Chapter. 13

The sun was setting as the four mages returned to the cottage on the hill. Remus opened the door and lit the fireplace. "Feels like we make this our home base."

"Though it does raise the question of what's for dinner?" Asked Simila.

"I'll check the woods, see if I can get some game. Sis you check the windmill, see if you can find anything there. Sortiara, you and Snow guard the cottage."

Sortiara crossed her arms. "I'm not doing that."

"Would you rather trade duties?" Sortiara thought about it then sat by the fire as Snow warmed her hands.

The twins went outside to get to work. The windmill door was locked so Simila had to blow it open with a fire mortar. Inside Simila found bags of grain and nuts.

"Nutty bread. Reminds me when we were kids." Remus commented.

"We used to bake them with gran."

"I miss her." The twins were silent as they remembered their grandmother, after a moment Remus left to find game.

As this went on Sortiara and Snow were inside, keeping the fire going. Sortiara glanced at Snow from time to time, she could understand why Snow cared about her mother so much after all that she had done to her.

Snow noticed Sortiara gazing at her. "Are you okay?"

"Why? Why do you care about your mother, she cursed you, sacrificed you to the chalice. How can anyone care for a such a horrible person."

"Because she's my mother."

"That's it? That can't be enough!"

"Do you, do you hate your mother?"

Sortiara turned her gaze back to the fire. "I don't have mother."

"I'm sorry."

"Why are you being nice, you're just like Remus."

"You saved me, whatever reason you had. Doesn't change that."

Sortiara stood up and went up stairs. At the same time Simila came back inside, bags of wheat and nuts being carried with floating hands made of vines. "Hey Snow can you help me with these?"

...

The sun was down as Remus searched the woods he found the trail he took to get to back to the cottage and across from it was deer. Remus kneeled down and placed his hand on the ground to trap the deer with with stone magic, a fireball hit the deer and Remus dove behind a bush.

"There's dinner."

"We don't have time for that."

"Come on we have work to do."

"They have to have stopped around here somewhere."

Remus looked over the bush to find the four avalon sorcerers. "They just killed a deer and aren't gonna do anything with it?" As the sorcerers walked passed him Remus stood up and walked into the road, he raised a stone wall to block the sorcerers path.

"Looking for me?" Lightning sparked off both his arms.

The sorcerers turned to Remus then threw fire spears. Remus held out his left hand to create a shield of electricity to stop the spear and held up his right hand. A magic circle formed over the sorcerers and chunks of ice fell on top of them.

One of the magic users was down and two were hurt while the last one dove forward to dodge. The sorcerer rolled to his feet and summoned an ice sword.

Remus grew a fire arm and punched the sorcerer back into the others.

Three of the sorcerers pushed themselves up and each held out their right hand to their fallen comrade. "What are they-" The sorcerers began to sacrifice their the fallen mage.

"Stop it!" Remus' arm changed into a dragon head made of ice, the head opened it's mouth and breathed ice on the sorcerers.

The sorcerers were frozen where they stood. Remus summoned a fire in his other hand and held it to the sorcerers to melt the ice over their head to prevent them from dying. He melted the ice on the fallen enemy and healed them before refreezing their right arm and legs.

"What you doing?! Kill us!"

Remus backhanded the sorcerer. "No. I'm not avalon, I don't believe in killing everyone who makes a mistake." Remus lowered the stone wall and walked away.

"We'll hunt you traitor! You and that girl didn't have what it takes!"

Remus stopped. "I let you live. That girl's name is Sortiara and the monster you were looking for is Snow. Their people and they have names. But that's something avalon doesn't want you to think, is it?" Remus turned to look at the magic users. "You come after me or my friends again remember this, I let you live. I can take away that favor of kindness."

The sorcerers could do nothing but watch Remus leave them. "What mercy is this?! You don't kill but leave us here?!"

"Let fate decide, that's the way of grim. The way of defying the gods." Remus raised dirt to form a stone hand and carry the deer and went the woods so the sorcerers couldn't fallow him to the cottage.

Remus walked through the woods searching for the cottage. His thoughts were on the avalon sorcerers and how there'd be more of them. "Can I protect them all myself?"

Doubt welled up in Remus, thoughts of his friends dying filled his mind. A warm light shined behind Remus. "Do you have a wish? Offer a sacrifice." The voice sounded sweet and enchanting.

Remus leased his magic on the stone hand and dropped the deer. "I can grant any wish, for only a sacrifice."

Remus right arm changed into a thunder giant's, he turned to voice and punched the sacred chalice. "I refuse."

The chalice was thrown back into a tree. The chalice was a cup that rested atop skulls and bones. The item shined and floated. "How dare you defy me."

"I don't need your help."

"Your heart would say otherwise."

Remus held up his hand and looked into his palm. "Humans have fragile hearts, we can't do everything alone." The knight closed his hand into a fist. "But, we don't need gods who only see humans as plaything."

"Enough!" The chalice's voice boom, it's patience was gone. "Made the sacrifice, the gods demands it! Your heart demands it!"

"I don't want the gods want, and don't act like you know what my heart wants."

"You do not have a choice." Remus right hand started moving on its own, Remus struggled but his hand hung over the deer and began to sacrifice it. Remus held out his left hand and released a burst of lightning at the chalice.

Remus right arm was freed and the duel caster held out his right hand to double the electric discharge. The chalice released light to stun Remus. "There's another twin mage?" Bone materialized under the chalice, forming a whole skeleton and connected to the chalice then white armor appeared over the bones. "So, you have the blood of Grim."

"Yeah, what are you gonna do about it?" Remus held fire mortars in his hands.

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