The Alpha's Keeper

XVI: Witch Hunters

Edith looked at her friend and smiling, and she nodded. Then taking Joshua by the hand, they both left the apartment.

The city still puzzled Joshua, who had a hard time getting used to all the sensations. The different smells were mixed up, and the chaotic movement of the masses slightly stunned his senses.

However, he calmly managed to adapt to things little by little, but when they left the city going up the hill to the edge of it to reach the church of the four corners, his senses worked better.

Near the door, Joshua stopped Edith’s hand and said, “Something is wrong! It smells like blood!”

Edith frowned as she watched him. She then nodded, and then she advanced more cautiously. When she reached the entrance, she opened the door of the church and entered the company of Joshua.

“There is a source of magic in this place,” Edith said, surprised.

Just entering the altar at the back of the church, the remains of a charred woman they received, Edith looked at the show and felt a chill rise up her back, the pyre where that woman had burned was a classic symbolism of those ancient witch hunters when she got closer she realized who it was.

On the floor, the woman’s belongings were found, including a diary that Edith knew, when she saw again the deplorable spectacle that the woman’s charred body presented.

She said with noticeable sadness, “This is Josephine!”

Joshua looked at her and looking back at the girl at stake, and then he said, “I thought she was a powerful witch!”

As he said those words, a voice behind him rumbled all over the place, saying.

“She was!” When they turned to see who was speaking, Joshua was surprised.

“I had a hard time putting her in that place!” A tall man said with shoulder-length brown hair and a bushy beard on the church’s second floor, a central box, being there.

He put his foot on the edge of the railing before he continued arrogantly, “She was an interesting and attractive girl! Too bad she was a disgusting witch!”

Edith could not believe what was happening. Looking at that man, she clenched her fists, but Joshua next to her said with some nervousness.

“I can’t smell him! That man has no essence!”

Edith looked at Joshua, puzzled when she said while glaring at him, “You murdered Josephine?!”

The smiling man raised a brow as if he was confused. When the realization came in, he chuckled before asking, “Is that her name? Look at that, and I had no idea!”

As he said that, he looked Edith directly into her eyes and said, “Oh dear, you are a witch too! How lucky that I have my fire prepared at once. You will soon be in her place!”

Edith clenched her hands tightly. Clearly, her anger was taking possession of her when she said with an evil grin, “Before I end your life, can you tell me who you are and how you beat Josephine?”

The man grinned and said, “I am Victor Norgert, Hunter Third Class! And I killed her with this!”

When he said that, he took out a small short sword that, taking it by the handle, pointed at Edith as he said, “I must say that this girl cried a lot!”

Edith clenched her teeth. She had seen so many death. It was a normal thing for her. However, the ones that she really gets annoyed at were those who think that it was something to brag about.

She was completely irritated. Edith stretched her hands, and, placing her eyes in total darkness, she yelled, “Uro!”

A red seal appeared in front of her hand, and the man on the balcony yelled, saying.

“Enough! That burns! You must be more powerful, and hers did nothing to me!”

Edith returned to normal when she looked at the man with surprise she did not understand what was happening.

The man on the box showed a tattoo on his chest and said, “This cuteness will prevent you from doing what you tried! Your friend was also surprised!”

And when he said that, he took out a short crossbow to fire in Edith’s direction. The movement took her by surprise, and the crossbow chip flew in her direction, but Joshua took Edith and moved quickly to the altar at the end of the church.

“This guy is weird!”

The man on the balcony smiled when he asked, “And you, what are you?”

But Joshua got up hard and hit the altar table with such power that it flew in the direction of the man on the balcony. He descended, avoiding Joshua’s monstrous attack and when he looked up, what he saw was how Joshua had cut the distance with him and was only a few steps away.

He tried to raise the sword to cut him, but while he embedded the sword in Joshua’s forearm with his open hand, Joshua hit the hunter’s chest with force, raising him in the air and making him fly until he crashed with the main entrance of the church.

Abruptly the man fell to the ground trying to catch his breath. When he looked at Joshua, he said in interest, “I see! Werewolf! I have Something for you!”

And he got up with speed. He pulled a revolver from the back of his pants and pointed at Joshua, then he shoots.

The hunter’s weapon was pointed directly at Joshua’s chest. He looked at it with disdain many times before people had used different weapons to cause damage to his body.

However, his regeneration abilities could usually exceed the damage that any weapon could cause him. The smiling hunter pointed straight at his chest, and, pulling the trigger, he saw a strange dark force move Joshua around until he appeared again next to Edith.

Victor got up, feeling the pain in his ribs from the blow that Joshua had caused him, and looking at them, he said, “So a werewolf and a witch together! This is new!”

Joshua was looking at Edith, and she, with a worried face, and then said, “You must not let him hurt you with that weapon! It sure has silver bullets!”

Joshua fixed his gaze on the hunter and nodded.

“It’s okay! I’ll finish him off fast!” Joshua said seriously.

Edith nodded while a strange force called her attention. Deep in the basement of the church, strange magic was pulsating. She could not stop paying attention to the source of that magnificent power.

“Something is not right in this church! I must investigate! You’ll be fine?!” Edith asked with worry while looking at Joshua.

Joshua nodded, and Edith, giving the hunter one last glance, turned and walked through one of the doors behind the altar.

Victor saw her walk away and, smiling, said as if he was disappointed, “So you won’t both come for me! That is somewhat arrogant. But I appreciate the favor!”