Origins - I

The few hours of reading that succeeded my opportune conversation with the witch were eerie in their own regard. The literature she entrusted with me seemed to be a compendium of a sort, detailing the various periods in the recent history of this land, the rise of the great church-states, the unification of four churches and then the eventual rise of the order.

She'd even been kind enough to leave a few maps in between the pages that I was able to study and salvage in-depth. There were many times I had to catch myself from laughing, with the subtle contradictions that might've been discovered in the improvised cover story that I was using with confidence. Subtleties easily left unnoticed by anyone in this humble village but ones that would shine starkly in the educated mind of a scholar of renown, or in my case a very shrewd witch. 

Scanning each text through and through, committing its contents to memory and intelligible understanding. The meanwhile drawing conclusions and theories of my own. It took a Herculean effort to consume all the knowledge generously handed over to me, but it was done. This was necessary to ensure that I would be better aware of my accomplice's machinations, lest she easily back me into a corner without my knowledge. 

Just as I began to ease into the rug cushioned chair by the fire place, with the golden rays of sundown warming my back, I smelt a pleasant spiced aroma, like a stew, in the air nearest my residence. Before I could question if the village had prepared a communal feast, I heard and saw the door of my humble cottage twist on the hinges and slam against the wall as I beheld the sight of my accomplice carrying a rather large pot of stew, with silverware and two other steel drums slung over her shoulder. Placing all three on the table before I could question or offer assistance, her gaze lingered sharp yet again, pulling down her hood and closing the door.

"Not one puff of smoke from your chimney, do you often forget to perform the basic act of consuming food, and unless you consume blood or mana, I suggest you eat up, you'll need your energy tonight."

I raised my eyebrows quizzically, wondering if she planned to further her plots without even the least bit of information shared about them. Her response was to promptly shrug and arrange the silverware on the table, and after a few moments of disbelief, I joined her, getting some water from a covered bucket in the kitchenette in two steel mugs for the both of us. 

"And that would be because?"

"The village chief," she began, serving both of us some stew and taking a seat to begin her meal; one in which I joined in conjointly, "-has recruited another to his ranks, Johan, the tanner. Today will be the rite of consumption, you can see for yourself just what is at work. It'll be later at night, so I'm here to ensure you are well-fed and rested. Can't have you dozing off in between, can I?"

"Is this your way of being nice?" I asked, as I helped myself to a portion of the stew. It was flavourful, well spiced and raw; positively. Having spent all my life consuming processed foods, this was well blended, tasted natural and agreed with my senses in a manner least expected. My eyes were shut, and my senses were honed in on the delicious taste that exploded on my tongue. I could only let out a moan of satiety before composing myself.

"Flattery won't worm you out of doing any hard work, Tetsu."

She laughed with a mirth that blended amusement and relaxation, as though armed with the relief that her schemes could now be set into motion without a delay, or whatever had prevented her from making her move earlier. Even if I was an expendable and gullible pawn in her machinations, just this once, I might not mind it so much.

"Can't a man dream?" I consumed another serving, and another, until I found my portion empty and her serving me another. Her actions did elicit a cautionary introspection from me, yet clarity would follow swiftly. A voice from my gut that cautioned me after the next sip, "Sleep toxin."

I muttered out loud, prompting a surprised gaze from her. It was then that I noticed, she'd switched the utensil she used to serve me. In a mere instant, I saw her swinging arm reach for a knife. My instincts took over, or rather those of the war goddess, reaching across the table to seize her arm, twist the knife out of it and toss her into the vacant wall.

"So much for mutual assistance." I barked, my fists closed and knuckles glowing white as I prepared to engage her in combat. The witch in turn seemed to smile, almost heartily, as she shed her cloak, yet she raised her hands. Unbearable amusement in her voice as she uttered the words, "I surrender, well done."

My eyes remained locked onto her for impossibly long. I could feel my blood pumping, every instinct in my body screaming for her head, yet I cooled it down. The fear, I could practically smell it off her now, and there seemed little aggression in her. In self-defence, she was afraid of what I'd do. It then clicked.

"You heard about the dryad cat, didn't you?"

"Of course I did, it is true that I needed you well rested, it was supposed to knock you out for just enough time to make sure you'd be at peak physical conditioning."

"Why'd you reach for the knife?"

"I was being cautious, and anyone in my position would be. You killed a Dryad Cat with your bare hands, something that would require a dedicated team of hunters to accomplish. Not to mention you come from beyond the edge, I needed to study you, especially after my last experiment with your hair."

"Study me?" I asked inquisitively. "Why don't you take a seat and tell me everything first."