chronicles of eden - act I (61 page)

"Wow… who are those girls?" Specca asked with wonder.

"Triska and Squeak, they're the ones that I mentioned would be coming with me on my journey in case I ran into any trouble,” Daniel said smiling at his two friends. Squeak yanked her pickaxe out of the monster and watched it with discontent while Triska walked up to her. The Ashwood guard walked over to them as they all looked down at the serpent's head, the monster hissing weakly while smoke was coming up from all its cuts and wounds. The woman looked at the serpent then over to Squeak with a curious eye. The ant girl glanced to her then spiked her digging tool into the serpent's head, then reached down and pried open the mouth with her foot and hand. She reached into the mouth between the rows of teeth while Triska and the woman watched her curiously, then they saw one of the swords wiggling around slightly. It was pulled back into the mouth before being brought out by Squeak. She let the monster's head fall back down as it started to dissolve into black ashes then held the sword's handle out towards the guard. The woman looked at it for a moment then to Squeak.

"What… manner of monster is she?" she asked as she slowly took her blade back.

"She's an ant girl, her name is Squeak," Triska said glancing to her friend with a smile. Squeak nodded with a squeak and smiled at the guard. The woman looked at her curiously then over towards the library as a loud crashing sound was heard inside. Everybody looked over to see the walls of the building starting to crumble and wither away while a bright red firestorm was seen inside. The flames were seen flowing around inside the building wildly like a whirlwind of fire.

"What… what the hell is going on in there?" Triska asked as she and Squeak backed up a bit. The Ashwood guard backed up towards Daniel and Specca as they were watching with concern as well. The front of the building collapsed down into the firestorm as the flames whirled around in a torrent. As the rubble and debris fell into the fire a figure dropped down into the firestorm, the flames swirling around and enveloping it as it vanished into the torrent.

The firestorm flared up brightly as it rose higher into the air, and then collapsed into itself with a loud crackling boom. Black smoke billowed up from the scorched ruins as the flames slowly died out, with clouds of smoke rising up into the air. The sides of the building crumbled down and collapsed into ash and smoke as the group watched with wonder.

"Oh my, the library… it's been incinerated," Specca said worriedly.

"Alyssa? Alyssa!" Daniel yelled out. He looked ahead as a figure was walking out of the smoke cloud inside the ruins of the building. Alyssa slowly walked out from the haze towards the group, seeming to be in a daze as she was stumbling a bit to the side. However her clothing appeared perfectly fine, with no burn marks or ash on it at all.

"Alyssa? Are you alright?" Daniel called out.

“How did she survive that?” Triska asked with disbelief.

Alyssa looked to them and smiled weakly as she regained her balance. As she raised her hand to wave to Daniel a swift strike to the back of her head echoed out with a crack, knocking her forward and onto the ground with a thump.

"Alyssa!" Triska yelled out. Tora walked out from the smoke cloud with her staff in one hand, her clothing having ash and black marks on it as she coughed. She glared at the other witch as she held her staff out towards her.

"You… are so dead!" she yelled out as she held out staff out to the side.

"Alyssa!" Triska yelled as she ran towards the witch with her sword held to the side. Tora glanced to her then waved her staff forward, causing the teen to fly back and crash into Squeak. The two girls flew back into a tumble as Tora glared down at Alyssa.

"How terribly sad, the famous Wildfire Witch dies amongst her own filthy ashes. Good riddance!" she yelled out as she brought up her staff over her head. Alyssa grabbed her staff and rolled to the side as Tora struck down with hers, the relic striking into the ground as Alyssa rolled over and aimed hers up at Tora. The ashes around blew up in a fierce cloud into the dark witch's face, the girl screaming and coughing as she backed up. She swung her staff around to clear the air, the relic coming to a quick halt as it was grabbed by Alyssa. Tora looked to seeing Alyssa standing before her, holding the staff to the side, and having her own facing Tora.

"My fire never dies," Alyssa said coldly. Tora was thrown back by a magical force, the girl then halting in the air before Alyssa swung her staff up and over her in an arc. The group watched as Tora followed the same motion, screaming as she was tossed over Alyssa and slammed into the ground. Ashes flew up around from the impact as Tora bounced once then dropped limp on the ground next to her staff. Alyssa wavered slightly then looked down at the dark witch who seemed to be knocked out.

"Alyssa!" Daniel called out as the group ran over to her. Alyssa looked up to him then smiled slightly. She wavered to the side then fell forward, being caught by Daniel as he quickly dropped down to a knee to catch her.

"Alyssa? Are you alright?" he asked as he held her up.

"Yeah, I'll be fine, Daniel. Really," she said softly, smiling softly as she took a few deep breaths. She then looked down to Tora as the witch was out cold at her feet.

"So she's the one responsible for all these monsters appearing in our city," the Ashwood guard said with discontent.

"Just who is she anyway?" Daniel asked.

"Her name is Tora; she's… an old acquaintance of mine. She likes summoning monsters from the netherworld, ones that do her fighting for her. Necro magic is her specialty," Alyssa muttered as she stood upright again. She looked down to Tora then kicked her in the side, the unconscious witch jerking to the side slightly and remaining motionless.

"That and she's a bitch," Alyssa grunted with discontent.

"We noticed," Triska said glancing around the area at the destroyed streets and buildings while screams and yells were heard nearby from the guards of Ashwood battling the remaining beasts that were brought forth by the dark witch. The group looked around as the sounds of chaos were still echoing out, as even with the witch out cold her monsters were still running loose in the city.

"So which one of you was doing that with the fire, because that was unbelievable," Triska asked looking around at the destroyed remains of the library. Alyssa smirked and glanced to her.

"Wildfire Witch?" Specca asked. The group looked to her as she was watching Alyssa closely.

"Is that what she called you? You're… the Wildfire Witch?" she asked carefully.

"Wildfire Witch? That name sounds familiar," the Ashwood guard said looking at Alyssa closely. Alyssa looked at Specca with remorse and nodded.

"Yeah… that's… sort of my nickname in the monster world," she said softly.

"So that fire display was from you? I never knew you could do anything like that," Triska said looking at the witch curiously. Tora groaned and started to slowly open her eyes. She blinked a few times then looked up to see the group looking down at her. Triska and the Ashwood guard held their swords down towards her neck as Squeak held her pickaxe back, ready to strike down at a moment’s notice.

"Don't move. Don't even blink," Triska ordered sternly. Squeak merely squeaked something in a firm tone while waving her pickaxe behind her in a threatening manner.

"This is the end of the line for you, witch, any last words?" the Ashwood guard declared with anger. Tora looked at them carefully then to Alyssa.

"You brought this on yourself, Tora, you're a disgrace to witches everywhere," Alyssa said with discontent. Tora chuckled and looked at her with a raised eyebrow.

"Really?
I'm
a disgrace? I'm not the curse of the witch world, Alyssa, I'm not the one hated amongst our kind," she hissed. The group glanced to Alyssa as she showed concern from that.

"Alyssa? What is she talking about?" Daniel asked. Tora laughed and looked over to him.

"Yes, Alyssa, tell your pet all about who you are. Tell him how you're a mistake to all witches everywhere, how the Wildfire Witch is anything but a proud name," she said with a smirk. Everybody turned their eyes over to Alyssa as she was looking down at the ground with worry.

"What is she talking about, Alyssa?" Triska asked.

"It is you," Specca said softly. Alyssa looked up to her as the nixie pointed at the witch with wonder.

"The Wildfire Witch," Specca said as she examined the girl.

"Specca? You've heard of her?" Daniel asked. Specca nodded as she examined the witch curiously.

"She's famous in the witch world; her power over fire is extraordinary. She's from a line of witches that are actually immune to fire. I've heard the stories from other witches that came through here in the marketplace," she said with awe. The group looked to Alyssa as she still had a worried expression, not seeming to be proud of that fact about her.

"You can control fire?" Triska asked curiously. Tora laughed as the group looked back down to her.

"Control? You stupid human, this girl can't
control
fire, that's why she's called the
Wild
fire Witch," she chuckled.

"And just what do you mean by that?" the Ashwood guard asked carefully. The group looked to Alyssa as she trembled, trying not to cry as a few tears were seen.

"Alyssa? What's wrong?" Daniel asked gently.

"I'm… sorry, Daniel," Alyssa whimpered, looking down with closed eyes. She choked back a sob and shook her head.

"But… I'm…" she said shakily. After a pause she looked back up to him with watery eyes.

"I'm actually not liked by any of my kind, not if they know who I really am," she said softly.

"Who you really are?" Daniel asked.

"You're an outcast in the witch world? Why?" Triska asked with a curious eye. Specca glanced to her then back down to Alyssa with a sympathetic expression.

"She destroyed an entire forest in the eastern region, the home to many witches," she said softly. Everybody looked over to her with surprise as Tora laughed amusingly, the dark witch laying back casually while she had two swords being held close to her. She had her arms crossed behind her head as she listened to the group, not seeming to care about being detained by them at all.

"She what?" Triska asked. Alyssa held back in her tears as she trembled. Tora chuckled and glanced to her with a cold smile.

"That's right, your friend here is responsible for the great forest of Ritherwood to be reduced to a decaying and scarred graveyard of its former glory," she said with a bite. Daniel looked at Alyssa with surprise then jumped with a realization.

"Wait, the forest, outside of your home," he said softly. Alyssa nodded shakily before looking up at him.

"That's… Ritherwood," she said nervously.

"You mean what's left of it," Tora added flatly.

"That place was once a live forest? But, everything's dead now," Triska said softly. Tora laughed and nodded in agreement.

"Yes, burned to the ground. Every tree reduced to a charred and decaying piece of lumber, the ground ruined and dried up completely, everything wiped out all because of her fire,” she said with a glare at the witch. Alyssa broke down crying as she held an arm over her eyes, crying like a little girl as the group looked at her with wonder. Specca looked down with worry then glanced away.

"The traveling witches that came through here told of the fabled Wildfire Witch, and how she set loose a horrible firestorm that wiped everything out. The witches that lived there were forced to flee and leave their home while many perished in the flames. Nothing could stop it, the firestorm burned its way all the way out towards the edge of the forest," she explained softly.

"I didn't mean to!" Alyssa cried out.

"Oh, well if you didn't mean to then I guess all is forgiven," Tora said with a harsh glare.

"Is that true, Alyssa? Why… why would you do such a thing?" Daniel asked worriedly. Alyssa sobbed a bit then looked to him with tears dropping down her face.

"I didn't mean to, honest. I never wanted that to happen, that forest was my home too, I loved it there," she whimpered.

"Then why burn it to the ground like that?" Triska asked shaking her head. Alyssa trembled then looked down.

"There were so many wolves around my home, so many wolves. I hated them so much; I wanted them to just leave me alone. They killed my mother, they were a plague to all in the forest, I just wanted them gone forever," she said shakily. Tora merely watched her with a dull expression and a raised eyebrow while the others listened to her story closely. Alyssa took a breath then looked back to Daniel.

"I wanted to get rid of them, to keep them away from my home forever. So one day I started a fire near one of their dens. Just a small one," she said softly. Daniel looked at her curiously as she showed a concerned expression.

"All the witches in my family line can manipulate fire, but we can't control it precisely. We can move it around and somewhat direct it, but we cannot create it out of nothing nor control it perfectly," she continued. She looked back to the library ruins then over to Daniel again.

"I managed to stop this fire while I was still control. The more fire that's around me the stronger my magic becomes, and the stronger the fires become as well. The longer my fires burn the more wild they get, and harder to control," she explained. Daniel and the others looked at her curiously as she showed a fearful expression.

"I just wanted the wolves to be gone. I wanted to scare them off, scare them away from our forest forever. I wanted to burn their dens and frighten them away, but… the fire… it grew too fast. I couldn't stop it. I couldn't. My power raced out of control, the entire area around my home turned into a firestorm so quickly. I managed to keep my house from burning down by focusing the torrent around and away from it with all my power. It spun faster and faster… and faster… and faster… and it grew… bigger… and bigger," she said nervously, showing fear in her eyes as she remembered the monstrous wall of flame that once surrounded her home.

"Alyssa," Daniel said softly. Alyssa started breathing heavily and shaking her head.