chapter 4

Augur Storm loves facing new challenges, and seeing the one from Melanie cheered her. She was tired of facing humans, of killing people who don't have the strength to fight back.

She was not supposed to be on this mission. It was supposed to be Augur Karl's mission, but she snatched it from him because of the enemy she would be facing.

The fact that she had been searching for Melanie for many moons makes it less boring, and seeing the challenges right in front makes her excited. She couldn't wait to finish her and return to the temple with her head so she could be assigned another role.

The job was simple, "Find Melanie, Kill her before she gives birth to the abomination in her womb, and return with her head for rank"

She was given six moons to perform the tasks, and this is the fourth moon. Augur Storm doesn't care whether someone deserves to die or not; she's only concerned with fulfilling her assignment 'IF' nature approves it. And if not, no matter how the temptations may be, the price, the penalty, Storm will not go.

They had taught her well enough at the temple not to disobey nature.

"Get ready to drop anchor," she said to Salazar, who was watching dumbfounded as she harnessed power from nature. The crew all look awesome and scared at the same time, all of them now starting to see the true form of the woman in front of her. And at the moment, almost all of them were grateful for not getting on her wrong side.

The jagged rocks, as if being controlled by an invincible being with similar power that Storm was wielding, rise higher than they had ever been. Runes appeared around them, glowing brightly as the rocks themselves came alive.

Amidst the glowing, another ancient writing appeared in front of Storm, "Augur Storm, this is your last warning. Turn around, and there won't be war."

"Nature wants you dead," Storm yelled back as she read the warning.

How does Melanie expect her to turn back with all the signs of death and violence she was seeing? "And it will be my pleasure."

She summoned wind from nature, tapping into the power of the sea itself, and allowing the flowing of her Hans to push away the force protesting and directing the rocks.

"You can stop fighting, and maybe I'll give you a less cruel death," she advised, her voice now getting hard for the first time. "Keep protesting, and I'll kill you in different ways, all of which will be cruel and painful."

The ocean water roared up in response to Storm's words, giving her the opposite of what she offered.

A whirlwind rose from the south sea of the ocean, twirling with so much force that it sent different objects at the ship, forcing the crew to take cover. The whirlwind started growing fierce with each passing moment, forcing the crew to grab something to hold while the unlucky ones were thrown into the ocean. Before they could even touch the ocean, beasts of different kinds emerged, snatching them with their sharp teeth and munching happily.

Instantly, the ocean turned blood red, the sky darkening more, thanks to the two beings harnessing nature's power.

Storm staggered, her countenance turning dark. And now, she took Melanie seriously.

"I've been told that you won't give up," she shouted, "And I couldn't agree less. But, I'm something more."

She closed her eyes to align with the core of magic flowing in her. When she felt it, she mumbled in ancient language, "Naturaleza, mi . Concede mi." meaning, "Nature, heed unto my call. Grant my desire"

Storm feels the pulse of the ocean beneath her, its ancient rhythm intertwined with the ship's steady beat. Her mind reached out, threading through the currents of air and water, connecting to the ocean like a delicate wire.

Finally, she felt the vision of the positions of the rocks, their razor-sharp forms, and their deadly intent in her mid-eyes. It was as if she could see and predict their move before they even made it, each jagged mass an extension of Melanie's anger.

"Como un fiel servidor de la naturaleza, te ordeno que te rompas!" She yelled in a deep, loud voice, and lashed her power at all the rocks.

A loud explosion rang out, the ocean shook to its depth, and the jagged rocks shattered, sending particles in different directions. Most of them pierce the ship and drill holes into it, giving way for water. The whirlwind died down as fast as they erupted, and the sky returned to normal.

"We are taking water," Captain Salazar cried out before starting to give orders. "Everyone, get to the lifeboat. Drop anchor. Grab oars and prepare to row."

Storm felt the ship sinking beneath her, but she cared less. She focused more on the island ahead of her, thinking of how to reach it before the ship sank.

Then, an idea popped into her head. If Melanie can summon whirlwinds from the south wind, she should be able to do the same. Though it's a complex magic that may drain her strength, at the same time she can still recharge once she gets to the island ahead.

"Everyone, hold tight." She warned, but a second too late because she had already reached for her power, summoned the whirlwind, and used it to hit the ship hard.

The ship rocks on the ocean for a minute, before defying the law of gravity and heading straight in the direction of the island with so much force and speed than it had ever moved.

The sound of wood cracking, men groaning, and some crying as wood from the ship pierced their chests rang out. Even Storm wasn't left out. She whispered in pain as a wood pierced her rib, blood floating out freely and her face kissing the ground.

Knowing the delicate matter at hand, she forced her body up, staggering to a nearby rock for balance and looking for a means of regenerating herself. She needs to restore her energy before Melanie comes for her. She won't be able to defeat her with her current situation.

"You lead us to our death!" The sound of Thane complaining drew her attention, which was his greatest mistake. The sign of death appeared immediately, and Storm didn't care to confirm if it was meant for him or not.

She appeared in front of him as he opened his mouth to say another word, grabbing his head with so much force as if to crack it and then kissing him to suck his soul.

Thane becomes a statue instantly, his body growing dark.

Still not satisfied, Storm moved to another, and then another, and then another until she was filled and also reserved.

"So much for chasing a sorceress and her baby," A voice mocked.

Storm didn't need to turn before she knew who owned it. She sighed deeply, rising to her feet to face her with a wicked smile, "Melanie!"

"Hello, Storm!" She said it with so much confidence as if everything was under her control. "You should have turned back after the warning and walked away."

Storm chuckled, looking around as inhumane beings with golden skin started marching out from the rocks around, each of them armed with different weapons.

"You know I'm not the type to walk away, don't you?"

"And you know I'm not the type to let my enemy go freely, right?"

"We don't have to do this," Storm said, standing with her hand on her waist.

She examined Melanie from her golden armor, which stopped at her knee, and then traced the runes of the armor to her stomach, which was a little bit protruding, a compliment to the baby she was carrying. She had a gold blade and a gauntlet, too.

"You can give yourself and the baby to me, and we won't have to shed blood." Storm averted his gaze, looking at the men behind Melanie, about a hundred of them. "You might have trained these men, but they can't match my skills. You should know that."

"What makes you think so?" Melanie scoffed, gripping her blade tightly and rubbing the free hand at her lower abdomen. She will do anything to protect her baby.

They may call the baby an abomination, the child of a traitor, or whatever, just because she was impregnated by the old king, but nothing will take the child away from her.

"Judging by the one at your right, he's a left-hand user, yet holding the blade by his right. Before he can take stances, he will be dead. I'll use his blade to kill two more before even tapping into any of my power." Storm explained calmly, "From the look of the rest, most of them seem scared of me, meaning that they have heard what I can do. To access their mind will not be difficult, and the blood magic will cause them pain." She paused, "If I don't want to use pain, there are more than a thousand ways I can kill them that will be painless. It depends on their choice."

"AUGUR STORM, you bored me with talk." Melanie elucidated, "I'd rather die than give myself or my unborn baby to you."

"So be it, MELANIE!"

Storm moved with the speed of light, but she met something else. The men behind Melanie acted faster than she imagined. They stretched their hand forward, making bright light emerge, which shone directly at Storm, blinding her temporal. Melanie seized the opportunity to move.

She cast a net from her mind, one strong enough to bind beings like Storm, and wrapped her essence inside.

Storm shrieked, the net burning her heart, draining her core of magic, and returning all the pain she had hibernated from what was left of the blood magic into her head in multiple folds.

She shrieked even more as the net contained her, and then fell on her knee with blood streaming from every hole in her body.

"Keep the light on," Melanie ordered the men, walking closer to Storm. "Not so strong, huh?"