Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

The floorboards in the witch’s hut let out a horrific creak as I entered. Otherwise it was...surprisingly calm. The wizard said about his wife ‘cursing everything in sight’, so I was expecting some pretty messed up shit. Instead, it was a small shack with three weird statues ahead of me, each one coordinated with coloured leaves. Sure, there was a cauldron in the corner, a small red magic seal, and a table with a bone and two potions on it, but that was it—nothing too untoward. It even smelled lightly of peppermint.

Of course, this wasn’t my first time here. Back then, I headed towards the statues and listened to their words. All pretty useless to me, but...interesting. Very interesting indeed.

“Witch,” I said, looking around the shack. “I’ve got a prismatic shard here, and I know you want it. I’m here to bargain...but only if you’ll talk to me directly.”

For a while, there was silence. I began to wonder if she wasn’t actually listening in, and I was just standing there like a berk. Then, just as I turned to leave, I saw her standing in the doorway.

Green skin, pointed nose, boils on her face, a black witch’s hat—she definitely fit the bill when it came to her appearance. As I took it all in, she gave me a crooked smile full of yellowed teeth.

“Not many are brave enough to deal with one such as I,” she said. “Your offer...intrigues me. Take a seat.”

I sat down at the table by the cauldron. The witch, after a quick gesture, sent a chair from the other end of the room sliding towards her. Once it arrived, she gave it a fond pat before sitting down herself.

“Might I have your name, young man?” she asked, clasping her hands together.

“A name means power, doesn’t it? So, no, I think I’ll keep that to myself.”

She cackled at that. “Perhaps, perhaps. Well then, farmer of the valley, what is it that your heart desires?”

I frowned. “You...you can affect people’s memories, can’t you? That’s what one of the statues said.”

“Certainly. A human mind is not so difficult to beguile, when you know the way.”

“Can you make them think differently?”

She raised an eyebrow. “In what sense?”

“I want to be invisible, but not like...unable to be seen. More like whatever I’m doing, they can’t pay attention to me. Can you do that?”

She grinned. “My my, and whatever would you use such a power for?”

I opened and closed my mouth. Should I say it?

“Don’t be shy,” she said. “Whatever atrocities you plan to commit, believe me, I have heard worse. Done worse, even.”

I grimaced. “It’s just...those bitches in town. They act all friendly, but I know they hate my guts deep down. Or not so deep down, in Haley’s case.”

“And?”

“And I want revenge, want to leave them with something they won’t forget.” I closed my hand into a fist. “I want to seed the valley.”

The witch stared at me for a while. I stared right back.

“This cannot be accomplished indefinitely,” she said. “I could manage...yes, perhaps a week.”

“And once the week is over?”

“The effect will cease. They will not remember all that has happened, but your ‘invisibility’ will no longer work. You will be normal once again, and they will begin to notice certain...changes.”

I pondered this. “A whole week?”

“Indeed. And all you need to give me is that useless little prismatic shard. You can’t ask for a better deal than that.”

“If it was useless, you wouldn’t want it.”

“Do not be so sure, farmer of the valley. Humans desire many useless things.” She grinned again. “Although some might say I am no longer human.”

I retrieved the prismatic shard from my pocket. The witch watched it with a predatory gaze.

“And how do I know you aren’t just tricking me?” I asked. “How do I know I can trust you?”

Her smile faded at that. “Come now, am I not the picture of reliability?”

I looked at that green, wart-covered face.

“No,” I said.

She cackled again. “How very cynical! But perhaps not cynical enough. I can bend minds to my will, o farmer of the valley. What is to stop me from taking the shard for my own?”

I thought on that for a moment. “You tell me,” I said, “since we’re still having this conversation.”

“The word you are looking for is integrity, my dear—I never go back on a deal. Do I perhaps sow seeds of chaos at my whim? Oh my, yes. But a deal is a deal.” She grinned once more. “In any case, I would be quite interested to follow your exploits. I wish harm upon the valley, in a sense, and it seems you wish the same. Why not join forces?”

“But you still want the shard, right?”

“Of course. Nothing comes for free, my dear.”

I looked the shard over in my hand. It really was beautiful, if a little gaudy. Were these things really naturally occurring? What was their purpose? And what did the witch want it for, anyway?

…

Fuck it.

“You’ve got a deal,” I said, offering it to her.

She snatched it up, quickly tucking it in a robe pocket. “A pleasure doing business with you,” she said. “Now for the ritual. Give me your hand.”

Gingerly, I did so. She held it between both of hers, and closed her eyes.

“Let what is seen be unseen,” she intoned. “Let him pass without trace. Let their minds see what they wish, and let his path be unhindered.”

I heard the sound of rushing wind around me, but the leaves on the floor remained right where they were. I also felt...hot, for a few moments, like I was running a fever.

Then, the wind died down, and the feeling left. The witch sighed, letting go of my hand as she opened her eyes.

“It is done,” she said. “In 168 hours, the spell will be broken. The clock is ticking, farmer of the valley.”

I surged to my feet, and headed straight for the door.

“Ah, but two things before you leave.”

I stopped at the doorway, turning back. “What?”

“The wizard will not be affected by my spell. If he should come to the town, you must remain cautious.”

“Right,” I said. “And the second thing?”

“If you could forgive an old woman’s curiosity...where did you find the shard?”

I cast my mind back to my adventures down the mineshaft. Skeletons animated through foul magic, dark beings that looked like Krobus, bats beyond counting…

“Uh,” I said, “a slime dropped it.”

We shared a look.

“I washed it, obviously,” I added.

“Interesting,” was all the witch said. “Well, that is all from me. Do try to have fun, dear.”

“Oh, I will,” I said, and headed back out to the swamp.

Time to see what this magic could do.

Once I returned to the town square, it was still a lovely spring day in Pelican Town. I checked my phone...around 4:15 PM, apparently. There was no end of test subjects for the spell, but there was one in particular I had in mind. Knowing that time was of the essence, I headed straight for the fountain by the playground. Just as I expected, I found Haley sitting there, leafing disinterestedly through a fashion magazine.

“Hey Hayley,” I said.

No response.

“Hayley, you’re the biggest bitch I’ve ever met.”

Still nothing. She turned the page.

“But y’know...you are hot as hell,” I said, approaching her. “Bet you wouldn’t let a dirty farmer like me touch you, would you?”

Slowly, a put a hand on her shoulder.

“Hmm,” she said, and I pulled my hand away. “Maybe I should order something like this.”

I put my hand back on her shoulder. Nothing. I began to slide my hand down her arm...god, her skin was so soft.

“Holy shit,” I said under my breath. “It actually works.”

But before I could think to do anything else, she suddenly got to her feet, closed her magazine, and headed out. Around this time...yes, she’d be going home. Emily would be out at the aerobics class, then she’d head to the Stardrop Saloon.

“Wait,” I said aloud as I followed Haley home, “why would it matter whether she’s out? She’s not gonna see me anyway.”

And it was true. We passed Vincent, Jas and Penny on the way, but while they greeted Haley, they didn’t do the same for me. Sure, a lot of the folks here didn’t like me much, but they always pretended to be friendly. There was no way they wouldn’t at least give me a nod.

I could rob the place blind, I could fuck people’s wives right in front of them, I could...shit. What couldn’t I do?

Still, there’d be time to think on that later. For now, I only wanted one thing.

Well, okay. Two things.

I finished making myself a cup of tea, and had a quick look around Haley’s place. It sure beat mine, despite my best efforts. Not that Haley’d worked a day in her life for all this stuff, oh no. She had her parents pay for everything, and if it wasn’t her, it was her sister. I almost felt bad for Emily, really.

Of course, I’d be fucking her later this week, but what can I say, I’m a real bleeding heart.

In any case, at the moment, it looked like Haley was getting ready to make dinner. Some kind of ready meal crap, from the looks.

While she bent down to put the ready meal in the oven, I put a hand on her ass. Mm...soft. I gave it a squeeze, but of course, she didn’t react. She just stood up straight, and went to go put the plastic wrap in the trash, but I held her where she was. I turned her around to get a look of her expression. Definitely puzzled, but she still couldn’t see me, or figure out why she couldn’t move. I held her close to me as I hiked up her skirt, letting my hard on press against her as I put both hands on her bare ass.

And still, she just had that puzzled expression as she tried to move but couldn’t, her mind failing to comprehend what was in front of her. Amazing.

Eventually, I let her go, and put my tea down as she continued her way around the kitchen. Eventually, she came to a stop in front of the oven, waiting out the timer. I stood behind her, slipping her dress straps off to reveal a white frilly bra underneath. I thought about feeling her tits just like that but...no, I was getting impatient. I undid the clasp that held it on, and threw the bra aside. Haley kept looking at the oven timer, none the wiser that her chest was there for anyone to see.

I took them in both hands, marvelling at their softness. I couldn’t resist giving them a squeeze, not when they were so perfectly sized. Then, I went around to Haley’s front and took one of her nipples in my mouth, sucking gently.

Surprisingly, she gasped a little at that. For a moment I thought my cover was blown but...no, she was still just looking at the oven, if a little more red in the face. So she still had certain bodily reactions to what I was doing, she just couldn’t comprehend them?

How...interesting.

I kept sucking on her nipples, increasing the intensity, which brought out more of Haley’s gasps. At the same time, I sent one of my hands roaming down to her panties, gently teasing her pussy. She wasn’t quite wet yet, from the feel, but it was only a matter of time. Her body had to react, even if her mind couldn’t.

I felt her press against me as she tried to get to the oven. I also heard the timer start to beep, and I got an evil idea. I kept her right where she was, my mouth still sucking on her tits, and one hand teasing her pussy. She was starting to moan now, partly out of pleasure, and partly out of frustration, since she could do nothing to stop her meal burning. Once I smelled the evidence for myself, I finally let her go, stepping out of the way. As she pulled the oven door open, a bunch of smoke poured out, and the ready meal looked...charred. Not completely inedible, but definitely not up to Haley’s standards.

“Whatever,” she said. “I wasn’t hungry anyway.”

Still topless, she dumped the burnt ready meal in the trash, turned the oven off, and headed for her room. While it had been fun messing with her in the kitchen, her bedroom would definitely be a better venue for the main event. She grabbed the fashion magazine she’d left earlier and jumped on her bed, kicking off her shoes as she held the mag above her, trying to find where she’d left off. I followed her, gently closed the door behind me (as unnecessary as that was), and started to pull off my pants.

With a topless girl laying defenceless on her bed, my dick was naturally standing to attention.

“God, you’re so fucking hot, Haley,” I said, crawling onto the bed. “Shame you’re such a bitch.”

I pulled up her skirt so I could get to her panties, pulling them off without too much trouble. Now I wasn’t so focused on her chest, I could see her pussy was completely hairless, and looked...wet enough. Maybe if this was a girl I cared about, I’d tease her some more, maybe get some lube or something, but here, I was running out of patience. I needed her now.

I forced her legs apart, and lined myself up to her entrance, teasing it with my dick. Again, there was a small gasp from Haley, but not much else. The magazine was starting to get in my way, so I ripped it from her grasp and tossed it on the floor. She blinked for a moment, then tried to reach for the magazine, but by now I was pressed on top of her, and I was a lot heavier. She wasn’t moving unless I let her.

I pushed my dick a little deeper inside, and hit...oh, wow. Of all the chicks in Pelican Town, surely Haley didn’t still have her hymen...but then, what else could it be?

“I bet Alex thought he’d get here first,” I said, looking into her unfocused eyes. “You’d like that, wouldn’t you? But instead, you’ve just got me, the dirty fucking farmer!”

With my last word, I tore through the hymen, and Haley winced in pain. God, she was so tight…!

“You’re mine now, bitch,” I said, as I drew back before slamming back in. “You hear me?!”

I started fucking her like a man possessed, holding her arms down on the bed. Her breathing became ragged, and she was blushing up a storm, but still she looked at me with that vacant expression. The bed squeaked as I pounded her. On an impulse, I kissed her hard. She couldn’t return it, but this still felt...right. There was no way I was first on that mark, but I bet she’d hate it all the same.

I felt the climax approach all too soon. As the sound of my balls slapping her ass filled the air, I once again bore down on her chest, sucking hard on her nipples. She moaned as her hand reached for the magazine off the bed, still unable to move.

I roared as I finally came, sending ropes of cum deep into her pussy.

“Get pregnant, you bitch,” I moaned, cumming to the last drop. I had no way of guaranteeing that, of course, but it’s not like I was planning on fucking her only once. The doc said I was pretty virile when I went to check, and Haley was young, so with any luck…

Slowly, I pulled out of her. With the weight taken away, Haley finally got her magazine, and went right back to reading it as if nothing had ever happened, even as my cum dripped out of her. No blood, though.

For a little while I laid with Haley on her bed, sighing in contentment. Yeah...this was the life, right here. I was in for seven days in heaven, and I’d barely got started. So many girls to fuck, so little time...

I looked back to Haley, and my dick began to stir once more.

Well. Might as well go for round two.

Chapter Text

I woke to the obnoxious beeping of Haley’s alarm clock.

So...this wasn’t a dream. I was naked under the sheets, and so, I noticed, was Haley. She turned to hit her alarm and, through blurry eyes, looked right at me. Had the spell run out? Had the witch lied to me?

But no, just another false alarm (heh). Haley shuffled out of bed, yawned theatrically, and headed for her en suite.

Once again, I was struck by just how many choices I had in front of me. The world was my oyster...well, the town was, at least. But I only had a week—I didn’t want to reach the end and have some regrets left over. Then again...I’d fucked Haley right into the night, and I was still technically in the first 24 hours. I could afford to be a little inefficient, if the mood struck me.

And the mood did strike me, oh yes. Bold as brass, I headed for the en suite as well, just as Haley turned on the shower.

It was a pretty small en suite, just large enough for a shower cubicle, a sink, and a toilet. Haley had closed the shower door behind her, and the translucent glass tragically obscured her form...but not for long. Licking my lips, I let myself in.

I’d seen it all last night—I made sure of that—but with a new day came a new appreciation for Haley’s body. Her breasts and ass were the perfect size, she wasn’t too fat or too skinny, and her hair was beautiful and smooth. Shame it was all in service to such an enormous bitch, but that was life for you. Only the best for the undeserving, while the rest were left to rot.

As she began shampooing her hair, I came up behind her, my dick ready and willing. I put one hand to her chest and one to her pussy and...no, wait. I reached past her and turned off the shower. I needed her nice and lubed up for this, and the shower would just wash that away. Haley, giving off an annoyed grunt, reached to turn it back on, but I took her and pinned her to the cubicle wall. She could do nothing to stop me as I started fingering her.

It wasn’t long before she started to let out a few gasps and moans—after last night, I knew her weak spots all too well. Still, perhaps she was worried about Emily hearing her, because she suddenly put a hand to her mouth, trying to muffle herself. Grinning, I didn’t let up, even as Emily called out.

“Haley, you’ve left a bra in here!” she yelled. “Was it really so hard to take it to your room?!”

I frowned at that. So, apparently not everything was ignored, if it had been enough time...or maybe it was a proximity thing?

“What are you—ah!—talking about?” Haley managed. “I wouldn’t do something like that!”

Perhaps Haley’s moans were counted as ‘things people weren’t allowed to perceive’, because Emily didn’t appear to notice. “Well, it’s not one of mine. Just check it when you’re dressed, okay?”

“Fine!”

Amazing. People could have honest to god conversations with each other, with one of them moaning up a storm, and they wouldn’t think anything was amiss. I was definitely getting my shard’s worth.

And...yes, that would do. I stopped fingering her, which would probably prompt a sigh of relief if she knew what was happening, but I was just getting started. I spread her legs and pulled her off the wall just enough to line myself up...then, I was inside her once again.

Perhaps by reflex, she put her hands on the wall to stop herself from falling. Fine by me—that meant I could use mine to squeeze her tits as I fucked her. And, since she no longer had the hands to cover her mouth any more, her moans echoed around the bathroom.

“Maybe if you weren’t such a bitch, we could’ve done this properly,” I said, grunting as I continued to fuck her. “I’d put up with a lot to fuck a body like this every day, but...hey, why take the chance? This way I get to sample you all I like, and every other bitch in this town, too!”

Still...this wasn’t quite the same if I couldn’t see her face. I pulled out of her just enough to spin her around, lifted her up off her feet, and entered her once again. I just couldn’t get enough of that weird expression that she had, that half confused, half turned on look, and her growing moans only made it better.

I felt my climax building, and grinned.

“You might be pregnant already but...hey, might as well be thorough, right? Gah!”

I buried myself deep as I came again, filling her tiny pussy right up. Once I was sure she couldn’t take any more, I suddenly dropped her onto the floor. One rope of cum caught her right on the cheek, but I made sure not to waste the rest as I stuck my dick in her mouth. Perhaps on reflex, she began to swallow.

“Yeah...that’s a good girl,” I moaned.

Eventually, I was finished for real. With me no longer keeping her down, Haley struggled to her feet, cheeks flushed, and went to turn the shower back on, cum still dribbling out of her pussy.

Me, I was plenty clean, and I’d had enough of Haley for now. After quickly drying myself off, I popped back into the main room, got my clothes back on, and headed for the front door. As I left, I saw Emily on my way out, ass in the air as she searched through a cupboard.

Tempting, very tempting, but...no, I had someone else in mind. I’d be back for Emily later.

For now, it was time to take the shrinking violet.

The library was quiet as I entered, save for the sound of rain from outside. Gunther sat behind the counter, dutifully cataloguing some ancient pottery, but I doubt he would’ve seen me even without the spell. I tossed aside a stolen umbrella as I headed for the shelves, looking for someone in particular.

And there she was, standing with a well-loved book in her hand: Penny.

Of all the girls, I was never quite sure what to think of her. She was just so quiet, so awkward. Just like the rest, though, I got the impression she never wanted me around. Still, compared to Haley, she was practically a saint.

“Watcha got there, Penny?” I asked, as if she could possibly answer. “Let’s see...”

I pulled the book from her hand, checking the spine for the title. “‘The Secrets of Childrearing’, huh? Well, how about that.”

Penny frowned as she stared at her now empty hands, blinking slowly.

“You’ll definitely want to check this out later. Though...it’ll be a very popular book by then,” I said, flashing an evil grin. “Here, take it.”

Once it was returned to her grip, her frown ceased, and she turned a page as if nothing had ever happened.

“Your body’s not quite as good as Haley’s...a little skinny for my taste.” I put my hands to her waist, drawing her close. “Then again...you do have that sorta ‘sexy librarian’ thing going on. I can dig that.”

She turned another page. As she did so, I hiked up her brown skirt.

“White with blue stripes? Classic.” I traced my hand down her panties, which got me a small shudder. “But y’know, all this standing around’s getting a bit much. Let’s take a seat, shall we?”

I pulled up a chair at a nearby table and, dragging Penny with me, sat down. Then, I pulled her on top of me so she was sitting on my lap, facing away from me. All the while, she kept the book close to her chest, turning another page.

Slowly, my hands began to roam down her legs. Smooth, very smooth...maybe she was hoping to impress Sam. I saw how those two looked at each other. But now...well. Would he still want her when she turned mysteriously pregnant? And Pam would be furious, no doubt…

Eh, not my problem.

I kissed her neck, breathing in her scent. Some kind of fruity perfume. All the while, I brought my hands up to her chest, and slowly began undoing the buttons on her blouse. Soon enough, I pulled the blouse open, revealing a plain white bra underneath.

“Smaller than Haley’s, but...more than a handful’s a waste, as they say.”

I didn’t bother with the bra strap this time, and instead just pushed the bra up, letting the perky breasts pop out. Penny went to turn another page, but suddenly stopped as I ran my fingers around her nipples.

“Feels good, doesn’t it?” I whispered. “Come on, no need to be shy.”

I continued to tease her nipples, giving them a soft pinch. That brought out a short gasp, and she suddenly released the book, bringing her hands back to her chest. But even when her hands went over mine, trying to figure out why she was feeling this way, she still couldn’t comprehend it.

“Want me to go lower, huh? Well, alright...”

I slipped one of my hands down her panties, and started to tease her pussy—a little wet already, from the feel. While I did that, she tried to get to her feet, but my other arm was fitted firmly around her stomach, keeping her in place.

“We’re not done yet, Penny,” I said, kissing her neck again. “Not even close.”

It was a bit tricky with her panties still on, but I managed to get a finger inside her. I kept it gentle (didn’t want to pop her cherry just yet), but that was still more than she could handle. She bent forward, gripping the table tight, and started moaning very quietly. Penny’s were much cuter than Haley’s, more insecure.

“Oh, that’s no way to live, Penny,” I said, lifting her up just enough so I could get my dick out. “Nothing wrong with feeling good.”

I thought about taking her panties off, but there was something incredibly erotic about keeping them on, just like with the bra. Instead, I slipped them aside just enough to make room for my dick. She let out a pained gasp as I entered her, and I felt another hymen give way.

“God...a town full of virgin chicks just for me,” I said, grunting as I slammed her down on my dick. “Heaven really is a place on Earth!”

As I started bouncing her on my lap, she reached for the book, burying her face in it to help mask the moans. She seemed more...aware of what was going on than Haley ever was, but still not enough to actually stop me. Maybe the spell affected people differently?

“Come here, Penny,” I said, spinning her around to face me. “I know another way to shut you up.”

She got off one more moan before I kissed her. For a while, the only sounds in the library were the rain, the sound of her ass slapping against my balls, and muffled moaning from Penny. She wasn’t kissing me back—how could she?—but it still felt damned good. I couldn’t last much longer.

I broke from the kiss. “Here it comes, Penny,” I whispered hoarsely, increasing my pace. Her hands gripped the armrests, desperately holding on as her eyes searched frantically for the source of the pleasure.

And then, it was all over. I came deep inside her, pressing her close to me...and from the way she moaned then, her breathing ragged, it seemed like she came too.

“Good girl, Penny,” I said, kissing her again. “Good girl.”

Finally, I was spent. As Penny put a hand to her temple, blinking rapidly, I pulled her up off my dick and quickly moved her panties back into place.

“Wouldn’t want to get it all over the library chairs, would we?” I said.

Feeling a strange bit of empathy (maybe it was the afterglow), I fixed Penny’s clothing before setting her down in the chair, leaving her to read her book in peace. Once I did, she shook her head, gave a fatigued sigh, and got right back to where she left off.

And when I saw her sitting there, innocent as anything I felt...guilty. Not that guilty (I’d still do it again if I had the chance), but what little remained of my conscience was telling me I’d done something wrong. Sure, maybe she never gave me the time of day, but if she did get pregnant, it could get pretty bad for her.

Hm...maybe there was room in my schedule to do a good deed for once. JojaMart was still open for business, and if the tills there were a bit lighter on cash...well, who would know? And who would think that Penny was the thief, of all people?

Such were my thoughts as I headed towards the museum door.

Of course, if I saw any of the other chicks at Joja Mart, I’d be fucking them in the aisles, but that wasn’t the point. I was going to do a Good Deed.

Well. Relatively good. Definitely good in comparison to what I just did.

That’s a low bar, quipped my conscience.

Check back with me in a week, I thought back, because right now I don’t give a shit.

Chapter Text

It wasn’t long until I was inside the local JojaMart. It was pretty quiet, save for occasional beeping from the tills, the shuffling of employees filling the shelves, and of course, the rain. Whenever it rained, it always seemed to rain all day, and I could never figure out why. Was that the witch’s doing, too? I guess it could be.

Well, whatever the case, I wasn’t about to go stealing from Joja on an empty stomach. On instinct, I went to pick up a basket, only to chuckle as I realised what I’d done. It would be weird going back to normal life once this week was over, but until then, there was no way I was going to buy anything. With a spring in my step, I hopped along the aisles, grabbing a pack of sausage rolls, an energy drink, and a couple of sandwiches for good measure. Again, years of societal conditioning made me think twice about just eating it there and then, but I realised there was a better option in any case. I looked around for a minute until I found the employee area, heading inside.

The first part was a break room, from the looks, with a bunch of ‘motivational’ posters strewn on every wall, all proudly bearing the Joja brand. There was another door leading beyond, presumably to the stock room, but I didn’t care enough to head inside. Instead, I took a seat on one of the chairs and ate my brunch.

Halfway through, one of the employees—a very tired-looking woman—entered the break room, sighing with relief. She wasn’t bad looking, but...with a town full of young women ripe for the picking, settling for her would just be...sad. Besides, she was from out of town, and—

As she took a seat across from me, I stopped mid thought. So...the spell wasn’t on the town’s populace exactly, but on whoever was in the town? She sure wasn’t paying me much mind, having idly flipped out her phone, so I had to assume that was the case. Huh. So in theory, if I could get the president of Ferngill here, I could assassinate him without anyone suspecting a thing!

I don’t know why I would want to do that, but being able to say that I’d assassinated a president had a certain appeal, even if no one would believe me. Still, it was a pipe dream, and even if the witch could do it, I didn’t have any more prismatic shards. Better stick to raping and impregnating chicks. Much more achievable, and slightly less likely to cause political chaos. Probably.

Soon enough, I was finished with my lunch, and that meant it was time to rob the place blind. Morris stood by the tills, putting on his best welcome face for any new customers, so I reached into his pocket and filched out a set of keys. After that, I planned to fetch the cash straight from the tills, only for my eyes to flick up to the cameras on the ceiling. If I was right and it was the people in the town being affected, then if that footage was looked at off-site...well, I’d definitely be in trouble. Sighing, I headed back towards the employee area, slipped through the next door, and eventually found my way to the security room. It was little more than a closet, packed full of monitors and blinking lights, but best to nip this problem in the bud. I reached down, unplugged the whole set-up, then got back to my robbery.

Perhaps ten minutes later, I was definitely ready for some high stakes poker—or in my case, a bit of Robin Hood action. I also slipped the key back into Morris’ pocket, just to make sure he took the blame for it.

“I’ll be sure to swing by tomorrow, too!” I yelled on my way out. “That’s a JojaMart guarantee!”

A little while later, I was standing in front of the town notice board, rain still pouring behind me.

I’d intended to head for Penny’s place, maybe slip some cash under her bed or something, but...no, that wouldn’t work. If she heard about a break-in at JojaMart, and then she mysteriously came upon a large sum of money, she was probably smart enough to join the dots. She might even try and give it back, eurgh. No, I’d have to be sneakier about this...and if I needed to brainstorm ideas, I’d think a lot clearer somewhere nice and warm, ideally with someone to fuck.

Yet here I was standing outside, looking at the notice board. I’d run a few requests for the townsfolk before—they paid pretty well—but it was pathetic, right? Posting a notice here hoping that someone just happened to have the thing you wanted. Archaic, really. I mean, sure, I moved out of the city to get away from a lot of modern trappings, but online shopping still kicked ass.

Shrugging, I headed into Pierre’s store, catching him and his wife mid-conversation behind the counter.

“—but you don’t think something’s happened to him, do you?” Caroline asked, frowning.

“Maybe he went down into the mines,” said Pierre, leaning on the counter. “Still...it’s a little strange that he didn’t come by. He said he was really looking forward to a new backpack.”

I leaned my umbrella by the doorway, glancing towards my object of affection. Yeah, Pierre, I was hoping to pick that up, if it wasn’t so goddamn expensive. Jackass.

“I’m just worried something might have happened,” Caroline continued.

“It would be a shame to lose out on my best customer, but...I’m sure he’s fine. Then again, if we don’t see him tomorrow either, maybe someone should go by the farmhouse.”

Hmm. They couldn’t perceive what I was doing, but they could perceive my absence. Interesting.

“We could send Abigail, couldn’t we?” Caroline said. “She did like to explore the fields there, once upon a time.”

“Sure. Hopefully the rain’s let up by then.”

Oh yeah, now they were worried about me? Not because they cared, but because it might put them out of business? Was this the thanks I got for being a gopher for the whole fucking town?!

Well...maybe Caroline cared, but she was like that with everyone. It didn’t make me special. It didn’t mean she liked me. I left them to their conversation and pushed past into Pierre’s house, and beyond that, into Abigail’s room.

I’d never been in here before. Strangely...nautical, with the wallpaper and everything. There was also a PC, a spirit board...oh, and Abigail herself by the TV, sat on a pillow as she played Journey of the Prairie King. I’d played video games before, but old school ones like that? Not really my thing. As for Abigail herself, she definitely had an appeal about her. Kinda goth, but less depressing, and with a fierce, adventuring spirit. Probably the wizard’s daughter, too, not that I gave a shit about that. Having kids out of wedlock was about to become something of a family tradition.

Still, everything in good time—I wanted to mess with her first. I sat down alongside her and reached forward, unplugging her controller. She kept pressing fruitless for a few moments, before looking down to the console, frowning.

“How the hell…? Aw, come on!” she groaned, as her character in the game unceremoniously died. “Must be a loose wire or something.”

I could’ve kept this up all day, maybe even turn off the console, but I wasn’t much of a prankster...well, not unless you counted what I was doing as a particularly mean prank. Instead, once she’d plugged back in and restarted her game, I reached over and undid her belt, tossing it aside. Once I did, I noticed her trousers got a little loose, giving me a peek towards some dark purple panties.

“I wonder,” I said, “does the carpet match the drapes?”

I grabbed the hem of her panties and pulled them out, revealing...yep, purple down there, too. How about that. Nevertheless, I didn’t want to jump the gun here, so I let go for now, and pulled a dagger out of the sheath on my belt. Then, very carefully, I cut through the shoulders of Abigail’s overcoat, tossing the pieces over by the belt.

I’d always had this fantasy that I might find her alone in the mines, and I’d force her down there, tearing her clothes to shreds. This wasn’t quite the same thing, but...it was close. It was definitely turning me on.

Next was her sleeveless shirt. Again, I went for the shoulders, and almost cut her as she suddenly threw her arms up in frustration. Thankfully, I managed to pull my hand back just in time, only returning to the task once she’d calmed down. Before long, I pulled the tattered cloth away, leaving her sitting there in a dark purple sports bra.

“You’re definitely ready for action, aren’t you?” I said, adding the cloth to the pile. “Wrong kind of action, in this case. Ah well.”

I sheathed the knife for a moment as I shuffled behind her, feeling her chest through the bra. Maybe it was because she was so focused on the game, but unlike the other two, Abigail didn’t react at all to what I was doing. I pulled the bra up and began teasing her nipples, but still, nothing.

Well, no reaction could be its own kind of fun. I got to my feet and whipped my dick out, then stood just to the right of Abigail. Next, I tilted her head towards me, forcing open her mouth. Amusingly, as I put my dick right in there, her eyes still looked towards the screen, and her fingers kept pressing buttons as if nothing was wrong.

It wasn’t a blowjob exactly—there was no way I could get anything like that with the spell being what it was—but a facefuck came a close second. It did feel good in her mouth, especially as I groped her chest at the same time. That’s when I got an idea. I took my dick out of her mouth, then pushed Abigail over on her back. Before she could get back up, I sat on top of her, getting my dick into position for a good tittyfuck. She wasn’t quite as big as Haley in that department, but the feel of my dick between her breasts was still damned good. Abigail herself seemed a bit confused about the whole thing, but was still trying to peek around me to play her game.

“Might do this with Haley later,” I breathed. “She’s definitely got plenty to work with. Damn!”

I felt my climax approaching, but I wasn’t just going to spray it all over her. Instead, I moved forward and put my dick back in her mouth, groaning as I came. Laying back like she was, she had no choice but to swallow as I pumped ropes upon ropes of cum down her throat, blinking in confusion all the while.

Once I drew out of her and stepped back, she put a hand to her throat, momentarily stopping her game.

“Never tasted cum before?” I taunted, grinning. “Well, you’d better get used to it, ‘cause I’m definitely coming back here. Pun intended.”

Once again, the momentary distraction meant another death in the game, and soon she’d sat up and returned her attention to the TV, shaking her head.

“But for now...I’m more interested in your other hole.”

This time, I pushed Abigail forward so she was laying on her stomach. She must have thought it was her idea since she didn’t try and shift any further. With that done, I pulled her trousers down by her ankles and, like with Penny, just shifted her panties aside to give me access to her pussy.

“Hm...not wet enough quite yet,” I muttered. “Well, we can fix that.”

I started teasing her pussy with one finger, gently at first. This got a small shiver from Abigail, but not much else.

“Used to things a bit harder, huh? If you insist...”

I switched to fingering her, using my free hand to feel her chest. From above, I saw her grip the controller a little tighter, letting out a sharp gasp as I switched to two fingers. Once I started teasing her clit with her thumb, that was when she suddenly moaned, letting the controller go so she could cover her mouth.

“Oh, don’t worry Abigail, your parents can’t hear us,” I whispered. “But I can see your hands are just gonna get in the way. Let me fix that.”

I reached over and retrieved some of the cut cloth from earlier, using it to bind Abigail’s wrists behind her back. She struggled against the bindings, but for all I knew, it was just because it kept her from playing the game. With that done, I stopped fingering her so I could instead line up my dick, which by now was hard once again.

“No hymen, but I’d bet 10,000g you’re still a virgin,” I said, grunting as I entered her. “Fuck!”

There was something intoxicating about fucking someone who was tied up and couldn’t move, even if, in this case, it was mostly for show. Was this how I’d imagined it down in the mines? Well, maybe. It was definitely a lot cleaner and warmer here, and I didn’t have to worry about monsters coming to stab me in the back. Instead, I could focus on taking what was mine.

“What a fucking waste!” I groaned, reaching forward and squeezing her tits. “Once you finally get over yourself and get down there, I’ll bet those Krobus-looking motherfuckers will eat you for breakfast. Still, maybe you’ll think twice about it if you’ve got one extra to think about, huh?”

I increased my pace, the sound of my balls against her ass rising above her moans and the chiptunes of the video game. Still, even that couldn’t compete as Abigail got louder and louder, wriggling against me. Finally, her moans reached a crescendo as she came, shuddering in place. I wasn’t far behind, driving my dick deep as I pumped her full of cum, groaning with pleasure all the while.

Eventually, I was done, and I sighed with satisfaction as I drew back, pushing her panties back into place. After that, I untied her, just to see what would happen.

Immediately, she rose to her knees, and started looking around the room, cheeks flush. To my surprise, she then headed for the spirit board, struggling a little with her trousers still around her ankles.

“Is...is anyone there?” she asked, putting her hand on the triangle pointer (a planchette, apparently).

I wasn’t a big believer in ghosts before I came here, but if there were forest spirits, a wizard who lived in a tower and a witch who could cast mind-altering spells? Well, anything was possible.

On the other hand, even if they did exist, they probably wouldn’t mind a little prank. I put my hand on top of Abigail’s and moved it towards ‘no’. This...did absolutely nothing, because of course, she couldn’t notice anything I was doing.

“Ah well, can’t fault me for trying,” I said, putting my dick away. “Guess I’ll—”

Once I pulled my hand away, Abigail’s suddenly moved to the other end of the board: ‘yes’. She gasped.

“That...that wasn’t me. Was it?” she said, frowning.

The planchette moved to the other end of the board: ‘no’.

Hmm. Spooky, for sure, but not definite proof there was a ghost here. I’d heard about this before, some kind of—

“Who are you?”

The planchette moved from letter to letter with staggering speed. Wait...that was my name, followed by…

“Grandpa?” Abigail said, mouth open. “Wait, you don’t mean—”

I snatched the planchette from her hand and legged it out of Pierre’s shop, nearly knocking Pierre over in the process. I didn’t even grab my umbrella as I went back out into the pouring rain, running as fast I could towards the witch’s hut.

Maybe this was an overreaction, and it was just a weird coincidence that my grandpa’s ghost decided to pay Abigail a visit just after I’d done raping her. But I wasn’t about to take that chance.

I needed answers.

Chapter Text

I was wet through and shivering as I stomped through the witch’s swamp, but I was panicking too hard to notice. The goblin henchman was still away for the time being, so I rushed forward, slamming the front door open.

“Witch! I need your...uh...”

Rather than entering into the hut as I had before, stepping through the doorway had apparently transported me to a sunny beach. I heard and smelled the sea, I felt the warmth of the sun, and I saw the witch laid back in a sun lounger, hands behind her head and two pieces of cucumber on her eyes. Her skin was also entirely lacking in warts this time, or even wrinkles, and she seemed to have slimmed down a little, too. Her hair was still white, but more of a mystical white than an old woman white.

Sighing, she pulled off one of the cucumber pieces and gave me an annoyed look. “Have you tried turning it off and on again?”

My mouth hung open as I took in the surrounding beach. “I...what?”

“Oh, this is just a little illusion I cooked up. Rather convincing, is it not?”

I looked back to the witch. “Is your appearance an illusion too?”

“Nnnno, not exactly.” She flashed me a grin, one full of perfect teeth. “Let us say that a prismatic shard has some interesting properties and leave it at that, shall we?”

I paused. “You’re still green, though.”

“Well obviously.” The witch tossed the remaining cucumber and got to her feet. “Now, I assume there is a reason for your interruption?”

“Uh...yeah,” I said as the witch walked towards me—god, the sand even crunched under her feet! “What do you know about ghosts?”

Once she’d got a bit closer, the witch snapped her fingers, summoning up her witch’s hat. “I assume you are not requesting a seminar,” she said as she put it on. “In any case, surely you have dealt with them in the mines before.”

“Those were ghosts?”

She gave me a withering look. “Yes, farmer, the floating white things that passed through walls and went ‘oooo’ were ghosts.”

“But...but they looked so fake! And I could kill them with a sword!”

“You temporarily banished them with a sword. Not quite the same thing.”

I grimaced. “So...ghosts really exist?”

“Yes. Obviously.” She raised an eyebrow. “Now why are you asking?”

I quickly summarised what I’d just witnessed, leaving out some of the saucier details. Once I reached the end, the witch wore a smug grin.

“Well well well,” she said. “Karma is a cruel mistress, is she not?”

I was about to retort, but stopped myself. “Wait,” I said. “Is karma real too?”

“Of course not. That would be silly.”

“Uh...right.” I took a deep breath. “But look, this shouldn’t have happened! I thought your spell was supposed to make me impossible to notice!”

“I told you the spell would not work on the wizard, yes? The same is true of ghosts.”

“You never said that at the time!”

“I did not predict this eventuality. Would you?” She yawned, and began heading back towards her chair. “Now, if you will excuse me...”

“You aren’t going to help?”

“Not currently,” she said, laying back. “Of course, if you were to sweeten the pot...”

I paused. “I don’t have any more prismatic shards.”

“Then perhaps a more direct tribute. Say...30,000g?”

I frowned. “You can control minds. What do you need money for?”

“Magic is not some bottomless well of power, farmer of the valley. It is often wiser to use other means, when the option is available.” She gestured to the beach. “It would help me afford an actual holiday, for example.”

“It’s just...that’s a lot of money. I spent less than that on a new kitchen.”

“Well then,” the witch said, pulling a pair of heart-shaped sunglasses from her robe. “I wish you the best of luck with your little ghost problem.”

I could pay some of that with the cash I stole from Joja, but not all of it. On the other hand, who else could I ask? If the wizard saw me, and figured out I’d been scheming with the witch, he’d probably magic me into a puddle. And that’s before he figured out what I did to Abigail.

“Are you actually gonna solve the problem, or is this just advice?”

“Those are not mutually exclusive.”

“So no magic?”

“Indeed. Surely you remember what I said earlier, yes?”

I scratched my chin. “Well...hm. Maybe we can strike a deal?”

The witch slightly pulled down her sunglasses. “Oh?”

“If you give me the advice and modify the spell, I’ll give you 50,000g.”

Her expression lit up. “Go on.”

“Can you make it so people will do what I say?”

“Getting tired of invisibility, are we?”

“No, no, I still want that! It’s just...if they always ignore what you’re doing, you miss out on a few things.”

We shared a look. She could probably sense the lust behind that phrase.

After a while, the witch smiled. “Hm...yes, perhaps we can strike a deal after all.”

She clapped her hands twice, and the beach around me began to blur, as if I was wearing the wrong kind of glasses. Then, the blurred shape shifted and changed colour, until eventually, we were back in the normal shack, albeit with a sun lounger placed right in the middle. The cucumbers were still on the floor, too.

“Place the money on the table,” she said.

Giving over the prismatic shard had been easy, probably because it was otherwise useless to me. Money, on the other hand...well, once the week was up, I’d want as much cash as physically possible. Besides, what happened to the Robin Hood idea? Wasn’t this supposed to be Penny’s?

Still...the hesitation could only last so long. There would be more money, but if Grandpa managed to warn anyone in the town about what I was doing, that could be the end of me, especially if word got out to the wizard.

Plus, knowing that the old fart might be watching me have sex was seriously creepy.

“Alright,” I said, laying the last of the bills on the table. “That’s all of it.”

She gestured towards me. “Come,” she said. “Take my hand.”

I did so. It felt a bit strange now she wasn’t an old crone. Sure, she still had green skin and white hair, but…

She released my hand. “All done.”

I blinked. “But...you didn’t say anything.”

“Oh, that was just for show. I would rather conserve my strength for this one.” She took out a small black twig from her pocket and handed it over. “Here, you will need this.”

I turned it over in my hands. “Is this a wand?”

“Of a sort. If you point that at someone and then give them a command, they will try their utmost to comply...with a few caveats, of course. Visnov!”

I heard the stomping of feet from outside, followed by the goblin henchman stepping into the hut, out of breath. “I am here, mistress!”

“Good. Now, I would like you to stand there and do absolutely nothing. Am I clear?”

“At once, mistress!” Visnov said, giving a smart salute.

The witch turned to me. “Go on,” she said. “Try it out.”

I pointed the wand towards Visnov. “Uh...put your hands on your head?”

He immediately did so.

“Visnov,” the witch said, “why did you put your hands on your head?”

He blinked, and then suddenly put his hands back down. “O-oh, I’m so sorry, mistress! I don’t know what came over me!”

“Lay on the ground,” I barked.

Visnov went prone.

“Stand up!”

He did that too.

“Thank you, Visnov,” the witch said. “You may go.”

“Yes, mistress!” he said, and headed for the doorway.

Once he was gone, I looked back to the witch. “Holy shit,” I said. “I’m like a god!”

“I doubt Yoba would be happy to hear that, but...yes, I can see how you might feel that way.” She got up from her sun lounger. “There are caveats, however, as I mentioned.”

“Alright, lay 'em on me.”

“Firstly, you must keep your commands under ten words. Any more than that and the spell will fail.”

“Got it,” I said.

“Second, your commands should remain objective for the best results. Telling someone to ‘sit down’ will work. Telling them to ‘sort their life out’ will not.”

“Hm...I guess that makes sense. Anything else?”

“There is one thing in particular you should know. While you remain somewhat invisible, those completing your commands are not so gifted. If other people witness whatever is going on, they will witness it. For example, if you asked someone to jump up and down in the saloon, the other customers might ask them what they are doing.”

“But they still won’t see me, right?”

“Indeed. And if they ask your victim why they are jumping up and down, the victim will profess that they do not know. A capricious fancy took them, perhaps.”

I scratched my chin. “That’s not necessarily a downside.”

“No, but it is something to keep in mind.” She pointed a finger towards me. “There is one last thing.”

“Yeah?”

“This part of the spell is tied to that wand. If you break it, then you will no longer be able to give your commands.”

“Uh...right. I’ll keep it safe.”

“See that you do. Oh, and the duration is the same as its parent spell, but you may have already assumed that.”

“And it doesn’t work on the wizard, right?”

“If it did, I would have some interesting uses for it, believe me,” she said, an evil glint in her eyes.

“And what about the ghost stuff? What’s your solution to that?”

“Ah, yes...” The witch dug through her robe once more, pulling out a scrap of paper. “You will need this.”

I looked it over. “A circle with a bunch of squiggly lines?”

“It is the design for a warding talisman. Get the woodcarver to create one, and your grandfather will no longer bear witness to your...activities.”

“Right,” I said, tucking the paper in my pocket. “And how was I gonna do that if I didn’t have the wand?”

“Ways and means, dear farmer, ways and means.”

“And what about banishing him for good? Just because he can’t see me doesn’t mean he can’t cause problems.”

“Traditionally, the way to calm a spirit is by taking care of its unfinished business. However, I sense you are not a traditionalist in this matter.”

“Nope.”

“In which case, find a prismatic shard and take it to the Calico Desert. There, you will find three strange pillars. Stand between them with the shard aloft, and you will be gifted a weapon beyond compare.”

I stared at her.

“A prismatic shard.”

“Yes.”

“That thing I gave you before?”

“Indeed.”

I facepalmed.

“Oh come now, you already found one...how hard can it be?” the witch said, grinning.

I sighed. “So I find this weapon. What then?”

“Take it to your grandfather’s shrine west of your farmstead. There, you must cleave the shrine in two, and following that, the spirit of your grandfather.”

“And there isn’t an easier way of doing this?”

“Well, for another small payment of 50,000g...” She laughed. “I jest, of course. There are other ways to banish a spirit, but in your current circumstance, this is indeed your best chance.”

I headed for the door, shaking my head. “Guess I’d better get to work,” I said. “Thanks for the help, expensive as it was.”

“Indeed,” she said, returning to her chair. “Oh, and if you see Visnov with any void mayonnaise, do kick him into the swamp, will you?”

I stepped into Leah’s cottage and immediately sat by the lit fireplace, glad to finally have a place to dry off. I always thought it was a nicer house than mine, more...cosy. Leah herself stood by the bookcase, leafing through a book titled ‘How To Deal With Overbearing People’.

“Got some baggage, huh?” I said, staring into the fire. “Don’t we all?”

I brought out the wand from my pocket, examining it more closely. It really did look like a twig she’d picked up off the ground—no gold leaf, no gemstones, nothing. But hey, didn’t they say never to judge a book by its cover?

Of course...that’s what the girls here did for me. They thought I was creepy, awkward, or just not worth their time. Not once did any of them visit the farm to see what was going on, even the ones who said farming was really admirable. What did that tell you, huh? All lost in their own little worlds.

I pointed the wand towards Leah. “Put the book back.”

Leah did so, then headed over to her sculpture, picking up her mallet and chisel. So, if I stopped her doing something, she’d assume that she just felt like doing something else?

“Go back to the bookcase.”

Leah, mid hammer strike, suddenly put her tools down, shook her head, and did as I instructed. She then took out the exact same book she had before and returned to reading.

“Alright, enough messing around,” I said. “Take off your shirt.”

She went on quite an expression journey with that one. First she appeared confused, then worried, and finally, she looked over to the fireplace.

“Maybe it is a bit hot,” she said under her breath. “Plus, it’s raining outside...no one’s going to come in, right?”

Having successfully convinced herself that it was somehow her own idea, Leah began to strip. First came the suspenders (interesting fashion choice), then the jacket, and finally, her shirt, revealing a pale green bra.

“You’re committed to the nature girl aesthetic, I’ll give you that. Now, go lock your door.”

She accepted this command much more readily. “Well, better safe than sorry,” she said, fishing her keys from her jacket before following my command.

On the one hand, it would be very funny if someone barged in and happened to see Leah in a compromising position, but on the other, I didn’t want to arouse too much suspicion quite yet, not until Grandpa was out of the picture entirely.

Plus, there was the charm to consider. I slipped the design onto her bookshelf, then pointed the wand back towards her as she stepped away from the door.

“Look at the slip of paper on the shelf.”

Getting a bit close to the word count for that one. Leah nevertheless headed over, giving the design a close examination.

“Hm...where did this come from?” she mused.

“Make the talisman,” I commanded.

“It should be pretty easy,” Leah said, almost as if she was responding. “I even have a little disc left over from some previous work.”

So, ongoing commands worked, as long as they remained objective. Interesting.

While she headed over to the bed, pulling out a box of scrap wood from underneath, a thought struck me. “Take off your bra,” I said.

She paused with a small scrap of wood in her hands. “Well...I did lock the door,” she said. “I suppose there’s no harm in it.”

She unclasped her bra, tossing it over to the bed and letting her breasts hang free. She wasn’t quite as big as Haley, but she was still more than enough for me. As she continued sorting through the scrap, I momentarily put the wand away and bobbed behind her, feeling up her chest.

“Don’t worry, I’ll keep these out of the road,” I said. “Safety first, y’know?”

I didn’t get much of a reaction immediately, but once I started gently teasing her nipples, she suddenly tensed up, breath catching in her throat.

“Well well, looks like someone’s sensitive here,” I said, grinning. “Let’s explore that, shall we?”

Before I could make good on my word, though, she found the little disc she was talking about (more of a hexagon), grabbed a very small chisel and mallet, and headed for the table. Shrugging, I pulled up the other seat behind her, and got back to where I left off. That initial freeze up was gone—which was probably for the best, given her current task—but she was making up for it with some truly adorable gasps and moans.

“What is—ah!—getting into me today?” she managed, blushing all the while. “Maybe someone’s—mm!—cast a spell on me!”

I couldn’t help but laugh at that. Despite knowing there was a wizard in the town, she would still completely discount the possibility that she was right. True, it wasn’t the wizard, but that didn’t mean magic couldn’t be the culprit.

Still, all power to her, since it was a lot more fun this way. While she continued working on the talisman, I gave her a small ‘break’ by slipping off her belt, and reaching down to tease her pussy. I kept it gentle to begin with, partly to prolong her suffering, and partly so I didn’t end up making her slip up in her work. Just enough to be a continual distraction.

“Come on, Leah, keep it together,” she said, gritting her teeth. “Just need to finish this...ah!”

Thankfully, the design on the talisman wasn’t incredibly complex (just a bunch of jumbled lines, really), so it wasn’t long until she was done. I withdrew my fingers from her trousers, and brought one of them into my mouth. Mm...not a bad taste, really.

“Phew,” Leah said. “Now to take care of this...”

She left the talisman to head over to the bed, so I snatched it up and put it in my pocket before watching her with interest. Good thing, too, because that meant I had front row seats to Leah reaching under her bed once more and, after a brief moment, bringing out a wooden dildo.

“Well fuck me running,” I said, eyes wide. “Did she make that herself?”

She quickly checked that the door was still locked, then started stripping off her trousers, revealing pale green panties marred by a rather definite wet patch. She shook her head before taking those off as well, leaving her completely naked as she laid down on the bed, wooden dildo in hand. Then...she started pleasuring herself, going quite deep, I noticed. I’d seen porn where chicks did this before, but it was definitely something else seeing it in person. Her closed eyes, her other hand gripping the bedsheets, and the moans she let out really brought the experience together.

I was definitely hard as hell, and I could probably masturbate right with her, but what a waste that would be. Instead, I whipped my dick out and pointed the wand her way.

“Kneel in front of me, and bring the dildo.”

I wasn’t 100% sure a command like that would work, but after a brief moan of frustration, Leah did indeed kneel down in front of me, dildo in hand. She had the familiar glassy-eyed look, the one Haley had once worn.

“Suck me off while you use your dildo.”

I did wonder what would happen if you asked someone to do something they didn’t know how to do, but for better or worse, that wouldn’t be answered here. Leah took my dick in her mouth without much trouble at all, and began sucking me off with gusto. Her hand teased along my length, while her tongue explored the more sensitive areas. All the while, she kept drilling herself with the dildo, moaning with every thrust.

“God damn you’re good,” I said, reaching down to tease her nipples. “Bet you’re not a virgin huh? Ah!”

After a while, the thrusting of the dildo turned even more frenzied as she closed her eyes, her climax approaching. Even then, she stuck to my command and continued sucking me off. I wasn’t far behind.

“Yeah, baby, that’s it...ah!”

Leah gave one last ecstatic moan as she came, her whole body shivering. As she did, I came as well, sending ropes of cum into her mouth.

“Swallow it,” I said, only just remembering to use the wand. “Swallow it all.”

She withdrew from my dick and did as I instructed, letting out a short sigh once she’d finished.

“We could’ve had a good life, Leah, if you weren’t so focused on your fucking art,” I said, stroking her hair. “Literally, in the dildos case. Shit.”

She gave out a short gasp as she took the dildo from her pussy. My dick was still hard, and I eyed the bed.

“Hey,” I said, grabbing her arms. “Let me show you what a real dick can do.”

Chapter Text

Leah didn’t resist as I dragged her over to the bed. Nevertheless, once I’d pinned her down, puzzled eyes staring up at me, I wanted to make sure she wasn’t going anywhere.

I pointed the wand towards her. “Stay in that position.”

She locked up. Once she had, I put the wand away and kneeled over her, taking her breasts in my hands.

“It’s a shame I won’t be around for when these are making milk,” I said, circling her nipples with my thumbs. “Well...maybe I could strike another deal, but it’s getting pretty costly already.”

She moaned softly at my touch, clearly wanting to move, but my command was forcing her to stay put.

“I can give you a taste of what’s to come, though,” I said, leaning in close. “Mm...”

I took one of her nipples in my mouth and began to suck. The moan was much louder this time, especially as I continued to tease her other nipple with my spare hand. Once I switched, I started teasing her pussy with my hand at the same time. Yeah...definitely ready.

“Alright,” I said as I laid back on the bed, pointing the wand her way. “Ride me.”

She breathed a small sigh of relief as she could finally move, but it was a short-lived reprieve. She moved over the top of me to my awaiting dick, and began lining herself up.

“It’s nice to get a break,” I said. “Get the girl to do some work for a change. Ah!”

Leah gasped too as she took my entire length inside. Then, she gripped the sides of the bed as she began to ride me. She was taking it slow to begin with.

“You’ve done this before,” I said, grinning up at her. “Something special about taking a virgin, but a little experience is good, too.”

And still tight as hell. I’d seen her talk with Elliot sometimes, but I never pegged them for a couple. Still, if she became mysteriously pregnant like the rest, she might try to cover it up like that.

I pointed the wand. “Go faster.”

Compelled to do my bidding, Leah picked up the pace, moaning loudly all the while. It wouldn’t be long until she came again. I was almost there, too, but there was one more thing I wanted before then…

“Lean down and kiss me.”

She came in close, and I felt her lips against mine. I didn’t realise how much I missed someone kissing me back until it wasn’t an option. I decided to help her along by grabbing her ass and bucking with my hips. I broke from the kiss just long enough to hear her climax, moaning with wild abandon. My moans joined with hers soon after as I finally came, sending the last of my load deep inside her.

I kissed her again. “Yeah...I’ll be back for you,” I whispered. “Just once would be a crime.”

I pushed her back down onto the bed and pointed the wand. “Go to sleep,” I said.

I could’ve sworn I saw her nod as she rolled over on one side, breathing out a contented sigh as she closed her eyes. I would’ve loved to stay with her a bit longer, but this was no time to get sentimental. Instead, I put my dick away, fished out her key to unlock the door, and let myself back out into the rain.

It was pretty quiet in the Stardrop Saloon. Gus and Emily worked behind the bar, but in terms of customers, it was just Pam and Lewis that night. Lewis seemed alone in his thoughts as he stared into his drink, and Pam...well, she occasionally roared out to Gus for more, but otherwise, she didn't say much of anything.

As for me, I had a pizza and a pint of beer, and was considering my options. Going down to the mine right now would be a hell of a lot safer than usual, but there was still energy to consider. And it was already getting pretty late...just how much could I explore before I collapsed? On the other hand, the longer I left it, the more likely it was that Grandpa would screw over my screwing, so to speak.

I looked over to see Emily chatting with Gus, smiling all the while. I could take her now, and doing it in the saloon had a certain appeal, but I just wasn’t feeling it. I shook my head as I returned to my pizza, eating in morose silence.

Suddenly, the saloon door burst open. My blood ran cold as the wizard walked inside, his thick boots stomping along the floorboards. Everyone looked his way.

“Uh...welcome to the Stardrop Saloon,” Gus said, putting on a friendly smile. “Anything I can get for you?”

The wizard glanced around. I considered ducking under the table, but I figured that would just make me more obvious. Instead, I stared right down into my pizza, pretending to eat a slice.

It seemed to work, as the wizard walked up to the bar, straightening up his cloak. “In a sense,” he said. “I believe there have been some...magical disturbances as of late.”

Emily seemed surprised at that, while Gus maintained a poker face. “You don’t say?” he said.

“Indeed. Have you noticed anything unusual?”

“Hm...not that I can think of,” said Gus. “Emily?”

Emily looked thoughtfully up to the ceiling. “I don’t think so,” she said, then looked back to the wizard. “What kind of unusual things are you expecting?”

“As of yet, I do not know.”

Lewis very slowly set his glass down. “Mister Rasmodius...is this something to worry about, do you think?”

“Perhaps.” The wizard walked over to me. “You are more in tune with magic than these folk. Have you noticed anything out of place?”

I didn’t trust myself to give a convincing lie. Instead, I just shook my head.

“I see.” The wizard looked around the saloon once more. “I will continue my investigation in the morning. Good day to you.”

Once he was gone, the saloon (myself included) breathed a sigh of relief.

“Ha! I bet he was just trying to scare us,” said Pam, downing the last of her drink. “Gus, gimme another!”

“Maybe,” Gus said, taking her glass and going to fill it back up. “He doesn’t usually come into town except for the festivals, though, and even then only rarely.”

“There are some things we aren’t meant to understand,” said Lewis, staring into his glass. “He doesn’t make trouble, and that’s enough for me.”

“Would you like another, Lewis?” Emily asked, smiling sweetly.

“Ah...no, no. I should head back for the evening. Thank you.”

I felt a vibration from my pocket. Frowning, I reached inside and pulled out the wooden charm Leah made, which was most definitely the source.

“Hello, farmer of the valley,” came the witch’s voice.

“Uh...didn’t you say this was to stop my Grandpa from spying on me?”

“That is one of its functions, yes.”

“Right.” I shuffled over to the window, glancing out into the rain. “We’ve got a problem, by the way.”

“Oh?”

“The wizard was just in here. He knows something’s up.”

“He does, does he?” the witch spat, the bile clear in her voice. “How much does he know?”

“Not much from the looks, but he could’ve just been lying to the townsfolk.” I scratched my chin. “Then again, if he really knew what was going on, he’d have blasted me where I sat. I know I would.”

“Hmm.” I heard the splash of water. “He has always been a curious oaf. We must deal with him sooner than I anticipated.”

“We?”

“Indeed. He has many magical safeguards in his tower, but fewer physical ones. Should you get inside, you may have the opportunity to perform sabotage.”

“Seems risky. Can’t you get the goblin to do it?”

“No, I need someone who cannot be bribed with a little void mayonnaise.” There was another splash. “Lower, Visnov.”

I frowned. “Wait...are you having a bath?”

“Indeed...no, not that low,” the witch said. “Regardless, I will begin work on the plan. Once I have made progress, I will contact you via this charm.”

“Uh...right. Can I call you the same way?”

“Oh, yes. Just hold the charm close to your chest, and begin chanting, ‘There is no place like home,’ and then—”

“You’re fucking with me.”

“I will leave that to the young women of the valley. Nevertheless, I was sincere regarding holding it to your chest. Then simply say, ‘I wish to speak to the witch of the valley’, and I will answer when I am next available.”

“And if I’m dying to a monster?”

“Then try not to,” she said. “It would be extremely anticlimactic.”

“Because I won’t be climaxing any more?”

“That too.” The witch sighed. “For now, I will leave you to your labour. May luck favour you, farmer of the valley. If I were to recommend a course of action...I might indicate that the desert houses a cavern of its own, one for which you hold the key.”

“And there are prismatic shards down there?”

“There may be,” said the witch. “With greater frequency than the mine, at least.”

“Is your spell gonna work?"

“Unfortunately not.” Another splash. “So try not to die.”

“Believe me, that’s top of my to-do list.”

“Mmhm.”

The vibration stopped, and I was left alone once more. Lewis had left, and now it was just me, Pam, and Emily. And a lukewarm pizza.

“This shit keeps getting more and more complicated,” I murmured, munching on a slice. “I’m just a pawn in her game, I know that much. Gah. Maybe...maybe I’ll head home once I finish this. At least there’s a double bed.”

And once the morning rolled around, I’d have to find a way to the desert. The bus service was still down, so that wouldn't work. Maybe something more...personal?

“Thanks in advance, Morris,” I said. “I’ll try not to break it.”

Chapter Text

I stood on my porch and looked out onto my field, failing to shake off my melancholy.

The sun was high in the sky, it was lovely and warm, and my fields...well. Crows picked away at the cauliflowers and strawberries I’d planted, several of the walls looked in disarray, and my line of tulips were all but withered up—only a single one stood proud. In a daze, I walked through the gate and out to the tulip, pulling it from the ground.

Yes...the memories were coming back, now. Another evening spent alone, another plan to find love. Surely one of the chicks in town would like tulips, right? It was a flower, after all.

But a few days later, I’d found the witch’s hut, and my farm was cast aside. There was a new plan, a new power to be had. And once the time limit commenced, why should I tend to the fields?

What use was a flower to a god?

Sighing, I tossed the tulip to the floor, and tightened the straps on my backpack.

Go time.

Morris’ car hummed beneath me as I reached the Calico Desert.

Even with the air conditioning, I could feel the heat rising. Off the road, I saw a merchant in a white tent (with a camel parked just outside), a disused bus stop, and a shitload of palm trees. I couldn’t see any obvious cavern entrances, so I pulled up off the road and had a poke around on foot. I followed the path to the south to start with, passing by an enormous skeleton, and ended up at a bright pink shop called ‘Oasis’. I stepped inside...and a few minutes later, stepped back out, a bag of rhubarb seeds in hand.

It had been a little strange to talk to someone who wasn’t the witch or the wizard, but Sandy gave me some directions, at a price. I trekked across the road and north west, heading for the small cavern entrance Sandy had mentioned, noting the three pillars as I passed. Then I pushed inside, sighing in relief as I felt cool air once more.

And there it was, a skull door with a small keyhole. Beyond it, I heard the muffled groaning of monsters, and smelled dust and decay, even worse than the mines back home. But if I headed down and found another prismatic shard, I could get Grandpa off my back once and for all. With one hand I drew the lava katana, and with the other I used the key to let myself inside. To my surprise, all it opened into was a ladder going down, and climbing down that with a sword in hand was anything but easy.

Finally, I reached the first floor of the skull cavern. Orange walls stretched out and twisted, rocks and common ores littered the ground, and two mummies shambled around a corner, arms outstretched. I yelled out a battle cry as I charged forward, slicing them into ribbons. The bandages sizzled and fell to the ground, and I pressed on...only to turn as I heard the mummies groan once more, reforming themselves from the scraps.

“Well,” I said, gripping my katana in two hands. “This is gonna be a shit day.”

Twenty levels later, and with the coast clear, I took a small lunch break.

No prismatic shards so far, but I did pick up some omni geodes, iridium ore...and several cuts and bruises along my arms and legs, courtesy of falling down a big fucking hole. It seemed to skip me a few floors, though, so after that, I started using the ropes I brought with me.

Oh, and in the process of blowing up a shitload of rocks, I found out bombs worked pretty well against those mummies. Of course, the real problem was the flying snake things, which—

“Oh fuck,” I said, sausage roll in hand. “Not another one!”

Level thirty two. Apparently those staircases I made back in the mines worked in the skull cavern, too. And, if it really was playing by the mine’s rules, the deeper I got, the better the treasure.

...Hm. How did those stairs work, anyway?

Level forty six. Fatigue was setting in, and the injuries were really piling up. I had a good haul of omni geodes in my pack, but still no prismatic shards. Clothes torn and suffering a limp, I mined one last rock, which revealed another ladder leading down.

I looked down the ladder, and saw four mummies, two slimes, and three of those flying snakes looking up at me.

“You know what,” I said. “Fuck this.”

I stood by Morris’ car boot, tossing his first aid kit back in. It was still hot as hell, even a little after 4:00 PM, which was making it hard to think.

I still had no prismatic shards, which was definitely problem number one. But...hm. Those omni geodes seemed to contain all sorts of shit when I brought them to Clint. I emptied my pack into the boot, spreading my bounty out, along with a large hammer I found while I was down there.

I don’t know how long I spent hammering away at the geodes—it sure felt like forever in the heat. I struck them one by one, plucking ore, strange rocks, and even a drum out of them, for some bizarre reason. Finally, I came to the last geode of the lot...which, since I’d tipped the backpack upside down, was technically the first I’d found in the skull cavern.

“Come on,” I whispered. “Show me the money!”

I brought the hammer down upon the geode, and a crack sounded in the desert air. And there, poking out from beneath the shattered rock, was a rainbow-coloured shard.

I stared at it for a while.

“So, if I’d just taken this one out from like, floor two...I could’ve avoided this whole mess.”

...

“God damn it.”

A few minutes later, I’d hobbled over to the three pillars, shirt off and prismatic shard in hand. Even as I stepped closer to them, I felt a vibration through the shard, and even through my skin.

“God, I hope she wasn’t just having me on this whole time,” I said as I stepped between them. “If she did, I’m gonna burn her hut down, I swear to—”

I didn’t get to finish my sentence. Instead, I felt my eyes close of their own volition, and as they did, I saw the most beautiful thing I’d ever witnessed.

I saw the galaxy stretch out before me, brilliant blue and black, with stars blinking into infinity. There was no eyes to see this with, or even a body—instead, I had become the galaxy. Heat and cold, push and pull, I felt it all, and saw that it was good.

Then...it was gone. I stood back in the desert, the sun just beginning to set, and a brilliant purple sword resting in my hands. Slowly, I gripped it by the hilt, and held it aloft.

“Yeah,” I said. “That’ll do.”

Once I returned to the farm once more, galaxy sword in hand, light was fading fast. I grabbed a torch from one of my walls, scaring off a crow that had been pecking away at my cauliflower. Eventually, I reached the end of where I’d marked my farm, and pushed past it, cutting through weeds and weaving around obstacles until I made it to a lone shrine. I held my torch out to read the inscription:

‘Wait for my return at the dawn of the 3rd year.’

“You’re ahead of schedule, Gramps,” I murmured. “You must’ve been pretty mad, huh?”

“‘Mad’ is one word for it.”

I whipped around, brandishing my sword. Standing before me was...well. It was Grandpa. More blue now for some reason, and still dressed in the clothes he died in, but it was definitely him. He wore a pained expression.

“My dear boy...it’s been many years since we last spoke,” he said. “But it seems you did not come here to speak, did you?”

“Neither did you, once you started moving that spirit board.”

“And what was I to do? Sit idly by while you ruined not only your own life, but the lives of others?”

I scowled. “What the hell are you on about? I’ve never been better!”

“How sure are you of that?” Grandpa stepped closer. “You gave in to your base desires, but are you really happy? What about companionship, nature, humanity? Did none of those matter to you?”

I tossed the torch aside and gripped the sword in two hands. “ They’re all the same,” I spat. “Whether it’s Zuzu City or Pelican Town, people the world over give me the cold shoulder. Now I’m getting my revenge.”

“Yoba preserve me, don’t you see?! It’s all in your head, boy! If you’d just given them a real chance, if you’d just listened, you’d have seen it! A town ready to accept you for who you are!”

I took a step forward. “Don’t talk like you know me,” I said. “You never saw what I was dealing with!”

“But I did! I watched you work at that Joja job day by day, and saw how it sucked the soul right out of you. I wished that you would think back to my letter, to the gift I had prepared...” Grandpa looked towards the farm. “I really thought this would be a new start, a new way of life.”

I looked down to the floor.

“You know...it’s not too late,” Grandpa said. “You’ve done terrible things, but you can still make amends. You can still choose to do the right thing. You know what that is, don’t you? Deep down?”

He stood in front of me. I looked up as I saw hi m reach forward, trying to cup my cheek...only for his hand to pass right through.

“Please,” he whispered. “Choose the light.”

I looked him in the eye. “Grandpa?”

“Yes?”

I slashed upwards. As the galaxy sword met his spectral form, it tore him in two.

“Shut up.”

For just a second, I saw a look of horror on my grandpa’s face as the pieces of his ‘body’ diverged. Then, the halves dissolved into individual points of light that floated up into the air, disappearing into the sky. Remembering the witch’s instruction, I walked over to the shrine itself, and cut across it with a single diagonal slash. There was a burst of blue light, a long ethereal sigh, and then...nothing. Silence.

…

I needed a drink.

Chapter Text

“You felt it too, didn’t you?” Emily asked.

She and Gus stood behind the counter cleaning glasses. Pam was slumped over at the end of the bar, apparently passed out. Otherwise, the place was deserted.

“Whatever ‘it’ was,” Gus said, frowning. “I don’t know how to describe it.”

“I think it was a disturbance in the spirit plane,” Emily said. “But I don’t know exactly what...”

“Do you think it has to do with what the wizard said yesterday?”

“Maybe...”

Gus looked towards the door. “Whatever it was, it’s scared away the customers.”

“Oh, don’t worry, Gus!” Emily said, putting on a bright smile. “I’m sure once it’s passed, people will be right back. Just give it some time.”

“I hope so. Thanks, Emily.”

As for me, I was sat at the other end of the bar from Pam, several empty pint glasses in front of me.

I wished I could put a finger on what exactly I was feeling. If it was just indifference, or sadness, or even anger, maybe it would’ve been fine. But somehow, it all blended together into this emotional mess. Where the hell could I go from there?

I looked over to Emily as she started tidying up behind the bar.

Maybe some sex would make me feel better…

“Hey Emily,” I said, pointing the wand her way. “Come over here.”

She followed my command. “I’ll do some cleaning on this side, too,” she told Gus.

“Got it.”

I knew if I told her to get undressed then Gus would cotton on, and I didn’t want that at the moment. So instead, I told her, “Keep cleaning this chair,” and got up behind her while she did so.

Her dress was particularly long—a custom one, from the looks—so this would take some doing. To start with, I reached around her and undid her top buttons. After that, I pulled the sides apart so I could slip my hand under her bra, teasing one of her nipples with my palm. She didn’t appear to react, still running a cloth over the chair’s seat.

“Hm...maybe a bit more seclusion,” I murmured, and pointed the wand. “Bend over by the ‘Journey of the Prairie King’ cabinet.”

“Just heading around to the arcade machines,” she said to Gus. “Those need cleaning too, right?”

“Sure, sure.”

I withdrew my hand so she could properly move over, but it was a temporary reprieve. Once she was over there and bent over, I pulled her skirt all the way up and commanded her to hold it there, revealing a pair of dark blue panties.

“Mm...your chest is much smaller than Haley’s, but you’ve got a decent ass,” I said, giving it a squeeze. “I thought if anyone’d get what’s going on, it’d be you, but you’re none the wiser, huh?”

Emily kept holding her skirt up with one hand, and got on with cleaning the arcade cabinet with the other.

“You’ve got good work ethic, I’ll give you that,” I said. “Pretty oblivious, though. Poor Clint.”

Yeah right, like I’d feel sorry for that sad sack. Hell, even if I did, it wasn’t gonna stop me taking what was mine. In a smooth motion, I pulled Emily’s panties down to her feet. Then, I pulled my dick out and started rubbing it between her thighs. That got a jolt from her, but after shaking her head, she quickly returned to her cleaning.

“Think I’ll try this with Abigail, too, now I don’t have that old geezer to worry about.” I leaned in close, kissing her neck. “Just the wizard left and I’m home free.”

It wasn’t quite like fucking a pussy, but it still felt pretty good. Once I felt my precum start to leak onto her thighs, though, I figured it was time for the main event. I pulled away from her for a moment as I got the wand back out.

“Take the dress off.”

Emily left her cleaning cloth on the cabinet top as she gave a conspiratorial glance back towards the main room. I could hear the clinking of glasses, and a muffled snoring from Pam, but no one was coming through the door. Shaking her head, perhaps in disbelief at what she was about to do, Emily slipped off her dress, letting it fall to the floor.

“Turn around and face me.”

She did so. Her eyes didn’t have the same glazed-over look as some of the other girls, though she did appear somewhat puzzled.

“Finger yourself while you kiss me.”

Puzzlement turned to outright shock as my lips met hers, but she nevertheless returned the kiss and, slowly at first, began to masturbate. While we kissed, I undid her bra and began squeezing her chest. Clearly aware of where she was, she was deliberately holding back her moans, but the odd one made it through regardless, albeit muffled in the kiss.

Once I pulled away, our breaths quickening, I knew exactly what I wanted. “Turn around and bend over the arcade machine.”

She almost seemed to resist this time, struggling back and forth as if being pulled by two opposite forces. Just as I was about to make another command, though, she slowly turned around, gripping onto the sides of the machine as she held her ass up into the air.

I put the wand away (I wouldn’t need it for what came next), and started teasing her pussy with my dick. “You’re definitely different from the rest,” I said. “But not different enough!”

I grunted as I entered her. The arcade machine rocked and Emily gave a soft gasp, but Gus sure didn’t hear it. Me, I kind of enjoyed the loudness of it as I started pounding her.

“Two pregnant sisters in one house,” I said, picturing it in my head. “What’ll your folks say when they finally come back? What’re you gonna tell ‘em, huh?”

Emily was still trying to hide her moans, but with every thrust, she seemed to lose control just a little more.

“That’s it,” I said, slapping her ass. “Let loose.”

There was no wand in my hand this time, but perhaps by coincidence, Emily started moaning much louder. At the same time, I increased my pace, squeezing her tits all the while.

“That’s my girl. Now...it’s time for your reward!”

I fucked her like a madman as I felt my climax approach. Holding on for dear life, Emily managed to pull the arcade machine enough for it to trip the plug, and the screen went dark. She let go with one hand, trying to reach down to plug it back in, but she couldn’t escape my grip. With one last groan, I finally came, emptying myself into her. Moments later, still scrabbling fruitlessly for the cable, Emily came too, her pussy squeezing me for all I was worth.

When I finally pulled out of her, she collapsed in a heap onto the floor.

“Are you okay, Emily?” Gus asked from the other room.

Emily looked down to her naked body, then put a hand to her forehead. “Uh, um...yes, everything’s fine!” she said frantically. “I just tripped over while cleaning. Sorry!”

“Well, alright. Just let me know if you need a hand, okay?”

Grinning, I pulled out the wand. “Lick my dick clean.”

Emily crawled over on unsteady knees, a look of abject shame on her face as she cleaned the last of my cum (and her own juices) off of my dick.

“Ahh. You know, I do feel a lot better.” Once she was done, I gently pushed her away. “Now get yourself dressed. You look a mess.”

As for me, I put my dick away and headed back to the bar. Once I’d sat down, I took out the wooden talisman and gave the witch a call. Around ten seconds later, she picked up.

“I take it you were successful, then?” she said. “Unless there was a different spirit you happened to disintegrate.”

“Worked like a charm,” I said. “Though getting the shard was a pain in the ass.”

“I believed it would take longer. You are certainly...lucky.” I heard the sound of a brush from the other end. “I believe I have a workable plan for dealing with the wizard. You should stop by...at least, once your lust has been sated.”

“Way ahead of you on that one.”

“I suspected as such. Regardless, was there a reason for this call?”

I commanded Gus to give me another beer as I thought that over. “Not sure,” I said eventually. “Guess I just wanted to talk.”

“Is that so? My my, farmer of the valley, are you perhaps regarding me as a friend?”

“Well, I wouldn’t want you as my enemy.”

“Ha! I suppose it is the path of wisdom, when you put it that way.”

“Plus, you’re the only person here who gets what’s going on.”

“True.” There was a soft thump as the witch set something down. “Regardless, for protracted conversations, I prefer to speak face-to-face. I will see you at my hut, farmer of the valley.”

The talisman switched off just as Gus put another beer in front of me. As I stared into the glass, I thought back to my encounter with Grandpa. He’d been so sure that the valley would be a chance for me to make friends, start a family, all that jazz.

Well...I was befriending the witch, and you might say I’d have a pretty big family once I was done. And at the thought of that...I guess I was pretty happy. Would that still be true once the week was over?

...

I took a long drink from the beer.

“Cross that bridge when I come to it,” I murmured.

Chapter Text

I was greeted with a strange sight once I entered the witch’s bog: Visnov, the goblin henchman, stood by the door to her hut, dressed in a patchy, ill-fitting suit. As I approached, he cleared his throat.

“The mistress is waiting inside,” he said, looking me up and down.

“Huh,” I said. “Didn’t know I was supposed to dress up.”

He seemed to puzzle over that for a little too long. “Uh,” he said. “Mistress said it was fine, I think.”

Visnov opened the door as I approached, and I was once more greeted with an impressive illusion. However, instead of a beach, the interior appeared to be the window seat of a fancy French restaurant, decorated in a lavish red and black. The witch stared out of the window to the Eiffel Tower, garbed in a long black dress along with a new-looking witch hat.

As the door closed behind me, she looked up. “Ah,” she said. “Please, take a seat.”

I did so, looking around the restaurant as I did so. There was a certain...blurriness to the further away parts, and there was no sign of any guests or staff.

“I am afraid the illusion has its limits,” the witch said. “But it suits our purposes, would you not agree?”

She clapped her hands, prompting a bottle of wine and two glasses to suddenly materialise on the table.

“And that purpose would be?” I asked.

With a snap of her fingers, the witch popped the cork, and began pouring herself a glass. “We are at the dawn of a new world, dear farmer,” she said. “Alternatively, if you wish to be pessimistic...you could perhaps call it our last drink. Shall I pour for you also?”

“Uh, sure. Thanks.” As she did so, I frowned. “So...your grand plan to get rid of the wizard. It’s not guaranteed?”

“There are no certainties in a battle between mages,” she said, setting the bottle down. “Both he and I have safeguards in place that could end in our mutual annihilation. Obviously, this is a fate I wish to avoid.”

I sipped at the wine. I was hardly a connoisseur, but this definitely seemed above the usual supermarket fare. “Well,” I said. “I’m at your disposal.”

“Is that so?” the witch said, smiling. “Then I will honour your trust by not disposing of you, in fact.”

“And the wizard...you’re really gonna kill him?”

“He will be dealt with,” the witch said, swirling the wine around her glass. “Death would be a mercy.”

I chuckled nervously. “Remind me not to get on your bad side.”

“Methinks the wizard’s fate will be reminder enough.”

“Uh...right,” I said. “And where do I come in?”

“I will tell you all that is necessary,” she said. “Yet first...perhaps a toast?”

I picked up my glass. “To our health?”

“And to the wizard’s ill health,” she said, and clinked her glass with mine. “May this be one to remember.”

We both drank deeply.

“Hey, uh...just one question before we go over the plan,” I said.

“Of course.”

“What happens if we win?”

The witch raised an eyebrow. “Why, you will have the rest of your week, of course. This was established in our contract, yes?”

“And what about you?”

“There will be spellwork to undo, of course. His tower will make a nice new home, once I have purged it of his wards and other sensibilities.” The witch looked out of the window. “After that...who knows? Perhaps I will indeed take a holiday.”

“To Paris, I’m guessing.”

“Possibly, possibly.”

I cocked my head to the side. “You down for a plus one?”

That seemed to catch her off-guard. “You...wish to travel with me?”

“Why not? Sounds like it’d be fun. If you’ll have me, that is.”

The witch gave me an intent look, clearly trying to divine my intentions.

“Hm...perhaps,” she said after a while. “Should we survive the morrow, at any rate.”

“Right,” I said, taking another sip of the wine. “So what’s the plan?”

“Well, to begin with, you will need to collect a very specific item...”

Under cover of darkness, I finally found my way to Robin and Demetrius’ house, using my phone torch to find my way. Light shone through the windows, and I heard an occasional banging noise coming from the door to Maru’s room. Unfortunately, as I went to try the handle, the door was locked tight.

“Guess I was with the witch for a while,” I muttered, putting a hand to my temple.

It took a good few drinks to get me drunk, so the most I felt was tipsy. That was probably for the best—doing this phase of the plan dead drunk would be a really bad idea. Of course, the drink might have had something to do with my next decision, as I drew the galaxy sword and nonchalantly slashed the door off its hinges. The sword met no resistance, and soon the door fell forward, landing with a heavy crash in Maru’s room.

Thanks to the spell, though, Maru herself didn’t appear to react. She was sat on the floor by a football-sized metal object, LEDs and screws mottling its surface seemingly at random. Occasionally, Maru brought a small hammer down on a particular section of the object, set the hammer aside, and reached down for another implement from her toolbox.

While I was aware I had a job to do, I couldn’t help but watch Maru work for a while. She was probably the smartest girl in the valley, always tinkering away with something or peering through her telescope, but...I dunno. Even if I did get to know her more, what the hell could we talk about? I didn’t know shit about gadgets, and whenever she asked about farming it always felt insincere. And then there was her dad to consider…

Nah. Better this way for sure.

“Hey Maru,” I said, pointing the wand her way. “Go take a shower.”

Maru stopped mid-hammer swing and stared at her oil-soaked hands. “Hm...maybe I should leave it for tonight,” she said, getting to her feet. While she did so, I reached into her pocket and pulled out a small ring of keys, then let her leave for the bathroom.

“Alright...” I muttered, heading for the trapdoor. “Always wondered what was down here.”

After inserting a small silver key, the trapdoor lock clicked open, and I started heading down the ladder to the basement. It didn’t take me long to reach the bottom: a small, modestly decorated room. There was a table straight ahead overflowing with notebooks and diagrams, a very old-looking TV, a few log piles (did Robin use this for storage?), and a blocky robot just to the left.

I approached the robot, giving its torso a poke. So, Maru really was building something like this. Looked like something from the 80s, and glancing up a the trapdoor, I wasn’t sure how this thing was supposed to get out of here, assuming it even worked in the first place.

Well, whatever. I squeezed behind the robot and saw a small removable panel on the back of its head. As I took the panel off, I saw a coin-sized hexagonal object embedded inside, which was glowing a sickly green. Following the witch’s instructions, I took out a cloth from one of my pockets and gently pried the hexagon from its prison. Once it was fully out, I enveloped it in the cloth, protecting me from its heat.

And once you have the battery, you may do as you wish with the girl, the witch had said.

I tucked the battery away for now and headed back up to Maru’s room, closing the trapdoor behind me. I thought about bursting into the bathroom again like I did for Haley, but I had something else in mind this time. Instead, I looked around Maru’s room while I waited. The star wallpaper was pretty nice, prompting me to draw the galaxy sword and hold it up for comparison.

What was the truth behind this weapon? It was sharp enough to cut through practically everything, yet weighed less than a wooden practice sword. It could even banish a spirit, as I’d seen first hand. And what about its origins? Why was a prismatic shard necessary to obtain it?

Slowly, I sheathed the blade once more, unbuckled it from my waist, and propped it up in a corner of Maru’s room. The witch thought I wouldn’t need it for the clash tomorrow, but my gut told me otherwise. Nothing went perfectly to plan.

Suddenly, the one door left standing creaked open. Maru stepped inside, a white towel wrapped around her, and smelling faintly of lemon. She closed the door with her foot and put her bundled clothes aside. As she did so, I drew my wand.

“Lay down on the bed.”

While Emily was spiritual through and through, Maru was a woman of science, so no awareness registered on her face as she fulfilled my command, laying on her back. I wasted little time in crawling on the bed with her.

“Stay still until I say otherwise.”

She did so, staring blankly up into the ceiling. With that out of the way, I pocketed the wand before gently tugging the towel down to reveal her breasts. They were on the smaller side, like Penny’s, but that was fine by me. I ran a finger around their outer edge, grinning as Maru shivered.

“You know...I wonder how you’ll take it once you find out,” I said. “I’ll bet some of the townies might actually realise some magic went on, but you? What’re you gonna think? Aliens?”

I started playing with her nipples, which prompted a short gasp.

“Could be there’s something to that. I’m sure as hell not human, not any more.” I leaned in close to her chest. “Now let’s see how sensitive you really are…”

As I took one of her nipples in my mouth, I was rewarded with a small moan. While I sucked away, I used my hand to tease her other tit. It wasn’t long before Maru began to shudder against me, struggling against her magical bonds. When I looked up to see her expression, I saw she had closed her eyes and was biting her lip.

“Mm, that’s a good look for you,” I said, drawing back as I drew the wand. “I suppose there’s one way you can move, though: hold my head to your chest.”

It was still completely artificial, but when Maru reached for the back of my head and held me closer, it at least felt more real. The moaning only increased in volume as I kept sucking, and as I did, I felt her hold me even tighter to her chest. She was definitely getting close, and while making her cum with breast play alone had its appeal, it wasn’t quite what I had in mind. Suddenly, I pulled away, prompting a groan of disappointment from Maru and her trying to pull me back.

“Let go of my head,” I said, and her arms went limp. “And don’t worry, Maru. It’s time for your present.”

I undid the towel, revealing Maru in her entirety. As I pried her legs apart and took my dick out, she had an almost worried expression on her face.

“Are you a virgin, Maru?” I said, teasing her pussy with my dick. “If so...let’s fix that, shall we?”

I slammed forward with my hips, piercing through her hymen. There was a brief gasp of pain from Maru, but once I started fucking her properly, the pain turned to pleasure pretty quickly. I ended up moving her legs up to be in a mating press, which definitely upped the intensity.

“God, you might be the tightest fuck I’ve had so far,” I groaned. “Fuck!”

Maru had closed her eyes again, and had her arms back by her head. Every so often, her fingers would involuntarily clench into a fist, especially once I started teasing her tits again.

My pounding got faster, and Maru’s bed began to creak—it wasn’t far off now. On impulse, I took hold of her head and kissed her hard on the lips. I couldn’t reach the wand in time, so she couldn’t kiss me back, but it was still enough. As I felt her pussy squeeze my dick, I came as well, moaning into her mouth as I shot my load deep inside her.

Finally, it was over. We both gasped for breath as I pulled away.

“I’ll be back for you,” I whispered hoarsely. “For all of you. Gotta make sure you’re knocked up.”

Maru looked up to the ceiling, sighing in contentment. As for me, I pulled out of her and sat on the edge of the bed. I looked towards the galaxy sword.

“One way or another,” I said, “tomorrow’s gonna be an end of things.”

Chapter Text

The forest west of Pelican Town was utterly peaceful. The sun shone high in the sky, birds tweeted as they hopped from branch to branch, and all seemed well. Only the wizard’s tower stood stark against the sun, casting the darkest of shadows.

And there I was, galaxy sword belted to my waist, approaching the tower entrance. My job was simple, but it wasn’t without risk. I just had to hope the witch knew what she was doing.

Once I reached the top of the steps, however, the tower door suddenly slammed open. The wizard, dressed in his usual magical regalia, stepped out into the light. He looked down to me, frowning.

“If you seek magical assistance, then it must wait,” he said. “There is something I must attend to.”

“You aren’t wrong there,” I said, pulling a sealed letter from my pocket. “Here, this is for you.”

The wizard blinked at me for a moment, then took the letter, popping it open and reading the contents.

“So, when you went to retrieve my magic ink...you met her?” the wizard asked.

“Yeah,” I said. “She seemed nice enough.”

The wizard growled, stuffing the letter away. “You do not understand,” he said. “I have reason to believe she has cast a spell on the town’s populace. No doubt you are unaware—this much is natural.”

I put on my best confused face. “A spell?” I asked. “I thought only you could do that.”

“Unfortunately not.” The wizard snapped his fingers, and the door to the tower shut behind him. “I must meet with her and divine her intentions. Do not try to follow me.”

“Uh...okay,” I said. “So I should just get on with my day?”

“That would be best.”

I watched the wizard leave, resisting the urge to laugh. He might have been good with spell work, but he had a nasty habit of jumping to conclusions. Now I just had to wait for the signal…

The rickety wooden bridge creaked under the wizard’s weight as he marched across, stepping out onto the beach’s tide pools. There, over by the treeline, the witch had set up some simple chairs and a table. She was dressed in her usual witch robes and hat, and nodded to the wizard as he approached.

“Well well, it has certainly been a long time...Merlin.”

‘Merlin’ stopped in his tracks. “Yes...I suppose it has.”

She gestured. “Please, take a seat.”

He did so, albeit stiffly. “Hmm,” he said. “This is not what I expected.”

The witch twirled her hair. “One can only stew on anger so long, my dear. Do you not agree?”

“Yes,” he said, “but I somehow doubt you do. I know you have cast an enchantment on the town.”

The witch paused mid-twirl. “And why should that matter to you?” she said. “You care little for the populace. Well...except for two, perhaps.”

“I would not wish such a vile enchantment upon them, even if I found them repulsive,” he said, scowling. “You must remove it at once.”

“Oh, must I?”

He rose to his feet. “I bound you to that swamp once,” he said. “I will do it again.”

The witch sighed. “Then it seems there is no other way.”

“Glinda—”

With a simple gesture, Glinda sent the table flying towards Merlin. He merely outstretched his hand, shattering it into a hundred pieces.

The two mages shared a look as the pieces fell around them.

“Very well,” said Merlin, a fire in his eyes. “Let us dance.”

I heard the sound of shattering wood in the distance, and shortly after, felt the talisman in my pocket vibrating—go time. In a smooth motion, I drew my sword and slashed along the tower door’s hinges, then kicked it down. The inside was much as I remembered: a table and chairs off to the right, a stone tiled area with a magic circle and candles, and a cauldron over to the left. The cauldron was not on the boil this time, though, and appeared to hold a shimmering blue liquid.

Regardless, there was no way I was heading any further inside. Instead, I rummaged through my utility belt and brought out the power source, the green light shining even through the cloth.

The circle is where he draws much of his strength, the witch had said. Throw the power source with enough vigour and...well. The results will speak for themselves. Be sure to run as soon as you do, though.

But as I held my arm back for a throw, I heard a hiss from the cauldron, followed by a heavy clang as a spiked, blue-white talon emerged from the liquid, grabbing onto the cauldron’s edge. My eyes went wide as I saw a being of pure ice pulled its way out of the cauldron. It almost looked like a human skeleton, but more pointed and angular, and this particular ‘human’ had two arms on each side.

“Fuck this,” I said, and threw the power source as hard as I could, then turned to run. But once I reached the bottom of the steps, I heard another hiss, and then...nothing. No explosion. Swearing, I climbed back up to the top and saw into the room once more. The creature—an elemental?—had frozen the power source solid, and it now rested harmlessly on the floor, completely encased in a sphere of ice. As I stared from the doorway, mouth wide open, the elemental turned to face me, a pale blue light flaring in its otherwise empty sockets.

“Okay,” I said, and gripped the galaxy sword in two hands. “Plan B.”

I charged into the tower, heading straight for the elemental. Before I could really close the gap, though, it brought its four arms together, summoning up a storm of frost. I cried out as I was forced back, feeling a chill deep in my bones. Gritted my teeth, I managed to push through long enough to get into range, but the cold made my slash sluggish, and the elemental dodged it almost casually. Then, it lowered the storm just long enough to punch me with all four fists, sending me sprawling back against the table.

I shivered like hell, breathing rapidly with a desperate heartbeat. The elemental advanced, hissing all the while.

I was running out of time.

What had once been tide pools were now dried up, the corals surrounding them charred beyond recognition. Glinda and Merlin, true to Merlin’s word, danced around the battlefield, pausing only to utter an incantation and extend their magical instruments. Glinda wielded a small black wand, twisted and cracked, twirling it with vigour to summon a bolt of lightning from its tip. Merlin, wielding a long staff topped with swirling void and solar essence, swatted the bolt into the sand, creating lines of fresh glass.

Sweat dripped from Glinda’s forehead as she glanced towards the tower in the distance.

“So, you have taken him for a minion,” Merlin said, shooting a fireball from his staff. “A pity.”

Glinda dodged out of the fireball’s path. It sizzled as it hit the water, frying fish in its wake. “And why should you care?” she spat. “He is just a farmer!”

“He saw the junimos. There was potential.”

“So you would take him under your wing?” Glinda said, sending forth a swarm of locusts. “Would you teach him to lie to his wife, just as you did?!”

Merlin responded with a storm of ice, freezing the locusts solid. “I made a mistake,” he said, his voice a measured calm. “This does not justify your atrocities.”

“I care not for your morality! I will take what is owed!”

Yet even as she yelled her defiance, preparing to cast another spell, Glinda knew her magical power was almost depleted. Perhaps Merlin was not far behind, but that was all he needed to be. One wrong step, and it was all over.

And so, as Merlin prepared to launch a finishing blow, Glinda put a hand to her chest, feeling the talisman underneath her robes.

I struggled to my feet. So tired, so cold, couldn’t even think straight. What the hell was I supposed to do…?

Suddenly, the talisman in my pocket began to vibrate, began to warm. And I heard a voice in my head.

If you do not succeed, we are both finished! If the original plan failed, you must find another way!

The elemental hissed as it held its arms forward, preparing to launch another icy storm. Charging it wasn’t working, running away wouldn’t solve anything. In desperation, I searched the room for answers.

My gaze fell upon the frozen power source, still shining through the ice.

Mustering the last of my strength, I held the galaxy sword like a javelin, seemingly aiming for the elemental...only to change targets at the last second, sending it flying towards the power source. The elemental launched its storm, realising too late my true objective.

The galaxy sword struck true, and...nothing happened. The elemental stopped its magic and ran towards it, but it didn’t matter by that point. I’d stopped shivering, and I didn’t even feel cold any more. Maybe if I just shut my eyes…

As Glinda released her hand from the talisman, a wave of air slammed into her, sending her careening into one of the trees. A slam, a crack of bone, and a scream.

Merlin approached, cold and inexorable.

“Now,” he said, holding his staff forward, “it is time I fixed my mistake.”

A distant explosion echoed out. Merlin turned away, a look of horror on his face as he saw his precious tower begin to fall, the spire quickly disappearing out of view. He remembered where he was only in time to see a bolt of green light flying towards him. He held his staff up as a shield...only for the staff to crack. Then the light struck true, and the wizard was no more.

His robes and hat fell to the floor. From within, a small green toad crawled its way out. It croaked.

“I should take you and keep you somewhere safe,” Glinda said, clutching at her waist as she stumbled forward. “I cannot afford to...”

There was another distant crash as the tower’s remains finally hit the forest floor. Glinda’s eyes went wide.

“The farmer!”

She picked Merlin’s cracked staff up and slammed it into the sand, barking out an incantation. In a flash of light, she appeared in front of the former tower, after which the staff disintegrated.

She stumbled towards the wreckage and, with an unsteady gesture, sent the remaining rubble hurtling off into the forest below. Underneath laid the farmer, battered and broken, and the galaxy sword, unharmed despite it all.

She kneeled down by his body, discarding her wand to put her hands on his chest. “Come now, farmer of the valley,” she whispered. “There is so much more to be done.”

Soft green light flowed out of Glinda’s hands.

“You wished to travel with me. Do you not remember?” she said. “And you still have the rest of your week. Do not tell me you are abandoning it now?”

Bathed in the magic’s glow, the farmer began to heal. Wounds stitched back together, bones were mended and returned to their rightful place, and the blue tinge to his lips began to lessen. Then, as the glow faded away, Glinda leaned in close.

“Come back to me,” she whispered, and kissed him.

And for just a moment, the world held its breath.

In the back room of Pierre’s general store, Penny and Maru watched their children laugh and play, chasing each other around the room.

“You know...maybe it all turned out for the best,” said Penny.

“Well,” said Maru, “it’s definitely been a learning experience.”

“I just think it’s brought us all together.”

“Just wait until they start crying again.”

Penny smiled. “Isn’t that what your new invention is for?”

“Hopefully, yes. It needs a few more adjustments, though.”

There was a soft thump as one of the kids trip and fell onto the floor. The crying then began in earnest.

“At least you have a lot of data to work with?” Penny said, heading over.

“You’re not wrong, there.”

As Penny tended to the child, an unseen figure stepped away from the doorway, and headed outside into the open air. It was another beautiful day in Pelican Town.

And there, leaning by the notice board, was Glinda, applying some cherry red lipstick.

“So,” she said, “does that conclude your paternal visit?”

I took a deep breath. Then, I looked to Glinda.

“Yeah,” I said. “Let’s go.”