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Chapter Text

The townsfolk of Kieferberg rested in their homes uneasily as they hoped for an end to the sinister incidents occurring throughout the week. Word of witchcraft had been going around their community and they had determined and dealt with the suspects. The only thing left to do was to wait and see if things would return to normal.

A fire burned brightly into the night. The site, once crowded by the townsfolk, now only held the witness of two girls and a man.

"I can't believe it," the man exclaimed as he looked at the sight before him.

On the grass sat an old dice board; the resulting roll spelled his opponent's guaranteed victory. At first, he thought the shadows were playing tricks on him, but examining the results up close confirmed it.

"What happened?" a girl in a straw hat asked nervously.

"Six of a kind, all ones," the man answered, still in disbelief, "It's the highest possible roll. That's some bloody good luck you've got there."

"Huh? Really?" the straw-hatted girl looked curiously, trying to examine the dice.

"If we were so lucky, we wouldn't be tied to a tree in the middle of the woods," a girl in a red dress retorted frustratedly.

The man, who had rolled for his restrained opponent first, cast his own roll now. His results fell short by a wide margin, as he'd predicted.

"Well, even the luckiest bloke gets a bad hand now and again," the man replied, taking a moment to poke at the campfire before them. A potato skewered on a stick rested above the flames, slowly roasting and filling the air with its aroma, "You lot eaten yet? I've got enough to spare some."

"I don't-" the red-dressed girl began to decline but was interrupted by the sound of her rumbling stomach.

"Elise, you didn't eat this evening," the straw-hatted girl said concernedly to her partner before her stomach rumbled as well.

"Neither did you, Rosmarine," Elise responded, once again referring to the straw-hatted girl, Rozenmarine, by the slightly off name. It had become a habit of hers since the two of them first met.

"Well, can't let either of you go the night on an empty stomach," the man said as he took out two more skewering sticks and additional provisions from his bag, setting more food to be cooked by the fire.

"For goodness' sake," Elise muttered frustratedly as she reflected on the events that had led up to this point.

"You can't do this!" Elise yelled as the townsfolk of Kieferberg finished tying her and Rozenmarine to the tree.

"You're to stay here until dawn," Father Hans declared sternly, "It's been decided."

"Father, what exactly is this meant to achieve!?" Lebkuchen questioned in protest.

"Perhaps they may be innocent," Father Hans began, addressing the nun, "However, if the witch's torment comes to a halt, we will know that they were behind the horrors."

"Mr. Gustav!" Elise shouted, looking pleadingly at the lumberjack, "You of all people must know that this is wrong!"

"Elise is right, papa!" Freya added, "We can't do this to them!"

"This is the only way we can protect Kieferberg," Gustav stated in response to both his daughter and her childhood friend. Though his words and posture portrayed a sense of stoicism, there was a hint of doubt and worry in his tone.

Still, the decision had been made.

"Let us hope this all comes to an end tonight," Hans said conclusively as the townsfolk began to take their leave.

"Wait!" Elise pleaded one last time at the thinning crowd. Her friends, Lebkuchen and Freya, seemed to have considered staying by her side but were ultimately led away by their respective guardians.

With that, it was just her and Rozenmarine left in the darkness.

"I'm sorry, Elise," Rozenmarine apologized meekly, "This is all because I-"

"Now's not the time for your self-pitying nonsense, Rosmarine!" Elise retorted. Though her tone was harsh and scolding, it was out of worry for both of their wellbeing. The townsfolk were off their mark, but there was indeed a sinister force at play, and the two of them were now rendered helpless to it. "We have to-"

"Argh!"

A sudden distant cry coming deeper from within the forest interrupted the girl's words.

"What was that!?" Rozenmarine asked quietly with a shaken tone, startled by the noise.

"It came from behind us," Elise realized; her efforts to loosen their bindings intensified, knowing the dangers that lurked in the woods were nearby.

The growing sound of rustling foliage indicated that something was drawing nearer by the moment.

Suddenly, an object flew out from the same direction as the noise's source. As it hit the ground, it made a noticeable thud. The girls' eyes had adapted to the dark by now and they were able to recognize what had fallen not too far from them: a bloody snake.

"Eilse," Rozenmarine whispered worriedly, trying to avoid drawing the attention of the approaching creature, as she began struggling against the bindings as well.

"I think they're loosening," Elise responded in a desperate attempt to sound reassuring, both to herself and her partner, "Just keep-"

A wet smack from the side of the tree interrupted her train of thought. Elise's eyes widened in fear and dread as she turned to face in its direction; a towering figure stood before her, one of its bloody hands clutched at the tree while its other gripped a large knife.

"AAAH!" Elise shrieked as she realized the terror of the situation.

"Elise!" Rozenmarine yelled with concern as she too turned to look in her direction, catching sight of the figure before her, "AAAH!"

"AAAH!" The large figure screamed out in response, its greater volume drowning out the screams of the two girls.

"Smells like they're done," the man said aloud, bringing Elise out of her thoughts, as he took the skewers off the fire. As he went to offer the girls the food, he remembered the predicament of their restraints. "Well, this is a bit of a problem we've got here."

"You could just cut us out," Elise suggested once again with a frustrated tone.

"Nope, already told you I can't do that," the man responded flatly. "Not yet, anyway. I guess I'll have to hold them up for you while you eat. Which of you is first?"

"For goodness' sake, this is ridiculous," Elise remarked annoyedly before tilting her head to the side in a gesture toward Rozenmarine. "Feed her first."

"But Elise, you were working harder in the morning," the straw-hatted girl spoke. "You're probably hungrier than me."

"Oh, don't argue with me now of all times," Elise stubbornly retorted.

"Seems she's set her mind to it; no use going against it, I can tell," the man commented as he held out the skewered potato in front of Rozenmarine.

"Oh, okay then," Rozenmarine replied compliantly as she began eating her share.

'Well, Kruber, you've gotten yourself into an odd situation once again, haven't you?' the man thought to himself as he began recalling the events leading up to now.

"Never thought we'd go on a witch hunt," Kruber commented as he walked along the path, following his companion. "Not without Saltzpyre at least."

"Well, darling, you heard what he said," Sienna replied, examining her map and notes about the matter. "This one's unconfirmed. Chances are there isn't even a witch at all, a real one at least. I wouldn't be too surprised if they already decided on some clueless girl being guilty."

"To be fair, acting 'clueless' can be a good strategy if you're guilty," the former sergeant stated, having gotten away with a fair share of misdeeds through such methods.

"Oh, believe me, you don't have to tell me twice," the wizard responded, remembering how her sister had manipulated her with such an act. Believing her was a mistake she still deeply regretted.

"Still, you reckon it could really be that simple?" Kruber questioned curiously.

"Us wizards have a sort of sense when it comes to these things, Markus," Sienna began explaining. "Our powers come from the winds of magic, which are derived from the Aethyr. Dark magic, on the other hand, uses a corrupted form of the Aethyr known as Dhar, and it has a distinct, ugly feeling to it."

"So, you can tell whether there's actually something to this whole witch business?" the former sergeant asked.

"More or less," the wizard answered.

"Guess that's why he sent us then," Kruber thought aloud. The ability to detect magic would quickly solve the question of whether the claims of witchcraft were legitimate. But even so, there was still the matter of pacifying the rattled townsfolk. "Still, from what the report said, the locals are a bit jumpy about magic; probably should keep it low for the most part."

"Oh, I'm aware, darling," the wizard responded, fidgeting with the trinket hanging around her neck. "I'm not wearing Olesya's charm because I want to. Everything feels so dim, and I can barely even remember the last time I needed to use a lantern for light."

The charm in question was a simple jewelry piece that had been enchanted with an illusion to mask the manifestations of the wizard's powers. Her usual burning hair and fiery eyes were now suppressed and ordinary-looking.

"Have to say it's strange seeing you without your usual glow," Kruber commented. "I think even Saltzpyre looked a bit perturbed."

"Well, you know how Victor is," Sienna began. "Despite all his nagging about how 'treacherous' magic is, I think he's taken a liking to it."

"Or just yours," the former sergeant added, having picked up a while ago that something more had been going on between the two.

"Oh, definitely," the wizard agreed with a playful tone. "But don't go teasing him about it; you know how pouty he can get, and besides, that's my job."

"Your job?" Kruber repeated questioningly. "You sure about that? We've all taken our fair share of shots at him. Hell, I even made him laugh at one of mine."

"That's the first time I've heard about this," the wizard responded curiously.

"Figures you wouldn't remember. You, him, and Kerillian were drunk at the time," the former sergeant replied. "I mean, me and Bardin were too, but we handle our drink better."

"Well, you can't just hook me in and leave me hanging," Sienna said with interest. "What was the joke?"

"Give me a moment," Kruber responded, clearing his throat before raising his arms in an exaggerated gesture. "I am Saltzpyre! Fear me heretics!"

"Wha-!" the wizard spoke before bursting out into laughter. "Wait, I can do an impression too."

After taking a few moments to calm down, Sienna began speaking with a mocking tone. "Look at me! I'm Victor Saltzpyre! I have daddy issues and lots to prove!"

The pair laughed aloud as they continued along their way. It was only when Sienna had suddenly stopped and fell silent that Kruber did the same, realizing that the wizard must've sensed something.

"What'd you find?" the former sergeant asked cautiously.

"Dark magic," the wizard replied, looking directly into the forest. "A trail of it, going in there."

"So, there really is a witch then?" Kruber thought aloud as he drew his hunting knife.

"It's still mostly fresh," the wizard observed, her eyes following the invisible trail. "Keep an eye out for any physical signs; if we reach a dead end with this, that might help lead us to something."

"You're starting to sound like a hunter," Kruber commented before taking the lead. As the two of them entered the forest, he noticed faint imprints on the ground and kneeled to examine them further. "Hm, hoof prints; looks like they're headed deeper in."

"There are traces of Dhar in them," Sienna added. "Is it beastmen then?"

"Wouldn't say for sure; even the smallest of them are bigger than this," Kruber replied. "And the pattern was from something that walks on all fours; if I had to guess, maybe a lamb or something along those lines."

"Whatever it is, it's heavily corrupted," Sienna replied. "No ordinary animal could leave this foul of a trail."

"I'll take your word for it," the former sergeant said as he stood back up and continued moving.

The pair wandered further into the forest, keeping an eye out for anything that seemed off.

The pair wandered further into the forest, keeping an eye out for anything that seemed off.

The pair wandered further into the forest, keeping an eye out for anything that seemed off.

The pair wandered-

"Markus!" Sienna's voice suddenly shouted out.

"Huh?" the former sergeant said in confusion as he came out of his trance, looking wildly at his surroundings. "The trees, they weren't like this a moment ago."

The lush foliage that had once surrounded them had seemingly been replaced by withering deadwood and twisted vegetation.

"How did we even get here without noticing?" Kruber asked, keeping his guard up in anticipation of any potential threats.

"I can't say for sure, but something's definitely wrong with this place," the wizard replied, making a face of disgust. "I only came to a few moments ago, everything's still hazy. It's like I've just been woken up from a bad nap. The smell is what snapped me out of it."

"Now that you mention it, it does reek something strange," the former sergeant added, eyeing the sinister-looking flowers that sparsely surrounded them. "Wouldn't pick any of those to freshen up my quarters."

"I didn't mean that kind of smell; I was talking about the winds," Sienna clarified, referring to her sense of magic. "This place is drowning in dark magic. We shou-"

*Caw!*

The wizard's words were cut off by the sound of crows; their harsh cawing and noisy flapping interrupted the pair's conversations.

"These buggers are always a pain to have around," Kruber commented as he looked around, spotting the birds. It was then that he noticed they appeared to be grouping up, accumulating into a large horde. Even more worrying was that they seemed to be surrounding them. "Sienna, you see anything wrong with them?"

As the former sergeant turned to his companion to ask his question, he saw a bright fire manifesting in the wizard's hands. Her charm, though able to suppress her appearance, did not limit her capabilities to any extent, and it appeared that she now intended to demonstrate them.

Aqshy* Sienna chanted as she let loose a great spout of flame at the horde of crows, incinerating a number of them in an instant. But that still left the rest that surrounded them.

The crows immediately closed in on the pair. Like a storm, they drowned out their voices with their cawing and fluttering, preventing any effective coordination. Kruber swiped at the swooping horde with his knife, cutting down and batting away a few, but still leaving an overwhelming number swarming him. The former sergeant shielded his face with his non-dominant arm, preventing the sinister birds from pecking out his eyes, but even so, he could feel their unrelenting assault. They pecked and clawed at anywhere they thought they could break flesh. He was grateful for the thick padding of his clothes that protected most of his body.

"Bloody bastards!" Kruber shouted in frustration as he swung his blade in front of him; the impact he felt indicated that he had struck another few more of the crows, but that didn't deter the remaining ones.

For what seemed like an eternity, the former sergeant thrashed around in an attempt to rid himself of the swarm. When the attacks finally relented, he was greeted by a confusing sight.

'What in the hell?' he thought as he wiped the blood from his face and looked at his surroundings. He was back in an ordinary-looking forest, alone. 'This can't be right; I couldn't have wandered off this far.'

It was then that Kruber realized Sienna was no longer at his side; looking around frantically, he eventually spotted what appeared to be a fire in the distance. He began to follow it, but it seemed to fade shortly after.

The former sergeant advanced towards the spot when he suddenly felt a sharp sting on his lower leg. Looking down revealed a large, white snake, its fangs embedded into his calf. "Argh!"

"That does it," he muttered as he grabbed the serpent by the neck with his free hand and removed it from his leg before crushing its head and tossing it away.

The former sergeant continued on, but the injury to his leg now hindered him. He leaned against a nearby tree, intending to take a moment to catch his breath.

"AAAH!" a sudden series of shrieks rang out loudly.

"AH!" the startled former sergeant yelled in response as he jumped back. As the collective screaming faded, he eventually noticed the two girls who'd been tied to the tree.

"Taal's teeth!" Kruber said, calming down. "You two gave me a bloody good startling."

The girl in red began looking him up and down; her expression was one of confusion but also relief.

"Who are you?" the girl asked, seemingly more recomposed now.

"He doesn't look like anyone from Kieferberg," the straw-hatted girl added.

"Me? I'm just someone passing by, running an errand of a sort," the former sergeant began, professionally vague about his work. "Mind telling me what's going on here?"

"Could you cut us out first?" the red-dressed girl suggested.

"Oh, of course. Slipped my mind," Kruber said, bringing his hunting knife to the ropes. But before he began cutting, he remembered an incident. One that involved a comfy inn, some nice-seeming folks, and almost being made into a sacrifice for a dark ritual held by said folks in the basement of said inn.

"Wait, why are you two tied up here?" He asked, pulling his knife away from the bindings. It would be best to err on the side of caution.

"Huh?" the red-dressed girl said, a hint of impatience and worry growing on her expression. "Can't we explain later? When we're somewhere safer?"

"The quicker you explain things, the quicker we can do just that," the former sergeant stubbornly insisted.

"Well, if you have to know, the townsfolk have gone mad with paranoia," the girl in red answered. "It's all over some nonsense about witches, and they decided we were guilty."

"So, why do they think you're witches?" Kruber questioned.

"Don't tell me you believe in it too!" she exclaimed frustratedly.

"It was my fault. I said some things that made them all worry. Elise spoke up for me, so they thought she was suspicious too," the straw-hatted girl answered before turning to the girl by her side. "I'm sorry for causing all this trouble, Elise."

"Don't apologize, Rosmarine, you didn't do anything wrong. They're the ones who've lost their minds," Elise insisted before turning back to face the man before her. "All she did was offer things like herbal medicine and advice from old wives' tales. There was nothing witch-like about it."

"Well, I guess that answers things, mostly," the former sergeant thought aloud. "Still, you make it sound like you don't think there's a witch at all."

"Oh, for goodness' sake, there isn't any witch!" Elise responded. "Yes, troubling things have been happening around here lately and some of it's been pretty worrying, but they're all just ordinary problems."

"Fair enough, I suppose," Kruber replied. If it weren't for his experience moments ago, he probably would've been convinced by her argument. Still, it seemed neither of them was involved with what had occurred. Once again, he began moving to cut the ropes. "It'll be tough finding our way out of here; I'm guessing neither of you is too familiar with these woods."

"Elise is," the straw-hatted girl responded. "She practically lives in the woods."

"Really?" the former sergeant said in surprise as he suddenly stilled his hand.

"Rosmarine..." Elise said in a low voice, trying to give the other girl a cue to stop speaking.

"Oh yes, a few days ago, one of the boys from the town got lost, so she went searching for him here all by herself," Rozenmarine continued praisingly, oblivious to her partner's subtle warning. "Everyone was worried because it was already so late into the night, but she found him and came back safely."

"Damn it, Rosmarine," Elise muttered frustratedly as she sensed the man's growing suspicion.

"You've been deep in these woods, at night, and you don't think there's anything odd about them?" Kruber asked, looking at the red-dressed girl questioningly.

"I don't know what you're talking about," Elise said evasively. "The woods can be a bit dangerous sometimes, but it's nothing to get all riled up about."

"Can't say I agree," the former sergeant said as he sheathed his knife. Although he couldn't tell whether the girls were dangerous, there was clearly something being hidden from him.

Kruber stood still for a moment, thinking about his next course of action. He couldn't let them go on the risk that they were actually witches, or otherwise involved with the witchcraft occurring in the woods. He also couldn't just leave them on their own; dangerous creatures lurked in the wilderness, and the two would be defenceless while restrained. On another note, he had to find a way to reunite with Sienna; if there was anyone who could figure out the truth about the two girls, it was her. But he needed something that could guide her to their location.

"Wait, that's it," the former sergeant said as an idea popped into his head. "I'll build a fire."

"A...a fire?" Rozenmarine repeated; an expression of worry and dread filled her face as she remembered her grandmother's accounts of the horrible persecution people of their beliefs had been subjected to, "Are you going... to burn us?"

"What!?" Elise said in shock. "You can't do that!"

"Wha-!? Taal's teeth, no! I meant a campfire," Kruber said defensively, trying to correct the misunderstanding. In hindsight, he should've known that the idea of building a fire with people accused of witchcraft could be taken the wrong way.

"A campfire?" Rozenmarine asked confusedly but seemingly relieved.

"I don't know what's going on here, but I can't let you two go, and it wouldn't be right to leave you by yourselves, so I'll be sticking around for a bit," the former sergeant elaborated as he began gathering nearby kindling. "Besides, I got separated from one of my mates somewhere in these woods, a fire might help her find us. She'll probably have a better idea of how to handle all of this, too."

"Well, just make sure you don't build it too close to us," Elise said, her partner's fearful words from the misunderstanding still on her mind. "And make sure it doesn't grow too big either."

"Sure thing," Kruber responded as he started digging a shallow fire pit.

As the three finally finished their meals, Kruber once again picked up his dice, readying to roll.

"Up for another round?" he asked.

"What's the point?" Elise responded. "This game's all just dumb luck; if you get a bad roll, there's nothing you can do about it."

"Well, you're not completely wrong," the former sergeant said, "But that's part of the thrill of it; taking risks and seeing how it plays out. You know, gambling! Of course, we'd usually place bets on it."

"Does it look like we have anything to bet?" the red-dressed girl asked flatly. To say the least, being a maid-of-all-work didn't fill one's pockets too much, especially in a dwindling town like Kieferberg.

"Well, it's still kind of fun without any wagers, right?" Kruber asked, looking at his previous opponent and the victor of their last round.

"I still don't really understand this game," Rozenmarine admitted.

"Alright, I get it," the former sergeant said as he packed away his dice and board. He began staring into the fire, thinking of something else to do to pass the time. He was reminded of the times he had spent with his regiment, before their tragic end, remembering one of their most popular activities when gathered around a fire.

"Say, either of you ever noticed how cold it can get up in the north?" Kruber asked.

"It's not like I'd know," Elise answered. "I've never even left this rathole of a town."

"Well, when my granny and I travelled together, she always said we shouldn't go too far north because it'd be much colder during winter," Rozenmarine responded. "But I've never really gone there."

"Well, your granny was right; it can get bloody damn cold up there," Kruber continued. "There are even some places that are like winter all year long, snow completely covering the land, and the people who live there tend to be real pieces of work too."

"If it was that bad, how would they get anything done?" Elise asked disbelievingly.

"You'd be surprised at how well some people can get by," the former sergeant remarked before continuing. "But did you know that the reason why the north's like that is because of a bunch of frogs?"

"Frogs?" Rozenmarine said curiously, her interest caught.

"Really big frogs," he added.

"Frogs!?" Elise repeated in bewilderment. "That's the most ridiculous thing I've ever heard."

"Maybe, but it's all true, at least according to Olesya," Kruber said as he continued recounting the tale. "And it all started a long time ago..."

Chapter Text

"So back then, there were these giant frogs just floating around with the stars," Kruber began.

"The stars?" Rozenmarine said thoughtfully, recalling the constellations she had remembered, "I think I've seen a couple of frogs there."

"Frogs in the stars?" Elise repeated incredulously. "That sounds ridiculous; how would they even get up there?"

"Good question. Olesya didn't really explain that part too much," the man stated, "My guess is that they jumped up there."

"Jumping? Really?" the red-dressed girl said questioningly.

"Yeah, frogs have strong legs, don't they?" Kruber replied. "Big frogs, big jumps."

"Their skin can also be useful for medicine," the straw-hatted girl added.

"Rosmarine..." Elise whispered warningly; though often well-meaning, her partner's comments tended to rouse suspicion.

"Yeah, I think I heard something about that from a few of my mates," the man remarked, recalling lectures about the potions and medical supplies they used. "You an apothecary of sorts?"

"Oh, no, I learned it from my granny," the straw-hatted girl admitted.

"Well, your granny sounds like a smart lady," Kruber stated. "But back to the story."

The red-dressed girl breathed a sigh of relief as she realized the man had not grown more suspicious of her partner.

"So anyways, after floating around in the stars for a while, those frogs eventually found their way over here," Kruber continued.

"How did that happen if they were up in the stars?" Elise interrupted.

"Well, when you jump up, after a while, you fall down, yeah?" the man stated.

"From that high up?" the red-dressed girl said questioningly, looking to the stars.

"Sure, why not? Strong legs, remember?" the man answered. "Now, when those frogs came here, they immediately got to work. They set up this big, uh..."

Kruber paused, trying to think of the right word, "What are those big pots called? The kind that witches use?"

"How should we know?" Elise replied cautiously. The mention of witches couldn't have been a coincidence.

"You mean a 'cauldron'?" Rozenmarine said immediately after.

The red-dressed girl gave her partner a look of concern and disapproval, thinking the straw-hatted girl had just fallen for a trap. She worriedly turned to look at the man, expecting an accusation of witchery.

"Yeah, that," Kruber responded, giving a nod to Rozenmarine. "Those frogs placed a big cauldron right up in the middle of the north or somewhere around there."

Elise's expression turned to one of confusion; had it really just been an innocent question? Though still wary, she found herself feeling relieved again.

"So, what did the frogs use it for?" Rozenmarine asked curiously.

"Well, you see, that cauldron was full of this pure magic stuff," Kruber replied, thinking back to Olesya's explanation, "And whenever the frogs wanted to do magic, they'd take some of that stuff out of the well."

"Why would frogs know how to do magic?" Elise questioned.

"Don't know," the man answered, "Guess frogs are just magical."

"That's ridiculous," the red-dressed girl countered.

"Wait, Elise, he's right," Rozenmarine interjected, "My granny told me about it."

"What?" Elise said incredulously.

"Yeah, you see?" Kruber said approvingly, gesturing to the straw-hatted girl. "Her granny knew her stuff; best listen to her."

"For goodness sake," Elise remarked annoyedly; had she not been tied to a tree, she would have been massaging her temple.

"What kind of magic did they use?" Rozenmarine asked, clearly growing invested in the story.

"Uh, frog magic, I guess," the man began uncertainly before finding his footing and continuing. "And after coming together, they used their frog magic to make a bunch of smaller frogs."

"Eugh," Elise said, disgusted with the image in her mind. "Couldn't you have skipped that part?"

"But frogs aren't born as frogs," Rozenmarine corrected. "When they hatch from their eggs, they start off as tadpoles."

"Wait, no, I didn't mean it like that," Kruber responded, realizing his words had been misinterpreted. "What I meant was they used their magic to make smaller, already grown-up frogs. Immediately, just like that."

The man snapped his finger as he finished speaking to emphasize his point.

"Whatever you say, just move on from it already," Elise said irritatedly, wanting the thought of frog reproduction out of her mind.

"Alright, I get it," the man said before continuing the story, "So, after those big frogs made those smaller frogs, they wanted to put them to work and started giving out orders."

"Some things never change, do they?" the red-dressed girl remarked, thinking of all the labor she'd gone through to serve the older townsfolk.

"Just the way the world works, I suppose," Kruber responded understandingly, thinking of all the older superiors he'd served under, "But you see, these smaller frogs realized they couldn't do all the things the bigger frogs were telling them to do; and they also thought it'd be nice to get some more sleep with how much work they were doing."

'Am I seriously relating to a bunch of made-up frogs now?' Elise thought to herself questioningly.

"So, they started gathering a bunch of lizards and struck a deal with them to do some of the work instead," the man continued.

"Ah, that's just like what you did for me when we first met," Rozenmarine said enthusiastically, looking at her partner.

"For goodness sake, Rosmarine, don't compare me to a frog of all things!" Elise protested. The straw-hatted girl's comparison of her to a pinecone seemed much more flattering now.

"Is that right?" the man asked, letting out a small chuckle at the pair's interactions; it reminded him of the banter he had shared with his own friends.

"Stop laughing and get on with the story already," the red-dressed girl said annoyedly.

"Of course," Kruber complied, stifling his laughter before continuing his tale. "So, everything goes well for a time; the big frogs are happy, the small frogs are happy, and even the lizards were doing well. But one day, the big frogs were just gone."

"Gone?" Rozenmarine said questioningly before taking the word as a euphemism. "Oh, that's really sad."

"It's just how life is sometimes," Elise said empathetically to her partner. Both of them had gone through the pain of losing their elderly guardians, and, though unintentionally, the story had reminded them of the fact.

"Yeah, 'course the small frogs couldn't just stop what they were doing, but it'd be much harder going forward," the man continued. "You see, those big frogs had this sort of 'plan' in mind, and they wrote down notes about that plan so that the small frogs could follow along. But there was a problem with that."

"What kind of problem?" Elise asked, finding herself getting somewhat engaged in the story now as well.

"Well, when the big frogs were still around, they could explain things better for the smaller frogs to understand their 'plan'," Kruber elaborated. "But now that they were gone, there were just some things about the notes that the small frogs couldn't figure out, and that's not even mentioning how confused the lizards were about the whole thing, might as well have been a whole different language, and maybe it actually was."

"So, what happened after then?" Rozenmarine questioned.

"The frogs and lizards did their best to follow the plan," the man continued. "They did a pretty good job; kept everything running smoothly for the most part. But then the cauldron started acting up."

"Act up how?" the red-dressed girl asked. "Was it boiling over?"

"Yeah, I guess you could say that," Kruber accepted. "It started bubbling something fierce, and those frogs and lizards noticed it soon after."

"So, what did the frogs and lizards do to fix it?" Rozenmarine asked with anticipation.

"Nothing," the man answered. "They just kept going about as usual."

"Huh?" the straw-hatted girl exclaimed confusedly. "But I thought you said they saw something was wrong."

"Yeah, they did," Kruber began. "But apparently, those notes about the plan said that the cauldron would never fail, so they thought it'd be alright."

"But would they really do nothing because of that?" Rozenmarine questioned.

"Well, you have to know where they're coming from," the man began. "That plan was kind of like a prophecy, and those frogs had been following it their whole life; everything it said should happen ended up happening in a sense, at least back when they had the big frogs helping them. So, if the plan said the cauldron should be fine, they thought it'd be fine."

'That sounds familiar,' Elise thought as she looked at her partner.

"Course, that's not how it turned out in the end," Kruber continued. "Eventually, that cauldron completely boiled over, covering everything near it with that magic; because of that, the top of the north was turned into this big, icy wasteland."

"What about the frogs and lizards?" Rozenmarine questioned, concerned over the fictional reptiles' wellbeing.

"With how bad things turned, they had to leave; don't take the cold too well, apparently," the man explained. "From what I've heard, they're somewhere across the sea in the west, but that's the end of what I know."

"Huh," Rozenmarine said thoughtfully as she contemplated the man's story and its meanings.

"Damn it, Markus, you better be somewhere on this trail," Sienna said frustratedly as she wandered through a maze of ruins that appeared to be constructed from, out of all things, ceramic tiles, following a trail of dark magic to navigate through.

It'd been a while since she came out of the twisted forest; she lost count of how many crows she'd incinerated, but they had evidently learned their lesson since they stopped attacking her.

As the wizard came to the end of the maze, she found herself at a dead end, the only thing ahead of her was a withered tree upon a cliff that overlooked an unnatural abyss.

"No, there's got to be something more to this," Sienna thought aloud as she focused on the trail more intensely, revealing that it led into the tree's hollow.

The wizard was familiar enough with the unseen passages within the realms of magic; weaving a spell, she bound herself to the wind of fire, riding alongside the trail before rematerializing on the other side.

"What?" Sienna said confusedly as she examined her surroundings; it appeared to be the interior of a windmill; a large grindstone sat in the middle of the room with an oven and table nearby on the side. "Why this of all places?"

The wizard looked into the contents of the flour bin; under ordinary eyes, everything seemed fine, but with her witchsight, it was clear that grain had been tainted with corruption. Running her hand through the powder revealed the presence of crow feathers, which appeared to be crushed alongside the grain.

"Strange, either they didn't care about the feathers, or they wanted them in the flour," Sienna commented as she turned her attention to the oven. Although it was empty, the ashes within told of its recent use. Looking at the table beside it revealed traces of grain and feathers, along with something else that caught the wizard's attention.

"Hair?" the wizard said aloud as she examined the light brown lock; from how well kept it was, it was either from a beloved pet or a person who cared about their appearance, more likely the latter given its length. "Looks like it was used in the bread."

As she finished her investigation of the room, Sienna noticed a new trail leading through the window, another passage.

Just as she had done before, the wizard cast her spell, riding the winds of magic to follow the trail to its next location.

Kruber glanced at the campfire; the flames had died down significantly, as did the heat it had radiated.

"Best get some more fuel before it goes out," the man remarked as he made his way into the woods. "Shouldn't take too long; sit tight, you lot."

"It's not like we have a choice," Elise muttered as the man exited her view, leaving her and her partner with only the dim fire for company. "Hey, Rosmarine."

"Hmm, ah," The straw-hatted girl said as she was brought out of her thoughts. "Is something the matter, Elise?"

"They got you while you were in the house, right?" The red-dressed girl asked, thinking of anything that could help them escape, "What were you doing then?"

"Oh, I was preparing our dinner," Rozenmarine answered. "But it's probably gone cold by now."

"That's fine, don't worry about that," Elise reassured. "Did you put anything in your pocket before they took you? Something that could help us escape?"

"No, I don't think so," The straw-hatted girl admitted. "Sorry, Elise."

"Damn it," the red-dressed girl muttered in frustration; without anything to assist them, it would be impossible to escape their restraints before the man returned.

As Elise stared off into the distance, trying to think of any other way they could escape, she caught sight of a light in the distance, one that was quickly growing closer.

"It looks like a lantern," Elise observed aloud. "Someone is coming, but who is it?"

As the light drew closer, the figure holding the lantern became visible, and Elise spotted the familiar green dress and long, brown hair of one of her friends.

"It's Freya," Rozenmarine realized.

"Freya, what are you doing here?" Elise asked, surprised by her former rival's sudden appearance.

"Elise, Rozenmarine, thank goodness you're alright," Freya said, breathing a sigh of relief. "I snuck out as soon as father went to bed. I'm here to help."

The green-dressed girl pulled a carving knife out from her pocket; though short, the blade seemed sharp enough to sever the rope restraints.

"You're a lifesaver, Freya," Elise whispered cautiously. "But be quick; before he returns."

"Huh?" Freya said confusedly. "Before who returns?"

"A man was here a few moments ago," Rozenmarine explained.

"Oi, who are you and what're you doing?" Kruber called out as he stepped back into view, carrying a sizable amount of firewood under one of his arms and a hunting knife in his other hand.

"Oh, there he is," Rozenmarine pointed out.

"For goodness sake," Elise muttered frustratedly as their chance to escape vanished.

"Gah!" the green-dressed yelped in surprise at the sudden appearance of the knife-wielding stranger in the dark. Instinctively, she picked up a stone from the firepit and threw it at the man.

A loud metallic 'thunk' sound rang out as the rock struck the man's head, causing him to drop what he'd been carrying and stumble back.

"Ah!" Rozenmarine cried out at the sudden display of violence.

The man stumbled a bit, trying to regain his footing, but ultimately fell onto the ground.

"Taal's teeth, that bloody hurt!" the man yelled as he felt the dome of his hat; the skullcap underneath had received a notable dent.

Seeing that the stranger was down for the moment, Freya turned her attention to the ropes restraining her friends.

"Wait! Stop!" Elise called out. "It's over, Freya."

"What are you talking about?" Freya asked confusedly.

"He saw you," Elise explained. "If you cut us out, he'll just tell the townsfolk you did it. Then they'll accuse you of being a witch for helping us."

"I could run away with you two," Freya responded impulsively.

"Do you really mean that?" Elise questioned concernedly, knowing the green-dressed girl's attachment to the town.

Freya paused as she thought over the matter. Leaving Kieferberg meant leaving everything she knew behind: her father, her community, her home, and her memories of her mother. The realization of the situation's weight struck her hard.

"I... I don't know," the green-dressed girl said disheartenedly as she dropped the knife.

For a few moments, only the crackling of the dying campfire filled the otherwise silent air around them.

"Wait, hold on," Kruber called out as he recomposed himself. "You shouldn't just give up on your mates that easily."

"Oh, you're alright," Rozenmarine said with relief.

"Huh?" Freya said surprisedly, looking at the man she'd struck just moments ago.

"Wait, shouldn't you be talking her out of helping us?" Elise questioned confusedly.

"Well, maybe," the man acknowledged. "But this is a matter of principle."

Kruber recollected the branches from the ground before feeding them to the campfire, restoring the flames and illuminating their surroundings once again.

"You can take a seat if you want," the man said as he set himself on the ground.

"I think I'll stand," the green-dressed girl replied, still unsure about the situation.

"Fair enough," Kruber responded as he prepared his next words. "So, it sounds like you're unsure of yourself, afraid to take a big leap and all that, right?"

'Wow, he's not that far off,' Elise thought, surprised at the accuracy of the man's assessment.

"Funny enough, that reminds me of this one poet," the man continued.

"A poet?" Freya repeated questioningly. "But what does that have to do with me?"

"Oh, is this another story?" Rozenmarine asked curiously.

"For goodness sake, another one?" Elise remarked.

"Yep, that's right," Kruber confirmed as he began his next tell. "So, this all starts with a bloke named Felix..."

Chapter Text

"Now, Felix was a pretty ordinary fellow, just like me and you lot," Kruber began.

'That's a weird idea of ordinary,' Elise thought.

"He was born to a rather wealthy family, though," the man continued. "His father, Gustav, was a really successful merchant, you see."

"Gustav?" Freya repeated questioningly.

"Oh, Freya, that's like your father," Rozenmarine pointed out.

"Really?" Kruber asked, looking at the green-dressed girl. "What a coincidence."

"Well, only in name," Freya explained. "My father, Gustav, is a lumber worker, not a merchant."

"I see," the man responded before continuing. "Anyways, Felix had a mostly decent childhood along with his brothers. His family's wealth meant that they all lived pretty comfortably, all considered. But things weren't always up for him, he had to face his own share of troubles."

"Really? Like what?" Elise questioned. As someone who had to work her entire life, she doubted that someone living in comfortable wealth would have much trouble.

"Well, for one, his mother, Renata, was badly ill," Kruber answered. "She managed to put up a good fight for a while, but she eventually passed away from it."

"Oh," Elise said before looking concernedly at Freya.

The green-dressed girl's expression held a noticeable frown. It was obvious why to those who knew her. Her own mother had died from similar circumstances when she was young, and though time soothed that wound, it could never fully heal it.

"He was still rather young when it happened too," Kruber continued. "And as you can imagine, it was difficult growing up without a mother. His father was a pretty busy man already, so he didn't have much time for his family. Course, he had his brothers, but that can't replace the love of your parents. Honestly, I don't think anything can."

"You're not wrong about that," Freya remarked solemnly.

Both Elise and Rozenmarine shared a look of solidarity with the green-dressed girl. They had lost their parental figures too, and they understood how horrible such a loss was."

"Yeah, but life ended up going on, as it does," the man continued. "Before you know it, Felix and elder brother, Otto, grew into young men. And since they were of age, Felix's father sent them to college."

"College?" Freya repeated curiously. "What's that?"

"Oh, I've heard about it before while travelling with my granny," Rozenmarine spoke up. "She told me that it's a place where people go to learn things. But they're only found in big cities."

"That's right, your granny really knew her stuff," Kruber commented. "Course, I've never been to one myself, they're mostly for the nobility and the wealthy."

'Maybe Rosmarine and I can try going to 'college' after I get my wish,' Elise thought, curious about what kind of experience 'college' would give.

"Now Felix's father paid a lot of money to get his sons into college, he thought it'd be a good way for them to learn the skills needed to expand their business and make connections with the nobility," the man explained. "And so Felix and Otto studied hard and got acquainted with a lot of people in their time there. But in different ways."

"Different how?" the straw-hatted girl asked.

"Well, you see, even though Felix and Otto grew up together, they ended up becoming very different people," the man began explaining. "Otto was very well suited to take over the family business. He was good with numbers and papers, he learned how to conduct deals well from his father, and his time in college only enhanced those skills. But most importantly, Otto wanted to follow in his father's footsteps. Felix was different, he wanted to do something more, something of his own; and in college, Felix found something he loved doing: writing. So he worked hard in it, he took poetry classes and he met with a lot of other writers. He was really passionate about becoming a poet."

"So, he must have succeeded, right?" Freya asked hopefully. Though she knew she could never leave her home, she had always dreamt of becoming a seamstress in the city.

"Well, not exactly," Kruber responded. "You see, during his time in college, Felix got really into duelling and one of those duels ended up really badly, for the bloke he was duelling that is, he came out of it mostly fine. But that bad duel got him kicked out of college, and then his father found out and wrote him out of the family inheritance, and he was more or less forced to fend for himself on the streets... You know, that sounds much worse than I thought it did now that I've said it out loud."

Freya's expression grew increasingly disheartened as she listened to the man, no doubt imagining a similar situation happening to her if she ever decided to leave Kieferberg.

"Oh dear, that doesn't sound good," Rozenmarine remarked.

"Hey, I thought you said this story was supposed to make her feel better," Elise said accusingly, noticing her friend's discomfort.

"Yeah, that'll come later, right now's just a low point, things don't always go smoothly, you know," Kruber said defensively. "So, for a while, Felix was on his own, taking any odd jobs from anywhere throughout the city. But even with how long and hard he was working, he was only barely managing to scrape by."

'Story of my life,' Elise thought.

"What about his writing?" Freya questioned hesitantly. "He didn't just give up on it, did he?"

"Funny you should mention that," the man responded. "If there was one bright spot to this time, it was that he finally got to put his writing skills to use. He published a handful of poems around that time, though none of them really caught on."

"Oh," the green-dressed girl said disappointedly.

"But he did eventually find an audience to write for," Kruber continued. "Tax protesters."

"Tax protesters?" Elise repeated questioningly.

"Yeah, you see, there was a pretty big movement around that time because of a new 'window tax'," the man explained. "Basically, the more windows a building had, the more taxes the owners had to pay. The idea was to collect more funds from property owners, the wealthy tended to have properties with more windows, so on paper they'd pay more. Course, what the tax writers didn't expect was that those wealthy folk would just brick up their windows to avoid the tax, leaving everyone else to pick up the slack."

"That's ridiculous," Elise thought aloud, mentally counting the number of windows in the house she inherited from Granny Holle.

"That's what a lot of people's sentiments were," Kruber responded. "Anyways, Felix got really into writing pieces in support of the tax protesters, he became something of a leader among them. The movement kept growing until they eventually organized a big march in the city to demand that the tax be dropped, and Felix was one of the people marching in the front of the crowd."

"So it worked out for him then?" Freya asked.

"Well, not quite, at least not yet," the man answered. "And marching in the front turned out to be a bad idea."

"How so?" Rozenmarine asked.

"The thing is, that march got so big that the city's officials considered it a threat," the man explained. "So they ended up sending the guards to break it up. The people in the front were the first targets, long story short, Felix nearly got trampled on by a horse."

"That's no joke," Elise remarked, having experienced something similar in the pursuit of her wish.

"Yeah, and he probably would've gotten trampled, but he was saved by a bloke named Gotrek," Kruber continued. "The two of them escaped the guards by going through the alleyways before they found a tavern to hide out in. There, they got to know each other better, and Felix learned that Gotrek had one goal in life: to seek out a worthy death."

"What?" Elise said confusedly, a feeling that was shared by her partner and friend. "What does that even mean?"

"Well, in Gotrek's home culture, there's this tradition where people who've done really bad things try to atone by going out and finding worthy ways to die," the man explained. "Usually it means slaying beasts that have been threatening folk, or retrieving lost treasures in treacherous places, it could also mean going off to fight in a war."

"It still sounds ridiculous," the red-dressed girl persisted.

"Maybe, but something about that drew Felix in," Kruber continued. "Unlike him, Gotrek was strong, independent, and seemed to know what he was doing. I think that was appealing to someone who felt lost like Felix. By the time they left that tavern, Felix made an oath to Gotrek: he'd follow him on his adventures to record his death and send the story back to his people when the time came."

"That sounds pretty dangerous," Rozenmarine thought aloud.

"And it was," the man affirmed. "They faced all manner of beasts and the sort, and they travelled to all kinds of perilous places. Every day was a fight for survival for them and they almost died numerous times. Even in most of the calmer times, they were either near coinless or completely covered in muck. Gotrek could take it all in stride, but Felix struggled badly with it. Still, I don't think it was too bad for him."

"What makes you say that?" Freya quesioned.

"He got to live his dream, for one," Kruber answered. "Every single hardship they faced was another story, and he had a lot to write about. Even in the worst of it, he continued writing, he even found a sizable audience for it all. Gotrek's people really enjoyed his accounts, and Felix became a bit of a legend to them."

"It sounds like a load of trouble, though," Elise remarked.

"Maybe, but that's life isn't it?" the man asked. "It's a big mixed bag of ups and downs however you go about it, maybe it's worth the trouble to pursue your dream. I think that's what Felix thought about it at least."

"I see," the green-dressed girl said thoughtfully, pondering over the man's words.

"Speaking of Felix, how about I read you lot some of his stories?" Kruber suggested as he sifted through his bag.

"Do we even have a choice?" Elise asked.

"Oh, I'd like to hear them," Rozenmarine said.

But as the man continued to rifle through his bag, his expression turned to one of confusion.

"Huh, it's not here, but I could've sworn I-" Kruber said before realizing what had happened. "Oh no, I must've dropped it back deeper in the woods."

"You were in the woods?" Freya asked. "What were you doing there? It's become pretty dangerous to go there recently."

"Actually, yeah, you never explained why you were here," Elise added.

"It's a bit complicated, you see me and my friend came here to investigate a matter, though we got separated," the man explained. "I wonder how she's doing right now."

"Where in blazes am I now?" Sienna asked herself as she ignited a flame in the palm of her hand.

The new location was something akin to a giant garden, the kind that one would find on a noble's estate, luscious trees and shrubs full of fruits and flowers could be spotted all throughout the place and beautiful sculptures littered the scene. However, the entire area was flooded with water that was somehow both too murky to see through and yet clear enough to view one's reflection. Still, if it wasn't for the pitch darkness that engulfed the area and the scent of dark magic in the air, it would've been an oddly tranquil place.

"At least there's no sign of trouble," Sienna remarked as she trudged through the ankle-high water and continued to follow the trail of magic.

As if on cue, the foliage began to rustle fiercely and the water rippled intensely as a mob of spectres rushed at the wizard.

"Me and my big mouth," Sienna remarked as she shifted her stance, fending off her assailants with her magic as she evaded their strikes. But each spectre she neutralized would only be replaced by more rushing in. It quickly became apparent that staying around was a losing strategy, and so she ran, continuing to follow the trail in a fighting retreat.

At some point amidst the chaos, the spectres suddenly ceased, leaving the wizard running along the trail.

"They've stopped, but is that really a good thing?" Sienna asked as she began to slow down cautiously. As she glanced around, she caught a sight that put her back on alert immediately. Looking down, she saw a clear reflection of herself, but unlike her, it was grinning.

A quick tug pulled her beneath the water as she tried to fight off her doppelganger in a crude struggle. As their struggle went on, her malevolent reflection grew more serpent-like, and its snakish body began to coil around the wizard, constricting her. Desperately, the wizard jammed her thumb into her counterpart's eye, causing its coil around her to loosen slightly for a moment, but that was all that was needed. Wasting no time, the wizard drew her dagger from her belt and stabbed it into the serpent's neck. As the blade pierced through its scaly body, the weapon's enchantment activated, sending a violent surge of heat into the creature's flesh as it boiled the water around them. Immediately, the serpent relented its coil around the wizard and retreated, leaving her alone and sinking.

Though she felt lightheaded, Sienna didn't slow down. Her struggle with the serpent had wasted precious time and breath. She rifled through her belongings hastily before finding a small pouch. Opening it caused particles of dirt to flow out, but the true prize was the glowing seed that had been buried within. The wizard snatched the seed before shoving it in her mouth, moments later she found herself able to breathe again.

'I've got to thank Kerillian for that one,' Sienna thought gratefully for her companion's lifesaving boon.

Eventually, the wizard came in contact with the ground and she found herself in the middle of a sunken town. Unexpectedly she sensed the trail she'd been following, it seemed whoever left it had also been dragged down into the depths. Sienna continued on, entering the sunken temple of the town and arriving at another odd site.

'Some kind of wash basin,' the wizard observed, looking at the fixture that the trail led to. 'Someone must've been bleeding when they used it, there's a blood stain along the bowl.'

As she examined further, Sienna noticed something about the blood stain.

'There's traces of dark magic in the blood, whoever was bleeding must have done it on purpose,' the wizard realized. 'But I should be able to track them with this.'

With a new trail to follow, the wizard immediately began her search again. She found a passage in the temple, similar to the one she had discovered in the mill, and rode the winds through it.

"Seems the fire is dying out again," Kruber observed aloud, watching the campfire dim. "Looks like I'll have to gather more, give me a moment."

"Sure, take all the time you need, it's not like we're going anywhere!" Elise responded sarcastically.

"Be careful, sir!" Rozenmarine called out.

As the man disappeared into the woods once again, the three girls were left alone with each other.

"Elise," Freya began hesitantly. "I've made up my mind, I'm going to help you and Rozenmarine escape."

"Huh?" the straw-hatted girl said surprisedly.

"For goodness sake, Freya, we already talked about this," Elise responded. "You'd just be getting yourself into trouble."

"No, I mean it," the green-dressed girl insisted. "I've been thinking about it, and ever since we were little, you've been standing up for me, but I've never done the same for you."

"Freya..." Elise said empathizing, recalling the history of their friendship.

"You're right, I can't go with you and leave Kieferberg behind like that," Freya acknowledged. "But I can stay and face the consequences. Father and the townsfolk will be upset, but worrying about that is part of why you two are tied up here. If I'd spoken up earlier, maybe you and Rozenmarine wouldn't be in this mess."

"Hey, don't blame yourself for what they did," Elise responded.

"Yeah, it's not your fault, Freya," the straw-hatted girl affirmed.

"That's not the point," the green-dressed girl argued as she drew her carving knife, bringing it to the ropes restraining the pair. "I've stood by for far too long. If I can't even help you when you need me most, what'll I do for everything else in life? Whatever happens, it'll be worth the trouble."

"If you really want to help them, you should just wait a few hours," a feminine voice said from behind.

"Ah!" Freya yelled in surprise, dropping the knife as she jumped back. She quickly calmed down once she turned to face the voice's source.

"Oh, it's Lebkuchen," Rozenmarine pointed out.

"Lebkuchen? What are you doing here?" Elise asked.

"Well, for one, I had a feeling you and Rozenmarine didn't eat before you were caught," the nun answered as she retrieved some bread from a bag. "It's slightly stale, but it should get you through the night."

"You're a lifesaver, Leb," Elise said gratefully. She was still rather hungry from missing dinner.

"But what did you mean when you said something about waiting a few hours?" Freya questioned.

"It's true that Father Hans and the townsfolk have gone too far," Lebkuchen began. "But they're still mostly reasonable people. Once the morning arrives, they'll come to their senses and realize that what they've done is wrong, even if they won't admit it. And when that happens, they'll let you and Rozenmarine go."

"Well, you're right about the 'not admitting it' part," Elise remarked. "But I doubt old Jochen will 'come to his senses'."

"That's why I said 'mostly' and not all," the nun responded. "But my point still stands."

"I heard a scream, what's going on!?" Kruber said as he rushed to the scene, firewood in hand.

"Who is this?" Lebkuchen asked.

"It's a long story," Elise responded.

"I see," Lebkuchen said as she finished listening to her friends' accounts before turning to Kruber. "I guess I should thank you for watching over my friends."

"It's nothing really," the man responded. "I just happened to be passing by is all."

"Hey, since we've agreed that we're not going anywhere, do you mind cutting these ropes already?" Elise asked. "My legs are feeling cramped from standing for so long, and I'd bet Rosmarine is the same."

"I'm feeling okay," Rozenmarine added. Years spent travelling with her granny had given the straw-hatted girl a robust endurance.

"Of course you are," the red-dressed girl remarked.

"Oh, I'll take care of that," Freya said as she moved to cut the ropes.

"Wait, don't," Lebkuchen said, halting the green-dressed girl. "Sorry, you two, but being tied up here is the only thing that'll make the townsfolk know that you didn't do anything."

"Seriously, Leb? That's ridiculous," Elise protested.

"Maybe, but it's the only thing we have," the nun stated. "But we could loosen them a little. That might make things a little more comfortable for you two."

"Honestly, that'd be a big improvement," the red-dressed girl remarked.

"I'll see what I can about that, I'm pretty good with these things," Kruber offered as he moved to the back of the tree and began loosening the knot.

"I know that this must be a hard time for you, but on the bright side, it should be daytime soon," the nun said as she looked at the lowering moon.

"I guess you're right about that, at least," Elise responded as she felt her restraints loosen slightly. "Looks like those stories made time go by."

"Stories?" Lebkuchen repeated questioningly.

"It's how we've been passing the time," Kruber said, returning to the campfire. "I could tell another if you're up for it."

"You're going to tell it either way, aren't you?" Elise asked sarcastically.

"I wouldn't mind hearing another," Freya said.

"I think I'd like to hear it," Rozenmarine added.

"Actually, maybe you could tell us why you're here?" the nun suggested. "I think that'd be a story in of itself."

As a good judge of character, Lebkuchen knew that the man wasn't malicious, but that didn't stop her from suspecting there was more to his presence here than he was letting on, and she wanted to know more in case it was important.

"Well, that's a bit of a complicated matter," the man responded. "I should probably start by telling you the story of the bloke who sent me here."

"I guess that could work," the nun compromised.

"Alright then," Kruber said as he sat down and tossed a handful of kindling into the campfire. "So this is the story of my boss..."

Chapter Text

"So, my boss was born to a blacksmith in a little town around the north," Kruber began.

"Wait, why go so far back?" Elise questioned. "How is something like that related to why you were sent here?"

"I have to agree, something that so far into the past seems a bit irrelevant," Lebkuchen added.

"But it could be; a lot of things from our youth can be important to how we are now," Rozenmarine stated, speaking from experience.

"Rozenmarine has a point," Freya said. If it weren't for her childhood rivalry with Elise, she probably wouldn't have become so close to her.

"It will be, just hold on a bit," the man said defensively. "Anyways, my boss grew up as an apprentice to his blacksmith father, he spent his childhood helping out in the forge. And in that time he turned out to be a pretty skilled smith, even now, all these years later, he knows how to do a good repair job."

"The way you said that makes it sound like he didn't stay a blacksmith," the nun analyzed.

"And he didn't," Kruber answered. "You see, one day while he was apprenticing, his father's client came around to check up on things. While the client was there, he saw my boss and found something special about him. So, he decided to recruit my boss as a cadet wi... um."

The man cut himself off, remembering that locals, including the girls before him, were rather antsy on the subject of witches.

"As a what?" Rozenmarine asked curiously.

"As an investigator," Kruber answered, quickly finding a good substitute word. "A cadet investigator. A bloke who looks into mysteries and the like."

"That sounds a lot different than what a smith does," Elise remarked.

"Well, there are some things that could transfer over," Freya responded. "For one, trade workers tend to have really good attention to detail."

"You're right about that, and he does have a really good eye for things, now that I think about it, that's probably why he got picked," Kruber added. "Though it's not like he had much of a choice either way."

"You make sound like he didn't want to go," Lebkuchen observed.

"Well, you're right about that," the man affirmed. "It's something that he'll only admit after a few drinks, but he never wanted to be an investigator. His dream was always to be an engineer, specifically for steam tanks."

"Steam tanks?" Elise repeated confusedly.

"Oh, you mean steam trains?" Rozenmarine corrected.

"Yeah, let's go with that," Kruber responded. "I'm guessing you and your granny saw one on your travels?"

"Oh, yes, we saw one pass by us once," the straw-hatted girl answered. "It was really loud."

"Okay, but what are they?" Elise asked, annoyed at being left out of the loop.

"They're big machines used to transport things across the land," Rozenmarine explained. "They're really fast too, even more than horses."

"I guess that's about right. Course, I've never seen one up close," Kruber responded.

"But if your boss wanted to work on them instead of being an investigator, why didn't he just refuse?" Freya questioned.

"Well, like I said, he didn't really have a say on the matter," the man explained. "The type of investigator that client was, was a very important kind. So important that even though my boss technically could've refused, he couldn't really by obligation."

"So, he just went along with it even though he didn't want to?" Lebkuchen asked.

"More or less," Kruber answered. "But it's not all bad, he ended up becoming a really good investigator."

"I see," Lebkuchen said, slightly disheartened. She herself had never felt fit in being a nun, but she remained as such due to a sense of obligation and duty. The question of what she would be otherwise had always hung on her conscience, it was a question that filled her with both hope and hesitation at the possibilities, but it was one that could never be realized. And now she was being reminded of it.

"Do you think you could get to the point?" Elise asked, noticing her friend's discomfort. "I think you've dragged on this part for long enough."

"Oh, right," the man said before clearing his throat. "So, for a while, my boss trained real hard to become a good investigator, and he ended up doing quite well. He solved a fair number of cases, and some of them were ones his fellow investigators couldn't solve. All was going well for the most part, until one case."

"What was wrong with that case?" Rozenmarine asked.

"Well, nothing, at first," Kruber began. "It started off as any ordinary case, and my boss went through the motions to figure it out. He questioned people, looked into any trails, gathered evidence, the usual. But when he arrived at the source of the problem, that's when things went south."

"So, what did he find?" Freya questioned.

"Rats," the man answered.

"Rats?" Lebkuchen repeated confusedly.

"A whole load of rats," Kruber said emphasizingly. "And they were going to bring down a whole town."

"That's ridiculous," Elise interjected. "How would a bunch of rats bring down a town?"

"Oh, uh, well..." the man hesitated, trying to find a good diversion.

"Actually, Elise, there was this one time when a bunch of rats bit through a dam and it ended up flooding a village," Rozenmarine responded.

"Let me guess, you and your granny saw it happen on your travels," the red-dressed girl said to her partner with a hint of sarcasm.

"Oh, no, that happened before I was born, but my granny told me about it," the straw-hatted girl answered.

"Of course she did," Elise remarked.

"Yeah, and that was more or less what was happening in my boss' case," Kruber said, following the opportunity the girl had provided. "A bunch of rats were destroying a dam and it threatened to flood the town. My boss did everything he could to get the word out and tried to get rid of those rats the best he could."

"Earlier you made it sound like the case ended badly," Lebkuchen recalled.

"And it did," Kruber answered. "The town got washed away once the dam broke."

"But I thought your boss did everything he could to stop it," Freya said.

"Well, he did," the man responded. "But nobody believed that rats were the cause of the problem, and he didn't have the means to get rid of them all himself."

"So what happened next?" Rozenmarine asked.

"My boss went to his colleagues to report on what happened, but they also didn't believe him," Kruber answered. "No matter how much evidence he gave them, they kept denying it. They even punished him for bringing it up."

"That sounds awful," Freya commented.

"Yeah, it's probably worse than it sounds," the man began. "Even though he didn't want to be an investigator at first, he spent a lot of time as one. He grew to have a lot of trust in his investigator order, but with how that case turned out, that was all shattered. I don't think there's even a single person there he trusts anymore, he confides more with me than them at least."

Lebkuchen's expression dropped again as she listened on. She was now once again reminded of her lack of belonging in her position as a nun. She had always worn a mask when performing her duties, mostly when it came to serving the townsfolk. She could never be true to herself or express what she really thought, and even if she did, who would listen to her? The only ones who knew of her predicament were Elise and Freya, but they weren't always with her.

"So, what did he do after?" the nun asked hesitantly.

"Well, since his fellow investigators didn't believe him, he decided to go at it without them," Kruber explained. "Between cases, he'd get from his order, he'd continue his own investigations into the rats. Turns out a lot of issues in the region were being caused by them. And in that time, he made a lot of connections with people outside of his order, people like me. And it helped him a lot in dealing with those both those rats and his other cases."

"But wouldn't his order punish him for continuing to look into the rats?" Lebkuchen asked.

"Yeah, they probably would, if they found out about it," the man answered.

"Then, did he ever consider leaving them?" the nun asked, seeking an answer for her own situation.

"Well, I'd say he still has a lot of doubts about them, and I think he's almost done it once, he's surely not reconciling with them anytime soon," Kruber began. "But he decided to stick with what he believed was right throughout it all. So, whatever happens about that matter, whether he leaves or stays, I think he'll be alright."

"Is that so?" Lebkuchen said thoughtfully. She had always questioned her position and faith, yet she hung onto them reluctantly. But perhaps that wasn't the path she needed to take. Perhaps she could let go of them and be fine as long as she remained true to herself.

"I'm sorry, but I have to ask, am I the only one who noticed that none of that explained why he's here?" Elise questioned.

"Hey, yeah, nothing you mentioned in that story was related to Kieferberg at all," Freya added.

"Well, you've had trouble with pests lately, haven't you?" the man asked.

"The town had trouble with crows and snakes, but not rats," Rozenmarine responded.

"Well... okay, I'll admit it, I was kind of just stalling for time," the man answered. "Sorry, but the whole thing's a confidential matter, so I can't say."

"For goodness sake," the red-dressed girl said annoyedly. "You could've just said that."

Suddenly, Lebkuchen burst into a laughing fit, causing the other to turn their attention to her.

"I'm sorry," the nun said as she began to calm down. "It's just... it's good to see you acting like yourself, Elise. Even with all that's happened, nothing ever seems to keep you down."

"Well, I guess there's at least one thing that story was good for," Elise muttered, appreciating her friend's smile.

"Back here again?" Sienna thought aloud as she found herself in a familiar, twisted forest. "At least there aren't any crows this time."

The wizard tried to focus on the trail of magic she'd been following, but found herself unable to. Her senses were overwhelmed, the presence of dark magic infested the air potently, so much so that the trail had been drowned out.

"I'll have to find something else to go by," Sienna thought as she looked around. Her eyes glanced over the surrounding forest, it was full of unnaturally twisted foliage that seemed to stretch endlessly in all directions. It was then that she found what she was looking for and knelt down.

"This is it," the wizard said as she examined the small hoof prints. "These are just like the ones from earlier. They might lead to the source of this corruption."

And so Sienna began following the tracks, hiking through the sinister landscape as she went deeper into the woods. She walked for what felt like hours, but that could've just been the potent magic messing with her sense of time. Eventually, she arrived at the end.

"The hoof prints stop here," the wizard observed as she looked at an old, large tree with a nook big enough to fit a person. "Maybe it's the same as the one back in those ruins."

But as the wizard channelled her magic to open the gateway, a surge of pain shot through her. She felt her stomach churn painfully before she suddenly vomited, black bile flowed from her mouth between violent retches. All the while, a voice repeated a message in her head.

'You're not welcome here,' the voice said sternly. 'Get out!'

The wizard stumbled nauseously, backing away from the tree as she began retracing her steps. Her head rang and her abdomen twitched painfully, as she traversed the the path. But even in her disorientated state, she knew she had accomplished at least one of her goals.

"Found the damned thing," Sienna thought aloud. "Just need to find a way to get rid of it."

It was then that the wizard caught sight of a fire in the distance. With it as her only guiding point, she approached it.

"Hey, do you hear that?" Elise asked as she listened to the rustling of foliage.

"It's coming from deeper in the woods," Rozenmarine realized.

"Maybe it's just a squirrel or rabbit?" Freya suggested.

"No, those would be too small," Kruber said, listening to the rustling as it grew louder.

"Wait, I think I see someone," Lebkuchen said as she spotted the outline of a figure in the distance.

"What? Could it be the witch?" the green-dressed girl asked anxiously. "Was she real the whole time!?"

"That isn't good," Elise said worriedly. "Cut us out, we have to leave now!"

"You don't have to tell me twice," Kruber said as he drew his hunting knife before turning to Freya. "I'll start cutting from the top loops, you do the bottom ones. We'll be able to do it faster like that."

"Got it!" Freya replied as she began sawing through the ropes.

"It's getting closer! Hurry up!" Elise said worriedly, listening closely as the rustling drew near.

"We've almost got it," Freya responded as she began cutting through the last loop.

Just then, the source of the rustling showed itself, stepping out into the light. An old, gaunt woman in messy clothes approached.

"Dear lord! It's the witch!" the green-dressed girl screamed. "She's actually real!"

"Witch?" the woman repeated amusedly. "Now that's something I haven't been called in a good while."

"Wait, that's no witch," Kruber said as he approached the woman. "It's my friend, Sienna!"

"It's nice to see you too, Kruber," the wizard greeted tiredly.

"It's been a good while since we got separated," the man said. "How've you been?"

"Oh, so that's what that stain is," Kruber remarked as he finished listening to the wizard's account. The two of them stood a good distance apart from the group of girls, whispering their accounts to each other discreetly.

"I have to say your side sounded a lot more pleasant than mine," Sienna responded. "Still, it looks like you've lucked out, one of those girls, the one in red, reeks of dark magic. The same kind I've been tracking this whole time."

"Is that so?" Kruber said as he glanced at Elise. She and her partner were still bound to the tree by a single loop of rope. "So what should we do?"

"From the sound of your side of things, she's just a girl who's in over her head," Sienna responded. "Still, it sounds like she can traverse these woods without much trouble, she'd be good to have as a guide. We need to stay together if we want to have any chance of ending this."

"Yeah, I'll give her a talk, but I don't think she'll be looking forward to helping us do an exorcism," Kruber remarked. "Then again, I don't think anyone would."

As the man walked back over to the group of girls, he could hear them discussing a matter.

"Well, the ropes have already been mostly cut," Lebkuchen said. "I doubt the townsfolk will think you're innocent like this. We might as well free you."

"Finally," Elise said with relief. "My whole body feels stiff."

"I'll get that," Kruber said as he cut the final restraint.

Immediately, the red-dressed girl began collapsing, but her friends and partner caught her before she could fall.

"You must be exhausted," Rozenmarine said as she and the other girls helped her down gently.

"I'm surprised you're not, Rosmarine," Elise replied.

"We should get you to a proper bed fast," Freya suggested.

"Freya's right, you'll need all the rest you can get before the townsfolk wake up," Lebkuchen added.

"Sorry, but do you think that could wait?" Kruber asked the group before turning to Elise. "Look, I know this isn't the best of times, but my friend and I need your help."

"You need my help?" Elise repeated skeptically. "For what?"

"Well, you know how to get through these woods, right?" Kruber asked. "My friend found something that we really need to deal with, but the only way we'll be able to do that is if we can get to it cleanly. We think you could help us with that."

"But wait, Elise is in no shape to do that now," Rozenmarine protested.

"Hold on, Rosmarine," the red-dressed girl said calmly to her partner before turning to the man. "Let's say I help you out, what do I get out of it?"

"Well, it sounds like you're having trouble with the townsfolk aren't you?" Kruber began. "If you help us, I can help prove your innocence."

"Yeah, right, why would they even listen to you?" Elise questioned.

"Look, when my boss sent me here, he gave me something as proof that I'm working under the authority of him and his client," the man explained. "If I show it to them, they'll be sure to listen, you can bet on that."

The red-dressed girl glared at the man skeptically, trying to find any signs of deception. After a long moment, she stood up.

"Alright, I guess I could stretch my legs anyways," Elise said as she dusted herself off. "But you better stick to your word. I want me and Rosmarine to get off scot-free."

"You can count on me," Kruber said as he went back to Sienna.

"Are you sure you'll be alright, Elise?" Freya asked concernedly.

"Don't worry, Freya, I've been through worse," the red-dressed girl replied as she stretched, preparing for the long hike.

"Even so, you should be prepared," Freya said as she brought out a small container. "I know it's not much, but this is an ointment I made, it should help if you get hurt."

"Thanks, Freya," Elise said gratefully as she accepted her friend's offering.

"Hold on, you're probably a bit thirsty, Elise," Rozenmarine spoke up as she dug through her pockets before pulling out a small, glass bottle. "I made some grape juice last night. I had this bottled before the townsfolk got me."

"Thank you, Rosmarine," Elise responded as she popped the cork off the bottle and drank its contents. "I feel a little refreshed already."

As the red-dressed girl began to walk away, she was stopped by Lebkuchen.

"Hold on, Elise," the nun said. "I need to give you something too."

"What is it, Leb?" Elise asked.

"Look, I know you've been up to something odd in the woods," the nun began.

"Uh... I don't know what you mean, Leb," Elise said evasively.

"You can't lie to me, Elise," Lebkuchen responded. "But, whatever's going on in there, I want you to come back safely."

The nun took out a trinket from her pocket and handed it to her friend. It seemed to be plated in gold and in the shape of a flower, opening the latch revealed a small mirror.

"Father Hans said that this was blessed to help protect against sinister forces. I've never truly believed in these kinds of things, you know that better than anyone," the nun said. "But even so, I hope it'll protect you."

"Thanks, Leb," Elise said as she accepted the pocket mirror.

With that, she departed.

The trio hiked into the woods, following the trail to their destination. It would be a long trek. And so, for the time being, they began conversing, revealing much about their situation.

"So, it sounds like the townsfolk don't really like you that much," Sienna said.

"The feeling's mutual," Elise replied. "I can't wait to ditch this rathole of a town."

"Yeah, but you have some solid friends here," Kruber added. "That's worth something, ain't it?"

"Yeah, and I'll help them out too," the red-dressed girl responded. "When I get rich."

"How do figure you'll do that?" the man asked.

"I have my ways," Elise answered vaguely.

"Well, it seems we're going to be walking for quite a bit, eh?" Kruber thought aloud.

"We should be," Elise responded. "These woods are vast."

"You're telling me," Sienna remarked. "It felt like an eternity when I was wandering through it."

"So, since we've got some time to pass," the man began. "Up for a story?"

"I wouldn't mind one," Sienna answered. "Besides, it'll keep our minds from idling like last time."

"You know what, fine," Elise said. "They're not too bad, I guess."

"Well, alright then, I think I've got a good one to wrap the night," Kruber said as he trailed alongside his companions. "This is the story of someone who wanted more in life, someone like you and me..."

Chapter Text

"So there was once a lad, born to a plain old farmstead on the outskirts of a town," Kruber began. "His family didn't have all that much, but they at least had each other, and they managed to get by. His childhood was full of hardship, labouring in the fields alongside his family, but with that came a sort of warmth. He never felt alone in those times, and he had many joyful times with his family and friends."

"That must've been nice," Elise mumbled, thinking of her own childhood. Even though the townsfolk had always ostracized her and Holle, she had never felt alone with her granny and friends at her side. Things started to fall apart once Holle passed away. Even with her friends still keeping her company, they could never fill the hole left behind.

"Perhaps, but the lad was never satisfied with that sort of life," the man continued. "He had a dream, a dream of something more. He dreamt of adventure, of fame, of wealth, things of that sort. And as he grew, so did that dream, even if it didn't do him much good. It made him a bit of a rebel, and he got into a bit of trouble with his folks over it at times."

"But is that wrong?" the red-dressed girl asked, thinking over her own experiences and how she'd been put down by the townsfolk of Kieferberg. "Why do some people act like it's so wrong to dream of something more?"

"The way I see it, it's not really a question of right or wrong," Kruber responded. "Some people just want more in life, it's just how things are, and some people don't understand that."

"Whatever's the case, they should just mind themselves," Elise said. "That's what I say."

"Maybe, but that doesn't stop them, does it?" Sienna asked.

"No, it really doesn't," the red-dressed girl answered tiredly.

"So, one day, a big beast came onto the farmstead," Kruber continued. "It tore up the fields badly, the bugger even killed some livestock, and the family went into a bit of a panic, trying to get everyone and everything secure. But the lad went out to deal with it."

"I'm guessing it didn't turn out too well for him?" Elise asked.

"Actually, he managed to slay it without much of a scratch on him," the man answered. "And that experience lit something in him. It gave him a drive that he didn't have before, it made him believe that he could achieve his dream."

'This is sounding familiar,' Sienna thought, realizing what story her companion was telling.

"A little while after that day, the lad ran away from his home," Kruber continued. "He was still young and he knew that his family wouldn't approve of what he was about to do, so he ran all the way to another town, and that's where he decided to enlist as a soldier."

"That's something a lot of boys want to be," Elise thought aloud, remembering the town's children playing soldier from time to time. "I've never really understood it. Sounds more like a life of trouble."

"I guess it's just something that comes to us," the man remarked. "Anyways, the lad worked hard in the coming years, and he turned out to be a pretty decent soldier, he even ended up being promoted to a sergeant and got to lead a unit of men he helped train himself. He got to see all sorts of places while on and off duty. The pay was pretty good too."

"It sounds like running away from home was a good choice for him then," the red-dressed girl remarked. "I mean, he got what he wanted, didn't he?"

"I guess you could say that," Kruber thought aloud. "In a way, you could say he achieved his dream, or at least most of it. But it didn't last forever."

As the man continued, his voice began to grow shaky.

"One day, on the battlefield, things were going well at first," Kruber continued. "He and his unit were fighting well, they were winning too. It looked like it was going to be a clean victory. Some of them were even talking about celebrating after as they fought."

The man paused for a moment, his expression growing melancholic.

"Markus, if you don't want to continue, you don't have to," Sienna said empathetically.

"No, I just needed a moment," Kruber responded as he recomposed himself. "Then, in just a few moments, they perished, all of them. All except for him."

"That sounds horrible," Elise remarked, her voice holding a hint of concern. She had never experienced war herself, but anyone could understand the tragedy of loss.

"It was," the man responded. "And with the loss of the men who stood beside him for so long, everything that lad had, his wealth, his rank, the adventure, all of it felt empty. So he decided to return home, but when he finally came back, his family wasn't there anymore."

"How did that happen?" the red-dressed girl asked.

"That's probably not a question you want to ask," Sienna said.

"That part's not important," Kruber replied solemnly. "They were just gone, and the lad was all alone."

"So, what's the message here?" Elise asked, having caught on to the man's intention in telling the story. "Are you saying that I shouldn't pursue my dream?"

"No, I honestly can't tell you what to do about that, I don't know the answer myself, really," the man responded. "It's just, looking back on things, I wish I appreciated everything I had more. And I thought that might apply to you as well."

"I see," the red-dressed girl said thoughtfully.

"Feels like we're getting near," Sienna remarked, feeling the air thickening with the scent of dark magic.

The group had travelled a notable distance by now, and they began to notice their surroundings warp into twisted parodies of the lush forest that they had once traversed through.

"Better keep our guard up then," Kruber remarked. "We don't want a repeat of last time."

"We'll be lucky if nothing shows up," Elise muttered, recalling the dangers she'd faced before in the woods while pursuing her dream.

The further they went, the more things began to distort. Suddenly, Sienna and Kruber halted in their trek and began looking observing the foliage around them.

"Hey, these are just like the ones my mum used to care for at home," Kruber said as he knelt in a patch of fiendish-looking flowers. "I never remembered what she called them, but they're so beautiful."

"I know what you mean," Sienna added, gazing longingly at a tree with a wicked bulb hanging from one of its branches. "My sister and I used to climb on these all the time. We'd race to see who could get the most fruit, they're really sweet."

"Why are you two acting weird all now?" Elise asked, looking at the pair confusedly.

"What do you mean, lass?" Kruber questioned as he gestured to their surroundings. "This orchard is something to admire, can't you see?"

"No, not really," the red-dressed girl responded, glancing at the hellish landscape around them.

"It's only natural, Markus," Sienna added. "Youths are in such a rush these days, it's hard for them to appreciate things like this."

"Oh, that's a shame," the man said as he continued gazing at the flowers.

'These two are completely out of it,' Elise realized, noticing an unnatural blankness in their eyes. 'I guess something like this must've happened to Apfel when he got lost.'

But as her moment of concern passed, she realized the opportunity before her.

'Wait, I could complete the last steps to getting my wish now,' Elise thought. 'This should be where it happens.'

As the red-dressed girl looked around, she saw a pedestal in a small clearing surrounded by twisted trees. As she drew near, she began to hear things.

'The Tender Flesh of earthly desire, offer it here,' an uncomfortably familiar voice whispered in her mind.

'The Tender Flesh? I should have that on me,' Elise thought as she sifted through her pockets before pulling out the hair-infused bread roll she had made days before and placing it on the pedestal.

As soon as she placed her offering, she heard the sound of a crow's caw before the trees began to part, revealing a new pathway that had once been blocked.

"Oh, fireflies," Sienna said as approaching Elise. "My sister and I used to catch those, it's comforting to see so many here."

"Fireflies? What are you talking about?" Elise asked, looking at where the woman's gaze was directed, only to see empty air.

"Looks like they've made a nest in this stump," Kruber remarked, looking at the pedestal.

"Stump? You two aren't making any sense," the red-dressed girl muttered, before looking at the new pathway. "Whatever, it doesn't matter right now."

As Elise continued down the path, with the pair following her closely, she was greeted by numerous golden spectres, the same ones she had seen throughout the pursuit of her wish, offering her guidance and advice.

"Oh, how wonderful it is to see you here," one of the spectres said.

"What is your wish, lass?" a spectre asked curiously.

"We look forward to your feast with Him," another spectre stated with anticipation.

Elise ignored them all as she continued forward, eventually arriving at another pedestal.

'The Sweetest Nectar, to be drunk in earnest, bring it here,' another familiar voice whispered in her mind.

'The Sweetest Nectar? That one was pretty painful to make,' Elise thought as she drew a decorated vial filled with a mixture of fountain water and her blood, placing it on the pedestal.

Once again, the trees began to part, revealing another pathway ahead.

"A fountain and the water's so clear," Kruber remarked, looking at the pedestal.

"I'm not much into waterworks, but I have to admit, it's beautiful," Sienna added.

"We should keep moving," Elise interrupted, leading the group further down the path.

As the group kept moving, they eventually arrived at a stump with an eye carved into it. As they approached, a new voice spoke.

"You've arrived in good company, I see," the unfamiliar voice said.

Once again, the trees parted, revealing a tree with a large nook big enough for someone to enter. In moments, the nook lit up with a warm, fiery glow, and treasures spewed out from it, littering the tree's roots with crafts of gold, jewels, and beautiful tapestry.

"This must be the gate the old hag told me about," Elise remarked, looking at the tree.

The red-dressed girl couldn't help but grin as she gazed at the sight before her. She had done it, she had managed to open the path to her wish. Now, she just needed to step through.

But before she went through the nook, a thought crossed her mind. She looked back at the pair that had come with her. Their goal was to put an end to the sinister happenings in the woods, to help them would mean forfeiting her wish.

"But if I go through with this, Rosmarine, Freya, and Leb..." Elise said, thinking things over. Even if she achieved her wish for wealth, it wouldn't solve the trouble with the townsfolk that she and her friends were in. The pair had agreed to argue her case if she had helped them in their task, to go through with her plan would nullify that agreement. Granted there was no guarantee that their efforts would succeed in quelling the townsfolk, but it was more than nothing, could she really throw it away to achieve her wish?

Elise paused for a long moment as she thought of her partner and friends. At times, she had held a bit of resentment towards them, for being nuisances, for being above her, for holding her back. But throughout their time together, they had always been by her side. Even Rozenmarine, who she had only known for barely a week, had supported her fully in her pursuits. The kindness that they had all shown her had never been repaid by her, and they had never demanded such. If there was one thing she knew for certain, it was that she didn't want to lose them.

"Oh, for goodness' sake," Elise muttered as she sifted through her belongings before drawing a bottle containing St. Walpurga's oil. She had never truly believed in such things, but it seemed to ward off the sinister influence that had plagued the woods throughout the week.

Popping off the cork, she splashed the pair with the bottle's contents. Immediately, their daze disappeared, replaced with shock and confusion.

"What in Taal's name happened!?" Kruber exclaimed, looking around.

"Oh, that's not good," Sienna muttered nauseously as she clasped a hand on her mouth.

"Hey, you two came here to put an end to this, right?" Elise asked, gesturing at the gateway. "Well, put an end to it so we can get out of here already!"

"Got it," Kruber said as he drew a winged candlestick from his bag and lit it, causing it to emit a purifying light that seemed to push back against the gateway's glow.

"It's still so powerful, though," Sienna said, gazing at the gateway. Even with it suppressed, it still raged on. "It won't be easy."

Just then, something in Elise's pocket began to glow vibrantly.

"Wait, what's that?" Sienna asked, glancing at the red-dressed girl.

"It's Leb's mirror," Elise realized as she drew the trinket from her pocket. As she opened it, the glow of the gateway shrunk further, seemingly warded off by the mirror's presence.

"Whatever it is, it's helping, hold it out," Sienna said before she began channelling a spell.

Red threads of magic flowed around her as channelled her magic before they suddenly went across the gateway as if they were stitching the opening shut. After a few moments, the gate's glow was gone, along with all the treasures that had once littered its entrance. All the twisted foliage around them had also been replaced by mundane forestry. A new calmness filled the air and the night seemed to be fading into early morning.

"And that's it," Sienna said exhaustedly before turning to look at the red-dressed girl. "Thanks for coming along with us, I don't think we would've closed it without your help."

"Just make sure you hold up your side of the deal," Elise responded. "Let's hurry back, the townsfolk will probably be there any minute."

"Aye, we will," Kruber affirmed as the group began making their way back.

"The one of the witches is gone!" Old Jochen shouted panickedly.

A crowd of worried townsfolk gathered at the edge of the woods, all murmuring worriedly at the sight before them. One of the accused witches they had apprehended had disappeared, and it seemed that two of their most trusted members had assisted them.

"Freya, how could you do this?" Gustav asked worriedly. Though he put up a stern face, he was more worried about the consequences his daughter would face rather than what she had done.

"It wasn't right, father," Freya argued. "You know Elise wouldn't have done those things. And neither would Rozenmarine."

"Lebkuchen, this is very disappointing, you have no idea how much trouble you've caused by doing this," Hans chided.

"Father Hans, what we did to Elise and Rozenmarine was unjust, it wasn't right to leave them here," the nun responded.

"We really didn't do anything," Rozenmarine said above the chittering of the crowd.

"Ah, looks like we're back," Kruber said as he walked past the treeline.

"Seems a crowd's formed up while we were away," Sienna remarked as she walked alongside her companion.

"Finally, my legs feel so sore," Elise said as she followed.

"Elise!" the red-dressed girl's partner and friends shouted in greeting as they welcomed her back, rushing to support their tired companion.

"You, you helped the witches escape didn't you!?" Old Jochen said accusingly at the strangers before him.

"Take it easy, there's no need to worry, this witch business has been solved," Kruber replied, attempting to de-escalate the situation.

"And what's that supposed to mean?" Hans questioned suspiciously.

"You lot have noticed all sorts of odd things happening, right?" Kruber began remembering information he had gathered from previous conversations. "Things like plagues of crows and snakes, children going missing in the woods, and other sinister omens? Well, you can relax, because it'll all stop now."

"How can you say that when you freed one of the witches!?" Old Jochen presisted.

"We did nothing of the sort, these girls were innocent," Kruber said gesturing to Elise and her friends. "Because of her brave actions, we were able to hunt down the real witch, and trust me, she won't be bothering you folk any longer."

The crowd of townsfolk began murmuring in confusion at the stranger's words. Many were doubtful, but many also wished to believe that the terrors they had been facing all week would cease.

"Pardon, sir, but why should we believe you?" Gustav asked, hoping the man could prove his trustworthiness, mostly for his daughter's sake.

"Simple, it's my job to do this," Kruber said as he withdrew a document and held it for all the townsfolk to see. "I am witch hunter Victor Saltzpyre and I have been sent here to investigate rumors of witchcraft in this town on behalf of the die Heilige estate."

"Wait, what!?" Elise exclaimed, shocked.

"Do you think Saltzpyre's going to be angry that you pretended to be him?" Sienna asked.

"Well, he said we were going to do this work under his authority," Kruber responded. "That's basically giving us permission to use his name like that, isn't it?"

"Interesting conclusion," Sienna remarked. "Maybe we should ask him what he thinks of it."

"Well, let's not tempt things, alright," Kruber said cautiously.

"Don't worry, darling, I'm just kidding," Sienna responded. "By the way, do you think that girl will be fine? Playing around with dark magic isn't a joke."

"I think so. After all, she helped us get rid of it, didn't she?" Kruber asked.

"Let's just hope you're right," Sienna said as she and her companion began their long trek back home.

"You two aren't leaving together?" Freya asked surprisedly as she and the rest of her friends gathered together.

"Rosmarine and I love each other," Elise began, glancing at her partner longingly. "But there are some things we have to figure out about ourselves, alone."

"But we'll meet again," Rozenmarine added, clutching the apron her partner had given her as a parting gift. "Let's all come back here once a year, on this day, and catch up with each other."

"It'll be a bit difficult for me, I plan to travel all throughout the country," Lebkuchen said. "But I'll make sure to make time for it."

"Well, Primeldorf isn't too far away from here," Freya said. "I should be able to schedule without much conflict with my work."

"Then it's settled," Elise announced. "A year from now, we'll all come back here and see how far we've come."

Thus ended a tumultuous night in the town of Kieferberg.