chapter 7

"I'm going to miss you, Desmond. That day when your skin was burning and blistering, I thought you and I really made a connection," Ascila said with a bittersweet smile.

She reminisced how he had endured her burning passion when she had become lost in her fiery lust. She poured everything she had into him and he had taken it all like a thirsty flame Atronach. If Malikai hadn't jumped in she would've jumped Desmond.

Desmond shuddered before replying, "You are a charming woman, Ascila. I'm sure you'll find someone worthy of your flames."

Hella giggled on the side, knowing that there had been several men that may have been worthy but all ended up being roasted and turned into the psychotic woman's next meal.

"Let's go, Desmond. I'm eager to set foot in a city for once."

****

The roads the two traveled on were quiet and peaceful, save for the random wolf attacks. A few passersby would turn their heads at Desmond and Hella, but more specifically Hella. She donned a black hooded robe that matched her dark hair, fair skin, and onyx eyes. She had an aura of otherworldly beauty.

One of the passersby, a noble, had stopped and gotten off his horse to greet her.

"My lady, you are the most enchanting rose I have had the pleasure to happen across," he bowed and kissed her hand. "May I ask for your name and where you and your servant might be headed?"

Desmond raised a brow, unsure of what to feel being mistaken as a servant. It may have something to do with his unkempt hair or the destitute clothes he was wearing.

"Oh my. Thank you for such kind words," Hella said, side-glancing Desmond playfully. "My name is Hella. My servant and I are headed to Markarth for a bit of shopping. He desperately needs some better attire."

The nobleman chuckled. "Yes, I can see that quite clearly," his eyes sizing over Desmond. "I'd suggest going to Erna's Esquire. Tell her you are good friends with Christophe. She'll be able to make him somewhat worthy of standing beside you.

I shant delay you any longer, then." Christophe hopped back on his horse. "If you happen to be at Solitude, come visit me at my residence. I live in Solumn Shade Manor, at the far end of the city."

Desmond watched as the man disappeared from view, noticing that something seemed off about him, but couldn't quite tell.

'Maybe if used my spirit sight.'

Hella seeing Desmond's puzzled face spoke up. "I see you've caught his charade. He is a vampire."

"A vampire?"

"They are undead beings, cursed with eternal life and forced to feed off the blood of their victims."

"That sounds awful."

"It gets worse. They are unable to feel any emotion or pleasure and any food that touches their tongue tastes like ash. Eternally damned by Molag Bal. But in exchange, they receive great power."

The world felt ever more infinitely vast to Desmond. There were many names he hadn't heard of that made him eager to want to know more but also a little bit afraid of the unknown. It nagged him at the back of his mind.

"Don't let this get to your head, my love." Hella could tell her man was worrying about his condition. She also worried but for the opposite reason. If he would regain whatever memories he had before, it might turn him into a different person and she didn't want that.

"It's nothing. I was just wondering-"

"-I know. But please don't think about it. We will make new memories together," she held his cheeks and locked eyes with him. "This is your life now. With me. The ugly hag you had given new life to."

"Don't call yourself that."

"But it's the truth," she replied, leaning closer to him, their lips barely touching, "and don't you deny it. I want you to always remember. Remember that this body...is all yours..."

Just as they were about to lock lips a shout came from nearby.

"Now!"

Before they could react, a Purplish rune shimmered to life under their feet. With a swift motion, several tendrils shot up and wrapped them both in black iron chains.

Hella recognized the voice to be one of the witches from her coven. She spotted them on a nearby cliff. The head witch and the eldest stood at the front with the other two behind her.

"You three! What do you think you're doing?!"

"Tell us how you did it!" The old witch said, her hands crackling with lightning. "How did you achieve that form!"

The witch behind her also took a stance, readying her lightning spell while the third youngest one stood trembling.

Hella laughed, before channeling her power, causing her ebony wings to unfurl and tear through the chains with ease. This shocked the trio of witches.

"Did you really think this spell could hold me?"

The head witch cursed inwardly. Planning that trap took time to prepare and they had to run ahead with all their energy even consuming a ton of stamina potions. The binding rune was supposed to keep them chained for at least 10 minutes. It was enough time to torture them into confessing. It was either that or she would kill them and dissect her for research.

"Attack!"

The witches shot out their spells. Just as Desmond was about to prepare a ward, the lightning tendril that would hit him redirected to Hella where it shot into her wings and vanished, leaving only a ripple of darkness as if her wings were the void itself.

"W-What! Impossible!" The witch yelled.

Hella smiled wickedly before flying towards the trio, one hand crackling with obsidian colored lightning.

"Dorathie! Get the man!"

The trembling witch at the back nodded before activating an invisibility spell and sneaking away quietly.

Desmond watched as Hella shot out black bolts of lightning at the witches who were just barely able to hold on with their own wards. It was easily a one-sided battle as Hella seemed to nullify all lightning damage in her vicinity.

"Ah, this is a mess."

Having never killed anyone before, he was hesitant at first, but quickly made up his mind. This world didn't seem like the kind of place where hesitancy was rewarded.

"It's either them or us."

He channeled his magicka and then conjured up a fireball, something he had come up with. The center of the fireball glowed with a yellow radiance while the outer layer burned fiery orange. He took inspiration from the bright yellow hole in the sky.

"u-um, p-put away your spell, please."

Suddenly, those words whispered into his ears followed by the cold metallic surface of a dagger pressed against his throat.

It was the third witch. He had been too distracted to notice that she was missing. Had he paid closer attention he would have seen a distorted space moving toward him.

"Sorry about this," she said.

Hella turned her head and noticed what was going on, stopping her bombardment, and in time as the the two witches had just about run out of magicka.

"Let. him. go," Those words she articulated menacingly slowly.

Dorathie began to sweat from the intense glare that was burning a hole through her skull. She clung to Desmond as if her life depended on him, even hiding behind his head so that she couldn't see Hella.

"Ha! What are you going to do now huh?" The eldest witch panted, struggling to her feet. "Now tell us how you did it."

Hella stated at the old witch thinking back to when she met her. She was a part of the coven that was responsible for turning her into a Hagraven. Most of the other members died over the years, including her mother. The second witch was recruited not long after while the third one was a fairly recent member. She didn't quite care for the trio, leaving them to their devices, but they had respected her nonetheless. Until now.

"Very well. If you want to know so badly."

"Yes! Tell me! What is your secret!" The witch looked at Hella with fervor. Though their plan didn't go as expected, the old witch was too lost in her lust for power to care about anything else. Never before had she seen a hagraven ascend. She was jealous of Hellas youthful beauty. She wanted it!

Hella didn't really know too much herself. It was Desmond's spell and she didn't want to pry into it, even though he probably wouldn't mind. The way he cast spells was different than other magic users. It seemed to come naturally to him. She wouldn't doubt that with time, he could bend the very fabric of mundus itself, and she would be there by his side.

Desmond felt the girl behind him tremble as she held a shaking dagger to his neck. Her positioning was all wrong. She was much shorter than him and had to reach her hand up while her other hand wrapped around his waist. The dagger wasn't even sharp.

"Are you alright?" he asked.

"Y-yeah. I'm fine, thank you."

"Alright, well...I'm going to move your hand away now...Is that okay with you?"

"H-Huh?"

Not in any rush, Desmond grabbed the girl's hand and pulled it away effortlessly.

"N-No! Stop! Please don't!" She gasped, trying to stop him, but her thin arms were no match.

He twisted his arm with hers above his head until he came face to face with her where he then pried the dagger out from her sweaty fingers.

"M-My dagger! Give it back!" she said with a tearful look.

Desmond felt bad and almost thought of giving it back.

The other witches stared with shock before the old witch looked on with fury.

"You stupid girl!" she screamed at the top of her lungs "It was a mistake to let you into our coven! Just like your dead imbecile of a mother! We don't need useless people like you!"

Channeling one final lightning spell into her hand, the elder witch shot it straight toward the stunned girl.

Desmond reacted quickly, standing in front of her and putting up a ward spell. The lightning bolt smashed into it with a thunderous clash causing it to shatter but not before absorbing the majority of the blow. The rest of the lightning hit his body, causing him only a slight pain as his mana acted quickly in his aid. All that was left was a burn mark on the center of his clothes and chest.

Hella became furious, raising her arms up high before blasting the elderly witch with a massive bolt of black lightning, piercing her body and rupturing it like a melon, spraying blood and guts everywhere.

"Ah!" The second witch fell on her butt in fear, most of her body covered in the elders' guts.

"Fuck off," the black-winged Hella said, looking menacing as she floated in the sky with obsidian lightning crackling around her body.

The witch turned and ran, but didn't get very far as another one of Hella's bolts immediately crashed into her, also causing her to explode.

And now it was time to deal with the last.