Chapter 3: The Enchantress


The sun beamed fiercely on William and Thora as they trekked upon the road leading from Caldeum Bazaar to the Sundered Canyon.

"By gods, I haven't felt the sun's heat this strong in years! How are you holding?" William commented, even he starting to take a toll from the sun's gaze.

"Sweating, but it vill not stop me." Thora simply replied.

Further down the beaten path, the two soon spot a figure faint from the distance. William eyes the figure quite curiously as they get closer, "Does the heat deceive me, or is that a... Beautiful, scantly-clad woman I see?"

He was right, and it was not a mirage. Standing before the two was a pale blond woman with merely a bra, skirt and boots on. She stared at Thora with a bewildered gaze. She kept staring until the barbarian spoke,

"Vhat is vith the odd gaze?"

The blond snapped out of it. "Oh! Oh, my apologies! I have just never seen or imagined a woman your size in my lifetime! It is merely curious!" She said. The woman became even more bewildered once she saw William's head poke out from behind Thora.

"Yes, that is the same thing I spoke when I first met her! But she's harmless to you as long as you don't get in her way."

"That is nice to know. Um... Now what was I going to say..." The woman paused for a long moment to think. Then it hit her. "Oh yes! I was going to warn you of cultists guarding these dessert roads, and that they will slay any who pass. But... You don't need that advice, don't you?"

Thora nodded, "A varning is good to others, but we have dealt vith these cultists before and are here to kill their leader."

"Yes, but I should accompany you. I know these desserts well."

"That is helpful, then. we could use a guide." The blond saunters behind Thora and next to William, and the three continue into the Sundered Canyon.


"A pleasure to make your acquaintance my lady, I am William, and I too know this area well. I used to be a student in the Yshari Sanctum." Somewhat smugly the wizard states.

"The pleasure is mine, William. I am Eirena. But you said you used to be in the Yshari Sanctum? You weren't kicked out from there, weren't you?" Eirena inquires, quite curious of this "Yshari Sanctum".

Drumming up what pride he could muster, William says, "Er, well, they couldn't contain my vast skill and intellect!"

"Villiam is too modest to say he vas escorted out due to "certain circumstances", so he is now a vandering vizard." A big grin creeps across Thora's face as she looks back at William, watching his confidence shrink along with his ego.

William was certainly stunned that his companion overheard his eviction from the sanctum without him even telling her! "How in all that is holy did you know that, Thora? You were nowhere to be had at that time."

"Vell Villiam, I vas in Caldeum a lot longer than you think. Could barely see, but heard voices saying vhat happened. And you vere also so loud I'm sure even the emperor heard."

Giggling at these two, Eirena begins to think. "The prophet said there were two I would follow in my quest... But it couldn't be them, no? They seem too, strange to be a brave pair of heroes..." She becomes apart from her thoughts once spotting a lacuni's shadow. "William, behind you!"

The wizard turns just as a lacuni latches onto him. It swipes William's wand away, forcing him to bring up his shield to block. Thora then punts the beast with a hammer swipe, and it screeches for a quick second before a sharp rock impales it.

"You seem unfocused today, Villiam. Distracted by something?" Thora said.

"Oh, I'll show you." William hit the barbarian with a sharp gaze, grabbing his wand and adjusting his coat. Just when a horde of lacuni appeared, he conjured an energy twister! It sucked in the lacuni, and soon spat them out; into the canyon walls, onto rocks, and one even hitting Thora – which didn't phase her.

Suddenly, rocks started to fall and any remaining lacuni retreated. "The canyon is collapsing! Let us hurry!" Eirena said. Her and William were right behind Thora as they ran from the canyon. They kept running until-

BAM! Thora accidentally ran into a wall. She fell, and Eirena, who was unfortunately right behind her, was nearly crushed.

"Help me help me help me!" The small voice gasps from under Thora. The barbarian brings herself to stand while William helps Eirena up,

"I apologize for my companion, Eirena. She isn't exactly the thinker of this co – YOW!" The wizard is given a good smack upside the head by Thora.

Eirena giggles at this. "Is this how you two always are towards each other? It is quite humorous with 'ze slapping and 'ze arguing and such. To me, at least." William opened his mouth to speak when the blond took a suddenly serious tone, "Wait! The cultists are nearby." But none were around.

And that's when they popped up from the ground. Magically, of course. Many had surrounded the three, but with combined efforts of magic and brutality, they manage to defeat the cultists and their demons!

"How could you foretell the ambush?" Thora asks after uppercutting the last cultist.

"Well, I am an enchantress. The ways of magic and illusion are familiar to me. Like this..." With a simple swish and flick of the staff, the enchantress destroys the illusionary rock wall and reveals a road! "Now, let us go to the Howling Plateau. The cultists are casting illusions there to make the Black Canyon Bridge impassable."


Once at the Howling Plateau, Eirena shows William and Thora a spell that traces the cultists footsteps! This enabled the three to locate the cultists' hideouts, disrupt their rituals and dispel the illusion at Black Canyon Bridge.

At the bridge, the enchantress had begun to tell the two her true tale. "I lived long ago, fifteen-hundred years to be precise. I was trained along with my sisters by a man we called The Prophet. I was put into a deep sleep and awoke in this age, and I am to stop the lords of hell from invading!"

"Well, we do have a common goal, and it would be good to have another mage along. Of course you can help us in our quest." It did not take long for William to decide that.

"Thank you! I will be at camp whilst you need me." Enchantress said.

After she disappeared, Thora let out a hardy laugh, "Ha! Villiam, I do hope your big brain does not become as useless as your little legs vhenever Eirena's around!"

The wizard took slight offense at this, but soon could not help laughing along with her. "You enjoy making me seem a fool, don't you? Fine, I admit I was a bit in the clouds today, but I believe she did start to give in towards the end. And my legs are perfectly normal size, thank you."

After sharing a good laugh, the two make way across the bridge.

"Come. Ve still hunt Maghda, that bi-"

"You mean that witch?"

"Yes Villiam, that vitch."


I could have put in a lot more, mainly in the last few paragraphs, but I decided it's good enough. And yes, I will put Lyndon and Kormac in chapters of their own sometime, but don't expect them to be right after this one. I actually have a good thought on what the next chapter will be, so be sure to stay tuned!