Chapter 111: A witch is different from a sorceress

Maybe the system was on to something. That was the thought going through Kanan’s head. He had spoken to the system to learn what he should do, and instead of answering, he was blown off.

Though it pisseed him off, he was actually glad that the system didn’t give him the answer. Coming up with an idea of his own felt great, and most of all, it came from his own effort.

It would be bad to rely on the system all the time, because it would only take one moment when the system doesn’t have the answer to make everything fall apart.

’Maybe there was a lesson in all of this.’ Kanan chuckled as he spotted Telah returning to her hut after choosing the people to accompany the Chief on his expedition.

"Telah! Telah! I need to speak with you real quick, if you’re available."

"Oh, Kanan. How may I help you?"

"Okay, so you know how we might have to defend the village soon from the Verminus Plant threat, whatever it may be?"

"I’m aware, yes."

"Great, so I just came up with an idea, one that might help us turn the tide of the eventual threat we’ll face."

"Well, let’s hear it. Your plan comes from Lord Nemean, right?"

"Huh? No, he told me to deal with this myself." Kanan was shocked that Telah addressed Nemean with respect instead of saying ’your god’.

"Oh, I’m sorry to hear that. I’m sure your idea will be just as great."

Kanan knew that her response was meant to be a compliment, but for some reason, it didn’t feel or sound like one.

"First, I will need you to gather up every witch from the Typhon Tribe."

"Really, well, okay."

"Great!"

There were hundreds of people from the Typhon Tribe living in the village, so it took well over an hour to gather everyone.

Most were away, working somewhere in the village, while others were either sleeping or resting, as they would need to go back to work soon.

Eventually, standing before Kanan were 100 witches from the Typhon Tribe, and apparently, that title belonged to men as well. There were no wizards here.

"This is everyone, as you asked." Telah presented

A good portion of the people present were trying to contain their excitement. It wasn’t every day that the Shaman of the Village would call witches to ask for their help.

Others weren’t nearly as thrilled to be there, as tensions between the two tribes remained high.

"Hello, everyone. I’m Kanan. I’ve called you here today because I believe that I will need your help in the upcoming threat the village will face. You see, I was recently made aware that witches have the ability not only to see the spirits of people, but also to command the dead."

"Huh?"

"Where did you learn that from?"

"I think you may be mistaken, Shaman Kanan."

"With all due respect, we cannot command the dead."

Kanan was confused. He was sure that they could do such things; Risha confirmed it after all. He could understand those who wanted no part in this battle to make an excuse, but even the people who were thrilled to be here were showing signs of confusion.

"Um, Kanan, I think you may have made a mistake." Telah whispered

"Really? Risha told me that–"

"Of course it was Risha."

"Risha? Yeah, that figures."

"Hahaha. He got his information from Risha."

Even Telah had facepalmed after hearing that Kanan had gotten his information from Risha.

"I’m now starting to realize that I shouldn’t have listened to Risha."

Telah shrugged. "Well, not really, but you’re not too off the mark."

"Explain."

"You see, Risha is a sorceress, not a witch."

"There’s a difference?" Back on Earth, those titles were damn near interchangeable.

"Yes. Witches are able to feel the flow of spirits, and those spirits can guide witches. A sorcerer can command the spirits."

Kanan had no idea how that differentiated the two.

"Explain further." He demanded

"Okay, so everyone from our tribe can use spirit energy, the energy of nature. This is what allows us to use the elements."

"Yes." Kanan was familiar with that ability.

"So a witch takes that even further. They can feel the spirits of the living and the dead. It is they who can also use the spirits of nature to have it change into something else."

"Such as healing?" Kanan wondered

"Yes, you’re catching on quickly. Now, a sorcerer can take what a witch does, and do it at a greater level. They can see spirits, dominate them, transfer their power into others, draw upon the land to make themselves stronger, and command the dead."

"I see. Was Chief Woton a Sorcerer?"

"He was." Telah confirmed.

It was then that Kanan understood just how powerful that man was. If Kanan hadn’t stepped in, not only would the village have fallen, but Woton could have used other tricks up his sleeve.

"And Risha, she a sorcerer like him?"

Telah paused. "Kanan, that’s his daughter."

"W-Wha..." Kanan was so shocked that he had nothing to say. He would have never expected Risha to be Woton’s daughter. He just couldn’t picture someone as headstrong, focused, and powerful as Woton being the father of someone like Risha.

"Just not too long ago, she was talking about how she was able to speak to him after he had died from being infected by the Verminus Plant. Was your chief infected?"

"Yes." Telah confirmed. "He was infected by the Verminus Plant before we moved, but he recovered. This was when we didn’t know it was a plant causing our people to die; back when we still buried our people instead of burning them."

"Wait a minute. Risha told me that everyone who’s alive has a flame, even animals. Dead people, according to her, have a misty void inside their bodies."

Telah wasn’t following along. She wasn’t too familiar with what a sorcerer could do, so everything she was hearing from Kanan sounded a bit foreign to her. It made her realize that she should start learning everything her people could do.

"I’m not following, Kanan. What do you mean?"

"Okay, just answer me this question. Was Chief Woton a bit different after the Verminus Plant incident? Maybe he was angrier, took more risks, or maybe he felt like a different person altogether?"

"Yes, but that was because we lost our home, a lot of our people, and our plans to weaken your tribe failed. Not to mention, we were in a dire situation."

"While that may have been lingering emotions from Woton before, I’m sure that the reason he changed so drastically was that he was dead, and the Verminus Plant was controlling his body."