Two years passed since Dorian set off on his journey. With trial and error, he now has a way to interact with villagers. He even earned a good reputation, as a solo mercenary who essentially takes requests about missing things or people and always comes with a quick and efficient result, as if he always goes in the right direction when beginning his search. What's even better for his reputation is a little fact. When asked to search for a child by a parent, he always refuses any form of payment.
His armor is long gone from cheap leather and sword. Now, even if he still uses this configuration, he wears quality gear. With how recognisable this setup is, Dorian doesn't need to go walking to any village center, he is recognised nearly each time he arrives somewhere. As such it is no surprise when, as he arrives at yet another village, someone comes running to him on sight.
— Are… Are you Dorian "the stalker" ?
A subtle smile on his lips, the young man nods. He doesn't remember when this particular nickname took root, but its first appearance was one day, when he took back a man, a fugitive, having beaten his wife to death.
— Yes mister. What do you need ?
At his agreement, the man seems to relax immediately.
— My wife, and daughter. They disappeared a week ago and no one in the village was able to find any clue about them. I… It's said that when the stalker comes to your town, even flys can't stay lost… Please, please find them and tell me what happened to them…
— I'll do it. I'll charge after finding anything, and as usual only for the search for your wife. Can you tell me, what do they look like ?
Two hours later, Dorian walks in the woods. He knows that one of the oddities that made his title stick was that he would have better results at night or in the woods. He can't use his shadows on a plain day in a city after all. It would be the same as shouting with a hand sign with "I have magical powers".
As usual, his shadows comb the forest, his more efficient one none other than the human-like wolf from the cottage. As an entity with wolf senses and human intelligence, it seems natural that this would be his best bet. Second to it are the bandits. In those years, their number went from three to twenty, and their coordination is one of their best selling points, even more so when they use his other animals.
It takes less than three hours for one of the birds to come back to its lord. The man, eager to know what was found, feels once again this now familiar tug on his being. In his time as mercenary, he found that if he focuses on a specific shadow, this feeling becomes stronger. Anyways, he calls forth the horse and gallops to the bird's direction with yet another smile.
This search makes him think about his first, where he could follow his shadow with simply walking. Now, with training, his ability to sense them is so much better that he would need half a day at gallop pace to reach the farthest that he can feel. Today, at least, he won't need more than half an hour to reach his bird.
On arrival, before being seen by anyone, he dismount and calls back the horse in his shadow, which only houses the bear and a bandit at this time, with everything else out searching. He walks out of the woods edge into a clearing. In front of him lie both women, seemingly asleep. Unsheathing his sword, Dorian goes to them and puts a finger on the mother's neck, then the daughter's. Only after this can he breathe a little more freely. They are alive.
All his shadows are rushing to him, sensing his unease, but they won't be here before at least another hour for the fastest. His only warning system is the bird that found the women at first. However, even with this, he can't feel nor see anything before hearing someone clapping behind him. He turns in a jump, putting his sword in front of him, ready to engage.
— Wonderful, mister stalker.
In front of him stands a woman, twigs and flowers in her hair. She smiles softly to Dorian before sitting on her knees, her hands in the open.
— We always wondered, with my sisters, how you could have such a clean record.
Still tense, Dorian lowers his sword. He stays between the strange woman and his target while thinking about how to better stall for time.
— No need to be so tense, I already told my sisters that we made contact, but if you want we can still wait for your army.
The sword rises once again.
— Who are you ?
Her smile stays, as warm as the spring sun on a meadow, while she looks at him in the eyes, not bothered in the slightest by his drawn sword.
— Name's Sandra. We, my sisters and me, are what you can call forest witches.
He clenches his teeth, his grasp tighter on his weapon. He moves his head a little, pointing with it at the two sleeping women.
— I see… Are you, or one of your sisters, responsible for their state ?
— Yes. And, before you ask, we are also responsible for the villager's unfruitful searches. But we're also in charge of their security until they wake up.
Dorian blinks in disbelief. Then, as it happens from time to time, he remembers one of his talks with Garm. Now, he remembers how Garm forced him to think and link all clues when they were housed by Albert.
— So… Either they saw something they shouldn't have, or you tried to recruit them, am I right ? I would think the former, considering the age difference, but you wouldn't protect them for this…
A flicker of satisfaction briefly appears in her eyes. She smiles coyly.
— Continue, I would like to see where you'll be going.
He sighs. Now he remembers why Garm's talks were so annoying. When he talked at all.
— So it should be the recruitment. With the forest, you could have ended them under the guise of a wild animals' attack.
She stays silent.
— You are recruiting… But not the two of them, the age difference is too much. However…
Her smile widens.
— You want to recruit the girl, she seems to be the right age for that. And you took the mother… Because she would be able to help you in giving some excuses when you need to meet the girl.
Once again, Sandra applauds.
— Whoever trained you did a good job, Stalker.
— Then, why did you let me come ?
— I… We didn't.
His sword hanging limply at his side, Dorian looks stupefied at her reluctant face.
— As I previously said, we didn't know your means and, well, ours were ill fitted to keep you away.
Under his surprised gaze, she stands and approaches one of the trees. At this time, Dorian doesn't even think about keeping his guard, the woman could have attacked before he even sensed her after all.
— As forest witches, we use the forest itself as our power. With this…
When she touches the tree, it begins to, move. Its form changes and he even goes some inches to the side.
— We can move the trees, use the flowers' pollen to give illusions, and more. However, even if your foot army could be kept at bay like this, it isn't the same with those.
She points at his bird.
— When he found them, and you began to home in on it, we understood that you wouldn't follow visual or olfactory cues. You can feel them, right ?
She doesn't even look at him, nor gives him time to answer.
— So we had to wait for you to come, and hope. Hope that your reputation holds some truth.
She stops touching the tree and walks back to where she sat at the beginning. At the same time, Dorian smells something disappearing.
*So she showed me that she could do this sneakily too… Good thing that I didn't attack first.*
— When I saw you assuring yourself about their safety first, I knew that we could talk.
Now convinced, Dorian sheaths his sword. He even sits in front of her and calls back his bird into his shadow, while letting the others know that they could take their time to come. As such, only Gibbs continued to sprint to him.
— So… What now ? I wouldn't want to come back and say "I didn't find them" only for, some time later, the both of them showing up from the woods and saying "we were there all the time".
Sandra chuckles.
— You won't need to. They will wake up tomorrow.
She then focuses as if hearing something, then tilt her head.
— Is there… Anything with the dog ? All others began to reduce their pace, but it instead, accelerated ?
It's finally Dorian's turn to chuckle.
— Not at all, he longs for headpats, that's all. He's my friend, my very first friend, and follows me since before my awakening.
Finally, he can talk. In front of a supernatural being, one which seems to be in a group, he can let go without fear of being feared.
— Gibbs is the one keeping me grounded.
Before long, as none of them talked for minutes, he sighs.
— I… Can I ask you something ?
She opens her eyes and tilts her head, before weaving her hand noncommittally.
— There is… Someone I am hunting. I… Already know where but… She's a witch and…
— A witch ? Are you sure of that ?
Her furrowed brows give him pause.
— Well… she used magic powers and… Killed people with a monster so… I assumed ?
— I'll have to talk about it with my sisters. Rogue witches are a thing, but… To help you hunt one of us, even a rogue, needs some talk. What can you tell me about her ?
He looks at the ground, his breathing becoming erratic. He grabs his hands and squeezes them, before sighing.
— She was… Like a big sister for me. Before even my awakening. Not everyone in the village liked her, but my mom and dad were good, I think. She would often come to the farm to buy vegetables and tell us stories.
Sandra looks at him, curious.
— Curious, if she was a witch, she would've been able to hide herself well if she wanted to live within settlements.
Dorian's cheeks redden.
— I think… She wasn't one. In her stories, there were all kinds of things. When I awakened, I thought that my power was a lot like necromancy and was afraid. I…
— You talked to her, right ?
— Yes.
Sandra sighs.
— She told you to keep it secret ?
— Yes.
— She told you that she would need to search for it in order to help ?
— … Yes.
— Then she disappeared. And why do you want to hunt her ?
Dorian, for the first time since he burned his home, wails.
— She killed them… Mom… And Dad…
Sandra keeps quiet until he ends his crying, his sobbing.
— I'm… Sorry for your loss. And sorry to tell you this but… Your goal will be way harder than a witch hunt. But I can't say anything more until we meet my sisters.