Wolfen - Part 18

Once they finished discussing their plans, Myorakk, Keil, Verik, and Nari headed back to camp to tell everyone else of what they came up with. Verik still wasn’t too thrilled to be working with one of these demons, but he began to trust him more. He was willing to go through pain and perhaps risk his life to help them out. Either he was just kindhearted, or he really hated Erebos. Verik guessed it was the latter.

When they entered their camp, everyone was gathered around David’s shelter. “Is something happening?” Keil asked them as they approached.

Emmaline, who was kneeling down with her hands on Karthan’s soul stone, said, “I sensed a voice from this stone. It is trying to speak but it lacks the strength. If I can reach out to it, maybe it can speak through me.”

David was lying on his back, barely any strength left, but he was conscious and looking anxiously at her. Keil nodded and waited to see the result.

After a minute or two of complete silence with nothing happening, the stone started glowing and Emmaline’s eyes shot open, but they were no longer the same shade of blue that they used to be, but was the same shade of purple as the stone. She gasped for breath, her eyebrows raised in surprise, but she quickly got a hold of herself. “Sorry,” she said, “I do not mean to cause you any discomfort. Are you alright?” There was a slight pause as Emmaline took in a deep relaxed breath. “Yeah, I’m fine.” She answered herself. “It’s just weird having another mind present within me.”

Verik placed a hand on her shoulder. “Karthan? Is that you?”

Emmaline, or Karthan, turned to him and smiled. “Ah, Verik! It is I. You’re doing well, I see. You are much more mentally stable than the last time that I saw you.”

“Much has happened.” Verik responded solemnly.

She then turned back to David who was lying on the ground. “David. How are you feeling?”

David said in a weak voice barely above a whisper. “I’m not in pain. The herbs they fed me has made this easier.” Tears appeared in his eyes and he couldn’t help but smile. “I thought you might have been gone forever, I’ve been waiting so long. I’m just so glad I was able to speak with you one last time before I lost myself.”

Karthan smiled comfortingly and stroked David’s ears. “I was trying, but without a body, I barely have any energy. The time I spoke with you at the fortress weakened me significantly. I apologize for making you worry.” She knelt down beside him so he can look him in the eye. “I also wanted desperately to talk with you before you left. I needed to tell you that I couldn’t be more proud of you. The sacrifices you are willing to make are more than anyone should have to make.”

Before she could finish, David chuckled painfully. “I am just a pawn in this battle. If I must be sacrificed to help our side, then who am I to argue. My life is nothing compared to our victory over Erebos.”

She shook her head. “Don’t think like that. Every life is just as important as another. We are all equals. Anyone who thinks otherwise is arrogant and foolish.” David’s eyes were starting to droop and it was obvious that he was going to lose consciousness soon, maybe for the last time. She leaned down and licked his muzzle. “I love you, David. I will make sure that the world knows of your actions.”

“Thank you, Karthan.” David rasped. “I’ll see you in…” He wasn’t able to finish his sentence before his eyes closed, his heartbeat slowed down, and he slipped into unconsciousness.

Tears came to her eyes and she turned away. “He’s gone. I can no longer feel his thoughts. The next time he awakes, he will be one of them.”

Verik wrapped his arms around her (and Karthan) and hugged her tightly. She hugged him back and let out several sobs. He didn’t know whether these feelings were coming from her or Karthan. Probably both. “There is something that I hate about my telepathic abilities.” Emmaline said shakily. “Even though I have only been with you guys for a couple days, I have shared many thoughts and memories with David. I feel like I just lost one of my closest friends.”

The next several minutes were spent in respectful silence as they prayed to Vannah to accept his soul into the afterlife. Not many of them knew David very well, since he was new to their pack and then kept mostly to himself, but they were all grateful for everything he did to help them.

Once all their prayers were sent, Karthan, through Emmaline, got up and addressed them. “You have come up with a plan to confront Erebos, yes? Tell me and maybe I can help you.”

Keil sighed, but nodded. “We have.” He cleared his throat and began telling them about their plan.

/.\ /.\ /.\

Once Keil finished, everyone else remained silent, a look of doubt on their faces. It was obvious that they did not share Keil’s confidence that they will be victorious. Syla was just as unsure as everyone else. “Verik…can you control your abilities well enough?” She asked. “I know you defeated Erebos before, but you said you didn’t know how you did it.”

Verik sighed, “I cannot repeat what I was able to do that once, I admit, but I have gotten significantly better. I can do so much more than when I first got this power.”

Emmaline stood directly in front of him and stared into his eyes. After a few seconds, she leaned in and whispered into his ear. “You are unsure whether or not this plan will actually work.”

“I am,” he nodded, “but I do know that this is the best chance we have. If we fail, we will most likely all die, but if we sit back and do nothing, then they will become too strong and we will most likely die anyways. We don’t really have a choice, but to do what we can now and hope for the best.”

“I guess you’re right, but I don’t like it.” She glanced down at Karthan’s Soul Stone in her hands for a second before looking back at him. “Karthan tells me that some of his enchanted items that you brought back from the fortress will be of use to you on this mission. Follow me.”

Everyone headed off into the forest towards the place that they buried the enchanted items. It was only a few minutes from their camp. When they arrived, they dug them up and laid them out on the ground in front of Emmaline.

Her eyes changed to purple again as Karthan entered her mind. Looking down at all the items, he smiled. “It has been a while since I have seen these things. Many of them, I made several years ago.” She knelt down and picked up several metal circlets decorated with red jewel stones. She put one on his head and handed the others to Verik, Keil, Nari, and a few others. “These will increase your telepathic abilities, or more importantly, they will allow Emmaline to speak with you from here.”

“I thought she was going with us.” Keil said, folding his arms.

“I believe it would be more beneficial to stay here. That is, if we are, indeed, able to read the enemies’ thoughts through…our captive. Emmaline could find out their plans, or any other useful information, and relay it to you. She is not very combat-experienced, either way.”

“You’re probably right. Is Emmaline okay with this?”

She nodded and then knelt down to pick up a handful of blue rings that emanated a dim glow. “These will help you if the situation becomes bad. They are made out of a relatively fragile glass. If the ring is broken, it will release all the energy sealed inside it to create a barrier around you for a short period of time. Obviously, they are only able to be used once, so only use them when you absolutely need it.”

She picked up several scepters and staffs and handed them to Verik. “These are not able to be used by any of you wolfen. They require a connection to the mana, which is impossible for wolfen to have, unless you replace your eyes with the mana stones we created, these can only be used by humans. However, since you may gain some human followers, these might prove useful. Once a human holds one of these, the use will become clear. Essentially, all of these are magical weapons.”

Keil dipped his head. “Thank you, Karthan. These might have increased our chances a lot.”

“It’s my pleasure.” She responded. “I want them dead, just as much as you do. Perhaps more.” Emmaline gasped lightly and her eyes turned back to her normal color.

“Emmaline, you okay?” Verik asked.

“I’m fine.” She said. “It just feels weird having another consciousness enter and leave my mind.”

“Yeah, I could only imagine. So, what are your thoughts on this new change in plans?”

“Karthan is wise, probably wiser than all of us. It would be foolish to ignore his advice. Personally, I am satisfied with my new role. I have never really been in combat. The only time was when I was protecting the human healer I lived with. And even then, I never damaged any of them, just prevented most of them from getting through.”

Verik grinned. “Well, if I survive our mission, I can help you train, if you’d like.”

“That sounds wonderful. You better not die, then.” She said, only half joking.

Verik grasped her shoulder reassuringly and nodded. “I don’t plan that happening.”

“No, you don’t, but you don’t think it’s out of the question.” She said solemnly and then started heading back to camp.

Verik went up to Keil and handed him the staffs and scepters. “Can you bring these back?” He asked. “I want to do something first. I’ll be back in an hour or so.” Keil nodded and started heading back with the rest of his pack.

Once they were all gone, Verik turned around and walked deeper into the forest. He had a lot on his mind. Emmaline was right. He was still not confident in their chances to take down Erebos. It was still too soon. He wasn’t in complete control of his powers. To be honest with himself, he was scared. He was scared of facing Erebos again. He was scared of what would happen to the world if he failed. He was scared of dying also.

Just ahead of him was a familiar wall of plant-growth that grew all the way to the tops of the trees. Just like before, he continued walking and the branches shifted and created a path for him to walk through. Once on the other side, the beauty of the plants eased his tension.

Everything was much more peaceful. The soft light from the glowing plants instantly made him more relaxed. He sat down for a few minutes to just soak everything in. All the trees around him moved on their own as if they were alive. None of the animals here were afraid of him. The birds and crickets sang out loudly.

After a few minutes, he got up and started walking forward, towards the place where he first met Vannah, where he was given his special powers. He reached the second plant wall that surrounded tree. Gently, he reached out and touched the leaves, creating a tunnel to the other side.

When he stepped out of the tunnel, the sight still struck him with amazement. The tree was covered with the glowing plants, making it shine brighter than the moon. The flowers that bloomed from its branches were larger than his head. He walked over the natural bridge that grew out of ground, crossing over the pond that surrounded the tree.

He crossed over the bridge and stopped at the base of the massive trunk of the tree. He knelt down and laid his hand on it. He didn’t feel anything strange when he touched it this time, but maybe Vannah was still listening to him. “Vannah,” he began praying, “if you can hear me, we need your help. We are about to go into battle with the evil you warned me about, but I don’t think we are ready. And if we fail, this world could be lost. I don’t know how much you can do for us physically, but if you can, be with us during this battle. Guide us to victory. We need all the help you can offer.”

He waited there for several more minutes, waiting just in case she answered him, but there was nothing. Eventually, he got up and began walking back to camp. He smiled as he walked. He didn’t know if this was Vannah’s presence with him or something else, but he felt much better. Much more confident than he did before. He took a deep breath and let it out. Tomorrow, they were going to fight Erebos. Tomorrow, the fate of the world would be decided. Tomorrow, he was going to kill Erebos, or at least die trying, and he will do everything in his power to ensure that the latter was not going to happen.