Gelle watched her prey from underneath a nearby tree, obscured by the rain and the relative darkness. The moon was slowly rising behind the clouds and soon there would be a convenient distraction that would serve as a good diversion while she collected her prize. “Hooo? The night hunter is leaving the vampire alone, I am indeed fortunate tonight.” She watched as the night hunter left for the main shelter accompanied by a small girl. The foolish man probably assumed that his seals and protections would be enough to secure a vampire; surely they could not withstand her arcane knowledge. The crone patiently waited from her hiding spot, watching for any remaining stragglers to enter the town hall; the last one who passed by was a frightened child clutching into something. As Gelle made her way to the wagon she gave a quiet chuckle, “Clutch onto your little cross brat, that god of yours cannot save you.”

The wagons mostly were left unguarded, allowing Gelle to search them undisturbed. It didn’t take her long to find the wagon and hobble onto its flat bed. The witch paused as she examined the sealed crate; she could feel the presence of both strong dark and wild magic, however there was barely any holy magic in the vicinity. Whatever caution she had was discarded as her greed took hold of her emotions, and she opened the crate to discover her intended target. Before her lay the vampire, resting comfortably on a bed of pelts. While her injured arm was secured in a tight sling, her remaining good arm clutched the box adorned with holy symbols. The vampire’s blood-red eyes locked onto the now confused witch.

Gelle could only loom over her intended victim, asking herself question after question without reaching any meaningful answer. Why did the night hunter not secure or guard his prisoner? Why was a vampire willingly protecting powerful reagents for her captor? Who was this vampire? Only then did it occur to her that she was in grave danger. Those questions could be answered from the safety of her small shelter, but she needed to act before her prey could. Swiftly drawing her knife, Gelle attempted to plunge it into the vampire’s heart.

Before her dagger could connect with the vampire’s flesh, she felt a sharp pain from her lower abdomen. The girl she had seen follow the night hunter into the tavern was now standing there, at least some of her was standing there. Her upper half had emerged from the shadows, holding onto the blade that was now protruding from Gelle's chest. Surprise sent her tumbling backwards off the wagon and onto the muddy ground; she could only watch as the little girl helped her master upright. Gelle could feel the vampire’s cold stare as she struggled to get back up. She knew now that her overconfidence was a mistake. Regardless of whatever state the vampire was in, she was still one of only a scarce few vampires that was able to control a familiar.

Just when Gelle thought things could not get any worse, the night hunter had arrived sprinting back over to his wagon. He stood strong with sword drawn and pointing it at her, instead of his prisoner. Maybe she could deal with the vampire and her familiar, but she could not handle both them and a night hunter at the same time. Throwing her arms in the air, the hag cried out: “Come my minions, aid your master.” Rising from across the town, a cacophony of cries echoed through the night as a murder of crows converged on the barn. The birds began to swarm her foes, underneath the cover of the assaulting birds Gelle painfully returned to her cabin. The crows would have to suffice until she could curse them properly from the safety of her lair.

-

It did not take long for William and the few lingering caravan members to dispatch the numerous birds which violently attacked anyone in sight. He quickly checked on Victoria, who did not sustain any new injuries, before inquiring any further. “What happened here?” William and Rose helped her back onto her makeshift bed, “I suspect she is the hag the child mentioned. She likely wanted to use me as material for various rituals.” William’s face hardened as he turned to the hill, “I return shortly, I need to deal with this witch.” Rose gripped his cloak, stopping him. Victoria turned to him, “Do you still have that thing the boy showed you?” William nodded, removing the foul talisman from his pocket. “I can sense something dark attached to that trinket, can you allow me to deal with this situation? I suspect that the witch has made a deal which she should not have made.” William hesitantly nodded, “Fine, but I will be watching.”

-

Panting, Gelle collapsed onto her bench desperately grabbing any source of magic she could, hastily arranging it so that she could try to defend herself against her would-be prey. Before she could do anything aside from desperately grasp at whatever in her reach, her door slowly opened inward revealing the vampire’s familiar. Despite her best efforts of manipulating the magic around her, the familiar was able to close the distance and land a strike at her open wound. She collapsed onto the floor in unbearable pain, unable to take any further action. “Go on, finish me.” The old crone coughed, now drained of any energy that she might have had left. The young girl produced an all too familiar talisman, carefully placing it by her arms. “I believe this is yours...” With that she left the witch broken and defeated in her run-down home.

As Gelle lay on the floor, gasping for air, all she could do was think “Why are you just standing there and watching?” She could still feel the presence of two figures watching through her open doorway, sheltered underneath an elderly tree. She did not have to wait long for the reason, as a demonic circle manifested behind her. Struggling to her feet, Gelle managed to stand in time for the demonic creature to fully manifest. Its massive frame was now hunched over, confined by the structure in which it found itself.

The arrival of her demonic ally gave Gelle one last glimpse of hope, surely there was one more deal which could be struck to get revenge on those interlopers. “You have perfect timing, what would...” Before she could speak the demon’s large clawed hands punctured her chest, piercing into her heart in one violent motion. The state of shock remained on her face as she took her last breath. Why? Why did her demon strike her down without hesitation? What exactly did that vampire do?

The demon loomed over her body, emotionlessly stating “The current bearer of the talisman has been killed and it has been returned to the owner. Our agreement has been fulfilled; I have claimed the soul of the bearer per our terms.” The demon shook the still warm body off his monstrous hand, in the process knocking over the cauldron. The dark creature examined its surroundings, before reaching out and taking several items from what remained of the cottage. With the hag’s passing the protective charms had started to wane, the storm’s winds violently shaking the shack.

-

William watched from afar as the demon examined the collapsing home; he could tell at a glance that it was far more powerful than the werewolves they had previously fought. Victoria, who had channeled her consciousness into Rose’s body, raised an arm preventing him from moving forward. “It has no interest in the village. The demon has completed its agreement and is trying to take whatever else it can back to its own realm.” Seemingly content with what little it had collected, the demon turned to face the pair through the arch of the doorway. It seemed to smile and wave good-bye as it closed the door as it returned to whatever it called its home.

Whether by, divine intervention, dark design, disrupted magical flow or coincidence, a single lightning strike tore apart the disheveled shack in one sudden burst. What little remained of the worn cabin caught fire and was consumed by flames of ever-shifting colors. Victoria dropped her arm, knowing that the demonic threat had passed. Rose patted him on the shoulder, prompting him to perform his duty. “I believe you have a job to do.” William nodded, quietly offering a prayer to purify whatever remained of the hag and her belongings.

As they walked back to the wagons William, glad for Victoria’s intervention, asked “How did you know what would happen?” Rose, who was back in control, answered “Well... the talisman the boy stole had traces of dark magic in addition to the water spirits bound to the charm. So that demon was probably following it from their world.” William silently nodded, while he could not sense magic it was possible that someone more magically attuned could sense it. “So, would I be right to presume that: the witch made a mistake when making her bargain with that demon?” Rose shifted uncomfortably while answering: “Victoria and I don’t exactly like the way chaos magic bargains tend to be, it's very literal and often imbalanced. Victoria guessed that the witch likely didn’t know the identity of who stole her possessions, but would want to scare the village regardless. Because of her sloppiness, she probably left the wording vague. Once the tracking element was considered, we could guess most of the terms.” Leo greeted them as they returned; several people from the village had saw the fire and had determined that a celebration was in order. William decided not to join them; social scenes were never his forte. Besides, he had other thoughts on his mind...