CHAPTER 32 – Is it my luck? Or is it just that this forest is goddamn cursed?

"Die! You fiend!" The Forest Fury, Elaine, shouted in pure wrath while attacking some creature. It was of an electric-blue color and small, really small, and while it was fast, it couldn't escape the Forest Fury, it was a pixie if I remember it well from the second movie.

[You've killed a Cornish Pixie, 15pts have been earned.]

[Congratulations! You've killed your first Cornish Pixie! 60pts have been earned.]

[Congratulations! As a summoner, it's the first time one of your summonses kills a creature for you! 150pts have been earned.]

"I forgot that this thing is a gold mine." I murmured while looking at the Forest Fury which was following another three pixies trying to attack them. "Let me help." I said as I shot some energy strikes at the things. It was my fastest attack that didn't damage the forest that much. After a few moments, ten pixies were dead in front of us.

"You're quite strong, master." Elaine said to me.

"You think?"

"Yes. I'm sure." She nodded.

"Mm… Thanks, you are quite powerful yourself. I never saw someone use earth magic like that."

"Thanks. It's the gift nature itself gave to us sisters to defend the forests. Even those as strange as this one." She nodded with a smile that was still somehow quite creepy.

"Well, let's go. Muninn, lead the way!" After that shout, Muninn started leading the way towards our next target.

{That's 2245 points. That's good. I already have enough to buy the other two vocations. But let's see again when I go back to the castle.} I thought to myself while advancing through the forest.

After an hour or so of me hunting in the forest, I've already killed a few trolls and some more small creatures. I even found thestral, but I evaded them. Somehow, it didn't feel right for me to kill those creatures.

{I know that I saw myself dead… I guess I should have expected that I would be able to see the thestrals, after all, I died and even killed once before.} I thought while leaving the place where a few thestrals were.

It was after walking for a little bit, that I decided to take a rest.

"*sigh…* At this point, I'm pretty sure I should be going back to the castle. I better not tempt destiny too much." I murmur to myself while looking at the night sky in the forest.

This time I've been quite lucky, and haven't found any problem at all, even dementors, which I thought would appear at some point, didn't show themselves.

{Creepy things better stay far away from here.} I thought to myself, only to have a chill crawl up my back the next second.

"This has to be a joke…" I muttered while looking around me.

All the place around me was slowly freezing. And I knew what this meant.

Looking up, I saw a group of dementors flying over me towards somewhere in the forest, a place quite close to the castle, or at least, closer than where I was currently.

"What the hell…?"

Just when I thought they would come at me, not even one dementor stopped to come for me. They just flew away somewhere.

"What are those things…? Master?" Elaine asked, with her eyes wide open.

"Dementors. They're called dementors."

"They… They felt strange. Dark and cold. Nature was screaming... It was a horrible feeling." She spoke with a frown on her face.

"They suck out happiness. They even go as far as to suck the soul of people. They feed themselves on humans."

"…" Elaine frowned. "I hate most humans. But a creature that feeds itself on the soul of others is the worst kind of creature that could exist."

"I agree with you. But there's little that could be done against those things." I shook my head before standing up. "Resting time is over. Let's move. I'm quite curious to see what they're doing right now."

"Are we going behind them?" Elaine asked.

"Yeah. We are." I nodded with a serious face.

"Why? They're dangerous to you, master."

"Yes, I know. But if something happens, you both can just take me away." I smirked. "Though, I'm pretty sure I can get out of there unscratched. Or well, I hope so."

"Wouldn't it be better to just leave them be, and go away?"

"Maybe." I nod at her question. "But they don't leave a prey like me go unless there's a better pray to catch or something they desire more."

"So, you mean…"

"There's something happening at wherever they went. And I have a little idea of what it is, or who it is. So, let's go. Don't worry. I won't jump in first, I'll just check things out and then act accordingly."

"CAW! CAW! CAW!" Muninn suddenly started to shake its head, as if telling me not to go.

"Relax, buddy. I have my reasons. Well, I won't deny it's mostly greed, but even then, I do have a reason to go. Something I want to test."

With that, I jumped over the Stone Rhino's back and we all went towards there. It was quite easy to locate a bunch of dementors, after all, you just have to follow the freezing path.

"Expecto Patronum!"

After a little while of running, I heard a woman's voice summoning the Patronus charm, and from somewhere right in front of me, a powerful Patronus started pushing away all the dementors, sending them away immediately, they even passed close to me.

"What? What's happening?" I looked at the dementors escaping the Patronus, and immediately unsummoned the Stone Rhino. "Elaine. Let's go silently, something is happening over there." I told the Forest Fury while moving towards the place where the Patronus was conjured, using my invisibility charm, and even summoning three runes that started floating around me.

This time my choosing was the Soulfire Rune in case the dementors came back; the Sudden Death Rune that was basically a rune that had the same effect of the Avada Kedavra and that was basically the strongest rune I had for the moments, and finally, Heavy Magic Missile Rune, which was the rune that had the most amount of uses, reaching ten.

{Huh? They're students!} When I got there, I was hiding behind, and a little bit to the right of three students looking at some Dark Witch. {It's her!} I opened my eyes wide, while I motioned Elaine to stay back and hide, which she did, but staying quite close to me.

The said Dark Witch was that Rakepick that attacked me last time. And she was looking with a smug grin at the three students, that for the looks of it were from Gryffindor and Slytherin.

{What are they doing here… And that bitch…}

"You!" One of the three students a girl from Slytherin shouted at the witch and attacked her with her wand. But Rakepick merely protected herself and counterattacked, sending the girl back.

At this time, I finally saw her face, she had short and messy brown hair with a little area painted in orange at the front. She had thick eyebrows and her most impactful characteristic was her violet eyes.

"Merula!" One boy, a Gryffindor, shouted as he turned to look at his friend with a somewhat worried but surprised face. He had well-kept blond hair, brown eyes, and had a light skin-color.

"I will get… My revenge." The girl, who I now knew was called Merula, said.

"Revenge? Miss Snyde, you're in such a hurry to die, but the truth is…" She paused for a moment, smirking. "You aren't even worth killing."

{Damn… Do they know each other or something?} I thought to myself, looking at her interactions that seemed as if they somehow knew each other. {Huh?} Right from where I was hiding, I could also see another student hiding, she was hiding in one of the trees at their left, not showing herself.

"If you just want us dead, why bother saving us?" While I was looking at the girl that was hiding, the other boy, another Gryffindor, asked her.

"I wasn't about to let the dementors finish you off, Mr. Nolan." Rakepick said before putting up her wand. "I want the pleasure of killing you myself." She said, getting ready to fight.

And right then, she attacked the guy she called Mr. Nolan, and while he tried to defend with a protective charm, her attack was stronger, breaking his protective charm and pushing him a few steps back.

"Expelliarmus!" He tried to retaliate but she easily stopped his attack, and once again attacked him with a move of her wand.

"Argh!" He shouted while being pushed back, falling on the floor from the impact, his wand falling away from him.

{He's the one that was with Tulip, Tonks, and Badeea!} I instantly recognized the guy. He had wild and messy brown hair, slightly combed to one side, he also had light skin and dark brown eyes.

"It's time to finish what I started in the buried vault! This is the end for you, Curse-Breaker!" Rakepick shouted at him.

"Flipendo Maxima!" But right before she could something. The other guy attacked her.

She defended herself with a protective charm and immediately counterattacked, but the guy also defended himself before attacking once again with a Flipendo Maxima, breaking her protective charm and pushing her one step back.

"Argh…" She groaned.

"I won't let you hurt anyone I care about anymore!" He shouted at her.

{Truly inspirational, but can you stop talking and finish her already?} I thought to myself when the guy started talking as if this was a battle with turns. I slowly prepared one of my runes, the Soulfire one, just in case something happened, moving it slowly towards them.

"You've learned to talk like a Gryffindor, Copper. But can you back up that talk?" Rakepick said with a glare, before starting to attack him.

He tried his best to stop the attacks, but Rakepick was quite good. Charms and curses went and came in their duel, but the guy was soon thrown to the ground.

"Urgh…" He groaned, before jumping back up, and attacking again until another attack impacted him. "Urgh!" He crouched and held his arm, where Rakepick attack impacted.

"Hang on, Ben…!" The guy that was on the floor tried to stand up, but he was having a hard time doing so. "I'll help you…"

"No! I'll handle Rakepick!" Ben shouted at Rakepick.

"You can 'handle me', can you?" Rakepick retorted sarcastically. "We'll see about that." She said, before attacking once again. Hitting him strongly with an Expelliarmus, which sent him back, with his wand falling on the floor.

"ARGH!"

"Ben!" Both Merula and the other guy shouted at the same time.

"I'm fine!" Ben answered, and hardly stood up, picking his wand. He stood in front of Rakepick once again, this time holding his left arm that was probably hurt.

"Copper… Run…" Merula tried to convince him, she too couldn't stand up from the first impact she received from Rakepick.

But instead of listening to her, he attacked Rakepick, who just protected and counterattacked. Ben also protected himself, while sending back a powerful attack.

"Flipendo Maxima!" He shouted and a strong attacking charm impacted Rakepick.

"URGH!" She barely protected herself with a charm, but still received some damage.

"That'll teach you a lesson…" Ben muttered between clenched teeth. Still hurt from what happened.

"…" Rakepick looked at him with anger, a look I knew too well.

{Oh no, playtime's over.} I thought while moving the rune close to the floor quickly, ready to test something. At the same time, I saw that the girl that was hiding until now went out from her hiding and ran towards them, but no one else noticed her.

"Take this 'lesson' to your grave." Rakepick said while readying her wand. "Avada Kedavra!" A green ray went out of Rakepick's wand, directly towards Ben.

{Oh no, you won't.} I thought while sending the rune up towards Ben, or I thought it was Ben, as the girl that was hiding quickly shoved him aside while jumping in the way of the killing curse. Right before it got to Ben.

The killing curse impacted the Rune and pushed it towards the girl that jumped in to shove Ben aside, making her fall back and roll on the ground before the rune disintegrated.

"Rowan!" The other Gryffindor guy shouted.

"NO!" Ben, who already looked back to the girl that shoved him aside, also shouted.

"Khanna…" While Merula merely watched the girl with wide eyes and her mouth slightly open.

"We warned you that you owed 'R' a friends' life." Rakepick smirked. "Consider that-" She was going to continue, but stopped, with her eyes wide open. "WHAT!?" She shouted, totally surprised.

The girl called Rowan or Khanna, I don't know which one is her first name, the girl that was just 'killed' in front of their eyes, stood up.

{*sigh…* That was close.}

"Urgh… That hurt…" She muttered, before looking around. "Huh? I'm… Alive? How…?"

"Rowan! Are you okay!?" the Gryffindor guy shouted.

"Andrew…? Yes… I think so…"

"For Merlin's beard! You survived the killing curse!" Ben couldn't believe it. While they were all astounded, I quickly moved towards them, sending Elain to go behind Rakepick.

{I'm not letting you go this time.} I glare at her.

"You!" Rakepick shouted while pointing her wand at the girl called Rowan Khanna. "I don't know how you survived the killing curse! But it won't happen twice!" She shouted, making everyone terrified, including the girl.

"Avada Kedavra!" She shouted again, but this time, another rune appeared midair, disintegrating after receiving the impact. "What!?"

"Expelliarmus!" I shouted, taking her by surprise, making her wand fly out of her hand, and appearing in front of her.

"YOU! YOU BASTARD! Do you dare to interfere with 'R' once again!?" She shouted at me, looking around for her wand.

"Yes. I do. You bitch." I growled at her, having quite the bad memories from our last encounter. "Elaine, now!" I shouted.

"Huh!?" And before she could even do something, roots went out of the ground and trapped her, entangling her. "What's this!? RELEASE ME!" She shouted.

Forest Furies have the ability to use druidic spells, but quite different from a normal Druid, they have a more instinctive way of using earth magic.

"I'm sorry. But that's as much as you'll move anytime soon." I said, moving my last rune. The Sudden Death rune.

"What are you going to do!?" She shouted, terrified.

"…" Without answering, I activated the grey-colored rune. Its form, which was a mix between an oval-shaped and a square-shaped stone, shone in a grey light. On the front of the rune, a skull with two crossed bones below also shone in a deeper grey light, while the roman number three on the back changed to a number two.

Immediately from the rune, a small gray-colored ball shot towards Rakepick, and once it impacted, the light in Rakepick's eyes faded quickly. Her skin slowly decayed and her body dried visibly, leaving only a mummified corpse behind.

She was now dead. Just like she tried to kill Ben and me before.

[You've killed Dark Wizard 'Patricia Rakepick', 500pts have been earned.]

[Congratulations! You've completed a hidden quest! The enemy won't escape a second time! You just killed an old and powerful enemy that escaped the first time, not letting her escape twice.]

[200pts have been earned]

"Who are you!?" Ben shouted while pointing his wand at me.

"The one who saved your ass. Dumbass. Only you idiots dare to challenge a Dark Witch without the preparation to do so."

"But did you have to kill her!?" The other guy, who's called Andrew, shouted at me.

"It was either her or one of you." I shrugged. "I just took the liberty to choose myself."

"You-" He tried to say something.

"It was you who saved me, right?" The hiding girl, Rowan, asked me, interrupting Andrew.

"Well, I was trying to save that blond guy, but I ended up saving you."

"What are those-"

"Doesn't matter." I said, putting my rune into my inventory. "You better get out of this forest, fast. Dementors are still around." I said sternly, turning away and leaving towards where I knew Elaine was waiting.

"Stop!" Ben shouted. "You can't leave! You have to answer my questions first!"

He tried to rush at me with his wand out, while his friends were finally standing up, still limping a little from the damage he received from Rakepick's attacks.

"Don't you dare get close to my master, human!" But right before he could even try to do something, Elaine jumped out from where she was hiding, and rushed towards me, raising her hand and summoning another batch of roots that trapped Ben.

"What's this!?" He tried to fight the roots, but they were quite resistant and hard to break with strength alone.

"Ben!"

"Copper!"

Both Merula and Andrew shouted, trying to reach him, but a strong stomp on the ground from one of Elaine's hooves stopped them.

"…" They both flinched at the sound of her stomp.

"No one moves." She growled at her, before turning to me. "What should I do, master?"

"Calm down. We don't have to harm them. Let's just go." I said while walking ahead.

"Wait!" Suddenly Rowan shouted, and I turned to look at her. "I-I-I…" She stuttered once she received a glare from Elaine, but still spoke, even while afraid. "I-I just wanted to thank you!" She said, still a little bit afraid of Elaine.

Looking at her now, I could finally see her clearly. She had a pair of big glasses, those that normally got you bullied in my old world. Long twin-tails of black hair, and slightly darker skin, she looked like someone who came from India.

"Don't worry. I had a small account to settle with Rakepick." I said while nodding and kept walking. With Elaine following slightly behind.

{Now that I think about it. Why is it that every time I come to this goddamn forest, something happens? Maybe I'm just unlucky? Nah! It's probably this goddamn forest that's cursed or something.} With that last thought, I went out of the forest, Muninn following closely, flying over me.

Of course, right before I got closer to the outside of the forest, I unsummoned Elaine after saying my goodbyes, before going back to my room using both the levitation and invisibility spell.

{Today was certainly weird, but now the real question is, will I actually summon Elaine the next time I choose to summon a Forest Fury? Or will it be another of her sisters?} With that last question swimming in my head, I went to sleep. Not even bothering to ask the System for the moments.