A History Through Blood

Atop the hill overlooking a quiet village, there lived an elderly crone named Gelle. It was not uncommon for the nearby villagers to see strange lights dimly glowing from her disheveled home at strange hours. Whatever rituals she performed were for the most part ignored by the townsfolk; the few who dared confront her seemed to come down with strange and incurable diseases or meet their end in unfortunate accidents. The old hag was a dominating and malevolent force on the surrounding lands, leeching off of the hard work of others. She survived by extorting payment from nearby farmers, lest her displeasure manifest in other ways.

Gelle watched over the village through the window of her weather-worn shack, occasionally checking the various charms that protected her from the elements. Carved animal bone charms hung at strange angles, while straw dolls and carved animalistic figurines filled the various shelves that were not taken up by strange components in abstract containers. She gently placed her latest creation on the window with utmost care, making sure that her fingers did not contact the blood that dripped from the fetid rat heart she had impaled onto its surface.

Her concentration was broken as a crow swooped down into her home, landing on her cluttered table. “Ah yes, welcome home Osbert. Welcome, welcome. What news do you bring?” The old crone began to reach out to gently caress her avian pet, but she was unable to due to its incessant movement and enthusiastic cawing. “Hmmm... interesting. An injured vampire will be travelling through the village... Such a powerful creature. Oh, just think of the rituals. Just by drinking her blood I could... no, no... we must not forget our patron. But I am sure they would let me keep a few reagents, yes. Yes...” Pleased with the news it brought her, Gelle removed some dried meat to reward her loyal subject. After greedily gulping down its reward, the crow continued its report in a more hushed tone. “Hmmm,” her brow furrowing in frustration. “The night hunter’s presence will surely cause us some trouble. To be able to both injure and capture a vampire by himself, he must be a strong one. No matter, I am sure that our lord wouldn’t mind some of their tribute being used to secure this prize.”

The witch, now imbued with a new-found desire, bounded around her small house and engaged herself in self-centered conversations. “Hmmm, should I use monkshood? No, no, no. I must simply go all out for this one! Where is my wolf-fang powder?” The crow nestled itself on a spare nook, watching as his master danced around her tiny shack, gathering assorted herbs front various containers. The villagers below her hill could only shut their windows, trying their best to ignore the maniacal cackling that emanated from the hill.

-

The caravan arrived in the village just as the rain was beginning to settle in. Many of the visiting merchants quickly retreated into what little shelter they were offered. The few lingering villagers ran out to help their visitors secure their goods before the rain could cause any serious damage. Atop the hill Gelle watched from her crooked window, keeping an eye on her cauldron from whose wide-open mouth emanated a thick purple smoke. As the potion began to thicken, so did the storm clouds that loomed over the village driving all of the villages into their homes.

The decrepit hag sat alone in her dark cottage conserving her strength for the upcoming night, until a stray drop of water landed on her nose. It wasn’t until a second and then a third droplet fell onto her wrinkled old face, did she realise that something was out of place. “That is strange, I am sure my wards are still active, water should not be entering my...” Standing up from her chair, Gelle hobbled over to her window ledge counting her various talismans. “Where is it! Where is it? Where is my water protection ward?” Upon the sight of torn string, her confusion turned to rage. “Who dares steal from me!? They shall pay dearly for crossing me” After glancing up at the sky, the witch calmed down. “I have time and can spare some energy. Some punishment is surely in order...” Hastily Gelle parted the assorted clutter on her work bench, as to draw a magic circle using blood from her left index finger.

“O’ demon from beyond our plane, I summon you to inflict great pain.” A dim red light glowed from the circle, reacting to her words and cultivations. “I have been wronged as once before; I call on you to settle the score.” The magical energy intensified around the drawn sigil, rattling the various reagents that remained on the table. As her rites neared completion, Gelle manipulated the gathered powers to summon any dark soul who would listen. “Our ideals align to bring much pain, with my terms we both shall gain!”

Upon the completion of her incitation a black goat-like head rose from the bloody seal, its various horns carving indents into her worn desk. After a brief pause the demon spoke as to acknowledge the current situation. “I have answered your call. What is it that you will, witch?” Gelle reached for her stash of magical ingredients, “My warding talisman was stolen, yes, yes. I want you to kill whoever holds it tonight, when the moon is at its peak and then return the talisman to me.” The demon rose further from the summoning circle to expose its furred torso and arms. “What shall you offer me in return for this dead?” “The soul of the victim is yours to claim, I also offer these corrupted cow hearts, as my part of our deal. I hope this is acceptable.” The demon’s horns glowed green as it examined the hearts in their clay pot and spoke: “I accept these terms. I shall return...” As it disappeared, ancient black letters appeared on her forearm signifying their pact. Exhausted, Gelle lay back down to rest, preparing herself for tonight.

-

Gelle watched her prey from underneath a nearby tree, obscured by the rain and the relative darkness. The moon was slowly rising behind the clouds and soon there would be a convenient distraction that would serve as a good diversion while she collected her prize. “Hooo? The night hunter is leaving the vampire alone, I am indeed fortunate tonight.” She watched as the night hunter left for the main shelter accompanied by a small girl. The foolish man probably assumed that his seals and protections would be enough to secure a vampire; surely they could not withstand her arcane knowledge. The crone patiently waited from her hiding spot, watching for any remaining stragglers to enter the town hall; the last one who passed by was a frightened child clutching into something. As Gelle made her way to the wagon she gave a quiet chuckle, “Clutch onto your little cross brat, that god of yours cannot save you.”

The wagons mostly were left unguarded, allowing Gelle to search them undisturbed. It didn’t take her long to find the wagon and hobble onto its flat bed. The witch paused as she examined the sealed crate; she could feel the presence of both strong dark and wild magic, however there was barely any holy magic in the vicinity. Whatever caution she had was discarded as her greed took hold of her emotions, and she opened the crate to discover her intended target. Before her lay the vampire, resting comfortably on a bed of pelts. While her injured arm was secured in a tight sling, her remaining good arm clutched the box adorned with holy symbols. The vampire’s blood-red eyes locked onto the now confused witch.

Gelle could only loom over her intended victim, asking herself question after question without reaching any meaningful answer. Why did the night hunter not secure or guard his prisoner? Why was a vampire willingly protecting powerful reagents for her captor? Who was this vampire? Only then did it occur to her that she was in grave danger. Those questions could be answered from the safety of her small shelter, but she needed to act before her prey could. Swiftly drawing her knife, Gelle attempted to plunge it into the vampire’s heart.

Before her dagger could connect with the vampire’s flesh, she felt a sharp pain from her lower abdomen. The girl she had seen follow the night hunter into the tavern was now standing there, at least some of her was standing there. Her upper half had emerged from the shadows, holding onto the blade that was now protruding from Gelle's chest. Surprise sent her tumbling backwards off the wagon and onto the muddy ground; she could only watch as the little girl helped her master upright. Gelle could feel the vampire’s cold stare as she struggled to get back up. She knew now that her overconfidence was a mistake. Regardless of whatever state the vampire was in, she was still one of only a scarce few vampires that was able to control a familiar.

Just when Gelle thought things could not get any worse, the night hunter had arrived sprinting back over to his wagon. He stood strong with sword drawn and pointing it at her, instead of his prisoner. Maybe she could deal with the vampire and her familiar, but she could not handle both them and a night hunter at the same time. Throwing her arms in the air, the hag cried out: “Come my minions, aid your master.” Rising from across the town, a cacophony of cries echoed through the night as a murder of crows converged on the barn. The birds began to swarm her foes, underneath the cover of the assaulting birds Gelle painfully returned to her cabin. The crows would have to suffice until she could curse them properly from the safety of her lair.

-

It did not take long for William and the few lingering caravan members to dispatch the numerous birds which violently attacked anyone in sight. He quickly checked on Victoria, who did not sustain any new injuries, before inquiring any further. “What happened here?” William and Rose helped her back onto her makeshift bed, “I suspect she is the hag the child mentioned. She likely wanted to use me as material for various rituals.” William’s face hardened as he turned to the hill, “I return shortly, I need to deal with this witch.” Rose gripped his cloak, stopping him. Victoria turned to him, “Do you still have that thing the boy showed you?” William nodded, removing the foul talisman from his pocket. “I can sense something dark attached to that trinket, can you allow me to deal with this situation? I suspect that the witch has made a deal which she should not have made.” William hesitantly nodded, “Fine, but I will be watching.”

-

Panting, Gelle collapsed onto her bench desperately grabbing any source of magic she could, hastily arranging it so that she could try to defend herself against her would-be prey. Before she could do anything aside from desperately grasp at whatever in her reach, her door slowly opened inward revealing the vampire’s familiar. Despite her best efforts of manipulating the magic around her, the familiar was able to close the distance and land a strike at her open wound. She collapsed onto the floor in unbearable pain, unable to take any further action. “Go on, finish me.” The old crone coughed, now drained of any energy that she might have had left. The young girl produced an all too familiar talisman, carefully placing it by her arms. “I believe this is yours...” With that she left the witch broken and defeated in her run-down home.

As Gelle lay on the floor, gasping for air, all she could do was think “Why are you just standing there and watching?” She could still feel the presence of two figures watching through her open doorway, sheltered underneath an elderly tree. She did not have to wait long for the reason, as a demonic circle manifested behind her. Struggling to her feet, Gelle managed to stand in time for the demonic creature to fully manifest. Its massive frame was now hunched over, confined by the structure in which it found itself.

The arrival of her demonic ally gave Gelle one last glimpse of hope, surely there was one more deal which could be struck to get revenge on those interlopers. “You have perfect timing, what would...” Before she could speak the demon’s large clawed hands punctured her chest, piercing into her heart in one violent motion. The state of shock remained on her face as she took her last breath. Why? Why did her demon strike her down without hesitation? What exactly did that vampire do?

The demon loomed over her body, emotionlessly stating “The current bearer of the talisman has been killed and it has been returned to the owner. Our agreement has been fulfilled; I have claimed the soul of the bearer per our terms.” The demon shook the still warm body off his monstrous hand, in the process knocking over the cauldron. The dark creature examined its surroundings, before reaching out and taking several items from what remained of the cottage. With the hag’s passing the protective charms had started to wane, the storm’s winds violently shaking the shack.

-

William watched from afar as the demon examined the collapsing home; he could tell at a glance that it was far more powerful than the werewolves they had previously fought. Victoria, who had channeled her consciousness into Rose’s body, raised an arm preventing him from moving forward. “It has no interest in the village. The demon has completed its agreement and is trying to take whatever else it can back to its own realm.” Seemingly content with what little it had collected, the demon turned to face the pair through the arch of the doorway. It seemed to smile and wave good-bye as it closed the door as it returned to whatever it called its home.

Whether by, divine intervention, dark design, disrupted magical flow or coincidence, a single lightning strike tore apart the disheveled shack in one sudden burst. What little remained of the worn cabin caught fire and was consumed by flames of ever-shifting colors. Victoria dropped her arm, knowing that the demonic threat had passed. Rose patted him on the shoulder, prompting him to perform his duty. “I believe you have a job to do.” William nodded, quietly offering a prayer to purify whatever remained of the hag and her belongings.

As they walked back to the wagons William, glad for Victoria’s intervention, asked “How did you know what would happen?” Rose, who was back in control, answered “Well... the talisman the boy stole had traces of dark magic in addition to the water spirits bound to the charm. So that demon was probably following it from their world.” William silently nodded, while he could not sense magic it was possible that someone more magically attuned could sense it. “So, would I be right to presume that: the witch made a mistake when making her bargain with that demon?” Rose shifted uncomfortably while answering: “Victoria and I don’t exactly like the way chaos magic bargains tend to be, it's very literal and often imbalanced. Victoria guessed that the witch likely didn’t know the identity of who stole her possessions, but would want to scare the village regardless. Because of her sloppiness, she probably left the wording vague. Once the tracking element was considered, we could guess most of the terms.” Leo greeted them as they returned; several people from the village had saw the fire and had determined that a celebration was in order. William decided not to join them; social scenes were never his forte. Besides, he had other thoughts on his mind...