Chapter 134 – Wintery Days 3

Peronell got the cultist in sight. Yet the time to strike wasn’t due. The cultist is still disguising as an encampment guard, therefore killing the guard in plain sight would do nothing but create confusion and charge of murder. The cultist might be a cultist but according to the judge that gave Peronell the details, the cultist has been serving as a guard for ten years. The cultist has many friends and allies in the encampment and only until then that the cultist showed up that the Inquisition knew that he was a member. A sleeper agent planted to know the plans of the encampment.

In fact, it was because of the cultist that there were ogre guards guarding the base of the cultists. If it weren’t for him then the operation would have been a lot smoother.

So Peronell just marked the cultist with her energy. Doing so she can find and track the cultist wherever he will go, making the cultist unable to escape her grasp. This ability is mainly a magick archer ability, a seeking like a spell that tracks.

With that said, Peronell observes the cultist for a while. He was different, had this gloomy pale black aura, kept a sword, and the ring on his index finger was quite bright in black, the cursed ring was showy. It made Peronell wonder how they can easily wield a cursed ring like that. A ring that is accursed usually has side effects, usually, mental deterioration and the accursed part mutating the body to make it compatible with the curse.

It doesn’t enchant the body, it transforms its insides into a much more hideous one. The outer skin will be able to mask the changed, but once skinned the change will be much notable.

Peronell saw these kinds of curses in the dungeon continent. From sword’s that mixes with the body, from items that could never be parted with. She saw different types that allow the user to become far powerful at the price of being accursed.

But all in all being accursed only leads to despair. Either it makes the people mad, apathetic or that of a monster. Peronell knew of Lady Knight, she was kind, gorgeous and was quite cheerful. But one day she lost her way due to having her comrades killed by an ambush. It made her mad, sad and seething. Peronell tried to save her, but the Lady Knight succumbed to the temptation of the accursed items and as if she had made a deal with the devil. Turned herself into a being far different from a human, and with that change, the Lady Knight hunted down the one’s responsible for an ambush. It took her many days, and when she was finally done, her body that was tainted with the curse broke down. Her mind got erased; she became a broken doll, unable to live without any support.

It was a cruel sight and the ones who saw her did what was best. They mercy killed her, leaving her to enjoy the peace of death.

After that, Peronell didn’t have great joy in seeing accursed items. Hence, the only reason she could tolerate Ramiel’s curse was because of how she got used to it. She only has this weird empathy towards the accursed, partly because of what happened to the lady knight friend of hers.

...

Peronell went back to check on Ramiel who saw then saw her. He stopped his chanting. She was about to ask what is wrong but turning on her perception. She saw the curse in her leg, and the bits on his head burning like a flame. The energy runs amok and the hex chant he did stir the cursed.

“Are you okay?”

“I am fine...just a bit weak.”

Peronell asks, Ramiel replied with a bit of sickly look. He was out of energy, and his eyes were dilated. Peronell could also see that his right hand is shaking.

“That Hex Chant is literally harmful to you. You shouldn’t do that again.”

“No shit, so did you find the bastard?”

“I did, I also marked him.”

“Good.”

Ramiel said in relief, if she didn’t find the cultist then he would have chanted such hateful chant in vain. His face shows a bit of exaltation, but it didn’t erase the painful look he had.

“We will go after the cultist once he is out of the encampment. Taking him out here will only have guards going after us.”

“That was obvious enough. So what, are we going to wait here for a while?”

“Yes, that is going to be the case.”

Peronell said, looking at the tent’s ceiling, before moving her eyes back to the outside where the snow is heavily falling. The sounds of whispering, the flames hushing along with the wind made Peronell quiet.

“This is going to be a wait.”

“Hopefully it wouldn’t be that long.”

Ramiel replied while still trying to suppress the pain he is feeling. If it was only the pain, he could take it. But with his mind cloudy, his eyes seeing words around the tent’s wall or flying mid-air. He could see the words that are floating telling him his inner desires, violent words, and words that beg for forever rest.

It was mind straining for Ramiel. So he decided t order ale from the bar. The bar owner responded swiftly, he gave the crimson ale to Ramiel, which Ramiel drank immediately.

“Are you okay?”

“A bit troubled, want to drink for a while?”

“Sure, it is not like we have anything good to do in this place.”

“Great, was waiting for that reply.”

Ramiel ordered crimson ale for Peronell. The Bar owner swiftly as ever carried the ale to their table. With the ale there, the two started drinking while chatting about.

They still have to wait for the cultist to appear and fight them. So there was no need to hurry up at the moment. With the cultist marked, there was no way for him to escape.