Chapter 33

**Merianna**

I was stuck...

I couldn't believe it. I was on my first bounty since becoming a member of the Order, and I was stuck in the midst of a Ripper Nest, which wasn't mentioned in the parchment mind you, or Noch for that matter. You would think that when the plant grows in places with bad energy, that the person that wrote up the request would have had enough sense to forewarn the individual that would take up the request about the millions of ways that this could go wrong, right? Apparently they couldn't have been bothered.

Or on the other hand, as sadistic has Noch can get, I swear that he didn't bother to mention this little tidbit just to see if I would come home alive or not. Then in some magical way blanked out any warnings that may have been on the request before I took it from him to have a look myself.

And on top of that, he sent me to - what must be - the one place in this realm that the Rippers used as nesting grounds. Obviously the perfect habitat for the Ladsney herb. He must have known where he was opening the gate to. Yes, the rare plant seems to be growing here in abundance, BUT THERE IS A RIPPER NEST TOO!!!

Forget about burning him on a pyre when I get home. I would gut him, tie his entrails around his neck and then drag him behind me while riding on one of the horses through all sorts of fermenting manure piles, and more until his skin had shredded off of his body, his flesh been grated away by the earth and his bones crushed into dust by the beast's hooves.

Looking at what was in front of me, I lifted and eyebrow and decided that, yes, that image of Noch suffering till his death sounded like a brilliant idea if I managed to get out of this alive. The forested area surrounding me started to writhe and undulate with glowing yellow eyes and sharply pointed gnashing yellowed teeth.

And to think, this predicament started with me innocently picking the leaves and flowers from the herbs around the area and stumbling across a small cave-like burrow. Before I knew it, I had to start running. Do I have weapons? Yes. Have I thrown spells at them? Yes. The bad thing about this situation is that it's a NEST. And Rippers are a stronger version of Wraiths. Which made this situation my least favourite outing ever so far.

My energy was basically spent at the moment. I've started getting scratches every time one of them managed to catch up with me, and looking at the position of the shadows cast by the sun, it's around mid-afternoon at the moment. Noch said that he will open a gate again in the evening, which would give me time to "experience and explore", he said.

"Experience" and "Explore" my cursed little behind! Like this is something that I would be happy to explore!

Wait a minute... This is slightly reminiscent of the Final Trail that Fog described for the trainees, now that I thought about it... *that slippery eel Noch*.

A rustle to the left had my attention turning back to what was in front of me. A juvenile Ripper had suddenly lunged from the forest's brush and was aiming to take a bite out of my leg.

I jumped out of the way just in time and brought the Rune Reaper down on its black neck as it was about to bite. It screeched and flopped to the ground where it stayed lying still.

Yes I was armed with the Rune Reaper. When all this started out I thought that Noch was finally going to be nice for a change when he handed it to me just before he opened the gateway.

"*Thank you*!" I had squealed in delight and I hugged it close to me.

"*You're welcome, although it's only for this bounty that I'm loaning it to you*." He said with a self-satisfied huff. My alarm bells had started ringing dully then, but I didn't give it much thought as long as I had the Reaper.

"*I'll have to give it back when I'm done?!*" I asked in a whine.

"*Of course! That there is my pride and joy! You'll get your own in due time.*" I had pouted and given him a dull stare.

"*Wait a minute. I'm going to pick herbs. Why do I need the Rune Reaper*?" I asked while looking at him sceptically.

His face was blank of all emotion until it suddenly cracked into an evil grin.

"*Off with you!*" was his last remark before he flashed behind me and kicked me through the gate. Yes. He kicked me through.

He was going to have hell to pay by the time I get back to the Order.

Another wave of Rippers came charging at me from the front. The Rune Reaper sang in my hands as I let it reap my enemies to shreds.

A few more Rippers had jumped through my guard and I received some more scratches to match my growing collection. Channelling the energy within me I had my lightning element explode outward. The Rippers went flying backwards and landed twitching on the ground.

I panted as I took in my situation. My hands were shaking as my energy left me. My legs trembled with the effort of keeping myself standing through the onslaught of their attacks. Curse Noch for putting me on a bounty like this while he was still mentoring me on my element.

I cursed under my breath as a demon materialized from the shadows and hissed to my left.

Breathing heavily I swiped the Rune Reaper and decapitated it without much effort, only to have another identical one jump up in its place. I was already bleeding, and now they were all just toying with me. Keeping me in one place and tiring me out as much as possible. The demons were minor class, but along with the rippers, this was turning into a dire situation

I was on my last dregs of energy. I couldn't send a fire message for help with them keeping me busy the whole time. No one lived close enough to this area to be able to hear me if I yelled for help.

*I need help. I can't keep fighting like this.*

A helpless feeling washed over me as I thought of Nelia back at the Order. She would be waiting for me to arrive tomorrow. What would she do if I didn't show up tomorrow? Would she panic? Would Noch listen to her if she told him to come looking for me? Would he even know what he had sent me into?

The Reaper was still weightless in my hands, but I could feel what little weight it had starting to take a toll on my arms because of the fighting, but was it because of the fighting? I couldn't remember the Reaper doing this to me before...

Then I looked down at my left leg where a rip was taken out of my skirts. I could see my leg through the rip, and I was not happy with what I saw. A ripper had nicked me with his teeth. I could see the bite mark turning a sickly grey and yellow, my heart nearly stopped in my chest at the sight.

I'm poisoned...

*I need help.*

I looked back up at the horde of rippers and growing number of demons that were grinning at me with utter glee on their faces as they slowly stalked out of the shadows of the looming forest.

A flash of an old memory that I would much rather forget suddenly flashed across my head. A black Wraith gutting my parents in front of me as I hid away dug itself back up with its unnaturally long talons, all tipped with blades and blood from the grave I had buried it under years ago. It took its hazy form in the midst of the smaller rippers in front of me, grinning its jester's razor grin that stretched from ear to ear and the blood of my parents ran in rivulets down its oiled skin. I froze in horror.

My eyes blurred as tears started running down my dirty face.

*Help me...*

Was it my fate to end up in the same way as my parents had? Was it my fate to also be killed and desecrated by Rippers as they had been?

A sob broke out of the tightness of my throat.

***Help** me...*

It didn't help to scream, but that didn't stop me from screaming out in my soul. It didn't stop me from hoping that help would suddenly come charging out from the bushes. My energy was waning and pulsating in strained agony, not wanting to let me fall and give up just yet.

The Ripper's poison was draining my energy from me. I was struggling to keep my energy where it was, I was struggling to keep generating or drawing more energy while the energy I needed to be able to do that in the first place, was forsaking me.

I sobbed again as more tears overflowed from my eyes.

The Rippers in front of me hissed in delight as they saw me choking on my despair. The Reaper was shaking in my hands now. My knees were buckling against each other, defiantly fighting against the death that was looming over my head.

I didn't want to die yet. I still had things to do. I had to go hand in my first bounty. I still had more to learn. I wanted to see Nelia again. She would be so worried. She'll be waiting for me. I wanted to laugh with Ara again. I wanted to go on another crazy bounty with Jasnine again. I wanted to help fight the Hunters. I wanted so many things that were slipping out of my fingers.

One of the bigger Rippers suddenly lunged for me. I couldn't lift the Reaper in time, I couldn't move. I sobbed and screamed out in frustration as I fought the poison in my veins to lift my arms, to move out of the way, to *live*.