My powers grew stronger, my army ever more numerous.

Slowly, the world came to fear me. I could tell.

Oh, how this gave me with joy. Who knew such feelings existed? That imposing myself on others would feel so fulfilling?

Trepidate before me. Look at me with quivering eyes. Who is the filthy little thing now?

...but that wasn't enough, i still need more. The powers her hand had given me were tremendous, but not enough to exact my burning anger upon this land.

So i grew, the best way i could. Testing and trying, using my newfound knowledge of life to make myself unstoppable.

And thankfully, a great opportunity presented itself to me.

If my instincts were correct, no one would be able to defy me after this.

XXX

Dailah woke up early. The morning chill made her tremble, as the mist of the previous day hadn't gone away yet. Being the first to get off bed, she took it upon herself to prepare coffee for the two.

Pulling out a cilindrical item from the bag, she proceeded to pour some of her magic into the device. It was designed so this would cause the top to gradually heat up. A portable stove, specifically made to be used by witches during dugeon dives.

The girl briefly prepared the moka pot using the supplies they had brought, placing it over the stove once it was ready. While waiting, she took a glance out of the window to see the state of the trap they had set up.

The silhouette of the cubicle was barely visible in the fog, but it was possible to confirm it to be intact, still by its lonesome self. The two wanted to avoid a situation where they would have to keep checking it from up close as it could potentially scare off the rodents trying to surround it, if there was any lurking.

She noticed her companion on the other side of the room shifting around on the bed, likely already conscious, mustering up the courage to get off the sheets and face the day ahead.

A high-pitched gurgling sound echoed in the room, signaling their coffee had finished brewing. Dailah had neither the natural magical ability of Mariane nor the practiced skills Mimi nurtured, so there was no dance of cups and spoons in the air. Just a girl, both hands delicately pouring the drink into two mugs as steam rose in the air.

"Good morning Scariot." - She spoke, walking over to her roommate, not even bothering to stir her awake.

One of the girl's hands extended out, offering the bitter drink to the woman. Scariot slowly turned over towards he, sitting up on the mattress. Rubbing one of her eyes she used her other hand to receive the coffee.

The frown adorning her face, bitter attitude and extremely disheveled hair, gave Dailah the impression this person wasn't good with mornings.

Taking a sip, she asked the most important question.

"How's the trap?" - She inquired, letting out a yawn.

"I can't see much, but looks to be untouched. Should we scatter the rest of the cheese?"

"Hmm... i suppose so...."

"...i'll let you finish waking up." - Dailah muttered, sighing.

Scariot clearly needed some time to compose herself. She couldn't move alone as they both agreed to stay within the radius of the mana-masking lantern.

Peering outside again, she searched for the ominous glowing orbs that observed them in their sleep, finding it hard to spot any now. Whether this was due to the morning sunlight or because the owls got bored of them, she couldn't tell.

Dailah took a sip of the drink in her hands. Moka coffee simply didn't taste right for her.

XXX

It was cold and slightly misty in the city. Daniela wore a thicker layer of clothes as she walked through the stone pathways of the Association's complex. She was not here because she appreciated morning walks, but rather because her oh so dear namesake sister asked to meet with her.

Daniela and Mariane weren't particularly close, but the researcher was one of the few people in this place she was not allowed to freely ignore. Not just on account of her position, but also owning to Mariane being a genuinely competent person, something much rarer than high-ranked witches.

Even if she did have a stick up her butt.

As such, Daniela intended to entertain whatever concerns she wanted to voice. In fact, she had a pretty good idea of what those were going to be, her mind already in the process of concocting appropriate justifications.

The agreed place entered her view, a canteen that stood in the middle of one of the complex's large parks, a handful of simple tables and chairs placed in front of it. Honestly she couldn't remember this location despite working here for many years.

In one of the tables, Mariane sat. A plain cake and a steaming cup in front of her. Besides her, the only person around was the middle-aged lady tending to the counter, a completely indifferent look of sleepiness on her face.

Not bothering to order anything, she went straight to where Mariane was. Any foodseller inside the Association charged far too much for products with medial quality at best.

Sitting across her, the other woman was the first to speak.

"Good morning Mrs. Daniela. Aren't you going to order-"

"Why did you call me here Mariane?"

She had no intention to spend much time here. The way this conversation would go was fairly predictable and thankfully, despite her liturgical attitude, Mariane wasn't one to mind a bit of rudeness.

Noticing there was no pointing skirting around the issue, the woman put down the fork and went straight to the point.

"Why are you involving Dailah in this matter?"

Daniela was right after all. As always, her instincts were on point.

"Do i need a reason to give an employee work to do?" - She pointedly shot.

"She wasn't supposed to do this type of work until she garnered more experience in the field." - The academic witch received her words without wavering - "She's still a novice. And a kid."

As expected, that girl really was Mariane's protegee. Daniela wonders how the two developed such a connection, it's not as if Dailah was the only student she taught.

"I had the full consent of Ms. Dailah when i sent her to this operation. That should be the end of it, no?"

"With all due respect Daniela, if someone from your position asked something from a newly joined witch, there would be no chance for her to refuse."

The shrewd woman waved her hands in dismissal.

"That is on her. I couldn't punish her for refusing to take on a job still outside of her jurisdiction as an initiate."

"Yet you still offered her such a task..."

Mariane's face turned deadly serious, this wasn't just some half-baked protest.

"You know what that girl has been through not too long ago. Now you throw her in yet another perilous situation? What are you thinking? Even putting aside safety concerns, for such a delicate operation, involving a young neophyte that may still hold some traumas is just...

"It's plain irresponsible."

Indeed, Mariane had reached the heart of the matter, the point of contradiction Daniela would have to defend herself from. But it was fine, she just had to do what she learned how to do best throughout all these years.

"Unfortunately, this is just the type of burden witches must carry. The moment she chose to join the association, she was aware of the type of risk she might be put through. We have death tolls Mariane, i cannot cuddle someone just because they are a little young.

"And she seems like a capable individual in my opinion, precisely because of what she was able to make through. And because you, out of all people, seem to vouch for her.

"Even if you are a little overprotective."

Lie through her teeth. Just keep spewing and weaving words that make sense.

"Aren't those reason enough to entrust her with such a mission? And she is accompanied by an experienced individual, even if it is the nameless witch."

Mariane didn't seem convinced, but with so many "sensible arguments" thrown her way she would have no choice but to back off.

Such were the witches here.

Monsters wielding unreasonable powers. Powers those controlled by vague concepts such as mental images, thoughts, emotions... yet so many witches from this city tried to act like scholars, academics driven by research and reason. As if they were some type of truth beholders who understood all of this world's machinations.

Despite themselves being an abomination that denied all forms of saneness. It was very silly to Daniela really, but she knew better.

Noticing the woman wasn't answering her, it was about time to wrap this farce up.

"If there is nothing else of concern, Ms. Mariane, i shall take my leave. I must meet with my daughter now."

There was only one thing she could fully trust in this world. Not common sense, nor puny conjectures and rationalizations.

"...yes, sorry for taking up your time Mrs. Daniela."

The thing that practically never failed her. The crucial element that convinced the woman there was more than meets the eye in this case, rogue puppeteer witch or not. That which whispered to get Dailah onboard as soon as she spoke her thoughts back in that office.

Her guts.

Illogical beings could only ever operate under illogical rules. That was a belief Daniela would never relent on.

XXX

Dailah and Scariot were on their way to feed Mr. Crowley.

Earlier, after clearing their head from the morning haze, the two decided to scatter the rest of the cheese slightly closer to their battered house. The effectiveness of such strategy remained uncertain, but there was not much else they could try at this point.

In fact, there was still a high chance this affair would yield no results whatsoever. They would likely need to keep trying over and over in different places, under different conditions, with tweaks and adjustments to the plan. What initially sounded like a week's vacation might just turn into a month's slog, maybe more.

Scariot held both the mana-masking lantern and the sound-muting device, as Dailah carried the bird's meal. Just a bag of normal ration made for crowleys, he would have to make do with this for now.

As they walked, one certain thought plagued the girl's mind. One she was very hesitant to ask, given there was a chance it could turn their long 'pleasant picnic' rather awkward.

Nameless witch. Daniela had called Scariot such back then.

Just what did that meant? Certainly not a subject they both would just laugh off, or so she felt.

Besides that, there was something else making her uneasy. It turns out the owls didn't went away. As the fog cleared out some more they were able to spot them perching in their favorite spots, atop delapidated constructions and sites. But that in itself wasn't what bothered her.

Why didn't the owls swarm the cheese again?

It was their biggest concern. They were even preparing to chase them off in case they tried devouring the bait again.

Yet, they remained still, just watching the whole process from afar. Even as the two moved away, the birds made no move. For what reason? Were their bellies full? Were they saving it for later?

It should've been a lucky turn of events, but it only filled her with even more ominous feelings.

Mr. Crowley was still on the same spot as yesterday, below some wooden roof that was probably erected as part of a makeshift rut. Dailah didn't bother chaining him or anything, just telling him to stay there.

She thought if the bird wanted to bail, she had no say on it. Not out of any respect for its free will, it was simply futile to force a crowley to do something it didn't want to.

Walking closer, Dailah held out the bag for him. She could almost see a frown of disgust on the creature's face. Whaddaya mean i have to eat this dull junk?

"Sorry, you'll just have to deal with it for now. Once we're out of here i'll buy something nicer. Promise."

Eyeing the girl for a moment, it reluctantly dipped its beak onto the sack, eating the ration as if it was swallowing bitter medical pills.

They wouldn't be leaving this place for maybe a week. Food had to be rationed, and stored for reasonable amounts of time. They also brought water with them, as well as portable filter just in case they ran out. She heard about a device that could harvest the liquid from the atmosphere, but unfortunately it wasn't in a state to be used on the field yet.

If you ever wondered how dungeon explorers went around the caves without ever dying of thirst, you can thank Cyrus for that. At least when it comes to Stone City's dungeons. As it was known, she helped develop entire logistics systems that assisted with dungeon exploration, that included plumbing for water transport. There were many points within the city's undergrounds where one could refill their water reserves, with more always being developed as they dived deeper and deeper.

Dailah checked the bucket of water she had left for her mount. Seems there's still enough. It wasn't good to have water remain stale in the open for too long, but there wasn't much else of a choice.

Once she did everything that had to be done, they walked the way back to their hiding spot. Still under the watchful gaze of the owls.

"You really care about that bird, don't you?" - Scariot began some small talk.

"He did save my life... as long as he sticks with me, i should at least treat him nicely."

"Buying it expensive cakes, then apologizing for giving away normal bland food. This goes beyond a mere nice treatment."

Dailah shruged her shoulders. Maybe she is a fool, but she's far past the point of minding it.

"You know Dailah. I have the feeling, one day, some con artist gentleman will come around and trick you out of your savings."

"I-i'm not that much of a fool...."

"He won't even have to hold hands with you. Just whisper a few words of love, marriage and behold! Not even your house is left anymore."

"Shut up!"

Its true Dailah had never been courted by a man before, nor tried courting one. But she wasn't so easy as to fall for one with just a bunch of sweet nothings.

Yes, certainly not!

"Alright, i've decided."

"...d-decided what?"

"I'm taking you to a cabaret."

"..."

She couldn't be refering to that type of cabaret could she?

"I know what you're thinking, and yes, i'm talking about that kind."

"Aren't those forbidden in the city...?"

"In the city, certainly. In the city."

Dailah was flabbergasted by her boldness. Leaving the city just for that...? Did people really went that far?

"...i think i'll have to refuse."

"I know a good one in Marigold, coastal towns like those tend to be great for this sort of entertainment. Plentiful of sailors loaded with money and nothing to spend it on. And they may even get a temporary discharge if they end up pregnant."

"Did you even hear what i said?"

"Yes, but i never said you had a choice."

Dailah let out a big sigh. Its not as if she didn't have her own desires, but doing it in such a way felt wrong for her somehow.

Its not because she was anxious about the way a man would see and may treat her.

Nor because she was embarassed by the idea.

Not at all!

As they approached the cabin, the girl noticed something different around the area of the cubicle. Seems Scariot did too as she promptly ceased her ramblings.

They were nibbling on the cheese scattered. Three rats.

They were only able to spot them from a distance because the fog had let out a bit. Her superior senses as witches also let them confirm the sighting.

Carefully, and silently, they trotted back to their temporary nest, making sure to take the path that hid them from view, through the slope behind the cabin.

Once inside they carefully peeked through the windows. Not just three, they could see a few more. Four? Maybe Five?

"...so it begins." - Scariot murmured.

XXX

After that, the two would occasionally peer through the window, checking the state of affairs outside. The number of rats grew, ever so slowly.

And sure enough, they seemed to take interest in the container.

"...they really won't be able to dig through that, right?" - Dailah inquired nervously.

"Probably not." - Scariot answered indifferently.

Why couldn't she pick more reassuring words...

The sun was setting down and, unfortunately, the mist growing thicker. It would be yet another blind night for them.

For now, the amount of rats was... ten to fifteen. From what had been discussed before, if they truly were dealing with a talented witch, this amount could even as much as double.

The two observed the rats until shadows covered the landscape. The owls, still present, made no more moves. Like before their eyes glowed in the dark amidst the sound of leaves and crickets. This time however, distant squeaks were added to the symphonies of the night.

The women had a quick meal and, with not much else to do, Scariot opened the pack of cards she had brought.

She taught her about 'Buraco', a game usually meant for teams but that could still be played with only the two of them. Seems the objective mostly involved making certain combinations of cards and laying them down on the floor. When one of the players emptied their hands the game would end, both counting who managed to get more points.

Unlike the previous night this one was much quieter, little squeaks aside. Only the occasional rustling of cards and Scariot's mild taints could be heard in that room. Dailah was a complete amateur in the game and as such she could tell her loss was all but guaranteed. Her opponent seemed to understand that, looking fairly bored as she just went through the motions.

During the prolonged periods of silence, questions from earlier would swirl in the girl's mind.

"Sequence match."

"..."

"Focus Dailah. Maybe if we make a few bets you'll actually put in the effort?"

"No..."

Noticing the girl's absent minded attitude, Scariot inquired further.

"Whats wrong now? Are you afraid of the rats outside? You realize we can burn them all away with just a few fireball shots, don't you?"

She pointed to her guns. She didn't wore just two revolvers, nor four, but six. Four on her hips and two more on her back. On top of that, seems all of them were equipped with a special spell that would make them explode on a timer, whenever she so desired.

Once questioned about it, Aren't thirty-six shots better than twelve? was the only answer she gave, as if no further elaboration was needed.

But her partner's warlike mindset wasn't what bothered her now.

"Stop dilly-dallying. Just out with it." - The woman urged her.

Screw it.

"...back in the association, Ms. Daniela..."

Scariot raised an eyebrown as Dailah hesitated to speak her next words, not looking into her eyes.

"She called you nameless witch.... what is that?"

"Oh, that was all? I seriously thought for a moment you were holding some sort of secret information. Or that you were going to profess your love for me. Can't tell which one would be worse."

Once again, Scariot proved to be very skilled at making Dailah out as an utter fool. The woman waved the cards she was holding in dismissal.

"All that means is that i forsook the use of a birthplace name." - She shrugged - "Haughty people like that Daniela think of this as a dishonorable act, or some other birdpoop."

"...then you're..."

"Indeed, i'm Scariot. Only Scariot. I'm beholden to none. And i feel absolutely no shame in admitting this."

"...i see."

To be honest, Dailah never put so much weight into birthplace namesakes. Sure she knew important people like Mariane would hold names such as Stone, but for the girl it was all but a symbolic act. A way to exhibit one's degree of influence. She thought lower names like her own had no more significance other than declare their roots to the wider world.

But what if one were to reject their roots? Such a thought crossed her mind.

"Its your turn Dailah."

"Ah..."

There were no matches on her hand. She did have a deuce however, it would let her make a dirty run.

Hopefully she'd be able to clean it later.

XXX

Mariane looked at the clock in the wall, it was past midnight. Immersing herself in the work had become an habit already.

She leaned back on her chair, stretching. Even this movement of hers overflowed with elegance.

It was really easy to lose oneself in this windowless underground lab. Weren't she a witch, she'd certainly have developed all sorts of health complications at this point in her life. Despite her appearance, she knew she was anything but youthful on the inside after all. Mariane was old enough she could be seeing her granddaughters coming-of-age cerimony by now, if she had had any children of her own that is.

The woman thought back to her conversation earlier in the day. About her 'protegee', as Daniela would likely put it.

In all truth, Mariane did not know why she grew fond of Dailah. The only way she could describe their first encounter would be as 'the right person in the wrong time'. She certainly wasn't at her best back then in retrospective, neither one of the two probably.

But that did not matter. She cared about the girl, that is the undeniable truth now.

What is also undeniable is how much this situation stank.

She was already used to Daniela's rascal demeanor, however she went too far this time. No matter how reasonable she may try to sound, Mariane knew her well enough to understand some of her decisions could be extremely harsh. Even if the woman did bring in great results overall, she would pay no mind for other people's well-being, or lives, depending on the situation.

Witches may have their duties, but that does not mean they cannot try and avoid dangerous routes.

"...auntie."

A voice called out to her in the lab. The voice of a boy.

"Logos... what are you doing here at such a time? You should be sleeping now."

The boy, Logos, was the son of Mariane's deceased blood sister. He lived in one of the male dormitories of the Association, attending one of the schools here. He would occasionally come to her lab to read, do homework or play.

It was plainly regretful the only family left he could rely on was an old witch obsessed with research. She did her best to take care of him, but even that never felt like enough.

"So should you...." - The young boy said, letting out a yawn.

"I'll take you to your room." - Mariane paused and considered for a moment - "...i'll prepare some sweetened milk... and read some stories... is that fine with you...?"

The woman truly did not know how to handle young kids, let alone boys, even after all these years. Decades of life spent with her nose stuck in books and mana stones must have maimed the parenthood lobes of her brain.

"....yes, thats fine." - Logos answered. Mariane could almost hear the disappointed sigh coming out of his mouth, or so her mind tried to convince her.

Were boys not into stories or sweets...? This foolish witch did not know. He had always been a quiet kid that didn't demand much, to the point she vehemently wished for him to be more self-serving at times. At least she would know for certain what he needed then.

"Will you sleep after this too?" - The boy asked.

"...yes" - Mariane glanced back at her lab as she made her way outside, intending to taking the boy back to his dormitory. The glassware beckoned her.

"I probably should." - She murmured half-heartedly.

XXX

Dailah woke up early again, the sunlight having barely paved its way through the dark. Yet another cold morning covered in mist.

In her dazed consciouness she forced herself out of bed, preparing for another day of dulling away inside this hut. It somehow was worse than physical jobs, though she did began to feel a kind of nauseating comfort from staying confined between the same walls for such prolonged periods of time.

Like the day before, she took the moka pot stashed away in a corner and began rummaging their bag for coffee powder. As she went through the motions, an uneasy itch prickled the back of her neck.

Dailah stopped moving her hands, concentrating on the sounds around her. As expected the squeaks could still be heard outside, but something didn't feel right.

She approached the window, trying to peek outside.

The fog was thicker than ever but... there was something strange with the ground. It was devoid of color, peculiar rocks plagued the landscape, covering everything the eye could see amidst the haze. They would even pile up in certain places. Just what is-

"......!!!!"

Her entire body froze up. Shivers crawled along her arms, legs and back as she saw the black stones move.

Those... those weren't rocks.

"S-Scariot..." - The girl murmured, wanting to scream but knowing she couldn't.

"H-hey... wake up Scariot..." - She tried again, unable to move away from the window. Thankfully her pleas had reached the woman's ears this time.

Almost crawling out of her bed, Scariot frowned bitterly, clearly wishing she could've enjoyed her covers for a little while longer.

But this wasn't the time for that.

"P-please... c-c-come here..."

"...?"

Noticing the oddity of the situation, Scariot peered through the frame.... and froze just like the girl.

"W-what..." - Dailah gulped - "Just what are we supposed... to do?"

A giant mass of rats.

Rats, rats, rats, rats, rats, rats, rat,s rtas, rats, artas,rarts ,rats,ratys, rastas, rats,s atra,s ,rats rats and more rats.

A horde of rats so vast one would be troubled to identify their individual shapes. Where one rat ended, four or five more would begin. Like a sea of fur, whiskers and flesh.

Blood drained from Scariot's face as they observed the animals undulating, as if they were the ocean itself. Seems this was too much even for her.

Trying to regain even a bit of composure, the experienced witch forced out some words.

"I... i don't think its safe to leave this as is. Maybe its time we-"

*CLANK*

A metal sound echoed in the distance, prompting Scariot to shut her mouth. It came from the sewer entrance.

""...""

Deathly silence reigned in that cabin, as the two waited for what would happen next.

*CLANK* ..... *CLANK* ....... *CLANK* ...... *CLANK* ... *CLANK* ... *CLANK* *CLANK* *CLANK*

...

*CLANK*

The rattling noise stopped with one final clatter. The two waited.

In the mist, a silhouette slowly presented its shape.

Big.

Round.

Really big.

Disturbingly big.

....

What were they expecting really? A witch? Witnessing the thing before her, those past conjectures could only yank out a laugh from her now.

The owls cheered on with their coos, as if in mockery of the two idiots camping out in that dilapidated shack...

A massive rat. Probably bigger than a black bear. Its eyes shone a strong blue light as it carried its fat, disgusting body towards the cubicle.

The other rats opened passage for it, as if they were subjects making way for the venerated town's witch.

"..."

Pointless as it might be, a silly thought crossed Dailah's mind at that moment.

Certainly, they would need bigger traps.