Costs of Power

— Second lesson about barriers. At equivalent magical input, a little barrier will be stronger than a large one.

Hiding her gasps as much as she can, Gretel looks in awe as Mina shrinks constantly the barrier around Muriel. The black witch, her screams silent for everyone outside, unleashes more and more power against her doom. The young witch begins to feel something alike pity for their foe, destined to watch helplessly her doom approach, little by little. It seems, to Gretel, as if Mina consciously takes her time in order for the black witch to feel that way.

She isn't the only one to think that way, as Hansel turns his head and looks away, while Berringer drops his sword and rushes to his former second in command, his eyes overtaken with dread and his tone pleading.

— Kill me, I beg you. I surrender so kill me now, before…

The man, however, doesn't hear his former superior. His arm limp, he can't avert his eyes from the desperate monster. His heart unable to choose if he loves the scene or abhors it, it leaves him unable to move, to act upon Berringer's earnest plea.

Dorian finds himself desperate. Even as a one man army, he finds himself unable to contend against the coordinated efforts of the black witches. As the only living being around, they linked his survival with the shadow army's continuous assault. With Fen the only direct threat being kept at bay, and the bandits projectiles too slow in the culling to help meaningfully, nearly all of them kept their magic focused on the hunter.

Each time that he calls upon another substitute from his shadow, which ends dissipated on the spot, he feels his energy diminishing. Finally, he finds himself under a joint attack from multiple witches, knowing that he won't be able to call enough shadows to take the hits. The tugging is now even more intense on his very being as he sees one of his bandits, in the woods.

*Not here. Anywhere but here. I have to be elsewhere.*

His last conscious thought, mirroring his desperate need, is nothing but an earnest wish to be in this shadow's place. Feeling the tugging intensify even more with this one, obscuring all others, he mentally grasps it as a drawing man would grasp a floating plank.

As the magic bolts near him, Dorian blinks.

With a loud gasp, Gretel falls on her knees. She tries to catch her breath with difficulties. Mina, cut off from this near unending magic, groans as she tries to keep the barrier activated against Muriel.

Seeing his sisters' state, Hansel immediately loads his weapon and targets Muriel with it. His limbs shake from fear for Gretel and rage against Mina, but he does all he can to keep a steady aim. Meanwhile, Berringer gets down on his knees in front of his former officer, knowing that whatever happens, his fate is sealed.

— I surrender, please. I surrender.

Finally out of his transe, the second in command looks at him and nods.

— Stay still, and you'll be judged in the town.

Mina knows that, alone, she stays unable to constantly feed enough magic to keep such a strong barrier active. With a pained, tired sigh, she shrinks it to only close around Muriel's head despite the threat of retaliation. As expected, as soon as her hands are out of the barrier, the black witch gathers what power she still has and readies a dark bolt.

With a murderous glare, Hansel unleashes a volley from his repeating crossbow right into her arm, trying to aim around the magic which would disintegrate his bolts. The witch, focused on her magic, hoping to end Mina before truly lacking air, doesn't pay attention to his actions. Less than ten crossbow bolts later, each hitting right into its target with a loud thump, Muriel's arm hangs limp, her magic unravelling as she is now unable to focus anymore.

As they watch, everyone can see the pure, unfiltered terror appear on Muriel's face. She looks like the pain on her arm doesn't even register anymore as the knowledge of her impending death makes itself clear. In minutes, she ceases to move, her eyes close themselves and her whole body falls on the floor. Not wanting to take any risk, Hansel walks to her and, in one sword slash, cleanly cuts her neck. He turns his cold gaze to Mina.

— Mina…

Before anything else, a pheasant gets out of the white witch's shadow. Its form begins to change, becoming taller and taller.

As the magic bolts near him, Dorian blinks.

When he opens his eyes again, more surprised than anything that he is able to do it, he finds himself near a trunk and feels yet another shadow dissipate. The price to call it back once again is too much for what magic he has left, which makes him understand that it's at least a human one, since he still feels Fen in the field. Looking around, he understands what happened. His shadow took his place, giving him its own, which led it to receive the full brunt of the attack.

Dorian lets himself slumps against the tree, still hidden from the witches view.

— Finally we had him !

— Shut up ! The monster's still here, you didn't kill the boy!

— He's not here anymore ! Search for him, his summons don't appear anymore, he should be at his ends.

With a thought, the man orders Fen and his remaining bandits to continue harassing the witches. They have to kill as many of them as possible while he recuperates. his breathing heavy, he frowns. With a little time out of the heat, Dorian finally feels that his allies still didn't move from their places. He slowly walks away from the witches, which is now easier since only five of them remain, while waiting for his powers to come back little by little.

Minutes after, his breathing still erratic, the Stalker feels that he is able to swap again. He orders one of his shadows, the pheasant that he had given to Mina, to come out then concentrates on the tugging.

In front of everyone, the shadowy pheasant grows, until having a human height, then morphs into a human silhouette before dissipating, letting instead Dorian appear, his sword at the ready. They look at him, shocked, as he looks around before falling on the floor, gasping.

— Dorian ?

Mina's voice cuts through the silence, but the only answer she earns is a tired grunt from the man.

— What the… Nevermind.

The second cuts his own question, deciding that looking into all those phenomena is definitively outside of his pay grade. All he needs to know is that this man seems to be a friend to the witch who saved him, nothing more, nothing less. His eyes, however, light up seconds later as he recognises the name used.

*The Stalker… He has powers then… No wonder that he finds people so easily then.*

— Mina. Mind explaining us what was that ? You were literally torturing her.

Deciding to let his ally recover, Hansel focuses back on Mina. When dealing with Muriel, she… Changed. She was nothing like the woman to whom he had nearly given his first time earlier.

— I… Don't know. It's as if I… There was so much power, I was drawing in it… I… It's as if I could do everything. And nothing mattered at the time…

She looks sheepishly at the ground, now clear headed enough to see what she was doing. After that, she looks at Gretel, still gasping on her knees.

— Gretel, are you fine ?

Without answers, she sits down and sighs.

— I'm sorry. I didn't know that it would become like that.

— Wait… Haaa… There… Five more… Go… Follow the shadow… I'm still… Harassing… I'll come… After…

Hansel nods. He takes back his weapons and goes to the woods, following the hare. Mina, while feeling guilty, goes after him. Now, Berringer and his former second are the only ones still able to walk in the clearing.

— Now what ?

— We stay here, until one of them recuperates, then you'll follow me to the town to be judged.

— … Yes.

After half an hour of trekking, both Hansel and Mina come near the black witches camp, they hear the curses of their enemies which are still unable to kill Fen.

— I'll attack, you deflect their retaliation.

Without waiting for her answer, still angry at her, Hansel runs out of the woods and unleashes a volley from his crossbow. The unexpected attack hits two enemies, while the three others, seeing the reinforcement, decide to cut their losses and flee, firmly decided to never come here again.

Hansel grits his teeth as he sees the fleeing witches disappear in the night, but focuses instead on the battlefield. He freezes on the spot and gasps at the slaughter. Twelve witches lay here, either dead or mortally wounded, and a human-like wolf shadow walks beside them, ending whichever one isn't already dead.

As both he and Mina stay here, dumbfounded, the hare morphs in front of them. This time, however, once as tall as a human, she enlarges before letting both Dorian and Gretel appear while she holds his arm.

— It seems that it works too. I can bring someone while swapping.

Looking around, the man sighs.

— Did you find any trace of the children ?

Without answer from either Hansel nor Mina, his shoulder slumps.

— I see. I'll do it now then.

Walking to the corpses, Dorian feels the gaze of his allies on his back. He knows that his laconic sentences, inheritance from Garm, don't help him look trustworthy but at least they don't see to bear any hostility against him.

— Just a reminder, this is not something that I usually let others see. And I don't even know if this will work.

He pauses, then looks at one of the corpses.

— Arise.

Nothing happen outwardly, but he feels his energy drains and understand what is associated with the recoil. On their end, the three other look at Dorian with horrified faces, then at each shadow around. Most are animals, but there is clearly human ones too.

— It was only my power, I alone defeated most of you. Or isn't your own power allowed in a fight between witches ? I said Arise.

Now, under their incredulous gaze, a shadow forms over the witch's corpse, taking her appearance.

— Can you ?

Answering his half question, the shadow lifts a hand and a flame appears on it. Dorian nods then looks back at his allies. He sees their gaze locked upon the bandits' shadows.

— They were bandits, attacked me. I killed them while defending myself.

Afterwards, Dorian calls all but two of the witches, those that he couldn't being those that Hansel ambushed. In silence, the group then went to find the children before taking them back to town. Here, they see Berringer in a prison cell.

As he is about to leave, Dorian looks to the three.

— Thanks, for the help. And the both of you, if you want to continue hunting, I may be able to help you.

Seeing their nod, he summons a hare, unbothered by the unease in their eyes.

— Follow her lead, she'll lead you to a village. Here, ask for Gloria and her mother in my name. Once alone with either of the two, tell them that I sent you to talk to the coven. I believe that they would, at least, treat you fairly.

On those words, Dorian walks away.