Chapter 4

"Your magic type is Bloodcraft, the control of one's blood. There is no record on how to cast it or how to control it. As such starting today you are to find out how to use it. " Oblea lets go of Eska's hand then continues "Every element is different, mine is Wind."

Eska lifts her hands and a slight breeze begins to develop around her, making the leaves and dirt circle around her then they settle down again on the floor as she lowers her hands. "When I started learning, I pictured myself pulling or pushing it. I hear some similar things about other elements, so we'll begin there." Eska seems intrigued.

"Close your eyes and clear your mind. There is no rush." Eska does as she is told and closes her eyes. Oblea sits in front of the house while Eska stands in the middle of the clearing, far enough to not cause damage to the building. She can hear a light breeze and her thoughts seem to vanish.

Several minutes pass, Eska stands still with her hand extended. The red liquid on her hand begins to vibrate, ever so slightly. Oblea keeps watching carefully. "Slowly. You will know when you have it. There is no hurry." She shouts at her.

Several hours go by but all she can achieve is a few vibrations. Oblea approaches her and beckons her inside "Come, let's eat. We'll try again tomorrow. When it comes with magic, this counts as a success. Failure in this case, could cost you a limb."

Eska opens her eyes, and stares into nothingness. She lowers her head and starts walking back home and they both walk inside of the house.

Four years have passed. The sun must have barely come out from the horizon, though it's hard to tell due to the gray clouds. The air is cold and a few snowflakes can be seen falling onto the ground, though they melt as soon as they hit the ground.

Eska walks out of the house and heads into a big shed in front of it, right across a patch of farmland. Her hair now reaches below her shoulders. She wears a pearly colored sweater covering her torso, a smaller jacket made of leather covering her arms. Dark pants and combat boots reaching half way to her shins.

She has two leather pouches tied to her left side, one to her waist and another to her upper leg. Lastly a black belt that seems to shift in dark colors. Everything seems perfectly crafted from different types of leathers, cotton and silk. There even seems to be some metal buckles as well. Though some of her gear is crafted at home, some of it seems to have been crafted by someone else aside from the two living here.

Once inside the shed, Eska takes her jacket off and hangs it next to the door then takes a rag next to where she had hanged her jacket and tucks it onto her belt. There is a raised table in the middle with four giant rats on it. The table is made of stone, it is flat and smooth at the top and aside from the four rodents it is pristine. The shed walls are covered in tools of all kinds. Shovels, hammers, hoes, bladed tools and more. They are all well taken care of and clean.

Eska makes her way to the center, where the table is and begins feeling one of the corpses, examining its fur, looking at its bones and at its skin. She then pulls her hands away from it. With one hand she begins to pull her left sleeve and rolls it towards her upper arm, then follows to her right sleeve. Eska then places her thumb below her index finger and presses against it with her nail, drawing blood. She extends her index finger and quickly more blood draws away from her index forming a curved blade.

Her hands are steady and her gaze is determined. With practiced precision she begins the delicate process. She works the blade seamlessly as she makes her first cut, and warm blood begins to ooze out. The creature must have been alive a minute before this. The scent begins to mix with that of the shed. Her blade slides and glides around the smaller beast, taking the creature apart. Eska's face gives no hint of expression.

She finishes the work on the smaller one and separates the meat, the skin and organs on different corners of the table. With her many years of experience she makes minimal mistakes, if any at all. She moves on to the next one, always careful to not make any mess. The task takes a few minutes at most.

Once done, Eska pulls out a few boxes from the shed. Each with the same glowing sigil on them. As she opens the wooden boxes a mist escapes them, revealing some organized frozen items inside. Neatly and carefully she begins to categorize her work into these boxes, then brings out her rag to wipe her hands clean and begins cleaning the rest of the bloody mess she had left behind.

After what seems to be a small but time consuming task, Eska picks a few pieces from one of the frozen boxes and makes her way back to the house. She stops by the side of the house where a much bigger and sturdier box lies, opening it and taking a few eggs from it. She then makes her way inside the house.

"Obleeeeaaaaa!"

She shouts once inside. "I'm starting breakfast!"

"I'll be there in a minute." Oblea answers from upstairs. Eska sets the eggs onto the counter and places the rest of the frozen items next to them. The kitchen has no stove, there is only counter space and a square table in the middle. The gray light from the clouds leak from the glass windows on the walls. Eska brings out a metal pan and places it on one of the counters, then begins breaking the eggs onto it and mixing them together. After a bit she places a few of the frozen meat bits on the same pan.

Eska touches the edge of the pan with her right index finger, and begins whispering a few words "In the blackened sky, let flames ascend, a pyre of retribution to light our path!" The pan then slowly begins to turn bright red, the meat melts and begins sizzling, the eggs begin to solidify as they cook. She mixes everything together and begins to season her creation.

Oblea arrives, wearing a long dress with a sweater over it and a red cloak around her. Her black hair is messy but tied down and she has a serious expression. Her left arm sleeve is folded and clipping to her forearm, as there is no need for it due to the lack of an arm. There is a scar coming straight down from her right eye and it seems to keep going even under her clothes. Her brown eyes seem tired, not just from waking but from the beating life has given her.

Eska looks at Oblea's appearance and smiles "Good morning Oblea! Breakfast will be ready soon!" she says with a happy voice.

"Oh, Thank you." She answers as she sits then begins to inquire "Did you -..." "I did" Eska interrupts her "I got four rats that were close by, so I didn't have to be out for too long."

Oblea lets out a smile "Why do I even try anymore?" She asks with a relieved sigh.

Eska serves both plates and walks to the table, placing them both there, not missing the chance to give Oblea a kiss on the cheek.

"Because you love me. Now eat." Eska says with a happy smile.

Oblea looks at Eska and smiles with slight embarrassment, then they eat in silence.

A few minutes after finishing her meal Oblea gets up and begins cleaning the few dishes they used. Eska helps her gather things around, then tells her "I'll head out to get something big enough to last us a few days. Once it starts snowing those weird spiders will come out and I want to have more meat before it all runs too far away."

Oblea just nods with a serious expression "Don't stay out for too long."

"I won't." Eska answers her happily, gives her another kiss on the cheek and makes her way out as she grabs her bow and a few arrows.

Eska begins her hunt in the dark forest. She walks in the deeper part of it. She rarely makes her way here but due to the more aggressive predators and the cold of winter most of the bigger animals make their way deeper into the forest. She begins her hunt at a creek. Eska can spot different animal tracks, some boars, deer, and even a starlight stag. Though she is not after the latter. Unfortunately she can also spot a few monsters, nightweavers, and ghoul wolves.

She has encountered these before, but she actively tries to avoid them. Not being a fan of giant spiders and the undead. She just continues forward, paying the creatures no mind and letting her footsteps be drowned by the water of the creek.

Eska begins pursuing a close-by boar, a much bigger adult. Before she continues any further she whispers to herself "Invisible currents, swift and wild, carry us aloft and shield us from harm!" The small breeze can be seen moving the leaves around, then nothing. Just some wind magic to help her track and detect creatures around her.