12 Chapter 11 - Interlude.

A Few Days After The Blood Bath.

Thick black smoke billows from the destruction of the Capitol, the weather dreary and dead as the people who survived trail from their houses, gazing around at the graveyard before them with sad and defeated faces, a gale of wind gusting and spreading through the forest outside which burns with a hot fire.

Passing by straight through to the craggy valleys and mountains, passing over a bunker of sorts, Kana marches her wolves into the den as she closes the hidden door behind her, people with torches sprint by, weaving through the forest with speed at which has never been seen. They continue to sprint towards the capitol.

The destruction was visible for miles, and small towns moved to the Capitol with worried faces and supplies, rushing to the wreckage in one swift move.

Helping whoever they could, picking up wanderers and strays of the city, children were orphaned and some had no family, while others had lost everything, their homes, jobs and lives. Devastating the whole community.

While leather clad people hung in hiding spots, watching over the city with prying eyes, slithering back into the darkness back to their masters as the wind pushes faster across the land, baron with fighting, once a rich and nurturing place full of life, now awoken by the smell of war. More leather clad people scurry back to their hiding holes.

Staying well out of sight as they sneak back through to the great forest, coming across a crumbled and disheveled temple, sprinting inside as they avoid all traps that were set and ready, making their way through the crooked hallways, pressing stones in the walls in a specific order, a panel opening just a bit away from the mystery spies.

Quickly scurrying inside, they take this staircase down into the depths of the temple, the sounds of machinery and banging grew louder as they venture further, finally making it to the glowing hall. A factory full of people in the same red armor as the hunters, guarding what looks to be mechanics and their project, covered in a massive tarp as the screeching sounds of mortal world machines echo in the building.

The leather clad spies continue through, gazing at the loud factory, seeing the thousands of hunters eating and preparing with training for the future cleansing, finally entering large double doors that lead on into a throne room. A figure sat on the throne with a thoughtful seating position.

His prominent armor shines in the torch light. The golden antlers stretch highly above the helmet, two piercing black holes in the eyes of the stag as the man stares at the two approaching figures before him, his booming and dark voice calls out to them.

"Well...what is your news..."

One of the leather clad figures removes their helmet, revealing her face in the torchlight. A dirty blonde with piercing blue eyes, her beautiful features were petite and frail, but her confident body language was speaking volumes as she approaches the hunter king, a satisfied smirk on her face.

"The Capitol and Caspia are in ruin, and the people are worn and tormented...now would be the perfect time for our advance"

"Good, and what of my weapon?"

She takes a bracing breath as she looks at the king, his helmet rising as he stares her down.

"He was in the tower when it went down...but he isnt dead, just transported"

"Where?" he rises from his seat, his golden armor clunking from its weight as it shone brightly in the dimly lit throne room. Approaching the girl with a straight posture, his gloved hands reaching for her shoulder as it rests there gently.

"We aren't sure, but that tracker you implemented should tell us fairly quickly, we WILL find him" she spoke with a powerful tone, raising her head to gaze into his helmet.

"I am sure you will have no problem tracking him down yourself...Alana" he says as she smiles at him with a readied grin.

"I wont let you down...father" she says, walking away from him out the throne room, preparing for her biggest mission yet, hunting down The Blood Witch of Candervale.

"One more thing..." he says, making her pause in her leave as she turns around awaiting his other orders.

"Take your pet with you"

She grins evilly as she leaves the throne room, heading through more staircases of the temple, deeper underground into a prison, multiple beasts had been captured and put behind bars, their beaten and broken states keeping them docile.

Werewolves, Ogres, trolls and goblins...until she stops outside a cage further away from the rest, keys swing around her finger as she looks down upon the shaking body in the cage, before they freeze at the sound of Alana's footsteps, looking up as she gets a good look at his face.

"Hello Elffire...Time to go hunting~" She says with a chuckling grin at her lips, his eyebrows furrow. Standing as devices hang from his neck and one hand, glowing with magical energy as he groans and grunts in pain.

"Take these blockers off and ill show you hunting!" Camus yells as she presses a button near the cage, an electric surge go through the collar and cuffs, sending him into a discomforting scream, the pain so bad he back up against the cage, his shuddering body slumping as she releases him, dragging him from the cage.

"And here I thought you were smarter than that, next time changeling..." she says with an angry tone, pulling him along from the cage he'd been in for a few days, his teleportation spell went haywire.

Sending him straight outside their base.

His regrets making him slump harder, as he passes out unconscious.

.

.

.

As the wind gushes past the temple, it travels further into the far reaches of Aspendria, coated in heavy mists, that contained the nastiest of monsters and feral clans of man, past the mountains and over the reach to the biggest mountain in Aspendria, at the top of it sat a large statue with flames sprouting from its hands.

Standing tall and proud among the flat surface, a symbol carved into the stone as it begins to glow blood red, flying red ash sprout from it as two figures begin to form out of nothing, the ashes sticking to the figures as they reappear in the middle of the symbol, It was Endar and Camilla, still in the same position as they were in the tower.

Huddled together to savor the last moments of their lives, but she looks around at the mountaintops and the area she was in, it was dead freezing and Endar was still unconscious, she attempts to move but cant, like her body was stuck to the symbol on the floor.

"hello? whats going on?!" she yells out for help, the cave on the top of the mountain sprouts cloaked figures by the mass, 16 cloaks quickly surround the circle as they lift their old and frail hand from the cloaks covering their identity.

Long yellowed finger nails spread out and low murmuring chants echoed on through the mountains, she closes her eyes expecting the worst, when her body is flung from the circle, landing in the snow, the ritual focusing on Endar as he levitates into the air. The cloaked women start chanting louder as his clothes begin to melt away.

The left side of his body was regular flesh, but the right side was completely metal, Intricate patterns and lights spreading over on to the flesh on the left.

He quickly awakens and screams in pain, blood curdling screams as he bares his teeth, the ski from the left side of his body begins to spread over the metal, slowly consuming it into his body. Only screaming louder as the ritual continues, Camilla goes to stop them, but a force holds her back, looking behind her to see a pale woman with her hand out.

"You will not stop this ritual!"

"You're hurting him, stop it!"

After a few agonizing minutes, his full body was flesh again, dropping to the floor as he shakes in the cold, his naked body uncontrollably shuddering as he stands, looking at himself with saddened eyes.

Looking up at the woman who held Camilla with her magic, pain and anger spread across his face, his red eyes shedding tears as he covers himself.

"How could you..."

"I did what any mother would do... I saved you, ungrateful child" she sneers.

He didn't say anything, just basking in the unsatisfied glare of his mother, letting Camilla go as she waves her hand, clothes appearing on his body once again as she walks inside, a sideways glace behind her as she smirks at the two who look astonished by what happened.

"Now, come...we have much to discuss"

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------