Chapter 23: Can’t See the Forest for the Trees

She dropped the book, crawled in the direction of the woods, and howled. I immediately grabbed her leash as a precaution.

“Oh no, Hellie. We have to get out of here. That’s not some cult member. He’s an avatar.”

Then it hit me like a public stoning when I looked at the sentence I read at Gene’s. “‘To begin the hunt for Gluttony.’ Shit, to begin the hunt!”

I promptly slammed the book closed. I had just frivolously read the text he placed in front of me, and I didn’t consider any serious repercussions.

Damn you, Gene.

You’d think I would have learned my lesson the first time I skipped through the reading.

I reopened the book and scanned for anything about Gula: helpful information or weaknesses. I saw nothing aside from a description, the text that I had read, and a spell called “Unmasking the Avatar” which I promptly skipped.

Gula was in the woods. No doubt waiting on us.

This isn’t good.

I closed the book and placed it on the ground, trying to think of how to handle the situation. I busied myself, retrieving all the items Hellie had tossed from my bag.

Thinking about it, it made sense that Tiny Jem would be an avatar for Gluttony. He was foul-mouthed, brash, and known for his insatiable drive to collect and sell art, props, clothing, toys, and games that had fan appeal. But as I said before, he’d been rumored to be involved in dark web scandals that involved stealing and possibly murders. I always thought he spread those rumors to give him a kind of dark street cred to sell products, but knowing what I knew now, I bet it was all true.

He was shitty enough as it was, but this guy was also an avatar for an ancient entity. I could only imagine what powers he had at his disposal. So far, all I had in my arsenal was a push and pull spell, a fire spell, and Nudge Synchronicity. But I—

Hellie tugged at me, eager to hunt.

—had a reaper hellhound. According to my grimoire, her kind was the only one who could destroy them. But, most importantly, feeding on them extended her life and, by association, mine.

After finishing the clean-up task, I stuffed my grimoire into the backpack. “Come on, Hellie. Let’s get out of here.” I tugged at the leash, but Hellie let me know her strength. She refused to budge. She even crossed her arms in defiance.

I loved seeing Hellie connect more to her human side, but now was not the time.

“Look, I know where this guy lives. Let’s go home, strategize something, and then go after him.”

I started tugging away from the woods, but Hellie pulled back toward the woods with each tug.

“We need a plan, Hellie.”

What is up with her brat behavior?

Hellie could have outright disobeyed me, but instead, she put us in this stalemate. I had no idea why.

But something in my gut—a link between us—told me to trust my companion.

“Dammit, Hellie. We strategize next time, no ifs, ands, or buts.”

Oh my god, did I say next time? There might not be a next time.

I walked to Hellie and then moved past her toward the woods. Hellie caught up with me in a matter of seconds, and we walked side by side to our destination.

“Wait till we are in the woods to change, okay?”

It took us no time to reach the edge of the woods. I was afraid, but I drew strength from Hellie. I removed the collar and placed it and the leash inside my bag. It had sentimental value to me. I didn’t want it to get obliterated along with her clothing after the transformation.

“He may be gone by now.”

Reacting to my statement, Hellie dropped into the classic wolfman pose: knees bent, hunched over with her hands looking ready to claw. I knew from her reaction that he was in there.

“You must listen to me: no matter what, we don’t separate. That is an order.”

She stared into my eyes. I finally tuned in to our mental link and knew we were on the same page.

“Come on. Let’s get you fed.”

As soon as we stepped among the trees, it was like we had stepped into another dimension. The ambient sound disappeared, and when I looked back, the field appeared blurry, almost as if I were peering through thick glass.

I prompted Hellie to transform into her beast-dog form, but she didn’t. I could tell she was trying, but she couldn’t.

Oh shit.

I wanted to hightail it out of there, but there was no turning back. It felt like I was locked into a wrong move in my role-playing game. All we could do was venture forward and face the unknown.

We maneuvered deep into the shrouded pathways of the woods. Luckily, the moon’s light kept the area from sinking into pure darkness.

Hellie led, tracking, and I followed.

From my observation, we weren’t in an illusion. The trees, the shrubs, and the fallen leaves were natural, but the leaves didn’t crunch under our feet. Likewise, the shrubs made no rustling noise. But I could hear Hellie’s growl, and she heard me speak.

It was a disorienting experience, basically being in a void, not hearing the surrounding sounds, and the weight of my steps made me feel as if I were floating.

I swiftly turned my head from left to right. Fear of being ambushed caused pangs of paranoia to squeeze me. I caught myself breathing heavily, so I calmed myself.

Finally, we broke into a clearing, and Hellie’s growling turned ravenous. I took it as a sign that we were close to our prey.

“So, you two were dumb enough to follow me in here. Classic Bramwell-Gates.”

Why did all my bullies like to use my last name?

Tiny Jem coolly sat against a massive fallen tree about thirty yards away, eerily smiling at me.

Surprisingly, this piece of trash repping Gluttony wasn’t obese. Instead, he was slightly shlumpy and managed to make everything he wore—today it was a movie tee, jeans, and sneakers paired with a suit coat—look messy. Of course, his scruffy beard didn’t help the matter.

Hellie broke into an outburst of barking, but she backed up and stood beside me, waiting for my command. I placed my hand on her shoulder.

“Gawd, does your bitch realize how utterly stupid she looks barking like that? I mean, I can call her a bitch, right? She is technically a dog.”

“Her name is Hellie!”

“Well, too bad my deprivation spell won’t allow Hellie to turn into her other form. I specifically crafted the runes for your hybrid. Me! I would have gone with the full-blooded male hellhound.”

“I know who you are, Tiny Jem. You’re Gluttony.”

“Even after all the scheming over the years, you still managed to get this far. Cute.”

“What the hell are you talking about?”

“It doesn’t matter because this is where it ends for you, and answers won’t serve you in hell, Malvic.”

His use of my role-playing name surprised me. First, the cult members. Now, Tiny Jem. I had no idea he knew that name.

Based on his words and body language, an attack seemed imminent, so I readied myself. The situation was impossibly frightening. But facing death, I heard Gene’s voice saying, “This is quest-level shit.”

Quest-level, my ass! I was out of my depth and drowning in vulnerability.

But what if I were playing the game? What would Malvic do?

I’d had to rely on my wits when I was a low-level wizard.

I sharpened my focus on the environment, searching for tactical points and something I could convert into a weapon—anything that could assist Hellie and me.

All the pathways outside the circle of the clearing were pitch black, total gambits as means of retreat. And the woodland floor had a scattering of large branches, but no large stones or defensive covering beside the massive, downed tree behind Tiny Jem.

After taking stock of my surroundings, I did something unexpected, even to myself. I approached Tiny Jem.

As I slowly walked forward, I slipped my arm behind my back and secretly motioned for Hellie to stay.

Stay, girl. Stay.

When I was about twenty yards away, just before Tiny Jem, I saw enormous patches of earth breaking open; curdling dirt fell inward.

“Don’t take another step.”

I stopped. Although I didn’t hear the ground rumbling, which I imagined was thunderous, I heard squealing sounds.

“I have pets too.”

After his grand statement, four gargantuan boars the size of rhinos with coarse hair so spikey it appeared to be a coat of ice picks burst through the surface. They stamped in place, kicking up dirt and swinging their heads in various directions. Their narrow, glowing red eyes, large tusks, and loud squealing should have filled me with fear, but I was beyond that. I was in survival mode.

Okay, there was a cry of fear on the inside, but I didn’t allow it to surface.

“Swine suits you.”

“I hear your corny fucking dig. But my true face is honored by them. They are his sacred animals. He whispers to me, ‘To see is to devour.’ He wants to talk with you.”

In a blink, Tiny Jem’s appearance shifted. He was enveloped by grey smoke, which obscured his face. Only his eyes were visible, and they glowed the same color of red as the boars’.

“Malvic, I live in the minds of all humans.” Tiny Jem’s voice turned to a slow, icky, glutinous and exhausted voice. “Can you hear me?”

To see is to devour hit me in all directions. It seemed like I had heard it in my ears, but it came from within me. And I knew the voice. It was me.

“Yes, it is you. I’m the side of you that tells you to covet Rules of the Black Arts for Advanced Users. The side that pushes deeper into the mystery of what is happening to you. I drove you into these woods. ‘Come on. Let’s get you fed.’ Sound familiar?”

Get out of my head.

“You need more, and I can give you more. There are no mysteries. Only what is known and not known. I could engorge you with knowledge until you burst. And believe me, you will vomit when you know everything.”

“And to gain that knowledge, what do you want from me?”

“All you have to do is kill my brothers and sisters and leave me alone. Let me be reborn.”

“You would betray the others?”

“Do you think there is loyalty among Sins? There is only subjugation. Enough talk! Either I can awaken you to godhood, or you can die here. You must be aware that my avatar has only granted you sight and sound to see and communicate with us, but once he leaves, so go the rest of your senses. You will be enveloped in complete darkness and eaten by my pets. Now choose!”

“So, Gluttony, if you think I could kill all of them, that must mean I can kill you. Just so you know, you never held any real sway in my thoughts. I’m passing on your offer.”

“You can’t kill us without knowledge. And he knows you don’t have it. Terrible choice.”

Tiny Jem’s persona had returned, and his otherworldly self was gone. I was beginning to understand the avatar’s nature after witnessing the exchange. The Sins weren’t the leading personality, more like an alternate one living within.

“I warned him about your obstinance. You’re going to regret not taking the deal, Bramwell-Gates…Malvic…or, I think the name that best suits you now, Swine Food. After you’re dead and my pets are using your bones to clean their teeth, I’ll be back to retrieve the Tome. Goodbye ”

Tome? He referred to my grimoire in the exact same way as the cult members did!

The boars all let out a squealing death knell.

Tiny Jem snapped his fingers, and Gluttony fulfilled his threat just like that. All my senses faded. There was nothing but darkness.