Witch Juice Ch. 08

A man stood in a large, circular room, illuminated harshly with an eye-aching, vermillion light. The man wore a white robe with pointed shoulders and long flowing sleeves. He was decorated with gold chains that ended in sharp, wicked-designed ornaments among other brutish bits and baubles. A deep purple sash was tied around his waist that fell down his whole lower body. But most curiously he wore a metallic visor that covered his whole upper face from his nose all the way to the back of his neck. Protruding from the top of this helmet was a large, semicircular, plate-like object that radiated out across the middle of his, lined up with his shoulders. The plate was thick and inscribed with runic designs all around its metal surface.

All around the room, all manner of grotesque and crudely constructed mechanical instruments and modules were attached along the walls, humming and whirring, their parts shuddering and breathing with ghastly life, spewing steam and smoke. They surrounded the entirety of the room, crawling up the walls and the ceiling, emitting harsh red rays of light from various bulbs and lamps. All the machines were connected to a central place in the room by a variety of thick and thin vein-like wires. The room as a whole seemed to live and breathe through the heartbeat of the unrefined machinations that coughed and wheezed sick life into the area.

All the wires attached to a large stone panel situated in the middle of the room, with more runic symbols inscribed on it, similar to the ones on the man's head ornament. Several golden magical seals floated in front of the stone as the man stood before them, his hands raised towards them, his fingers manipulating the circles of light to spin and jut forwards and back. Three shadowy figures watched his work: one standing tall, towering over the man, double his height. One wide, bulky shadow sat against one of the buzzing machines, also incredibly large, and the other, smaller one leaned against the wall.

"Let me see... these coordinates should match the ones from before... if I reconnect the subspace leylines from... here... yes..." The man murmured to himself.

"How long is this going to take?" The sitting figure growled from the shadows with a deep, menacing voice that reverberated through the room. "All these senseless machines- the old ways were faster!"

The man working at the magic seals grinned devilishly. "I'm sorry you feel that way." His tone was light and playful despite what seemed like complex work in front of him. "Respectfully, if you have some manner of quickly retrieving solid matter from ethereal space-time with your massive ax, I implore you to educate me in your mysterious and, I'm sure, elegant ways."

The sitting figure stood up; though he didn't reach up as high as the tallest onlooker, he still dwarfed the busy man in sheer beefy musculature. He reached from behind him to unsheathe an enormous ax with a long curvy handle. The blade caught the sheen of the blood-red lighting, exemplifying its wickedly sharp arc. "How about I split you in two, so you can get twice as much work done, you imp?" he taunted with a low, threatening groan.

"Your logic never ceases to astonish me with its absolutely graceful prose, Lord Dukhar."

"Oh, I'll make sure the splattering of your blood on these infernal contraptions will be nothing but a work of art." The hulking figure marched forward, revealing himself in the harsh scarlet light. He had a supremely muscular humanoid form that was hunched over, his spine bent at nearly a right angle leading to his head, causing his neck and face to jut forward as he walked, his shoulders and arms primed upwards, reminiscent of some kind of mutated dinosaur-human hybrid. His skin was glistening a madly pinkish hue as veins ran up and down his brawny figure. His jaw thrust out, revealing jagged fangs that extended upward, yet he still spoke fluently and discernibly, despite his neanderthal-esque frame. He brandished his large ax towards the man.

"Enough, Dukhar," the tallest figure spoke up with a calm, yet commanding tone. Dukhar stopped his place, but not without huffing out air from his large nostrils. "Allow Pollux to continue his work. And Pollux, I do not imagine it wise to incur the wrath of the Inner Circle's Berserker, now would you?"

"No, my lord," Pollux answered seriously, though the cheeky grin failed to leave his face. Finally, after minutes of Pollux working at the magical seals, a bright violet spark burst from the back of the room, far behind the panel. Dukhar shifted himself to look behind the stone panel for a better look, and the third figure leaning against the wall finally walked forward to witness what was happening. Soon, the space around the spark began to distort and swirl. The wheezing machines about the room began to rattled and buzz with more fervor, sending an ear-drumming echo of clanking metal and rushing smoke throughout the room.

"Got it!" Pollux shouted with glee. The space finally tore open to reveal a twisting black vortex, whose booming, howling force dominated the constant mechanical hum.

"Finally," Dukhar complained.

The vortex spat out two bodies, then instantly shut, taking its powerful wailing wind with it, leaving only the monotonous whirring of the room's machines. One was holding the other under an arm, as it gently floated out, gracefully landing on the ground.

"Elrin, status report," the tall figure commanded without a single moment's notice.

"It seems Valdrina had gone off on her own, as usual," Elrin said in a gentle tone, speaking matter-of-factly towards her superior.

"What's new?" Dukhar chimed in with a cheerful grunt. "Off mating with humans again, I see?"

Valdrina's limp and charred body jerked up at the sound of Dukhar's taunting from under Elrin's arm. "I'll rip your tongue out you gutless mongrel..." she panted out with a hoarse, raspy whisper. Elrin proceeded forward towards the onlookers, presenting the weakened Valdrina to the tall figure. Pollux eyed Valdrina's drooping frame from afar, another fiendish smile cracking along his face.

Elrin started. "I apologize, Lord Astorius, had I kept a closer eye-"

"There is no need for an apology from you, Elrin. Only Valdrina has committed the crime of misusing our warp points. And what self-assigned mission did she take herself on?"

"Seems like more random acts of violence, my lord. Perhaps another outrage designed to-"

"Astorius, she is covering for her sister," Dukhar chimed in with a smirk.

"I'm well aware." Astorius stepped forward, revealing his towering body clad in an obsidian armor plated with elegantly curved, pitch-black metal pieces, trim with sharp silver accents on his chest, gauntlet, and greaves. He wore a helmet that covered only the upper half of his head, with a grated visor that shielded his eyes, which were obscured by darkness. On either side of his helmet was a large, sleek, crescent horn. His frame was overall thin, but his chest was broad and made even more imposing by his massive black, pointed shoulder pauldrons whose sharp ends curved to match his horns. His long arms hung to his sides, reaching all the way down past his knees, ending in his clawed hands.

"I know not of the reason you hide the true nature of Valdrina's venture. But I assure you it will not save her from punishment."

"I understand, my lord." Elrin bowed her head.

"The truth shall be revealed soon enough-"

Valdrina perked up once more from her limp position. "The descendant... I've found him..."

Dukhar suddenly turned towards Valdrina. "What?" Even Pollux's smirk was wiped away by this revelation.

Astorius was unphased. "A worthless venture. Such pursuits do not aid us in our ultimate mission. Such intrusions into the world of humans only seek to reveal our existence to the human race-"

"And we... stay hidden here... afraid... when the key to our salvation... is locked away within the pathetic flesh of some human..."

Even the quiet figure leaning on the wall had grown interested enough to walk forward to listen closer.

"And you were defeated by this power in turn, it seems. A witch? Justicar?"

Valdrina continued. "Some little witch bitch and her little pet-"

Dukhar burst out in laughter. "The great Valdrina, defeated by a single witch and some human rat!"

"A sorry state indeed-" Pollux commented with a grin that was less wicked than usual.

"Hold your tongue, Pollux." Astorius quickly commanded. "Though Valdrina has erred, she is still your superior."

"Yes, my lord." Pollux stood by silently, though his curiosity still piqued.

Dukhar interjected once more. "If I may interrupt, Astorius, would it not be Pollux that would have helped Valdrina in this little escapade?"

"This is true, Pollux. What do you say in your defense?"

"My lord, she forced me!" Pollux defended.

"You worm..." Valdrina huffed out. "...you were more than willing-"

"It matters not. We shall discuss Pollux's penalty at a later time."

Pollux held back his anger, leering at Valdrina. "Yes, my lord," he seethed.

"Let this be a warning to all of you, then." Astorius continued. "Such misguided quests for power will only serve to doom our kind-"

"And how long... do you plan to cower in the Blackrift then?" Valdrina coughed out.

"Sister, quiet." Elrin hastily warned.

Astorius stayed firm in his resolve. "The plans for our ultimate salvation need not be shared with you at this time."

"Right... same answer as always, you-"

"I would choose your next words with more care, Valdrina, lest you forget your demotion from the Inner Circle."

"Fuck your circle of cretins."

"You mangled bitch," Dukhar growled, readying his ax again.

"Valdrina..." Elrin warned again.

"It is alright. I've come to expect this level of pettiness from Valdrina." Astorius slowly raised his long arm. Then, with a swift lash, he snatched Valdrina from Elrin's arms, grabbing her by the neck. Valdrina's body was too weak to even struggle; with no resistance, she was lifted up, her body dangling at a height twice her own. Astorius met her face to face. She gasped and gagged as he gripped her throat with only two fingers and his thumb. Elrin simply watched on, her breathing became heavy with anxiety. Dukhar watched on with fired-up anticipation.

"She would often boast about the power of this... hair of hers." Astorius slowly lifted his other mighty arm. Valdrina's gasping and coughing grew more frantic. "It was not amusing in the slightest. How often I would have to apologize to the Circle for your petulant outbursts." With his other hand, he clasped the end of Valdrina's lengthy hair, bundling its whole width within his single fist. Dukhar's excitement grew with his toothy grin as he watched on with eagerness. Elrin's eyes wavered with nervousness, but she knew looking away would be seen as a sign of weakness. Unfortunately, the third shadowy figure had already lost interest and was making his way out of the room.

"Yazu, you don't want to see this, of all the times Valdrina taunted you?" Dukhar attempted to persuade his comrade.

"No," Yazu stated simply, and subsequently strode out of the room.

"Boring," Dukhar softly lamented.

Astorius tightened the grasp on Valdrina's hair. He finally suddenly jerked his hand up, causing Valdrina's head to jolt upwards. She could not even muster a scream through Astorius' sturdy grip; the only signs that she had any life in her at all were her eyes, now bulging out at the unimaginable pain coursing through her. Elrin began to wince as she watched Valdrina's scalp strain, her whole head pathetically pulled upwards like an abused doll. Dukhar's grin grew wilder, but Pollux simply watched on, seemingly lost in thought.

Finally, a grotesque rip resounded through the entire room, piercing through the mechanical cacophony, accompanied by the muffled hissing that escaped Valdrina as the hair finally tore away from her scalp. In one hand, Astorius held her detached hair out, which he let spill out and drift all over the room. He then let go of Valdrina, her body dropping to the metal floor with a loud thud that produced an eerie echo. Valdrina's eyes were stuck open with horror as her body shuddered pitifully on the ground, the pain still lingering.

Astorius looked down at Valdrina. Even still, he could see that her red hair began to grow back, though not to its full length, only going slightly past her ears. Soon, the redness faded into a lifeless, powerless, dull black, her ability fully stunted.

"Elrin, heal her burn wounds. Then take her to the holding cells while we decide on her fate." Astorius turned to leave.

Elrin breathed out hard, looking at the pathetic state of her sibling. "Yes, my lord."

"My lord, if I may suggest something," Pollux interjected.

Astorius stopped but did not turn around. "I've no time for any more of your antics, Pollux. Your own reputation here is already grave enough."

"Of course, my lord." Pollux bowed his head. "But, I'm sure Elrin is in no condition to operate her healing spells on her disheveled older sister. Allow me to do so in her stead."

"I do not need your pity," Elrin hissed at him.

"I offer not pity, but my services. I applaud your majestic ability to mend the anomalies of our brethren. Although, you may look at dear Valdrina here and see surface-level wounds. Yet, I can assure you, with my experience, I can see something more."

"What are you getting at?" Elrin asked. Even Astorius turned a bit towards them.

"Yes... I can sense something more here... That this damage seems to be more... psychic in nature."

"Psychic?" Astorius suddenly asked.

"Yes, my lord."

"Psychic!" Dukhar chortled. He stepped towards Valdrina and picked her up by her shortened hair, observing her terrorized state. "Yes, I'm sure after that, her brain might've been pulled out as well!"

"Lord Dukhar, I recommend allowing the experts to weigh in here," Pollux replied facetiously.

"My weight is more than enough to crush you, worm-"

Elrin suddenly perked up. "Wait... that's fine. If I may, Lord Astorius, I believe Pollux's expertise here would be of more value to Valdrina's health."

"And what evidence do you have of this psychic damage?"

"Several observations upon their entrance, my lord, I can list-"

"I sensed it, too, Lord Astorius." Elrin chimed in.

Astorius turned all the way around. He observed Valdrina himself. After a few seconds, he sighed. "Fine. On Elrin's word, I will allow Pollux to conduct the healing operation."

"Excellent, my lord. I will have my team prepare her accordingly." Astorius looked Elrin in the eyes, then turned to Pollux. "Do not disappoint me." Astorius turned her large frame back around and proceeded out of the room.

"Pollux..." Elrin stated. "Does this have something to do with the descendant?"

"We shall see, dear Elrin-"

Elrin quickly advanced towards Pollux and grabbed at his collar. "Enough of your games, Pollux. Just answer my question."

"Fine, fine," he answered, though he was not all too afraid of Elrin's threatening gesture. Elrin promptly let go of him. "I believe Valdrina has finally found the human with Magnus' seed inside him."

"Through the Justicar?"

"Precisely. Valdrina had told that Justicar of the coven that had been defending the Orbis' old library. I'm sure you know the name."

"Orbis the Wispmaster... so they have his diagrams we've been after?"

"No. Valdrina hi-jacked the operation to find her little descendant. Now the Wisp Wand is in the hands of some witch, and I'm sure the documentation is destroyed."

"Not a problem," Elrin replied casually. She produced an item from her dress pocket: it was a charred twig, with a small, blue flame hovering at the tip.

Pollux looked at the burnt stick with awe. "This... but... it's destroyed!"

"Valdrina had it on her after she was defeated by the witch. It must've been damaged in the battle. Can it be recovered?"

Pollux pressed his hand to his mouth in thought. "I mean... maybe. Witchcraft isn't my area of expertise."

"Fine, just take a look, please."

Pollux took the damaged Wisp Wand from her, eyeing it curiously. Elrin sighed once more with disappointment.

Pollux glared back at her. "Don't take an attitude with me; you know where my knowledge lies."

"No, that's not it." Elrin sighed, hesitant to speak. "It's just that... Most of the time, I agree with Astorius-"

Pollux laughed, "Do you, now?"

"I assure you, he means well. But he did not allow us to stage the attack on the library... Even Dukhar went as far as to draft a battle plan. But suddenly, Astorius rejected it. I'm left wondering why."

"It's because Valdrina is right: he is afraid. If any of our own had found the secrets that laid within that library, then..." Pollux waved his hands out dramatically. "Chaos. Astorius does not trust the lower ranks."

Elrin pondered the idea to herself but suddenly cracked a slight smile. "This has gone all wrong, now."

"You don't sound too distraught over it, dear Elrin."

She looked at Pollux slyly. "I'm not. But I can't have my dear sister getting killed over it."

"Understandable." Pollux looked over Valdrina, her consciousness now having drifted away. "She was fighting a witch, was she?"

"Yes, a powerful one. Likely empowered by Magnus' seed."

Pollux licked his lips and breathed in hard. "There's something more. She's covered with... some kind of otherworldly residue."

Elrin squinted at her sister with a curious eye. "I did not sense anything."

"Of course not. But... I've seen this before."

"So you're saying... what are you saying, exactly?"

Pollux laughed. "Valdrina has met with something... older."

Elrin scratched her head. "I see. Then this really is under your domain then."

Pollux leered at her. "My 'domain.'" He scoffed.

"Taking that as an insult, now?"

"You think I'm proud?" He laughed out again. "Very funny."

"Fine, then." Elrin began to make her way out. "Get to it."

Pollux crossed his arms and looked down at Valdrina. "Very well, give me some time. The burns should be easy. The rest... well, we'll see."

Elrin stopped. "And her hair?"

Pollux shot her a sly expression. "I think you and I both know after that whole event... that particular damage is meant to be permanent. I'm not touching it."

Elrin looked down at her sister and jut her jaw to the side in annoyance. "Fine." She shook her head and continued out.

As she left, Pollux kneeled before Valdrina's unconscious body. He gently caressed her face with the side of his hand, his crazed smile crackling further along his face. "Now then... you and I are going to get to know each other a bit better."

***

Valdrina's eyes shot open. She was greeted by a bright light, coming from a lamp hanging from the ceiling hanging directly overhead. Stripped down to her black bra and panties, she was laying on a steel table, sturdily attached to the floor beneath her, the cold metal surface a forgiving respite as it touched her bare skin. The room she was in was empty, save for a workbench of some sort attached to the west wall. There, she could see bloodied bandages, scissors, and knives, all glazed red, some blood thinly trailing off the bench, dripping steadily onto the floor. The sight caused images of her fight with the witch to flood her mind as she looked over her skin, which was now smooth and unblemished by the burnt scars of battle. Though she was now healed, the pain of the electricity surging through her was still seared into her mind, but not as stinging as the picture of that witch floating above her as if she was superior to herself. That picture would be permanently carved into the recesses of her subconscious. She clenched her fist tight, her strength slowly returning to her.

But suddenly, she remembered. She wafted her hand over her shoulder, but her heart sank as her fingers passed through the air, not finding a single strand of hair. Her eyes clasped shut, hard, as she realized that her pride and joy were truly ripped away from her.