Chapter 23 – Weirder and Weirder
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Previously on The Forgiven: To keep the Elixir of Life out of the reaches of hands less moral, the Forgiven must abduct Nicholas Flamel before anyone else can get to him. The alchemist's location is revealed to be in the Betwixting Forest, where magic runs haywire.
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Five hours have passed since the Forgiven first set foot into the Betwixting Forest.
As the sun rose, and the black skies transitioned to hues of purple and orange, the three looked up after hearing a peculiar sound.
It was like a moaning echo from something otherworldly. The voice was so hollow and pure, it felt awe inducing. A great shadow seemed to engulf the world and the Forgiven looked up to see the owner of the distant song.
It was a giant whale swimming through the air, as if the skies were an ocean all to itself. The colossal creature glided smoothly over the forest, slow but deliberate movements sent winds bending trees below it. Its voice transcended for miles out and shook the insides of the lands' dwellers nearby.
Grimm, Liar, and Norse weren't sure how long they were standing there, but before they knew it, the whale was vanishing into the distance. A sense of forlorning accompanied the great creature's departure. They had never seen something quite so majestic before.
In their lives, which were usually caked in dirt and blood, it was so easy for them to forget the existence of true beauty in the world.
They all breathed a collective sigh.
"The Betwixting Forest….Place really does mess with your sense of reality, doesn't it?" Liar muttered absentmindedly.
""Yeah….""
"And was there not just a storm a few moments ago? I swear, this place just does whatever it pleases."
"One could lose their minds staying here too long." Norse had to sign to them without magic.
"You can say that again, but I'm not complaining. We've got daylight and clear weather now. Might as well make the most of it," said Grimm.
"Where do we begin?"
Grimm shrunk down to her fox form and began attuning her animal senses to the environment. With the storm passed and morning dawning, the forest's inhabitants were coming out of their hiding holes. Streams of information passed through her ears and nose, giving her potential locations to investigate. Dumbledore had provided a piece of cloth belonging to Nicholas Flamel, which she used to trace his scent through. After gathering enough intel, she went back to her human form.
All three pulled out vague maps of the Betwixsting Forest and laid it all on a fallen tree trunk. Grimm started to mark several spots in red marker.
"For the sake of efficiency, we'll be splitting up to follow different leads. It was really hard to pick up, but I got a whiff of someone, who might be Nicholas Flamel in the direction of this river." She drew a line tracing the river on the map. "Norse, I guess I'll leave that to you since you can just go penguin and swim there. This forest seems to have a lot of bodies of water, so exploit that."
Norse morphed into her animal form and saluted with her wing. Grimm nodded and continued.
"I heard a large amount of clumsy movement in this direction here." She pointed on the map. "I'm guessing our competition is field-raking this whole area to find our alchemist." She circled a large portion. "Since we don't know if it's random search, or if they have intel he's around that area, it's better to err on the side of caution. That's why I'll be in charge of that area. If he's there, I'll find him. Plus, I'll impede the enemy's progress and maybe get some info out of them."
""No Crucio."" Norse and Liar communicated.
"I know that! No risking magic in this place. Guess I'll have to use more primitive means of interrogation…" Grimm muttered as she traced the edge of an army dagger. "They can be a bit unreliable though."
"And shall my assignment be?"
"There's a settlement here." Grimm indicated on the map. "Liar, I want you to talk to the locals and see what you can gather. I wouldn't be surprised if they know exactly where Flamel is, seeing as they live here."
"Got it."
"And be careful. Things get dicey, you book it. Doubt anyone could outrun you, but they know the forest. No risks, you ditch the equipment and morph into your lizard form. Don't be conservative about using your Origin Magic either."
"Alright, alright. Be careful, I got it. What's brought on this overprotective treatment?"
Grimm went silent for a moment.
"You're taking it a bit easy now, right?" she asked with an understanding smile.
"…..Oh." Liar scratched his nose embarrassingly. "Suppose I am."
"Good. I'm really glad you decided to."
*Sigh* "Both of you are offputtingly considerate at the oddest times."
Norse pet Liar's head, while Grimm tapped his shin.
After they went over the finer points of the mission, the three readied themselves to separate. Grimm was pulling various knifes from her satchel. Liar was unwrapping a radio from its waterproof container and testing it.
"Alas, I must confess, I never would've thought Moody's Muggle training would come in handy until this very moment."
"No guns, though…" Grimm frowned. "Not like we were trained in that."
"Peh! Those crude and cowardly devices we do better without."
"Hopefully, it's thanks to that same Magi pride the other side wasn't smart enough to bring any either. Well—" Grimm played with the blade in her hands. "—knives are a lot better, anyway."
Liar and Norse gave a small gulp when they saw their leader's fascination.
"Keep your weapons at the ready. Remember, it's not just the people who are a threat, but the magic creatures, who thrive here."
"And no spells to speak of. Perhaps we can recruit one as a pet, so they may act as our guardian."
"I wholeheartedly agree."
"Again, with the pets," Grimm sighed. "How are the radios?"
"It appears the reception isn't very clear. Whatever's interfering with the magic is doing the same with radio waves, it seems. But…"
Liar pressed a button on the device to make clear beeping noises.
"I see. So we use Morse Code then. It's not Legilimency, but it's better than no communication at all."
"Do you not mean, 'NORSE' code?" Norse silently laughed and held her hands up for high fives. The other two gave her judging stares before reluctantly obliging.
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Before entering the settlement, Liar made sure to put his lizard mask on and his hood up. Considering how most of the people here wanted to remain anonymous, the wizard figured he wouldn't seem too suspect. For additional good measure, he added a bit more dirt and tear to his cloak to look more acclimated to the wilderness.
Right as he was reaching the outskirts of the encampment, he felt something surge from his stomach. Liar immediately collapsed to his knees and threw off his mask. Bile stomach acid spewed forth from his mouth and spilled into the dirt. The young man hacked and coughed. Only five seconds passed after the first heave before the second wave hit.
When he finally stopped, Liar looked down at the regurgitated contents.
Mixed in with food from earlier's breakfast was a decent amount of blood. The wizard grimaced as he stood up in frustration. Out of his satchel he withdrew two small vials and emptied the contents into his mouth. Angry with himself, he smashed the containers into a nearby tree.
I didn't even do anything this time!
It's getting worse…!
Liar wiped his mouth and rebalanced himself. Though, his breath was still short, the wizard was determined to soldier on. One shaky step past the other, he made his way into the camp.
The young man was surprised at how civilized the settlement was.
Rows of large tents lined the open grass field. Each had its own resident of at least three people. Many of them were open and selling foods, Muggle objects, medicine, and other miscellaneous items. It was practically a tiny village.
Liar went from stall to stall trying to collect as much info as possible. From what he gathered, this particular community relied on each other than work independently. They had members dedicated to hunting, to gathering herbs, even potion making. It was in the last bit Liar was interested in.
The wizard started skimming the wares of potion sellers. Most of them were a poor brew, but considering where they were, it wasn't a surprise. What Liar was really looking for was—
He quickly snatched one of the vials and held it to the sun. The quality of the potion was a significant cut above the rest. Its liquid content was smooth, red, and translucent; little to no impurities were present. Being a chemist in his own right, Liar could tell this one was mixed by a true master of the craft.
"Who is the potion master who brewed this?" he asked the seller.
"Oh! Good eye fer quality, don't ya? Fella calls himself 'Confucius'. Not his real name o' course."
"Do you know where I can find him?"
"Hmmmm…..Depends…." The seller stroked his beard suggestively.
Liar smiled, and took out a sack of Galleons. The gold reflected bright in the salesman's eyes, but the man never so much as blinked. Only a disappointed frown arose on his face.
"Tha' money's no good here! Whatta ya have to trade, man? Tha's how things work in 'dese parts!"
"Oh…..right, you are." Liar began sifting through his supplies. Most of the equipment in his possession was Muggle equipment, but he only wanted to trade them as a last resort. After rustling through what he could and could not part with, the wizard found a familiar looking carton.
Liar frowned and unwrapped the cigarette pack from its waterproof container.
Trade as old as time….
The seller's eyes turned into large pools of desire upon seeing it.
Not a good poker face you have there, old man.
"I'll tell ya what ya want ta know, but fer the pack firs'."
"That's a poor deal, friend. I would have the info first—" Liar pulled out one of the cigarettes and lit it. "—and then you would have half the pack." The wizard blew a dense wisp of tobacco near the seller, enticing him with the smell.
"Hmph…."
The salesman deliberated for a moment, before giving Liar the location. While he did so, the young wizard read the man's tells carefully; analyzing every minute movement of his face, and the subtle inflections in his tone. Those who practiced the art of lying were in turn, able to find it in others.
"No play, old man. I know a thing or two about telling lies. Try again, please. The real info this time, or I walk away," Liar smirked.
"Bah! You accusin' me ah lyin'! Yer an outsider stealin' me info fer free!" he yelled for everyone nearby to hear.
"Hahaha! I get it, I get it."
Liar gave a small wave, as he made his way from the camp, and to the treeline. There, he waited, barely visible to anyone who wasn't paying attention. After a few minutes, the seller came out and approached him.
As an act of sincerity, Liar lit a cigarette and offered it to the old man. The seller took it with a big toothy grin, as Liar lit another one for himself. The two enjoyed their smoke for a moment, before getting down to business.
"Fire Drakes….'Ya have ta go real far fer one o' these."
"And no Apparation around here. I'm sure it's a long walk."
"Aye." He took a long drag, burning out half the cigarette in one go. "Dun tell anyone abou' this, alrigh'?"
"Not a word."
"Community's s'posed ta look out fer each other. Confucius ain't innit, but still, dun want no one ta doubt me."
"My lips are sealed."
The old salesman nodded and Liar gave him another cigarette.
After getting the information from the seller, Liar tossed him the whole pack. As soon as he was out of sight and sound from the encampment, the wizard radioed Norse and Grimm to relay the intel he gathered.
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The witch tasted iron in her mouth. Blood dripped from the edges of her furry lips and the dagger she held between her teeth. Around her were five bodies, all of them dead from knife wounds in the neck. The fox pricked up her ears to home in on her next cluster of targets.
Grimm detected another group of five witches and wizards, and swiftly dashed in their direction. Her prey bumbled through the forest in clumsy fashion. It was easy practice to take them down.
The fox stalked them from through the dense bushes, and climbed into the trees. One by one, she lightly pounced on their shoulders, and before they could respond to what was happening, she sunk her knife into the side of their neck. By the time the others noticed, Grimm was already nowhere to be seen.
The fox killed the dark Magi, leaving only one alive. For the last mercenary, she darted quickly behind her legs, and severed the veins in her knees. The witch screamed as she fell. Two puddles of blood pooled underneath her.
Grimm morphed into her human form and walked towards the older woman writhing on the ground. As if the situation wasn't terrifying enough for the mercenary, the Forgiven leader's mouth was covered in blood, giving her the image of a cannibal.
With no reluctance whatsoever, Grimm stepped on one of the older witch's bleeding legs.
"GAAHHHH!"
The woman tried to remove the foot from her knee, but when she did so, Grimm peeled back one of her arms and stabbed it into the ground with a dagger.
"GAAAAAHHHHH!"
Tears flooded from the mercenary's eyes as she screamed and sobbed in pain. To shut her up, Grimm covered her mouth with a strong grip. The witch tried to look away, but Grimm kept her face forward so their eyes were dead locked.
"Who are you with?" the Forgiven asked, lifting her hand a bit so the other could speak.
"…! Spri…ggan…!" she stuttered.
"Hm. That makes you my competition. I'm from Troll Garden, see?" Grimm lied.
"What?! You're betraying us?!"
"…Betraying you?"
"You bastards were the one who set up this damn alliance!"
"I thought something was up. So the big mercenary guilds are working together. Makes sense—the forest is hard enough to cover without having to fight each other. How civil of you lot…."
Grimm pulled a second knife from her cloak and stabbed it into the woman's jugular.
"An alliance….and it was set up by Troll Garden? How the hell'd they manage that?" A dark inkling suspicion began to grow. "There's something to it, I've got a real bad feeling about this one…..
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Could the one after the Sorcerer's Stone be related to Troll Garden?"
As Grimm pondered her hypothesis further, her radio crackled to life. A string of high pitched blips followed.
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Norse swam through the rapid river currents with ease, when she heard her radio sound off.
The bird hopped nimbly to the nearest river bed and listened intently to Liar's transmission. From the message, Nicholas Flamel's location was close to the area she was searching. Along with the whereabouts, was the description of the Alchemist's home and appearance.
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Not sure if she heard the Morse Code correctly, Norse tapped together a response. A message came soon after.
"You heard right. The target's house is a—"
*SPLASH*
Norse looked up and saw her second strangest sight today.
Crashing through the water was an enormous Hermit Crab with a great black shell on its back, as large as a small house. With its spider-like limbs, the crustacean skittered down the river. The building on its back lurched to and fro, but surprisingly stable.
Weirder and weirder,Norse thought.
She tapped a message to the other two.
"I've found him."