Fog's Belly
Derunia Mountains, Brighver, Earth
***
Elaine Marks walked a few steps ahead of Dreygo as they tread towards the Seer's location. Dreygo could not stop the urge to glance at the Prophetess's curvy body and swaying butt cheeks as she strode against twigs and leaves that mantled the forest bed.
Elaine wore skimpy shorts, exposing her white leg complexion and her hair, pony-tailed, also exposed her pale white nape and a baby shirt that hung right above her navel revealed her smooth-skin midriff. She was very stunning.
He saw numerous beautiful demons in the Demon world but they seemed to be corrupted with immense sin and their skin tested by the harsh environment of Hell. But the beauty of a human being, like Elaine, was pure and untouched. It seemed that Dreygo had not much of a choice but to admire this beauty in front of him.
"I think we are getting closer," Elaine said while panting from an hour's walk.
"How do you know?" Dreygo asked.
"I can feel it now. And the Forest is getting darker and darker. I can see the fog about a mile away."
"Well tell me if you can't take it anymore, I will take it from here." Dreygo showed concern in his voice.
"You may get lost from here until we reach the fog. So, just maybe a few more minutes of walk."
Dreygo nodded. He needed her assistance. If not, he will get lost in the forest and be trapped in the belly of the fog in the nighttime. He knew that the witch's powers were stronger at night. How much more of the Seer's power? Elaine and Dreygo proceeded towards the deep of the forest.
About five hundred meters, Elaine stopped and pointed to a direction where the Fog engulfed the forest. It was like a mist very apparent to the eyes. They could hardly see the tree trunks within that mist. Elaine now started to pant hard, gasping for air.
"It's the fog. I can hardly breathe." Elain bent her back forward and placed her both palms on her knees. She felt her body was weakening and seemed about to vomit.
"Now, I will take it from here. You go along Elaine, I can handle this." Dreygo suggested with slight concern in his voice.
Elaine pointed to a direction within the fog with tremendous effort.
"You should go straight there." Her voice cracked.
'Cough. Cough. Cough.'
"Ok, you have done enough." Dreygo was now engaged. He grasped his dagger harder ready to take on the challenge.
Elaine parted some words. "Do not go back to the motel. Let's meet at another motel. You are not safe anymore in Alexis Inn. This is the address. " Elaine gave him a piece of paper and he received and opened it. "We just passed this motel right after we turned towards the forest. I will wait for you there."
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Hidden Lodge, Jakosalem High way, Derunia City
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They parted ways and Dreygo increased his pace towards the Fog. He glanced back at Elaine while she walked away to look at her once again - a beautiful human being. This made him smile and gave him hope.
He continued to hike until he was one with the mist.
As he entered the fog, the temperature suddenly dropped and the atmosphere grew heavy. It gave him discomfort and a little dizziness. The magic started to kick in and challenged his persistence.
'I am a Death Harbinger,' He thought as a way of convincing himself for a hope of survival on the upcoming adversity.
As the sun was obscured, the forest grew darker. When he craned his head up, he saw only fog and silhouette of trees and flying crows and bats. Their wing flaps were audible. He could not see the way farther. The fog won't let him. It seemed that he was walking against thick floating cotton, it made his body heavy, his arms swayed and every step he took was excruciatingly heavy.
He had been walking for almost an hour now. He was perspiring but his consciousness was still intact. He knew he held his dagger in his right hand, he had to check. His focus became hazy, though, he continued to press forward. He thought,
'Hell's environment was far more difficult than this. But I cannot understand why. It seemed the magic they put in the fog is stronger. Maybe because my body is human.'
He could hear the voices of somebody laughing and whispering inaudible words, just echoing and bouncing through the tree trunks. He did not know if the voices were in his head, or if they were real. He glanced overhead to look for the source but he saw only a thick fog floating dubiously strewn together with the tree leaves.
He closed his eyes and rubbed them, just to make sure. Now, instant flashes came to his vision, like the whole place was burning, and then it vanished. And the visions came back again like he was in hell. It alternately appeared.
He was not able to comprehend now what's true or not. The fog played tricks in his mind but he had trained his mind to endure for Centuries even the worst situations in hell. The fog could slow him down but not his focus and objective.
The forest was uncomfortably quiet as if he was alone. But he could not shake off the feeling that somebody was watching him. Startled, the rustling of leaves emerged.
They were footfalls and it was getting closer. Hiding was not an option for him, instead, he just stood still and wait for something to reveal before his eyes.
A silhouette of a man wearing a black hood, was now slightly visible. He continued walking towards Dreygo but he suddenly stopped. The silhouette raised his arms to his side at shoulder length with palms facing upward.
The ground rumbled beneath Dreygo's feet and roots came out from the ground like snakes. It caught his left leg so tight that he was not able to move it. Startled, he focused his attention to his trapped leg. To his disappointment in dislodging himself, he refocused back to the silhouette, only to find out that it vanished.
The echoes of voices grew louder and louder.
He glanced left to right but only finding the foggy setting of the forest. Suddenly, looming in his peripherals, a ball of fire, with the size of a fist, was thrown at him from a far at a tremendous speed aimed at his head. Luckily, he dodged it.
He tried to free his foot from the roots using his dagger but he sensed another ball of fire was coming at him, he cannot dodge it for it will surely hit his left leg. Instead, he used his dagger to fend off the projectile.
The ball of fire exploded a meter away from his position and the blast threw him, uprooting his leg in the process. His body slammed into a tree and he felt air escaped his lungs. He regained his strength for a few moments overcoming the discomforts in his chest.
'A warlock. But human. His fire manipulations are weak.' He assessed.
"Come out, you coward!" Dreygo called out.
There was no answer. He ran straight to the direction where the balls of fire were thrown trying to catch up with the warlock.
His strides were fast but calculated. A small fire lit straight from his eyesight and then the silhouette was now revealed before his eyes. The warlock rotated his hands to summon again a ball of fire. It took some time but he managed to throw it again to Dreygo.
Dreygo sprinted so fast that he was not able to change direction to evade the attack, instead, he swept it using his dagger and the ball of fire changed its direction, hitting a large tree far from behind him. It exploded like grenade and turning the tree trunk into shards of wood.
Dreygo leapt, elevating himself to the air, assessed that hitting him in mid-air was more difficult than him on the ground. As he closed their gap, he quickly stabbed the witch's chest using his dagger. Dreygo felt that the blade broke his sternum apart and punctured the warlock's heart in the process.
The warlock, his face pale and old with several silver piercings on his nose and eyebrows, grimaced but had failed to released a scream. Dreygo felt the fulfilling sensation for the kill.
"Die you, evil dwellers!" The harbinger screamed.
The warlock's eyeballs turned up and his mouth opened, spluttered a bit. He bled so much blood as Dreygo dislodged the dagger from his chest and the corpse fell, flailing at first but then, lifeless. Dreygo wiped the blood from his dagger using the dead warlock's clothes. The voices vanished and his hell visions too. But the fog's magic still lingered.
'I must be near. These witches do not go far from the seer. They protected her.' The harbinger assessed.
He pressed forward.