Hegatha didn’t know that Jay could see through the eyes of the skeletons—even Asra didn’t know about the little trick.
Sure, something the skeletons behaved oddly, looking around curiously as if they had minds of their own, but it was something that the women had passively, or subconsciously accepted without much thought. If they mimicked humans in some way, it didn’t raise any concerns; their thinking was too human-centered.
As Jay entered the eyes of Dark he froze, finding it hard to believe what he saw. Much less make sense of Hegatha’s true powers.
The black altar was still partly melted from when she had added the breaking shards to it, and inhaled their powers—but now, without the shards, she conducted a different ritual.
On top of the altar, a clay jar was sitting, the same type that lined the walls of the room. But it was empty, with the lid at its side, and Hegatha chanted in a sickening sweet voice that betrayed her form.
“Come now, tender ones, I have a world to show you. Filled with children and things to destroy… Just a little deeper, hidden in the forest. Come, there are many magical treasures, just a little deeper, some powerful enough to open the break, to tear it apart.”
Above the altar, a black fog began to spew forward from a dark portal, seeped trails of thick smoke. The black fog condensed and seeped into the altar. The holes that the breaking shards had melted into began to fill and repair themselves and suddenly an ethereal being appeared; a dark ghost of a child’s face.
Hegatha sprung her arms up, each hand shuddering as she fought for control. The ghost’s face twisted in anger, and turned into a physical form as its power was challenged, its being began to be ripped apart.
Jay felt more disgusted as he watched the ghostly child separate into a flaming light, and a handful of leaves. Some of the leaves were charred, causing the face in the flaming light to cry in pain. Hegatha moved one hand and the flame floated into the jar, which she quickly sealed up.
As for the leaves, she had them under her own control, and each of them floated to the mirror and disappeared, undoubtedly becoming another part of the rotting walls and roof.
Hegatha’s face dripped with sweat, and more of her moles and skin-bumps surfaced again, returning to her grotesque body. She grabbed the clay jar and placed it alongside the others.
Dark continued to watch from the shadowy corners of the room, looking around at the hundreds of jars on the walls. Jay barely kept himself from ordering her death in that very moment.
Asra still has to be healed one final time, and Hegatha didn’t begin her ritual again, so he stopped the [Host] skill and returned to his body.
His human skin was crawled with fury, itching with spite.
“That witch. That disgusting witch. She had the nerve, the fucking nerve to have me hunt those fire lights. All along she was the one creating them… and to use children?” Jay grit his teeth, his fists clenching.
Jay felt like he had become a part of her plans, another manipulated pawn, and he wasn’t sure if she was human children, but using children of any kind disgusted him.
(Stop hunting the lights. Return to me but remain hidden from Hegatha and Asra’s sight.)
What he saw replayed in his head. The thought of being manipulated in any way, no matter how small, was infuriating. And by such a dumb woman that could barely string sentences together. He wondered if that was just part of an act she played.
Jay looked over the runes in his desk once more, noting the one needed to scratch away to stop Hegatha’s mirror-portal from working. But he looked up from the desk.
Asra was right. He thought, and left to the shack. Jay remained outside, knowing his presence was enough to get Asra to come out, and whispered through the rickety old door.
“Asra, you’re not safe here. Come back to my room.”
Sweeper opened the door, and Asra stepped out behind it. She had a cheeky grin on her face.
“That’s a little bold of you, don’t you think?” Asra whispered.
Jay shook his head, turned and walked back with Asra following. He was committed to killing Hegatha but didn’t let his anger show, lest Asra give Hegatha any clues, so when he got to the edge of the fire, he changed the topic.
“How were those mushrooms? Did you sample any?” Jay asked.
“Disgusting. That was the last time I try any husk food.”
“I’m sure they weren’t that bad. But can you even eat human food?”
“I can taste it, but would vomit it up if I swallowed any. Our stomach’s don’t do solid food. But I can drink most of the things husks do.”
“Like soup?” Jay raised a brow.
Asra tiled her head to the side and glanced at him; the answer was an obvious ‘no’.
Jay gently smiled and looked back into the fire, which the skeletons had maintained with a small pile of wood at its side.
“So, am I supposed to stay here now? You don’t trust Hegatha anymore?” Asra asked.
“I never trusted her.” Jay sighed, “She’s just more dangerous than I realized.” He murmured.
Asra smiled, “Like I said.” She said with a shrug.
Jay sent Sweeper to retrieve the noon-leather blanket from the table, and stashed it in his inventory when he returned, and Asra’s curious expression didn’t escape his gaze.
“You can sleep in my bed during the daytime. I’ll sleep in it at night. Unless that’s below you… but I have a feeling it’s a huge upgrade from the moldy table.”
Asra looked at the skeletons, “If that’s okay with them.”
(All of you nod at Asra.)
The skeletons all nodded, and Red bowed, causing Asra to smile.
“Looks like they’ve accepted you, though I wouldn’t test the extent of their loyalty. They never like that.” Jay said.
“I’ll keep that in mind. Thanks.”
Just like Hegatha toyed with Jay, he toyed with Asra, but it was beginning to leave a bitter taste in his mouth. The thought of being in any way like that swamp witch disgusted him. His safety was a priority, but he felt that he took things too far, and that some of his tricks and lies were completely unnecessary, their ends only resulting in a twisted satisfaction that caused his own blood to stink.
The swamp waters had begun to recede, and the highest prodding bones of the skeletal bridge was beginning to show itself, emerging from the abyssal depths. With Asra relatively safe, Jay returned to his bed, and before closing his eyes he gave Blue a final order.
(Blue, you can take a few skeletons to hunt swamp creatures. The unassigned ones. Leave Red, Sweeper, Dark and Archers with me.)
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