"I thought the mission was to kill a witch" Arek mutters seated aboard a rickety old cart bumping past the nth stone passing the seemingly endless scenery of paddy field after paddy field.
"What was that young'un?" A toothless head under a straw hat sticks out from the front of the cart.
"Uh nothing, you keep driving!" Arek calls hastily. Jeez, if he keeps turning around like that, he'll just run this cart straight into a tree or something...not that there are trees or anything really beyond the ever present paddy fields and dirt road that stretches far out into the distance. Arek sighs again, looking depressedly down at the document clutched in his hand. Apparently the mission this time isn't to simply kill the witch, but rather to observe and keep tabs on her. That's all well and fine, however she lives out in the middle of freaking nowhere!
All of Arek's previous missions have been at lavish palaces occupied by nobles, even the place where he stays is the Third Prince Lennox's palace. Going even further back, as a young master he'd never suffered a single hardship in his original world and despite his bravado about leaving home, he never even got the chance to implement his plan before he was summoned off to another world. If he's frank with himself, Arek thinks, he's extremely used to luxury and the next week or weeks or even months is going to be hell. Depressed, he leans back into the hay surrounding him with another sigh of lament...only to see a spider dangling before his nose. Shit.
After several hours Arek finally arrives...at the boat that'll take him across the swamp that'll supposedly lead him to his destination. The journey went like this. First, he teleported to the last town connected to the capital by a magic tower (it's like a cell tower). From there anything further out was just rural and disconnected villages. Therefore, Arek had to go by cart for several hours and now boat.
Gazing at the bubbling green swamp, Arek sighs again for the nth time. This witch must really be impressive if she manages to cause trouble for the prince from all the way out here, not that Arek got many details. All he knows is that she is "evil" and a "menace to the kingdom". Honestly though, he's been ordered to kill people for less, there was the fat guy who was nothing more than a waste of space and that was reason enough for Lennox to have him purged.
So Arek gets in the choppy boat with a half dead looking crone. Honestly, she looks more like a witch than anything else but...no, she's simply the only person willing to ferry him across to the witch's lair and even then he had to pay her a hefty sum. Sighing, yet again at this thought Arek cautiously clambers onto the canoe which seems to shake a bit too much for his comfort.
Then again I'm supposed to be half octopus now Arek thinks. Then, he pauses. Holdup, aren't octopuses saltwater creatures? This is freshwater! With this comforting thought thought he takes a seat across from the crone after practically tiptoeing inch by inch. Once he finally plops his ass down she rewards him with a toothless grin and Arek manages a half flinching smile in response wondering, why do the people out here all seem to have teeth issues. But then again they're probably not as rich as the nobles who use magic on their teeth. Ah magic, so much less effort that braces...
By the time Arek realizes it, they've arrived at their destination: a particular island on the swamp. A particularly empty island that is, except for a variety of colorful odd looking plants. Arek glances towards the crone but after getting paid she's off faster than a speedboat. So, resigned to his fate, he trudges on across the mysterious island to find the mysterious witch...who's already basically defeated him with the sheer difficulty of finding her Arek thinks. He looks down at his pants covered in muck and mud, dragging along the ground and this time he doesn't even bother to sigh.
An hour later, Arek finally spots a sign of human habitation: a small thatched hut. By this time several flies have made his head their home and more than one bird has pooped on his shoulder. Now, seeing the tiny, bare looking hut Arek experiences an emotion he hasn't felt in about a year: dread. Suddenly, noticing something at the door of the hut, his slouched, slumped shoulders straighten. A moment later he disappears. If someone were to examine the two trees near where Arek previously stood, they'd see a vaguely human shape along the bark. That's right, Arek has another octopus skill: camouflage.
Like any octopus, Arek can change the color and texture of his skin to perfectly match any surroundings and, on the prince's orders, he's used this skill numerous times to end lives. A moment after Arek disappears into the clump of trees the door to the hut opens. Out steps...a head of vibrant red hair attached to a pale, slightly wrinkled face, leading to a medium build covered in an azure dress. Dangling necklaces, bracelets, and earrings crinkle as the woman - the witch - walks. She looks like a gypsy Arek scrutinizes, harmless in appearance but you never know...
While making his judgements, Arek remains absolutely still, only his eyeballs following that gypsy like figure. She slowly ambles out of the hut, shutting it behind her. Then, she struts off. Is she not going to be careful at all? Or is it an act? Or...
Arek blinks realizing that the witch has hobbled quite far despite her slight limp. He quickly slips after her, keeping his steps light and sticking close to the trees and shrubbery. He follows her, the flies buzzing along, until she reaches a tree stump...and disappears. Arek pauses, then slowly creeps up towards the stump. He sniffs the air a couple times and comes to a conclusion. She must have teleported.
Arek waits there for a several moments then he follows the witch in standing on the stump. A moment later the dizziness hits him and he feels intensely sick to his stomach. Previously I thought the royal teleportation scrolls were bad but this...is this what village magic is like? It's so crude, ugh my stomach...
A moment later he lands in the grass with a thud and freezes, sensing a gaze on him. Slowly looking up, he comes face to face with a large pair of hazel eyes belonging to a pale face surrounded by vibrant red hair. ...Oh shit.
The witch blinks at him owlishly, then her face breaks out into a smile and Arek absentmindedly notices that she actually has a fairly nice smile, at least all the teeth are present and fairly straight.
"Well?"
"Ah?" Arek blinks.
"You're the extra help I asked them to send aren't you? You look a little weak but I think you'll do!"
"Ah??"
"Come on! We have to harvest it all soon!" And with that the witch is gone, leaving Arek blinking in the mud.
