The Witch of the Castle of Glass

Milly worked throughout the night on their ground defenses, while Xavier focused on trapping the steep slopes. She’d consumed the first of Rain’s mana potions to keep going, and Milly had erected and hidden a dozen stone shelters by the time Rain returned with fifty fairy volunteers.

“Is this it?” Milly asked, feeling dejected. There were so few fairies.

“The Lost Foals believed you, of course,” Rain began. “But with Twotongue expelled, the council had to appoint a new elder before they would allow the tribe to join. It took the council an hour to select Whitewing, despite her being the obvious choice. Tidebreaker and Durian did everything they could to slow down her appointment.”

“What the hell is their problem?” Milly asked angrily. “They’re going to get everyone killed.”

“Calm down, Milly,” Rain cautioned, glancing over at the anxious fairies. “Tidebreaker and Durian claim you are lying, so they’re doing everything in their power to stop us. They want everyone to return to the celebrations. They are allies with half the council’s elders, including most of the powerful ones, and they’ve threatened to cut ties with any group that helps you.”

“Then, is this it?” Milly asked. “This is all the help we get to fight off an army?”

“No,” replied Rain with a hint of optimism. “There are a few fairies here from other clans. Elder Lightpaw has committed the Floating Leaf Skulk. Nobori convinced Elder Quickstride of the Galloping Winds. He told them what the wolves did to Matron, Quickstride’s mate. Technically, Quickstride is no longer an elder, but things happened so fast that no one told the Galloping Winds that. Both clans sent fifteen fairies and are canvasing for more volunteers.”

“It won’t be enough,” Milly whispered. “We saw the fairies try to fight wolves when Red Fang attacked. They aren’t strong when their numbers are so few.”

“Calista is working on convincing other clans. Tidebreaker and Durian are bullies, but Calista’s taken that as a challenge. You wouldn’t believe the fire she has lit under the elders. She thinks Elder Sapphire and her Kinship of the Eastern Waves – that youngest elder with the fish scales– will join, if only to spite Elder Durian. And unlike the others, her clan is quite strong.”

“Four clans,” Milly sighed. “That’s not very many.”

“It’s not but lamenting it won’t change anything. We’ll work with what we get,” Rain said pragmatically. “And we’ll get creative. Speaking of which, I need your help with an idea. A little surprise for our wolf friends. Tentongue, can you bring them over?”

The young frog fairy bounded over awkwardly, carrying a stained and dripping leather sack. He dropped it at Milly’s feet with a hollow thud and emptied its contents across the ground.

Milly nearly threw up. The sack had been stuffed with eight muskrat corpses, aquatic rodents a foot long with short, dark brown fur and a scaled tail. They had been freshly hunted and their bodies were covered with claw marks and puncture wounds.

“Rain, what… ugg… what are you doing with these?” Milly managed to get out, stepping back from the bodies.

“They are a delicacy amongst the fox and monkey fairies. There was a stall selling them at the bazaar, so I bought everyone,” Rain explained, as if it had been a normal purchase. “But not for food.”

“Okay, then… why?” Milly asked, completely confused.

Rain pointed towards Milly’s witch hat and held up one of her newly brewed orange explosion potions. “I had a clever idea.”

“My hat? What… No! No, no, no! Rain, I don’t want to use that spell. It was so gross,” Milly pleaded desperately. She had only used her reanimate rodent spell once, when she had first received her hat, and she had no desire to try it again. She remembered the feeling of the undead squirrel in her mind, and it sent a shiver down her spine.

“We need every advantage we can get, Milly. That spell is too valuable to waste,” Rain insisted, pointing towards the pile of muskrat corpses. “And as much as watching you squirm would be cathartic, we don’t have that kind of time. So get casting.”

Milly gagged and held her hands over the corpse pile. Her magic spiraled from her hands – ribbons of black and grey that connected to the brain of each muskrat. She could feel their dead minds in hers, and she swallowed to stop herself from vomiting.

The muskrats required a greater injection of magic compared to the squirrel, but Milly was far stronger than she had been two weeks ago. She poured her magic into the creatures, feeling her magic drop, and eight sets of muskrat eyes opened.

Milly jumped in surprise. She could feel the undead rodents swimming in her mind, completely obedient to her will. The process was more instinctual this time, and she was able to corral the rodent minds into a corner of her own and hold them there.

It gets easier the stronger I get. This… this isn’t so bad.

The muskrats stared at her, awaiting orders.

“Umm…. hi,” Milly said awkwardly. “I guess… go with Rain and do what she says? Is that okay?”

The muskrats sprang to their feet and lined up in an orderly row in front of Rain.

“Oh my god! Look at these little cuties,” Rain exclaimed, reaching down and scratching one under its chin. It seemed to lean into her scritches. Milly gagged. “Who wants to cause trouble for some nasty wolves?”

The muskrats bobbed excitedly.

“They seem more alive than the squirrel was,” Rain said, studying the undead creatures. “Perhaps the stronger you are, the more you can imbue them with personalities. Fascinating.”

“I… don’t know,” Milly admitted. “It was easier this time. I can feel them in my mind, but it isn’t so… icky.”

“We’ll need to experiment with that spell later, Mils,” Rain said, making a mental note. “But first, come along cuties. Auntie Rain has plans for you.”

* * *

It was the final hour before sunrise when Calista arrived with the remainder of the fairies who had volunteered to fight. She emerged onto the soon-to-be battlefield holding her Spear of Pinga, her sleeveless white Amazon dress billowing around her knees. Next to her walked Elder Sapphire, carrying a sliver trident and grinning so widely that Milly could see her sharp, shark-like teeth.

They had been whispering to each other, until Calista saw Milly and grew quiet. Sapphire pointed towards Milly and Milly saw her mouth the words “That’s her?”

Milly’s heart ached, and not only because of Calista. There were over a thousand fairies at the gathering, but less than one in ten had arrived to fight. The sixty new additions were mostly from Sapphire’s clan, with a spattering of foxes, monkeys, and frogs to round out the numbers.

Behind them, Whitewing led a contingent of fifteen fairies with healing magic, who set up a makeshift medical area on the edge of the Lake of Memories. Elder Lightpaw followed close behind, alongside their six of his quickest foxes.

Rain and her muskrats were stationed behind one of the stone shelters. The undead rodents now sloshed when they waddled along the ground, and Rain just finished carefully placing a small, blue vial between each of their four front teeth.

The Bazaar had gone quiet two hours ago, save for the occasional drunken laugh. The fairies had hunkered down in their tents to sleep off their first night of celebrations, oblivious to the danger that marched towards them. All except the volunteer fighters, who huddled in the cool night and prepared for dawn.

Milly was handing out Rain’s darkness potions to the Nobori and his scouts when Calista arrived.

“This is everyone,” Calista said coldly. “What’ve you been doing?”

“Umm… hey, Cally,” Milly said awkwardly. “Are… are you still mad at me?”

She knew it was the wrong thing to say the moment the words came out of her mouth. Calista’s eyes flared. “Just tell me what I have to work with, Milly,” Calista replied, avoiding the question.

Milly handed the remaining potions to Nobori to distribute. The fox gave her a diminutive bow before grabbing them and taking over.

Calista stiffened at the bow, reminded once again of Milly’s lie. The tension in the air was thick, broken only by Elder Sapphire, who was shaking her head and trying not to laugh at the two women. Calista glared back at Sapphire, but Sapphire simply waved at them to continue.

“Umm… we’ve built these shelters to provide cover, and the path down the valley is lined with pitfall traps with spiked logs lining the bottom,” Milly said, pointing at various structures. “Xavier has positioned a dozen boulders on the steep cliffs, and Rain’s doing something involving undead muskrats that…”

Milly suddenly stopped as the tension from Calista increased three-fold.

“What do you mean Xavier positioned boulders?” Calista asked with venom. “When the hell did Xavier get here?”

“About… four hours ago,” Milly answered.

Had no one told her? Oh shit, was that my job?

“Great. Just great. As if this couldn’t get any worse,” Calista complained, though her anger was laced with concern that cut through the tension.

“Who’s Xavier?” Elder Sapphire asked curiously, her eyes flashing with amusement.

“Some asshole we work with,” Calista answered bitterly. “He’s a psycho. A self-assured blowhard who thinks he know far more than he does. He has no respect for others. To him, everyone is simply a bit player in the life of Xavier Holloway. The last time he was with us, he screamed at Milly and tried to steal our winnings.”

“He was cruel to you too, Calista,” Milly added.

“Whatever. He’s always been an asshole to me. But the way he treated you…” Calista started, before cutting herself off.

“Is he strong?” asked Sapphire simply.

“I guess so… Yes, he is strong,” Calista admitted reluctantly. “But I don’t trust him.”

“Neither do I,” added Milly, and Calista gave her a satisfied look before anger settled back in.

“Ladies, we face an army of wolves that want to murder and enslave my people,” Sapphire reminded them, as if she were instructing children. “Unless you think this Xavier fellow is in league with the wolves…”

Sapphire looked at Milly, who shook her head. It’s an Arena. There’s no way he’d miss out on the experience or rewards by siding with the wolves. But if this weren’t an Arena…, would he?

“Then whether you trust him or not is irrelevant. This is war. Sometimes, you must side with people you don’t like to survive,” Sapphire continued. “Now, Calista, if you are going to lead these fairies, then I suggest you get started. Sunrise is in an hour. We are running out of time.”

Sapphire marched towards the stone shelters with her warriors, before stopping halfway with a mischievous smile. “Oh, and Calista, don’t forget what we talked about. Life is short and cruel. Think about how you want to spend what time you have been given, before you find you have no time left.”

She left the two women in awkward silence.

“Calista, I…” Milly started, but her voice caught in her throat. Rain is right. I need to tell her I’m sorry. I need to say how I feel about her. So why can’t I just say it?

Before Milly could speak, Calista grasped her hand tightly, and the emotions – anger, hurt, and affection – in the gesture threatened to overwhelm Milly.

“You and I are going to have a very, very long talk when this is over,” Calista started. “You hurt me, and you lied to me. I could have helped you, but you didn’t trust me enough to let me.”

Milly simply nodded, her heart breaking. She’s right. But I can’t tell her. We shouldn’t be together. I’m just going to hurt her again. Maybe it’s better if we…

Calista pulled Milly into a tight embrace. Milly stiffened, then melted into her arms, the thought forgotten. “I need you to stay safe in this fight, okay? I need to be mad at you,” Calista commanded. “Don’t think you’re off the hook just because we might die.”

Calista leaned in and gave her a short but intense kiss, then pushed Milly out of her arms and marched away without looking back. She barked orders at the fairies as she began assigning them to battle formations.

Milly stood there in stunned silence, speechless and more confused than ever.

* * *

The scouts returned as the first rays of dawn crested the horizon. The wolves were minutes away and headed towards the passageway into the valley.

They were as ready as they could be. Calista had split the fairies into ten strike groups of eight fairies, mixed between the clans. The fairies from the Kinship of the Eastern Waves formed the core of each strike group.

“My people are warriors,” Sapphire declared proudly. “The Eastern Oceans are brutal beneath its waves, and we must fight to survive. There are no wolves, but there are things in the depths that would cause even wolves to flee. I’ll show you sometime, Calista. It’ll be fun.”

Milly did not doubt Sapphire’s confidence. Her warriors, proficient with water magic and carrying a mix of spears, tridents, and nets, stood steadfast as the battle grew closer. Sapphire wore skin-tight armor made from blue fish scales and carried her silver trident on her back. The trident was a mirror image of the one Diwata, the Freelancer from EnergyWave, had received in her event reward box.

Has it really only been a week since we left the Castle of Glass? It feels like a lifetime.

Sapphire’s warriors were supported by fairies from the other clans to round out the group’s versatility. The foxes, quick and silent, would strike the wolves from behind and lead them into traps. The frogs would focus on using their paralytic poisons, and they wielded the rusted weapons that Milly, Calista, and Rain had received at the commencement of the God Contest. The monkeys would scamper in the tree-tops to throw stones and darkness potions at the wolves as a distraction, so the strike group could make a quick getaway or carry wounded to the healers.

Calista was leading the defense from the front and had joined the strike group closest to the pathway. She shouted out last-minute orders and signaled to the few fairies hidden at the top of the steep slopes to get ready. Xavier had remained at the slope to avoid Calista, and was grinning wildly as the wolves grew close.

“You should drink a mana potion, Mils,” Rain whispered. She held her Dagger of Lugh Samildànach at her side, its glowing green gem loaded with homebrewed poison. She was wearing a leather, Victorian-style tailcoat with long sleeves and a built-in vest with five buttons of varied colors. The buttons glowed with faint magic. An orderly line of muskrats sat at the ready behind her, each clutching the small blue vial between its teeth. “We’ll need you at full strength.”

Milly opened her inventory, drank her second potion, and handed the vial back to Rain. She felt her magic reserves replenished.

“Thanks Rain,” Milly mumbled. “Where’d you get the coat?”

“I made it, using my Pendant of Imagination,” Rain said chipperly, spinning around to show off her finery. “I had to do something while we traveled with the Lost Foals. I finished it last night. It’s not particularly magical. Just a three-point increase to my toughness and minor magical effects on each button. It’s not beautiful like the Amazon dress I made for Calista, but it has something far more useful than beauty and magic.”

She stuck her hands in its two deep pockets and pulled out a couple vials. “Pockets!” she exclaimed excitedly.

Milly burst out laughing, the absurdity of Rain’s proclamation cutting through the tension in the air.

“You look like you should have a back-alley pharmacy in nineteenth century England, Rain” chuckled Milly. “And I mean that is the best possible way.”

“Rain-on-my-Parade. For all your back-alley, totally legal pharmaceutical needs,” Rain pronounced with a flourish. “And coffee and tea, of course.”

“Of course,” Milly said with an enthusiastic nod. “I’m glad you’re my friend, Rain.”

“Me too, Mils,” Rain responded, as dawn finally arrived. “Even when you are a dummy.”

A three-toned chime rang out, causing Milly’s heart to quicken. It was the same tone that had sounded when Phase Two of the God Contest had started. A translucent golden barrier formed high in the sky above the Lake of Memories, and settled over the valley, trapping them inside.

“Looks like we’re in the Arena,” said Rain calmly. “But the fairies haven’t reacted to the barrier or the chime. Maybe only players can see it?”

“Maybe, but the fairies will see that,” Milly said, pointing at the top of the pathway. Red Fang, his destroyed eye covered with an eyepatch, looked down upon the gathering from outside the golden barrier. He was leading their advanced wave, comprised of twenty four wolves, all salivating at the thought of the victims below.

Calista's protective shield snapped into place around Milly and Rain, and a second later Salem’s Fury activated. Power flowed into Milly’s blood and her eyes glowed with violet fire. She felt the righteous anger that accompanied the power fill her, pushing aside her chaos of emotions, and allowing her to focus on her single, unalterable purpose.

Gently tracing her finger along her fire scorched scars, she felt herself smile.

“I just might enjoy this.”

Mildred Persephone Brown

Level: 20

Specialty: Survival

Class: The Scarred Witch

Sub-class: Her Inquisitor

Strength: 32 (+4 from Wedding Ring of Phillip the Ogre, + 4 from Collar of the Victor)

Agility: 35 (+15 from Gown of Moon and Stars)

Toughness: 38 (+4 from Collar of the Victor)

Magic: 65 (+15 from Gown of Moon and Stars, +2 from Milly's First Witch's Hat, +8 from Luna’s Pendant

of Guidance)

Talents:

Elemental Magic - Fire (beginner), Earth (beginner), Water (beginner), Air (beginner)

Healing Magic - Healer's Touch (beginner), Regeneration (beginner)

Necromancy - Reanimate Rodent (beginner, Witch's Hat)

Psychic - Telekinesis (beginner), Oracle’s Divination (beginner, Luna's Pendant of Guidance)

Unique Talent: Salem’s Fury

Class Features: No limits, Weaver, Relentless, Outcast, Consequences

Sub-Class Features: Oracle’s Avatar, Ceaseless Skepticism, Explorer, Warrior Witch, Incorruptible

Rain Desjarlais

Level: 18

Specialty: Brewing, Experimentation

Class: None

Sub-class: None

Strength: 15

Agility: 18 (+6 from Dagger of Lugh Samildànach)

Toughness: 24 (+6 from Dagger of Lugh Samildànach, +3 from Rain’s Tailcoat)

Magic: 22 (+8 from Luna’s Pendant of Imagination)

Talents:

Alchemy - Nature's Bounty, Alchemy (beginner), The Creativity of Hephaestus (Luna’s Pendant of Imagination)

Combat (Dagger) - Dagger Specialist (beginner)

Elemental Magic - Fire Magic (beginner), Metal Magic (beginner)

Unique Talent: The Mage Alchemist of Lugh Samildànach

Class Features: None

Sub-Class Features: None

Calista Gale

Level: 18

Specialty: Reluctant Leader

Class: None

Sub-class: None

Strength: 28 (+6 from Spear of Pinga, +8 from Luna’s Pendant of The Journey)

Agility: 18 (+6 from Spear of Pinga)

Toughness: 18 (+3 Rain’s Amazon Dress)

Magic: 14 (+4 from Huntress' Scrunchy)

Talents:

Defensive - Protective Shield (beginner, augmented, enhanced by Rain’s Amazon Dress),

Combat (Spear) - Spear Specialist (intermediate), Spear Recall (beginner, Spear of Pinga)

Exploration - Improved Perception (beginner, Huntress' Scrunchy), Companion of Artemis (Luna's Pendant of the Journey)

Unique Talent: Pinga’s Redeeming Protector