Darkness, Flames and Hopes Ch. 07

"Min-"

All the trees around her began to crunch. Scars of deep cuts appeared on the trunks of all the woods around her. The heads of tall grass blew up. Soil and mud scattered and splashed around. It was as if a ten step long invisible sword mowed the area. A thunder brought more horror to the forest. Her shield was still intact, but the damn wizard might have noticed her. Nevertheless, his large-sized and secret attack showed that he was only suspicious. He could use a much more terrible spell. Although she heard the steps that started to move away rapidly, she couldn't move her body for a long time. Her little courage was also gone, and the clouds were gathering to hurt her more. What eventually brought her to life was her overheated earring. She turned her burgundy eyes to the southeast. She could feel the sorceress' form much better. She couldn't be far. If she ran towards her, she could reach her in a short time. Crashing her head against the tree, she tried to forget the damned lips of the damn woman. This chase was her idea and she was acting like a damn child crying for breast milk! With her hands against the tree, she slowly raised her body. There was no one on the rock anymore, but finding the wizard would not take long. She soaked her nails in the bark of the tree, waving her tail several times, measuring her balance and starting climbing. She felt the deep pain from her broken toenails, squeezing her teeth. When she reached for the first safe branch, she pulled body up and looked around through the broad tree leaves. Jumping to the tree five steps away would not be difficult, but she would be more likely to be disclosed. Still, it had its advantages. She could able to watch the forest from above, able to watch what was going on from a much wider perspective. She wagged her tail again, kneeling slightly and jumping to the other tree, wrapped her arms around the trunk without taking her eyes off the rock, but again she had to use her all nails. Her burning breath that was emptied through her nostrils was no different from tears. She moaned in pain and held herself up to the first branch where her hand could reach, and pulled her body up. She tried to ignore the blood flowing from her toes. Now she could see behind the rock. Nobody was there, but she didn't have to see the damn wizard. The dragging sound continued from where it left off. Minerva was still waiting. She turned her face back towards her and whispered.

"I- I'm okay! I think I found them. A male human. They may have noticed us. I... I'm heading for them. You... Come to me."

As she kept silent and breathed, Minerva began to walk again. Now everyone was much closer together. Perhaps it would be a safer option to come back and clung to the sorceress, but they would have to lose their tracks again. She looked around and tried to find the nearest tree, found a young one seven steps away. Even when preparing to jump, her toes throbbed with pain. She leaned as much as her body allowed, threw her two arms back and gave all her energy to her feet and knees. She tried to wrap her legs and palms around the trunk as wide as her own body, but failed. Her chin slammed to the hard bark and crushed her teeth. Her arms and thighs rubbed above the bark, shattered her red skin. She knotted her throat hard so as not to shout with pain, but her moan was no different from a scream. Fortunately, she stabilized like a cat before her back hit the ground and fell on her feet. She covered her mouth, suppressing her painful moaning, quickly looking around. It had been terrible idea. Minerva stood still, and Dimana could feel the damn woman's anger even from that distance. she covered her mouth, shouting a silent blasphemy to the sky.

"It's okay! I just... Got off."

Minerva's red form continued from where she left off. As long as these fears and stupidity continued, the damn woman could reach them before her. Dimana swore louder and began to walk quickly in the dark forest without caring any danger. The worst news was that she no longer heard any sound about them. Which possibility was worse, couldn't decide whether they went too far or because they had noticed her, and she had no solution except to walk quietly. Surely it would be worth seeing their surprises. A poor succubus trying to save a human. The witch had told her that they might be gaining a protection shield when summoning a succubus. If that theory was true, all the dark wizards she saw tonight should have known well what succubuses are. However, she didn't think that young wizards in the village might have summoned any succubus. Minerva called it dark blood for them. Whatever this dark trash was, it should have been doing more than the rest of the sorceries.

The howling sounds, which had risen one after another, made her eyes turn north again. Sounds were coming quite closely. She wasn't sure what their goals were, but Dimana groaned in fear suddenly. She kept the flames ready and gave her strength to her feet. Howls became terrible growls and deep barkings. Fifty steps away, two blue lights shone in the dark like two star. As Dimana watched her mouth open, barkings quickly turned into whimpers and painful cries. The forest soon fell into darkness and silence. Using lightning spell was undoubtedly stupid for them, but it was an excellent opportunity for their followers. Dimana clenched her teeth not to laugh and whispered a sincere thanks for the dead wolves. She turned around and murmured without covering her mouth.

"Found them."

Her cheerful smile broke down as a raindrop fell on her messy hair. The rain started to flow with a lightning that illuminated the forest. Dimana grimaced and started walking again. It wasn't a good idea to follow them all the time, but she had no choice. All she had to do for now was to follow them as much as possible, to constantly inform the sorceress with the magic of reflection. And Ambryn. The damned witch had not yet seen, and if she wasn't alive, all this fear and action was completely unnecessary. As they walked behind them, the drops surpassed her hair and started wetting her scalp and horns. The water flowing from her shoulders to her nipples caused to her body to tremble. Her sore shoulder began to throb again. With each step she took, her courage decreased more. Her head could be torn apart at any moment. At any moment, a spell could cut her body in half and end her pathetic life.

Despite the freshness of the rain, she could feel the smell of burnt meat. Two burned wolf corpses ten feet away lay on the grass. Their tails had completely disappeared. A large part of their blackened skin had slipped over their fried meat and rotten bones. Not dead wolves, but the motionless body in the middle of the two carcasses caused her breath to stop again. She backed away a few steps with her weakened legs, moaned and lay on the wet ground, without taking her eyes off the red face.

"M-Minerva... Here!"

The body lying on the narrow wooden panel was so bloody that Dimana was not even sure if it was Ambryn. A large part of her white hair was now dark red. The blood extending from the nostrils to her nape was dry. Her lips and chin were also covered with a thin red layout. Her black dress was down to her skirt, her bra was covering her belly, not her pale and cold breasts. Her wrists and ankles were tied with the same thin silver chain. The most interesting aspect of the brutality that Dimana watched by clenching her teeth was the thick silver collar that completely covered Ambryn's neck. The end of the chain, which holds the hand and feet tied, was attached to this accessory, and there were sun emblems carved standing side by side. It should have meant something, but Dimana was too stunned to think about it. There was no indication that the damned witch was alive.

Dimana clung her forehead on the cold ground with fear, whispering again with her trembling voice while the rain was wetting her back.

"M-Minerva! Be quick!"

When her burgundy eyes turned to the terrible view again, again she stood breathless. Dead wolves howled with great pain and raised their heads to the sky. Were they still alive? Two pair of yellow auras in their eyes radiated around like four candle. Their deep whinings was very painful. Despite being completely burned, they were acting more horrible than hellhounds. They were alive! One of them immediately stood up and turned the scary eyes to the female human on the ground, while the other stood up by staggering on its ruined paw. They both started to approach Ambryn slowly like her body was a feast.

"Minerva!"

Dimana could even see one of wolves' gut swinging through the large cleft in the abdomen. Something must have been leading them, and Ambryn was definitely a bait. The succubus stuck her nipples on grass more and tried to find Minerva. The sorceress was slowly approached her in the dark woods, but she was not close. She could wait, she should have waited, but Dimana jumped to her feet, shouting in her hoarse voice, with her weak mental strength, creating two large fireballs in her palms while watching the finger-long sharp teeth approaching the woman's breasts on the ground. She took a resentful look at Minerva's stopped form. What in the hell was she doing!

"Come you whore!" She shouted to the darkness.

When four yellow eyes quickly turned to her, Dimana opened her mouth to beg the damn sorceress, but all that came out was a pointless moaning. The two wolves continued to whine and howl with pain and began running towards her fast. The stumbling wolf hit the ground on its jaw, but the other jumped over Dimana, lifting its forelegs and opening jaw wide. Fireballs left her palms, both wolves strangled in flames. They cried out with pain, stumbled back a few steps and fell to the ground, but Dimana quickly got up again before she could breathe a sigh of relief. The woods was no longer dark, and the sight of the wolves was more horrible now. Even under the rain, the flames covered all their dead bodies. Their yellow eyes were no longer apparent and they were still able to stand while even their muscles melted. And those so deep, sad howls... They were suffering!

"H-help!"

When they started running again, Dimana turned to the left, shouting with fear, and began to climb to the nearest tree. As she hugged the first branch she could cling to, she felt something hit her. The tree was cut in half. Her shield was torn like a piece of cloth, scattered in the air, and disappeared. When fear paralyzed her body completely, she couldn't even shout. She couldn't even figure out how to balance before falling. With the tree, her back knock down on the wet ground, her breath was completely cut off. She lay on spot motionless, humming meaninglessly for a while, until she felt the sharp teeth that completely covered her ankle and began to disintegrate it. The dark forest trembled with her deep scream. She felt the bones that began to crack in her heart. Desperately, she created weak flames in one hand, tried to rise, but another sharp jaw firmly grasped her hand, pulled it, rubbing her body on wet ground.

Her cries of help were compounded by the painful whining of the burning wolves trying to smash her hand and foot. She had thought of many ways of death. Many terrible possibilities that will end her pathetic life. But she couldn't even predict the alive disintegration by two dead wolves. No, what killed her was different. Trust was killing her. Faith was killing her. She had entrusted her life to one of the vilest and most useless creatures of the two worlds, and she would pay the punishment of this stupidity. There was nothing Minerva needed to care for anymore. Ambryn was dead, and Dimana was smashed by two wolves led by very powerful dark wizard. After all, smartest decision for her was to turn and run away, and stupidity was any opposite act.

When she completely opened her burgundy eyes, she realized that she was no longer shouting. The pain that flowed from her left foot and right hand into her mind was great, but not enough to require her to cry and be defeated desperately like a damn human. She felt different when she filled her body with fire again. A feeling that she couldn't feel for years, just hidden in her memories, filled her whole body, gave her a new life. Perhaps this was exactly the missing piece that ruined her, weakened her, melted her for years. She shouted again, but not with pain, but with excitement.

Despite the jaws tugging her body, she easily straightened over her butt. The fingers of her shattered hand now wrapped tightly around the jaw, and pulled the owner to herself. She grabbed the upper jaw with her other hand and torn the sharp pieces apart. While the wolf barked deeply between its separated jaw, Dimana completely ruptured the sharp bone and separated from the rest of burning body. The wolf was still trying to bite her with its non-chin, drawing her red flesh with sharp claws. Such a fucking pain! Dimana stuck the bone to its neck with full force and fixed the wolf to the ground.

The other wolf was still gnawing her leg and it did a good job. Dimana could easily see the red shin bone through the long teeth. Surely she would have to limp for a long time, but time was over for the damn dog. She threw the injured hand around the neck of the wolf, smashed the burnt flesh, and gripped the neck bone with her claw. With her other hand, she grabbed the head and smashed the bone apart as the wolf whined with pain. Interestingly, the living carcass didn't fall to the ground but its big lifeless head was swinging in front of it. When it fell to the ground suddenly, the forest again fell silent, except for Dimana's loud breaths.

She quickly stood up on her injured leg, standing up, and spitting some blood on the ground. There was still work to do. The dark wizard must have been quite close, but Dimana first turned her hateful eyes to the left, watching Minerva's fast approaching red silhouette. With every bone, every muscle aching, the succubus was thinking about how to react to the damn woman, and the ideas that came to her mind were not pleasant. She murmured a swear, clenched her teeth, and when she turned her head to Ambryn, she saw the black wizard- wizards. They were both staring at her, standing next to the woman on the ground. There was a shorter and older man next to the man in the similar black robe she saw in the forest a while ago. And he was more disgusting. The upper skin of his bald head was covered with a red stain as if it had been torn off a long time ago. The darkened skins above his cheekbones were completely peeled. One ear was missing, and the other one had silver large hoops dangling. His disgusting grin was showing his yellow long teeth.

Dimana recalled an old memory, but didn't understand it at that moment. He had a wooden wand like a snake in his right hand. Their eyes were both yellow, just like dead wolves', but they weren't burning. To resolve this absence, Dimana quickly took two steps towards them and created several fireballs in both palms. When the older wizard rolled his eyes in anger and opened his mouth to speak, Dimana threw all the balls towards them. The flames quickly covered both of them, but before reaching their bodies, a cold wave destroyed the hot fire and buried the forest back into the dark again. As Dimana clenched her teeth and frowned, the old man called out with a broken and dry voice.

"Give it up demon, eh?"

Time to flee. Dimana set up a weak shield around her, turned her back, jumped at the closest tree, but her body hung in the air. The feeling of fear that she forgot recently has returned. It was as if an invisible hand held her horizontally in the air and she couldn't feel anything in her body except cold weather and rain. While the younger wizard was watching the dark forest without worrying about what was going on, Dimana decided to use flames again, but her body quickly began to turn around. Her hair closed her face, and the rain on her skin began to jump out rapidly. She was no different from a wheel. She shouted, grimaced with hatred, and tried to create a fireball again in her dizzy mind, but her body stopped so sharply that she thought her her lungs would break. All her bones crunched with this sudden movement and caused her to shout again in pain.

"Ahhh! You fuck-"

This time she started turning in the opposite direction before she could finish her swearing. Twice as fast as before. While she tried to catch something in the turning world with her widened burgundy eyes, she screamed, but her shout was short. She no longer dominated her body. Her arms, legs, and tail began to unconsciously turn around. Worse still, her mind was worse than the drunk man's in the village. She couldn't focus on anything. Even trying to open her mouth to scream for help, beg him to stop, or just shout senselessly, she couldn't make any sound other than small moans. She could only die this way. Soon, her blood could start to flow from her eyes with her brain. And the fucking wizard had no intention to stop. Her burgundy eyes became more red with the attacking blood. She could no longer control her neck, and it could soon be shaken in front of her, like the wolf's she killed. She couldn't even breathe. Dying by being shattered by wolves... It was not a weird possibility anymore. Blood splashed from her mouth mixed with raindrops and scattered around. Her heart stopped completely. Her neck was weakened and started swinging as if it wanted to left her body behind. Dimana finally calmed down, leaving her body alone in the lap of cold weather. The feeling of courage and longing that pumped her heart for a short time left her body again. Eyelids began to close, but ears heard a muffled voice close to begging.

"Leave her! She has nothing to do with it!"

When her body stopped suddenly, her bones crackled again, but Dimana was too dead to shout. She opened her eyes slightly, stared at the stars, watched the raindrops falling on her face. Her body was still fixed in the air like one of those stars. Her arms and legs were still unconsciously swinging down to the ground.

"I was gettin' tired, but... You know... This is very interestin'. I couldn't have imagined a demon runnin' to its death. But the more interestin' is a sorceress who runs to her death for a witch. No, no wait! A sorceress with a succubus? Oh my... You are truly a sorceress, right dear? This rat hasn't said much, but, collaboratin' with Light Warriors? Explains their enthusiasm."

Dimana turned her head slightly away from disgusting faces and looked at the wet woman twelve steps away. Her all anger ended in the sorceress' anxious look. Both eyes were blue. She was still persistent to keep her face callous, but this time her burden had to be quite heavy. Minerva gently gathered her face and turned her blue eyes back to the dark wizards, shouting in an ordering voice.

"Make her free. Then we will talk. We are not your en-"

"Her? Oh... That's sound... So respectful. So interestin'." The older man barked back. As Minerva continued to examine them and the devil hanging in the air and grind her teeth, the older wizard continued with a more cheerful voice.

"But anyway. You didn't attack, so, I shall release... Her."

When Dimana felt the absence of something, her body fell down suddenly, hitting the wet ground hard, splashing water around. As her all senses returned, she felt a sharp pain, tried to straighten, with one hand caressing her ribs, she threw the other hand on her ruined leg.

"Are you okay? Come-"

"S-shut your fucking mouth!" Dimana shouted without looking at her.

Was she watching her suffocate first and then trying to caress her head with cute words as if she were her mother! Minerva didn't respond to swearing except swallowing, but the two dark wizards threw their heads back and laughed at their ruined relationships for a moment. As Dimana creaked her teeth, the older wizard turned his disgusting face to the sorceress.