To Ophilia, it sounded as if the trees of the Whisperwood were singing.
She had never been anywhere outside of Flamesgrace after she was initially taken there by her adoptive father. It wasn't that she had to stay there all the time; she simply didn't wish to leave, content with her life and not seeing much of a reason to explore the world. Flamesgrace was safe and comforting, everything that the world just outside the town's boundaries was not. Her journey to retrieve the Ember had been her first true act of defiance in a life lived solely for the purpose of the church, and the ensuing adventure was her first time seeing the world at large outside of the distance between the remnants of her childhood home and the place that she would live for the next set number of years.
And yet, Ophilia found herself fascinated with the world around her in the Whisperwood specifically. Part of her wondered how she had ever managed to keep herself so secluded and isolated from everything else to begin with. The Whisperwood truly was beautiful, each tree seeming to bend so perfectly in the breeze. It was like the environment itself was coming together to contribute a perfect picture of something graceful and awe-inspiring, and Ophilia was left with little more to do than simply stare at it all.
H'aanit had mentioned the balance of the forest a few times as the group set off on their travels, and Ophilia was starting to understand what she had meant by that. This was a beautiful place, and its tranquility deserved to be protected. The Whisperwood was incredible, the first environment to ever strike Ophilia silent since she first arrived in the Frostlands at Josef's side what felt like a lifetime ago. The song of the trees and grass and everything in between seemed to soothe her in ways that she hadn't thought possible. She wondered if perhaps the area had been named the Whisperwood because of the way that the environment seemed to come together to form a choir, different plants singing alto, tenor, and bass while the breeze came through with a delicate soprano melody. This was the theory that Ophilia was sticking to for the time being regardless of how correct it is, and she found herself smiling at the mere thought of it all.
The rest of the group, on the other hand, didn't seem to be as infatuated with the natural beauty of the space. Therion's expression was as deadpan and emotionless as it had been when he first found himself as part of the group, and Olberic was doing his best to concentrate on the mission. Tressa and Alfyn stared at small plants with Alfyn wondering how potent they would be in terms of medicine. Cyrus' eyes seemed to dart everywhere as he tried to absorb as much as he could visually from the area as possible. He was undoubtedly preparing to engage in some type of research because of his curiosity, though it was far from the awestruck wonder that Ophilia felt.
The only one who could even somewhat compare to what Ophilia was experiencing was Primrose, though she still didn't seem to be able to comprehend it in full. Her hand remained on her dagger the whole time, ready to rip the blade from its sheath at a moment's notice in case she had to jab it in the direction of an attacking monster. Ophilia found something inside of her heart overwhelmed with sadness at the sight of Primrose's hyperactive sense of vigilance. She could tell that there was something that had pushed Primrose in this direction, and she wished that there was something she could do to help.
All things considered, Ophilia thought that she knew the least about Primrose. Her destination was Stillsnow, apparently, and that was one of the closest towns to where they were at present. On top of that, her goal seemed to be time sensitive, though unlike Therion, that didn't manifest in the form of glares like knives. Instead, she simply never seemed to be able to calm herself, like there was constantly an itch that she couldn't scratch no matter how hard she tried. It seemed as if the group would be at Stillsnow soon enough given its proximity to S'warkii, but that did little to calm Primrose's raging nerves, it seemed.
Ophilia didn't even know what Primrose was trying to accomplish. In every other case, she knew what their team's members were trying to do, but Primrose remained a mystery. Helgenish hadn't exactly helped in revealing the truth behind Primrose's ambitions before he got a knife to the chest, and Yusufa didn't show any signs of understanding either. Primrose was a secretive woman, and it most certainly showed. She knew how to keep certain matters quiet if she didn't want anyone to find out about them, and unfortunately, that was going to keep Ophilia from finding the answers that she was seeking. She was going to find a way to reveal the truth soon enough, she was sure, but she had no idea how such a thing was going to happen.
"We aren almost at our destination," H'aanit suddenly declared, and Ophilia perked up. She had been so concentrated on her own thoughts that she didn't even notice that the group was on the verge of entering the heart of the forest. The primary source of light in the area was Ophilia's Lanthorn, and she gripped the handle a little bit tighter. The ghisarma was undoubtedly at the core of the forest where the light was least prominent. Cyrus had mentioned that he heard these beasts enjoyed the darkness, and H'aanit had confirmed such a fact.
Ophilia wasn't looking forward to facing off against the beast, though she supposed that none of the members of their group were. Beyond that though, there was something else that caught her attention as a subject of unease. It didn't seem as if H'aanit had a reason to leave behind the village of S'warkii. Ophilia felt as if she had to find a way to convince H'aanit to travel with the rest of the party before they left the town behind, but she didn't know how she was going to accomplish such a thing. H'aanit was content where she was, and Ophilia didn't want to simply drag her away from her home. She would feel awful about even attempting something of that nature.
Simultaneously though, Ophilia knew that H'aanit had to join them somehow. The more that she thought about it, the more confident she was in such a concept. It was ridiculous, in its own special way, that she wanted to do all of this to begin with. The voice that had spoken to her through the Ember had made it clear that this was the path that she had to follow though, and Ophilia had seen no reason to distrust the Ember's decisions in the past. After all, they had led her to the other members of the group, and these connections were sure to last a lifetime. She knew that she was getting attached quickly, but at the same time, she simply knew this to be the case. It came as naturally to her as breathing.
But there were so many unanswered questions that she had. Who was this woman that was trying to get into contact with her through the Ember in the first place? Why had this voice never surfaced to her beforehand? If it had something to do with her being the Flamebearer, had it happened to past clerics on the Kindling? Ophilia was looking for anything that would answer these questions, but she didn't know if there was a way to hear the truth. She didn't even know how to explain these sudden odd occurrences to her traveling companions. What would she even say if she tried? The words stubbornly refused to form, and they likely wouldn't make much sense even if she did get them out by some stroke of a miracle.
Even if Ophilia had wanted to speak such a thought process though, she wouldn't have been given the chance. The smell of something rancid and disgusting reached her nose, and Ophilia recoiled as she raised one hand to pinch her nostrils tight. She had no reason to ask what the source of the scent was; after all, she knew the stench of blood better than anything else.
The Whisperwood had devolved to being dark enough that the Ember was the only sign of light, and the gentle white flame offered a limited view of the general region. Ophilia felt as if she was going to be sick at the sight of crimson staining the shaded grass. There were bodies scattered about, and if Ophilia had to guess, she would have assumed that they were members of the merchant convoy that had been almost completely annihilated by the ghisarma. There were a few wolves, undoubtedly inhabitants of the forest, scattered amidst the human forms. Ophilia's head suddenly hurt with something splitting at the base of her skull, and part of her feared that she was going to lose her footing and collapse to the ground in her sickness.
"Spirits haven mercy..." H'aanit murmured under her breath as she examined the area. She seemed to have already noticed that all of the merchants and wolves were already long dead, so there was no point to trying to find any survivors. "This was not done in the name of survival. The ghisarma sought not food. It sought sport and wanton slaughter."
"How truly grotesque..." Cyrus remarked. He had chosen to look away from the scene, and he seemed to be a bit paler than usual. He had never seemed to enjoy the sight of blood. None of them had a reason to like it, of course, but Cyrus' response seemed particularly strong in its negativity.
"They didn't have a way of defending themselves. It was bound to end in tragedy from the start," Primrose murmured. She didn't seem to be as bothered by the sight as other members of the group, and she crouched beside one of the fallen merchants with her eyes narrowed in unspoken grief. The merchant had dark hair cut short to her face in a style that was all too familiar and reminded the earlier members of the group of tragedy taking place amidst desert sands. Ophilia recognized the look in Primrose's eyes as grief, and it didn't take long for her to recognize that Primrose was at least somewhat projecting her sorrow regarding Yusufa onto the merchants that had been defeated in such a dreadful way.
"The ghisarma killed these men and beasts simply as a show of power," Olberic commented. One of his hands remained firm on the hilt of his blade, ready to pull it free of its sheath in the blink of an eye if the need was provided. Ophilia found herself preparing passively for combat as well; she hardly wanted to meet the same fate as the merchants and wolves, so she had to be ready.
The group was silenced by the sound of footsteps on the grass, and Ophilia could have sworn that she felt her heart stop in her chest for a few fleeting moments. She only allowed herself to breathe once again when she saw that the cause of the noise was not the ghisarma at all. The new arrivals lacked the dreadful size and horrifying shape of the forest's intruder.
Instead, the two creatures that had arrived on the scene were wolves. They were dark gray in color, undoubtedly of the same species as the wolves that had been slain by the ghisarma. Ophilia could see them only barely in the light that the Ember cast, but that was more than enough for H'aanit, who watched them with a careful gaze. She wasn't at all frightened, and her easy stance allowed the rest of the group to relax as well.
"They're shaking," Tressa murmured, and Ophilia noticed that she was right. The wolves were trembling ever so slightly, though the motion was so minimal that it seemed to almost completely blend in with the shadows around them. Ophilia felt her heart shatter in her chest, and she wished that there was something more she that she could do.
"Thou witnessedst what the beast did. It madeth thee bear witness," H'aanit murmured under her breath. Her eyes were still locked firmly on the wolves, and she didn't move at all aside from her gentle patterns of speech. Even Linde was motionless at the side of her hunting partner.
H'aanit contemplated her words for a long moment before she took a step forward, and Ophilia stared at her in caution, almost afraid of what she might find when H'aanit moved. The huntress' voice was gentle and deliberate when she spoke once again, a far cry from the regular stoicism that she displayed. "Patience. I shall returne and attende to the fallen," H'aanit told the wolves evenly. "But first, they shallen be avenged." One of the wolves moved towards her, and H'aanit looked down at it carefully. "Wilt thou protect them, friend, until my return?" H'aanit was quiet for a moment, almost as if she was expecting an answer, before she nodded. "Thanke thee. I shall returne anon."
H'aanit began to walk around the bodies a moment later, Linde on her heels. Neither of the wolves made any moves to lash out at H'aanit or Linde as they passed by. The rest of the travelers began to trail behind her hesitantly, and Ophilia could have sworn that she saw even Therion was somewhat rattled by what he had seen at the entrance to the area, not that he was bothering to openly show it. She pulled the Ember a little bit closer for the sake of her own comfort before she joined the rest of her party, something nervous and paranoid starting to rise in her chest. Somehow, she felt even worse about the ghisarma situation than she did before, and she didn't even realize that was possible.
H'aanit knew the way of the forest better than any other. Living in S'warkii had given her the chance to understand all that happened under the influence of the land, and the cycle of life and death was something she was all too familiar with. Prey were eaten by predators, and those predators ultimately became prey themselves to those who were stronger. It was how the natural world had progressed since the age of the gods. Creatures fought for the sake of their own health. They defended themselves and their territory if need be while attaining the food that they sought.
But the ghisarma was different. It killed countless living creatures for its own pleasure, uncaring as to what the truth of the world meant. It was taking more than it needed, and it was dragging down every other living creature along with it. This was no longer simply about Lord Ciaran's request; it was just as much being done for the sake of the forest's stability. The ghisarma's very presence in the forest was an intrusion, and H'aanit was going to do what she could to resolve this matter and find the justice that was necessary for the other occupants of the Whisperwood.
"I hunte to save the forest itself," H'aanit murmured. Her words were soft, and no other member of the company seemed to notice. That was fine with H'aanit, and she focused on continuing to move in the direction of her quarry.
The entire group fell silent in the aftermath of the gruesome sight that they had been met with. Nobody seemed to want to risk speaking and potentially wind up poking the beast that was the ghisarma. If they pushed anything too hard, they were bound to wind up hurt. It seemed as if the Whisperwood itself was terrified of the ghisarma, and the gentle whisper of the wind through the trees had gone completely quiet. The song of the forest had disappeared, leaving behind nothing more than an empty space and too much silence for it to be comfortable in the slightest.
The other creatures that lived in the Whisperwood refused to leave their homes behind either. They were all in hiding because of the ghisarma, it seemed, and they didn't want to risk jumping out from their cover and winding up the newest victims of the beast. H'aanit could hardly blame them. The ghisarma wanted nothing more than to show off its strength by tearing other creatures to pieces, and it was natural to not want to fall victim to such a thing. Her hand remained firmly placed at the side of her bow as she continued walking, ready to pull the weapon free of its home to fire an arrow at the first sight of the ghisarma.
The only sound that reached H'aanit's ears throughout the rest of their journey was the noise that came with shoes hitting the grass below. The Ember was the only source of light, and the forest seemed almost intrigued by what the newcomers were going to be doing. H'aanit kept her lips still, but she made a silent promise to the land around her that she was going to do what she could to bring it salvation. She had already told the wolves that she would be back to bury the dead from the ghisarma's last slaughter, and she fully intended on doing so. It wasn't just the merchant at Lord Ciaran's manse that had been left traumatized by the beast; the forest itself was struggling after what it had been left a witness to.
The silence seemed to grow heavy as the group grew closer to their destination, and at some point, there was a shift like the snap of a finger to show that they were on the verge of arriving before the ghisarma. H'aanit was far from being the only one to catch onto it; the other members of the group all grew tense, and they reached for their weapons, ready to lash out at a moment's notice if they saw reason to strike. The ghisarma was close, and they could all feel it.
H'aanit pulled her bow free of its home on her back, and she nocked an arrow after reaching for her quiver. The moment that she was given the chance, she was going to send the arrow flying. This was hardly going to be an easy hunt, and any advantage that she could grant herself would be both much needed and appreciated.
A gentle whimper could be heard from nearby, but it hardly sounded human. H'aanit took a few cautious steps forward, and her eyes went wide. The light from the Ember was cast upon another pair of corpses belonging to wolves of the Woodlands. There were three wolves nearby, all of them prepared for combat in the face of something that was obviously beyond terrifying. H'aanit already knew what it was that she was going to be finding, and the unholy roar that pierced the air only proved her theory.
H'aanit released her arrow a moment later, and it struck the paw of the ghisarma. "That is enough," she declared. She dashed to the sides of the wolves, the rest of the travelers in hot pursuit alongside Linde. The wolves once again chose to not lash out at the group, understanding that the time had come for them to act as allies in the face of their foe. The sound of a wolf whimpering once again reached H'aanit's ears.
As the light from the Ember spread to be able to reach the ghisarma, H'aanit narrowed her eyes. The beast was covered in dark and stringy hair, though there were a few patches where its purplish pink skin could be seen, such as on its legs. Its eyes were red and crazed, and its tail flicked dangerously behind it, the clear sign that it was about to strike. Saliva dripped down from between its teeth, landing ominously on the grass below. The beast was perched on a higher ledge, giving it the full ability to look down on those who it believed would become its prey.
H'aanit glanced briefly in the direction of the wolves standing at her side. Everything fell silent for a long moment, and H'aanit's eyes did all that they had to in order to communicate her point. The leading wolf offered one final whimper in her direction before dashing away, its two companion bounding after it. H'aanit watched them go before she turned her attention back to the ghisarma.
She remained unflinching even in the face of yet another mighty roar from the ghisarma. "Thou scarest me not, beast," she told it firmly. She was quiet for a long moment before she spoke once more. "Is it not so? Thou wert driven from thine home. Bested by a beast more powerful, thou fledst and foundest thyself here. I understande thy pain all too well." H'aanit shook her head, not allowing her own quiet thoughts to get the best of her in the face of something that was undoubtedly dangerous. "But to turnen thy grief and anger against innocent creatures... That is a sin of men. It was thy duty to adapten to the forest, to letten it finden a place for you... Instead, thou wouldst rippen out its heart and claim it as thine own. This cannot be forgiven."
The ghisarma roared once again, and H'aanit reached for an arrow before leveling her bow in the creature's direction. Behind her, the rest of her companions were too stunned to speak, uncertain as to how she was finding the strength to be so bold in the face of such a beast to begin with, but H'aanit paid them no heed, knowing there were more important matters for her to concentrate on. "Thou hast trespassed, beast," she said bluntly. "And in the name of the forest, I visite justice upon thee!" She released her second arrow straight at the ghisarma.
The beast rose to the bait just as H'aanit anticipated, and it lunged down from its place atop the grassy cliffside. The rest of the travelers all took steps back on pure instinct, understanding the danger that this creature could visit upon them, but H'aanit remained firm and motionless. She reached for another arrow instead. The ghisarma was hardly going to be falling easily, and she was bound to need the aid of the rest of the party. She knew that they were going to be standing at her side the whole way through, but she still wanted to open the battle with a distraction of her own against the ghisarma to ensure that it didn't lash out immediately.
H'aanit was successful in making contact with the arrow attack, and it seemed to do a significant amount of damage to the beast. In fact, the ghisarma seemed actively rattled by the hit. H'aanit knew that there were some monsters that were weaker to some attacks compared to others, and it seemed as if the ghisarma was heavily impacted by arrows. It undoubtedly had other weaknesses though; it simply had to have other sensitive spots. If it was only weak to arrows, then it was going to be hard for anyone aside from her or Tressa to deal the damage that they needed to.
Cyrus let out a hum under his breath and nodded to himself. "The beast appears to be weak to ice magic! That is what its posture seems to imply," he declared. "Many creatures in this region are weak to thunder magic as well, so that could be something else for us to try. Since it is inclined to remain in darker spaces, light magic will undoubtedly be effective against it too. Keep that in mind as we continue the battle, everyone!"
H'aanit didn't know how Cyrus was able to find that piece of information about the ice magic weakness so quickly, but she supposed that it was hardly any of her business. The ice magic was going to have to stay in the hands of Ophilia, Cyrus, and Alfyn since H'aanit couldn't use it even if she wanted to. H'aanit did, however, know how to utilize thunder magic, though it was less effective than simply attacking with her bow. She nocked another arrow and sent it flying, and a subsequent arrow strike followed a moment later from none other than Tressa.
Linde lunged forward, scratching at the ghisarma with one fierce claw. The leopard had retreated before the ghisarma could lash out at her again, so the ghisarma instead turned its attention in the direction of the rest of the group. It swept one claw forward, and H'aanit's eyes went wide. She reached for her axe before she raised it to block the attack.
Unfortunately, not all of the other members of the group were lucky enough to endure such a rough strike. Olberic and Alfyn were able to raise their own weapons in time to block the attack, but Cyrus and Ophilia were knocked off their feet entirely. Therion was sent sliding backward before slamming into the trunk of the nearest tree a good five yards away, and he was grasping at his stomach with the arm that wasn't keeping his weapon balanced. Primrose had sustained a notable gash across her left leg, and she was switching her weight to her right side to make sure that she didn't hurt herself more than she already had.
As she shifted her balance though, Primrose flicked one hand out in the direction of the beast. A moment later, icy magic burst free of her fingers, building upon itself before it slammed into the ghisarma. The beast roared in pain before it halted its path at a secondary attack. Cyrus and Ophilia glanced over at Primrose in surprise, no doubt surprised that she was capable of such a thing despite having never shown signs of it before. "I've been watching you two cast those spells for a while," she said simply, not offering any other explanations.
With the ghisarma temporarily downed, H'aanit nocked another arrow and sent it flying with as much force as she had. The arrow spiraled before slamming into the ghisarma's front leg, instantly weakening the creature's sense of balance. The beast screamed in pain, but it was unable to find its sense of balance once again. Tressa limped into view before she sent an arrow of her own out, and H'aanit realized that she had twisted her ankle in an attempt to get away from the attack of the ghisarma a few moments prior.
Ophilia was able to get to her feet in the moments where H'aanit and Tressa had the ghisarma distracted, and once she was back to her full heigh, she pressed her hands together and released an attack of light magic. Cyrus followed suit a moment later with his icy powers, and the beast was hit twice from his attack. Alfyn sent out a second icy attack, though it lacked the punch that Ophilia and Cyrus' magical abilities possessed.
Olberic rushed toward the creature and slashed his sword at the creature, worsening the injury that H'aanit and Tressa had already created on one of its legs. The ghisarma shrieked once again, and blood gushed crimson and hot free of the wound. H'aanit wasn't shaken by the bloodshed due to her career, but out of the corner of her eye, she saw Tressa and Cyrus both making an active effort to not look at the wound in full.
Primrose was the next to strike with an icy attack of her own, and she was only barely able to get it off before the ghisarma returned to its state of preparedness. The beast was undoubtedly injured because of the wound to its front leg, and it refused to put weight on the injured limb as it lifted its other claw and sent an attack out. Briefly, the creature appeared bipedal, but nobody had the chance to process such a fact.
The claw strike came with just as much force and desperation as the previous one had, but this time around, H'aanit and Olberic did all that they could to defend the rest of the party from the full damages of the attack. Tressa released a blast of wind magic in the ghisarma's direction, and while this didn't fully stop the beast from lashing out, it didn't force the ghisarma back by a few precious feet, the difference between damage and salvation.
The ghisarma recovered quickly though, turning around and sending a quick swipe of its tail out in the direction of the group. Tressa's legs were swept out from her, and Alfyn winced at the contact to his own calves. H'aanit raised her axe and brought it down on the beast's tail when it strayed too close to her, and the ghisarma's attack immediately stopped.
Despite the bruises that were undoubtedly forming on his legs, Alfyn moved in Tressa's direction and worked on hauling her back to her feet. Tressa stumbled a bit at first before managing to find her sense of balance again. Meanwhile, Cyrus, Ophilia, and Primrose got to work with the magic that they had at their disposal, and the ghisarma was left too distracted by their attacks to bother lashing out at the rest of the group.
H'aanit nocked yet another arrow as Linde fell into a combat ready position once again. The fight was nearing its conclusion, but that didn't mean that they could be merciful or lose their sense of caution. A cornered beast was the most dangerous, something H'aanit had learned years prior. Care was beyond important, but H'aanit could tell that the ghisarma was growing weaker. All she had to do was ensure that the battle finished, and she had full confidence that she would be able to do such a thing in no time.
It's update time again, everyone! What do you know?
This time around, we're getting closer than ever before to the end of the chapter ones cycle. All things considered, I think that this chapter turned out well, and the ghisarma fight is already one of my favorites that has been written so far. The full team being here really does make for new possibilities, and I'm glad that I can take advantage of it now. After this next chapter, I'll be ready to move into the territory of the chapter twos too, and that's going to be tons of fun.
For the time being though, this chapter definitely falls into the category of great on the pure factor of atmosphere. The characters are starting to grow more comfortable around one another, and the atmosphere of this chapter, while on the darker side, seems to contribute to that in its own special way. I love how everything in this chapter came together, truth be told. This story really is a joy to work on.
With that said, I'm going to leave things off here. Next time that we get together, it will be our final update of random timing before this story finds its stride on Thursdays for new updates, and that will be the conclusion of H'aanit's chapter one! Until then, I hope you all enjoyed. Feedback is appreciated just like always. Have a nice day, everyone!
-Digital