He clutched his spear and charged as well, but an undead moved to block his path. They wouldnt get there in time.

The old [Farmer] from the town council stepped forward, and he wasnt alone. The old and infirm, the nice old ladies and the bowed old men separated themselves from out of the ranks of the others. Many of their families grabbed at them to pull them back, but they shook away and stepped forward.

For a split second, Ademir squared his shoulders and stepped forward, spear in hand. Even while shrugging his portion of the curse aimed at Brin, he looked strong and able. But Ademir wasnt a fighter, and he seemed to remember that at the same time Brin did. His shoulders sagged, and he stepped back.

The elderly hefted weapons, some barely holding on, some needing canes to keep their feet. They stepped forwards.

The last charge of the elders moved through the ranks of the paralyzed defenders and hit the undead with a deafening crash. Age had robbed them of the utility of their attributes, but nothing stopped their Skills. For one dazzling moment, they broke through the enemy, crushing them with staves, cutting them apart with scythes, slicing them in half with scissors.

Then the moment was over. The Skills were spent, and the remaining undead were unstoppable. Now all the elderly could do was serve as speed bumps.

Brin could barely pay attention to his own fight, so focused was he on the image of the nice old woman whod given him a sausage roll having her legs chopped off at the knees by a grinning undead soldier.

Siphanis parents werent distracted by anything. They bowled straight through the undead, nothing slowing them. She formed claws on her fingers and slashed out at them, her thin arms striking like whips.

WE DID EVERYTHING FOR YOU! they screamed in unison.

Micah and Effa tackled her. All three of them went to the ground, and became a bloody mess, ripping, tearing, and biting at each other.

Brin threw his potion, the one with the flame on the label, hoping to hit all three of them together.

He expected fire, but hed somehow forgotten that this was Hoggs potion, made for threats on his level. Nothing prepared Brin for its intensity.

Flame burst out in a concussive blast, eliminating swathes of undead and catching Effa, Micah, and Siphani aflame. All three of them screamed. They writhed on the floor, the alchemical flame burning them away. Brin watched in horrid fascination as they turned black and shrunk, still screaming and squirming in pain. [Battle Fury] poured strength into him, more than he'd expected. He'd either killed them, or this counted as many, many wounds.

The magical effect of the flame died down, but the flames burned on. Effa and Micah went still, but Siphani shifted and writhed.

You have defeated: Effa Peck (31)

You have defeated: Micah Peck (33)

Siphani's skin, now black and charred sloughed off of her, and she stood, all red exposed muscle.

Brin started the chant for his spell again. This time, on a hunch, he put the magic into [Summon Glass] instead of [Call Light from Glass]. The sound portions he kept the same.

Siphani finished off her parents first. She pulled the head off of Micahs corpse, and then used her clawed fingers to slash Effa to pieces. She took a step towards Brin. She looked to be smiling, now that shed lost the skin of her face.

It hurts. IT HURTS! She moaned as she stumbled away from her dead parents, really dead now. I cant believe you made me kill them.

Through [Know Whats Wyrd], he felt her pull on the power of her formation, changing it somehow. Youre hiding somewhere, but I can still see you; I can see you through the slights made against me. Youve resisted my curses so far, but can your protectors resist this?

She removed the power of the formation from the defenders, freeing them for a short moment, and pushed all of its destructive wrath into Brin. For an instant, he felt a warning from [Survivor of Travins Bog], telling him that this was an attack that could kill him. Then the pain hit.

Even though the lions share of the energy was siphoned away into the three remaining [Witches], the power was still enough to wrap Brins body in agony. He was struck with exhaustion, and felt his skin cracking, spiderwebs of wounds breaking out underneath his armor.

Its too much! We cannot bear it! We must break the spell and free ourselves! He felt the words rather than heard them, Balbi was speaking in his mind, through the bond theyd made with their protective spell.

Brunas voice came next. We took up this burden. We will carry it.

No. Ademirs voice was firm.

The magic of the Wyrd shifted as Ademir carried out a complicated working, pulling on the magic and twisting it to his ends. The emotions of Bruna and Balbi were clear through the bondhorror at what he was doing. They tried to stop him, pulling against his working, but he was too strong. He completed his alteration to the spell and the magic slammed into place.

No. I will carry it alone.

The energy attacking Brin slipped away. The portion of the curse hitting Balbi and Bruna erased itself. All of the hateful energy coalesced on Ademir, destroying him utterly. He screamed, and then even that much was too much for him.

The magic from Siphanis formation was so toxic and full of hate, that Brin was afraid to see what it would do to him. The effect was more dignified than what hed seen happen to others cursed by [Witches], but no less deadly. Ademir turned to dust, starting with his fingers and toes, and then up to his body until nothing remained.

Ademsi howled in fury and anguish. He ran to Ademirs remains and collapsed on the ground sobbing. At least... at least Ademir's familiar would live on.

The rest of the defenders had recovered and began to move. Siphani switched the target of her formation back to them, freezing them in place for the second time.

He finished his chant. An entire third of his newly expanded mana pool drained away, and a perfect copy of Brin rose up from in front of him.

It was a perfect glass sculpture. It looked exactly like him, down to the fabric of his clothes and the splatters of mud on his leather armor.

Siphani didnt fall for it. She walked straight past the statue and whipped at him with a clawed hand. He brought his spear up to defend, but she shattered the Bog Standard haft and then whipped out to scrape her nails against his armor. They bit deep, cutting into the muscle of his chest. He hissed and scrambled back, pushing mana into [Call Light] to do the only other trick he knew. He made bright, blinding light appear in the head of his broken spear.

She stepped back, shielding her eyes. Enough!

She stretched one bleeding red arm back, far further than it should be able to stretch, and pulled a potion from Effas burnt remains. She threw it on the ground, shattering it.

Pure, clean light erupted from the bottle. Not blinding or painful like Brins light, but calming and revealing. The Eveladis. Shed used an Eveladis on him to dispel any illusions.

He scrambled back, groaning. The blinding light winked away, and he couldnt feel his illusion magic anymore; it was like hed lost the light and sound Skills. Oh no.

Oh yes! she said. She watched his glass sculpture expectantly, but when the light of the Eveladis crossed it, nothing happened. It stood there, perfectly intact and lifelike. What?

She reached over and tapped it. Glass? She struck, shattering it, and doing even more damage to her skinless arms. She shrieked in pain.

Brin pushed every single iota of mana he had left in his body into the sculpture, doing the first trick hed ever learned with [Shape Glass].

The glass expanded wildly, ballooning out, losing its color to burnt blackness. He couldnt stop the expansion, but he could guide its direction. He wrapped it around her, hugging her tight. She strained against it, and he could already feel it starting to crack, but he had just enough time.

He closed the distance, and stabbed her in the chest with his knife.

Just like that, it was over. Except she didn't die right away. That was the problem with stabbing someone. She knew she was dying, and he knew it, too, but she wasn't dead yet. He stabbed her again, and again. Whatever she'd done to her body made her resilient. Resilient enough to cling to life, but not enough to resist. He kept stabbing, starting to panic, starting to hyperventilate, because how could she still not be dead? He didn't want to look at the terrible damage, but obviously he couldn't look away. He felt the steady, soothing anger of the [Scarred One] steady his hands and help him do what needed to be done.

Finally, finally, he got the notification.

Alert! You have defeated: Level 45 Witch

Level up! Level 27 -> 28

+5 Strength +1 Dexterity, +2 Vitality, +2 Magic, +3 Mental Control, +1 Will, +2 free attributes.

Level up! Level 28 -> 29

+5 Strength +1 Dexterity, +2 Vitality, +2 Magic, +3 Mental Control, +1 Will, +2 free attributes.

Level up! Level 30 -> 31

+5 Strength +1 Dexterity, +2 Vitality, +2 Magic, +3 Mental Control, +1 Will, +2 free attributes.

You may choose a new Class Skill.

You have 2 free general Skills.

Congratulations! You have gained a new title.

Savior of Hammons Bog.

Gain 20% to all attributes while in Hammons Bog.

Brin jumped to his feet, trying to get some distance between himself and what he'd just done. Knives were too close. Too personal. The vision of her face followed him, sticking in his mind. He'd been told that when you die, your life flashed before your eyes. Actually, he'd experienced that. What he hadn't been told, was that the person killing you could see it, too. Brin had watched Siphani's life pass over her features, but in reverse. First, the monster she'd become, the spiteful woman that had tried to cover her small sins with unforgivable transgressions. Then she'd gone back to a scared little girl. When she'd finally died, it was with an odd look of calm.

He spat the taste of blood out of his mouth, and started walking, trying to distract himself. He looked over the town. The red light died down, and he felt the presence of the Wyrd clear out, starting near him and then expanding around in a ring, her death cleansing the area. The red electricity torturing the townsfolk dispersed, and he saw them moaning and getting to their feet.

He approached, and the sight of them sent a spike of anger up his back. He knew this was the [Scarred One's] feelings, but he couldn't help it. No one looked in his direction. He didnt exactly expect them to start cheering his name, but werent they ignoring him a little too much? Theyd seen him save the town, hadnt they? They didnt look happy to see him. They didnt look happy at all. The defenders, recovering from Siphanis torture formation, were picking up their weapons, their faces set in grim determination.

Anger turned to sudden awareness and then dread. He turned around. A woman in a bright pink gown, with bright red lipstick, blue eyeshadow, and two circles of blush on her cheeks stood in the center of the street. A gigantic stuffed bunny stood to her left, colored baby-blue. To her right stood a man-sized stuffed bunny, a sickly green. An army of the undead followed along behind her.

She tossed something towards them and it landed with a splat. A human head. Elvira the [Trappers] head.

This was your last great defender, yes? Dear me, but I do hate to take matters into my own hands like this. Id much have preferred if my apprentice had succeeded here. What a remarkable failure. She couldnt even subdue one small little village! And to think I had such high hopes for her. Well, I suppose youre all very proud of yourself, but Ill tell you now that this simply will not do. It will not do at all. Aberthol, come here. Now. Im taking you home.

Brin knew immediately who she was from Hoggs story. Awnadil. It was over.

The light of the Eveladis continued to expand, illuminating the undead army in perfect detail and nailing home how unmistakably screwed they all were. It went over rooftops, washing over the white walls of the temple. At least the people in there would survive the night. Dare he hope that Hogg would recover from Siphanis curse and come save the day? But when hed personally been hexed, killing the [Witch] hadnt healed him. It had only stopped the spread. The doors to the temple didnt open. The light moved on, over the public house and Perris shop, down the streets.

Lightning struck, a bar of black light that Brin wouldnt have believed, only it hit in an area already covered by the Eveladis. It blasted up a plume of black smoke, which was quickly carried away by the breeze, revealing another woman. A blonde woman dressed in red.

Lumina laughed. Looks like I got here just in time. Unbelievable! He was right. I cant believe youre actually here. Ha! If wed known this is all it took to drag you out of hiding, we would have done it ages ago, oh [Great Witch] Awnadil.