Mira, Eudora, and I sit around the gazebo once again, discussing the latest revelations that I came across from the ring. Each of them wore the ring and confirmed to experience the same vision into the past as I have. Now the trinket sits at the center of the table as we ponder the dire significance of this knowledge.
"Edith Percouli, the first Witch of Pride, is the only witch to have successfully tamed the prideful soul and survived." Eudora finally says after a long silence.
Her ordinarily whimsical demeanor is absent, replaced by an expression that is both deep in thought and grim. When it came to Anora, we thought she was just an ambitious imitation of Edith. Now that we know her true identity is the Witch of Pride herself, makes her nefarious goals all the more dire— because she nearly succeeded before.
Edith had become the quintessential witch that we should strive not to become. Her unhinged lust for power led her to ignite the Crimson Wars that slaughtered tens of thousands. For her to reach a position of authority within the Council of Kings is evidence that we have underestimated her influence.
Mira grimaces. "Edith was defeated before. She can be defeated again. We just need to finish the job, unlike the knights of the past."
"The problem now is she's so ingrained in the Council of Kings, no one will believe us. It's us who've been branded rogue, and no one will bat an eye to seek Anora's guidance in how to capture us." I explain, frowning at the hopelessness of our situation.
It's not as though we can just deliver the ring to the Council of Kings. Should it fall into Anora's hands first, then we will lose one of our leverages against her. However, the ring is useless to us as it stands now, damning as it is to her.
"I do not care to be second in a world ruled by Edith Percouli. She must die, no matter the cost." Eudora kicks the chair out from under her and tosses me Belle's silver buttplug. "I've already consumed sloth, I have no need for another. Return that to Parabelle, or consume it yourself."
I gag a little in my mouth at the thought. Frankly, returning Diligence to Belle to earn her trust is our best option. We need that level of firepower.
"How do you propose we beat Edith?" Mira asks the question that's on all of our minds.
"We should contact our sisters from the other kingdoms. If we can make contact with them before Edith does, we can convince them to join our cause!" I suggest.
Eudora materializes a map of the region onto the table. "We have Cassia at Arundal Republic to the north, and Margaret at the Principality of Lycaster further northeast. However, both monarchs are members of the Council. It is wise to assume Edith has already reached out to them."
The problems just keep coming. Cassia was in the same graduating class as me, but it's not as though we were good friends as Mira and myself are.
"No matter how I look at it, we're vastly outnumbered." Mira says, rubbing her temple.
"We'll need to raise an army. Beseech help from other sources." Eudora makes an outrageous suggestion.
"Like who?" I ask.
"The world is a large place. Not every sovereign nation believes a united confederacy is to their best interest. No doubt seeing Parthun and Randover, two kingdoms invaded by the Council, has put neighboring leadership on edge." She zooms out on the map, revealing the entirety of our continent that is Talmora.
Her finger lands on a domain that is outside of the Council of Kings' jurisdiction— Vessyra, a theocratic republic that worships the Goddess of Love and Lust of the same name. A nation ruled by elves and demi-humans that we on this side of Talmora have been warned against fraternizing by the Council.
"It's been at least a century since we've made contact beyond the reach of humanity. You think Vessyra will welcome us with open arms?" Mira asks, tapping the map impatiently.
"You will go and find out." Eudora says.
"What?" Mira and I blurt out at once.
"By you, I mean the two of you and Belle will serve as emissaries to broker an alliance."
It sounds like Eudora is making a joking, but her hardened expression says otherwise. For all we know, three witches traveling to Vessyra will be seen as an act of war. There is a good chance we'll be killed on sight before we even reach the city.
"This is the only way. They hold enough animosity towards the Council of Kings to be considered potential allies." Eudora pleads.
"What can we offer them that they would even consider joining us?" I ask.
Eudora zooms back into our side of Talmora as well as the Weeping Expanse. "Have you ever wondered why the Council, sworn to oversee witches, does not extend their hand to the rest of the world? Would not witches be born elsewhere, as well?"
She raises towers from the ground, much like the towers that dot the forest. White lines connect each of them like a web, and a translucent blanket of dust sweeps over Talmora that appears to converge in the Weeping Expanse.
"Magic," she continues. "For years the Witch's Academy and the Council of Kings have starved the rest of the world of magic. The towers, the Weeping Expanse, our ancestral sisters bore fruit here because the convergence of mana is under our feet, and they trap it here by means of siphoning pillars."
A chill runs up my spine. The reason the towers are so full of mana, that soul stones collect indefinitely… is because we're sapping mana from the rest of the world?
I want to protest, but what she says… makes sense.
"A caged bird does not care from where the feed comes, it knows only that the hand provides." Eudora taps her head. "Gluttony has allowed me to sense the flow of mana. These manufactured feeding troughs must be destroyed so that mana may circulate back to the world."
Mira slams down on the table. "In doing this you will usher in an era of witchcraft never before seen. To offer magic to the rest of the world is—"
"The only way." Eudora remains firm on her stance. "No single entity should hoard this power."
So this is what Eudora meant when I saw her swallow the stone at the first tower.
I take a deep breath before offering my thoughts. "What you suggest is radical, but you're right. Magic isn't ours to monopolize. It belonged to the world first, and it's only right to return it. Mira?"
"Very well. If you're fine with it, so am I." Mira says, taking my hand.
I nod back and squeeze her hand. "As long as you're with me."
"Good." Eudora claps her hands. "You must depart immediately. By now, Edith will have realized that Parabelle and Humility failed to hold Lotherain. She will likely send Discipline, their combined might with Glory and Abstinence may prove too much for us to handle."
"What will you do in the meantime?" I ask Eudora.
"Oh, the usual— research how to destroy the towers for good, bolster our defenses, sleep with old demons, and broker alliances elsewhere." She says casually.
Mira and I blink in disbelief. "I'm sorry, what was the second to the last one?"
"Time is of the essence! Here take Luna. I've already ripped out Edith's eyes." Eudora flings Luna into the air and she flies into my grasp.
Luna, Belle's familiar, coils gently up my arm like a sleeve. Her tongue slips out, tasting the air around me. She's surprisingly docile and cute for how destructive she enables Belle to be. I feel bad for letting Rio and Talos bully her.
"Uhm… Ellori, your goblin is insatiable…" Belle approaches us with trembling legs, thighs dripping with cum and face flushed red. "He knew a lot of tricks that took me by surprise… and by the way, I think Humility passed out."
"Perfect! I shall go collect the knightess. You three, on your way now." Eudora slaps Belle's butt on the way out.
***
With three people hanging onto the legs of a creature as small as a cat, our method of travel has become incredibly cramped as of late. Regardless, Rio isn't slowed by the extra weight. We make headway into the mountains as dark clouds gather above us.
"Oh, gods. I'm going to be sick…" Belle vomits off to the side, the contents of her stomach plummets down to the earth on some unsuspecting wildlife. "We're really doing this? Making contact with the demihuman nation of Vessyra?"
"You should be rejoicing. Eudora gave you a chance to escape." Mira teases, yet in her hand holds the leash to Belle's true freedom.
"Now, now, Mira. We're supposed to be working together. What is Vessyra going to think of three bickering witches?" I shoot back.
"I won't run away! I have to find out for myself if what you say is true. Seeing a vision is one thing, but I need to find out from Edith— Anora herself. Confronting her is the only way." Belle speaks with renewed conviction.
She was in as much disbelief as we were after witnessing the ring's vision. In spite of the shaking revelation, her resolve remains unshaken.
Mira scoffs. Her head jerks back as she hijacks Talos' vision. He's flying much lower to keep an eye out for an old witch's tower somewhere in the mountains. Belle and I are also keeping an eye out, but the evening mountain fog is taking away our visibility by the second.
"Do you really think a witch would have made a home in such a frigid place? What if Eudora is going senile?" Belle asks.
"As questionable as her knowledge may be, she hasn't given us cause to doubt her yet." I assure Belle.
According to Eudora, a witch of old had built a tower out here centuries ago. The sole purpose was to house a runic teleportation circle connected to another circle in Vessyra. However, it has long since fell into disuse and likely ran out of juice.
Soon, rain and hail begins to batter us. Belle erects a barrier around us and I conjure a magical fire to keep warm, but the cold cuts right through us. Even through my living robes.
Mira curses under her breath. "Belle, I swear to the covenant— if you conjured this storm—"
"Oh, pardon. Maybe I should have made it rain fire instead. I wish I was strong enough to create something this enormous!"
"Mira's got a point. This storm feels almost unnatural, as though it were a spell." The other two fall silent as soon as I make the suggestion.
Mira's head cocks to one side. "I found a cave. We should take shelter to wait out the blizzard."
We land at the foot of the cave as per Mira's directions. Belle raises a wall of ice at the entrance to ward off the cold, and we use the magic crystals to emanate heat. No matter how much we clutch the crystals to our bodies, we aren't getting warmer.
Mira has us each pop a resistance potion, but we're not feeling any better.
"This confirms it. We're trapped in a conjured blizzard. A powerful one at that." Mira clicks her tongue.
We lose track of time as hours go by with the storm not letting up. No amount of our own or our familiars' magic is keeping us warm. The cold bites down to my bones, and I can barely feel my fingers and toes. Our lives may very well end out here if we don't do something about the freezing temperature.
"M-Mira… Belle… we should at least try to fly back—" Both of them have fallen unconscious, their breaths come out shallow and labored. "Damn. I have to… get us out of here…"
When I get to my feet, all the strength drains away and I collapse to the floor. I manage to drink a restoration potion, but it's not restoring me in the slightest. A loud banging from the barrier is all I hear before I lose consciousness.
***
I awake under a large pelt in a torch-lit cave, a large bonfire crackles next to me. My companions are still unconscious with our familiars laying motionless in a pile. Something bumps me hard on the head as I get up.
"Ow— uwah!"
The skull of a saber-tooth hanging by a rope stares back at me. There are half a dozen other skulls of large beasts in here as well. More disturbingly is what looks to be an enormous mammoth pelt laid out at the back of the cave.
A low voice rumbles from behind. "Witch, awake?"
I pick my staff up and whip around to a towering yeti The ape-like face with sharp fangs and red eyes glare down at me. He carries a large tusk half the length of his body, bloodied at the tip.
"Don't come any closer!" I yell. Nothing happens when I try to invoke magic from my staff. "What— shit!"
A hulking arm reaches out to me. I shut my eyes and prepare for the inevitable deathblow—
But nothing comes.
I open my eyes and feel the yeti's large hand petting my head. "Eh?"
Leekt222· Aug 14, 2020
