Eldritch Exorcist

"So what do you think he wants now? His father wasn't in the slaughterhouse, so his revenge changed."

"I don't know. Last time we spoke, he was talking about punishing all the guilty. Or rather, it was the faces that spoke. He was just trying to understand what they wanted from him."

The kid then looked at me, slightly raising his head.

"So, what do they want from him?" he asked.

I had to think for some time before giving an answer that would be evasive enough but satisfying enough to finish the talk.

"It's not that they want anything from him. Think of them as ghosts that are hell-bent on something they wanted before their death, but their minds are so damaged they can't really remember what it was."

Or at least that was my working theory.

"I… I'll go get us some water," Emma said.

Her movements were mechanical and stiff as she got up.

"You should help her after I leave," I said when she left for the kitchen.

The kid looked back down.

"Why? It's her fault," he said through gritted teeth.

"You don't have to forgive her, but… having family is a blessing you only truly understand once they aren't around. You should talk to her."

The kid nodded slightly.

I shrugged. Whether he would follow my advice was his own decision.

"Now, did he tell you about some other people on his list? Did he maybe mention Mr. Cuddles, a cat?"

Andy looked at me in surprise, but after realizing it wasn't an ill-timed joke, he slowly shook his head.

"Only the five from the slaughterhouse and his father, nothing…"

He stopped speaking for a second.

"Well, I think… I mean, I tried." He looked slightly panicked as he stammered.

"Go on."

"Well, when I reasoned with him not to kill them, I tried to convince him that they only did that because they didn't have control, that they must have been on drugs and wouldn't do something like that normally. I–I think I might have put Grease, the drug dealer, on his list…"

So there was another possible victim.

After that, I spoke with him some more, asking to describe the mutated body, but apparently, he only saw the parts as Peter wore a loose cloak. But the shape was inhuman. He'd gained a massive hump on his back. His torso was also twice as thick as a normal human's, and one leg was much bigger than before. But that's all he could tell me.

After the discussion, I gave them some generic advice not to blame themselves and went on my way.

I saw that Andy's eyes softened slightly when looking at his sister, so hopefully, they would fix their relationship. But that wasn't my problem. My problem was facing a mutant of unknown powers.

I went to my car and drove to the festival site. It was around 4 p.m., and the celebration began in earnest around 6 p.m., continuing late into the night.

I parked in the forest and opened the trunk. The most essential items were in a pouch hidden in the car. The rest were left in the back, with seals and tracers placed upon them, just in case. I started to go over the items.

There was a set of small flying needles used to deliver poison to the target. They were custom-made with flat backs like hockey pucks to be propelled by a force spell. I doubted that poison would do anything against the mutation if he could heal a hook going through his body that quickly, not to mention other mages' flesh attached, but I could always try.

I then went over poisons: sleeping draught, the Tearfall, and the Gut Twister, Undertaker's Nightmare, and Kupala's Treachery, a poison that looked like water but could burn your insides.

I coated some needles in each and put them in my belt. Next were the potions. From the drinkable ones, I picked potent healing potions, a few for fixing any damage to my magic, and a painkiller called Iron Mind.

I also took throwing potions: a silent tar that exploded into a sticky, smoke-like substance, and simple explosives, a few of fire, and of ice, in case of any resistance.

All this cost a lot, setting me back around 1,000 obols for the whole set, not to mention additional exorcist tools I had commissioned.

Finally, after getting into my wizard getup, I rolled my shoulders and stretched a bit. There was a chance I did all of this for absolutely nothing, but I did not want to be caught with my pants down. The problem was that all of those were contingencies, not a proper battle plan. But that's all I had.

I then looked at the map. The festival was near the forest where the hay ride would take place. I checked a straight line toward the abandoned mines, picking a spot alongside it.

Now, locating him was the problem. I could try curses, but his body was now an amalgamation of many others. I doubted any curse using his old flesh would find purchase.

I had a better idea.

I opened my pouch and pulled out nine prepared rat skeletons. They were nicely cleaned, with no flesh. There were also artificial joints placed in all the moving parts. The skulls had magical circles carved into them, prepared specially for necromancy, and a small crystal to help anchor the artificial soul.

I pulled out a sizable scroll with the magical circle. Placing it in my car's trunk, I pulled out a skull, a vial of blood, and a bone of a haunted bird of prey. With the ritual prepared, I began the necromancy. The casting was swift, and after the ritual casting of Create Lesser Skeleton, the nine rats came alive, curiously twitching around.

The command was simple: if they found anything that fit the mutation I described to them, or any anomaly like someone moving at breakneck speed, they were to kill themselves, either by trying to bite into the small crystal in their chest or by simply attacking the mutant.

I should sense my magic dissipating like a broken curse.

After giving the command, the small critters skittered into the forest. I wanted to cut the mutant off before it reached the festival, so I took my spot at a straight line between the drinking spot, cut into the corn, and where the mines in the forest would be.

Now was the waiting game. I checked my phone and saw that the ghost hunters were asking about meeting at the festival, but I wrote back that I wouldn't be participating.

I waited another hour with nothing much happening, as I slowly began to hear music and voices from the direction of the festival.

This narrative has been purloined without the author's approval. Report any appearances on Amazon.

As the night grew colder, the only change was the local band starting to play, judging by the change in music coming from behind me.

And then it happened.

One of my rats disappeared, like a dot vanishing from a radar screen.

To my left, deeper in the forest.

I bolted in that direction, looking for anything that would catch my eye. I snapped open my irises and pressed my original tongue against the roof of my mouth, preparing to cast.

A crack, to my right this time. Something was moving, and it was moving fast.

I adjusted my position, moving back towards the line of corn to cross the creature's path.

Another crack.

Louder.

Closer.

I saw movement in front of me, something large covered in dark fabric.

I precast two spells and flared my aura, like with the boar.

And that did the job. The thing adjusted its course straight at me. Its movements weren't particularly coordinated, with one leg noticeably larger, but there was clear power in them.

Once within my casting range, I released the spell to see how it would deal with it.

The skeletal hands of Death's Grasp burst from the forest floor. Four long arms clawed at the body as it tried to move to the side.

To my surprise, ignoring the spell and leaving some flesh behind in the hands, it ripped itself free. But it wouldn't be that easy. The hands adjusted immediately, their movement quick, intense, and desperate. They grabbed the creature's ankle, stopping it in place just in time for Cutting Storm to catch it dead center. I could sense mana covering its body as it tanked the attack.

The blades of magic stopped on its flesh, cutting the cloak to pieces, revealing the creature.

It was hard to describe.

The core was definitely that of a boy, but it was as if other people tried to get onto him, holding desperately. Deformed, grotesque people. The biggest deformation originated from the ribs, slightly towards the spine. It was a torso of a man fused to the boy, as if he'd tried to jump onto Peter's back. Two hands went around the neck like someone piggybacking, with their outlines visible through the skin. The torso's skull peeked over the shoulder. Only its upper part came out of the flesh.

Another face was lower near the abdomen and was part of the enlarged leg. Finally, there was one more near the left pectoral muscle. The arm itself was much longer and bigger than the right one.

But what worried me the most about it was a vicious hook fused into the left arm's flesh. It was clearly an artifact. The moonlight shone off the polished, sharp edge as a low hum could be heard with each movement of the weapon through the air.

Looks like the hook was moved to the arm. To make it worse, its casting was quick, my magic control was way over my circle, but it could match me.

"Peter!" I tried to speak to the creature.

The boy looked at me, but his eyes were dull and hollow. He moved his mouth without making any sound as the rest of the faces gazed at me.

I cast Wailing Armor and then started to dual-cast another set of spells.

I could sense magic covering the creature's legs, and then it barreled toward me at the speed of a car, slightly levitating off the ground. I quickly used the staff to cast Force and flung myself out of the way.

As I did, I heard a tree crack when Peter slammed into it. Wooden chunks flew everywhere, raining down on him as he slowly turned back in my direction.

I could have dodged it with my own speed. I berated myself.

But I was not an amateur. The attack didn't manage to disrupt my casting as I completed two more spells.

I needed to do something about that mobility.

I dual-cast Death's Grasp as two groups of four hands extended from the ground.

It tried using a movement technique once again, but one set of hands still caught it, and the second set quickly adjusted.

I bought some time.

I put distance between us while extending myself toward the thing, trying to sense its mind. Those were fragmented consciousnesses. If I could destroy them, I could finish it quickly.

I sensed the mutant. Its mental world was all fucked up. I could sense the kid more or less, but his mind wasn't where it was supposed to be. What was pissing me off was that I couldn't feel the minds of the attached souls in the whole mess of things.

I broke the connection as my instincts warned me of danger.

The creature's longer arm began to glow as snakes of electricity danced across it, illuminating the dark night. I cast Shield, adjusting it to nullify electric attacks. And no sooner had I completed the spell than a bolt of lightning flew at my center of gravity.

The spell slammed into my shield. It held, but then I noticed that it wasn't a simple lightning attack. Instead of dissipating, the electricity kept jumping on the shield, trying to snake around it. I stopped my casting and immediately extended myself toward the attacking energy. I could see the head of an electric cobra rise over my shield, ready to strike.

I used my own mana to disrupt it and then used a first-level Shatter to break it. The lightning dissipated as the cobra was pulling back for a bite.

I'd never seen a spell like that, but there was no time to ponder. In the time I dealt with it, the creature almost slipped from the dual-cast Death's Grasp.

I clicked my tongues and used a stored spell, firing Cutting Storm into its legs.

Mana quickly covered the creature's lower part once again, but the spell was fast and managed to break it as blades made their way into the flesh. It didn't sever the appendages, sadly, but it mangled the muscles. Muscles that have already started to stitch together immediately after.

I saw that the face sticking over its shoulder opened its eyes wider.

Shield.

But then I felt it. A wave of mana carrying a spell barreled toward me. I tried jumping to the side, but the area of the attack was way too large. I used another Shield, this time a stored one, at the last second, and felt the magic slam into it and then into my armour.

And then it went through it as well.

Something tried to pierce my soul, like many needles beneath my skin. I flew backward and slammed my back into a tree. Vertigo and disorientation hit me.

I saw the creature begin to close the distance as its legs healed. To make it worse, this time it was trying to swing the hook at me.

I threw an explosive smoke potion accompanied by an ice grenade and used a Force spell to fling myself even farther.

I flew like a rag doll, focusing on getting rid of the effects of the soul attack. As I crashed into the earth once again, I quickly took out a potion for healing magic and downed it. It soothed the spiritual world, and I could feel some of the prickling sensation go away.

I could focus once again.

I didn't have the time to ponder as another bolt flew at me.

The mutant was approaching while I backed away, dancing around the lightning spells. I couldn't let it close the distance, not with the hook.

A part of a plan materialized in my head as I looked to the side, and finally noticed what I was looking for.

It was then that the creature picked up a whole small tree and chucked it at me.

I cast an angled Shield and ducked under it as the tree slammed into the spell and flew over me.

I didn't have much time.

I sprinted toward my target.

I was almost by the blood smeared on the forest floor when I sensed another soul spell materialize. The spell created a see-through bird that slowly but surely flew at me, adjusting its trajectory.

"Fuck!" I swore.

A homing spell.

But I wasn't out of tricks yet. I recalled the closest mice to me and ran for it in a straight line, throwing two fire explosives behind me this time.

It bought me a break between the bolts of lightning to jump to the undead mice.

That seemed to be a cue for the monster to barrel straight at me, using the strange movement technique as the flesh of the legs healed completely. I heard the whistling sound of the hook right by my head. I slammed into the dirt and rolled as the mutant ripped through two trees. I had to dodge once again as one of them was falling right on me.

But as I did, the bird got closer. It was ready to slam into my soul. I couldn't disturb it like the lightning or block it with a shield. It was too late for that.

But it was perfect timing for a skeletal mouse to jump, slamming into the bird. I sensed its artificial soul twist into a knot and disappear, alongside the bird.

I willed the rest of the mice to return, the closest jumping onto my shoulder.

I stood up and looked toward the mutant. It turned to me, breathing heavily, many hateful eyes meeting mine, accompanied by the dull gaze of the original body.

There was a small break, a second of silence as we both prepared for the next move.