Chapter 14: Leech
Beneath the shivering fire in the bare walls of the cave, a silhouette dragged two breathless bodies.
Bloody strokes formed a remotely resembling a scythe mark in the center of the seal, only the final touch was missing.
Completing the seal using the blood of the humans as paint, Valkyra dropped to one knee, her head lowered.
"Master... the Crimson Reaper... Please accept this humble sacrifice and answer my call..."
Streams of wind whistled wildly from the cave as the seal shone brightly, an eerie ominous scarlet glow. A lone crack appeared above the seal as an eye with a triple pupil peered out.
Only then did Valkyra muster the courage to raise her head.
"I need help... Kain Li... Highest Sacrifice has escaped. I don't know where he is now. I need a way to track him."
The eye looked over the bodies, and after a few seconds, the crack closed. Then, blood, like a live thing in a whirlwind, rose in a powerful rush, flowing into Valkyra's right eye.
"Agh!" she gasped in vivid pain as her consciousness filled with murky, bloody fragments.
The great worm, a house deep in the woods, a straight road, a ruined carriage, and a crumbling raven.
When Valkyra awoke, she found a round amulet alone in the place of the seal, occasionally flaring and twitching towards the north.