Netori: Stealing The Hero's Party!

Chapter 791: Witch Vs Witch

Being approached by one of Raven’s girls in the middle of the night through the teleportation ring, Linkle reluctantly decided to make a trip back to Eclanor. She was supposed to be keeping an eye on Aradin and his wife, but after hearing of another witch being in the city of the blind, she couldn’t help herself from checking out who this person truly was.

Teleporting in an instant in front of the whole group, she wasted no time eyeing the crimson witch. Her aura was enough to give up her real identity. An otherworlders–just like her, although with a much different hint of reality. Slowly approaching the woman as everyone took a step away from her and the plethora of goods lying on the bed, Linkle held a hand forward with a whispered spell.

”Who are you?” She asked, questioning the very humanity of the woman.

”Uhmm...What is this about?” Erika huffed with an awkward smile.

”Just answer the damn question!” Linkle demanded.

”Linkle! Stop it; she helped Hilma, alright? She’s not a threat!” Jumping into the witch’s rescue, Regalia slapped the witch’s hand down.

”What?” Squinting, the witch turned to the demi-girl. Visibly confused, she felt lost in an instant. ”What are you talking about?”

”Let me explain...” Heaving a sigh, Regalia showed the witch a seat. ”I should’ve told you guys from the start. But here goes, I guess.”

And so, finally, Regalia told everyone everything that had happened on her visit to Aesteradia. Leaving no details behind, she told them about the suicide attempt, the help from Erika and the horrid blood rain. At first, it was quite the thing to digest, but seeing Hilma still struggling to wake up gave some credibility to what Regalia had to say.

The cheer from before, as everyone was rummaging through the witch’s merchandise, had died in a few minutes. Nobody knew what to say or think; after all, it was the second time that someone in their group had tried to commit suicide. The first attempt may have been rash, but the second was a downward spiral. Unfortunately for Hilma, nobody could be spared to be with her in that vulnerable moment, as a war was going on.

Perhaps if that wasn’t the case, then maybe—just maybe, just like Maria, she could’ve been talked out of a harsh decision.

Sensing the tenseness in the air, however, Erika–the witch—looked around at everyone before starting to rummage with her merchandise and packing up what everyone wanted. Packaging everything nicely, she began handing out the bras to the elves, Erika, and the centaurians, who also suffered from carrying the weight of their massive chests. Some other accessories were passed along as well, mostly lingerie that stretched or shrunk to the wearer’s size and even made their bodies glow with an oily shine. Although intimate wear wasn’t her speciality, the witch held a few such clothes. Then were bags that could hold a thousand dresses, along with earrings and jewellery that changed to whatever design suited the wearer’s attire the most.

Getting a little more comfortable, the girls bought another handful of items from the witch, even Linkle got a little curious, and to lighten her mood, she shopped alongside the rest. At the end of which, the witch told her puppet to wrap everything that remained and push it back into her top hat. Finally, with everyone settled and their magic bags full of clothes, it was once again time for people to start talking.

”So you want to get back to your world but don’t have enough energy to make the jump?” Linkle asked, more than a bit versed in world jumping.

”Yes...and since I knew there was a devil of time–excuse me, a god of time in this world, I wanted to look for him and possibly get him to help me.”

”Razor.”

”Yes, that’s him.”

”Hmm...He doesn’t exactly show up whenever you call for him, you know?” Lifting her head, Linkle looked at the other witch again. ”Even if Raven comes back, it’s not like he can just get him to show up. That man is a wanderer, through and through, I’d say.”

”Awww...I thought we could finally go home!” With falling shoulders, the marionette Dandy let her frustration be known.

”I think I can help you, though.” Upon hearing Linkle’s words, however, Erika’s eyes began to glow. ”Damn it, I might have to talk to them again, and well...they are gonna need something from you too.”

”Who are you talking about exactly?” The witch asked, curious about this mystery person, as Regalia was about the red devil back when she’d first saved Hilma.

Crossing her legs, Linkle leaned back on her chair and pointed at the witch’s head.

”The cosmic wizards, my people. They will take a peek inside your head, learn what you know of your world, and that’s it. They’re hungry for information, but they never do anything with it.”

Even though the key to getting back home was within her reach, the witch, just as hungry to know more, decided to ask Linkle a question.

”Is that why you’re here and they aren’t? Because from the way you said that, it sounds to me that you couldn’t stand doing nothing with all that knowledge.”

Staring back at the witch, Linkle was quite frustrated by how accurate the woman’s assessment was. However, brushing that thought away, she offered a helping hand and asked.

”Are you ready or not? Once daylight hits, I can’t talk to them until the next night.”

”Of course, lead the way.” Getting up with her skirt pinched in between her fingers, the crimson witch gestured to the door. ”After you.”

”Wait, aren’t we gonna discuss this with Raven?” Mel asked from the background but was swiftly struck down with a counterargument.

”And what will he say? Send her home. Thanks for waiting until I got here so we’d be stuck in Elcanor for one more day until she’s gone.”

”Oh, that reminds me!” Graciously turning around, the crimson witch held her top hat with one hand and bowed. ”I couldn’t meet the man, but forward my regards to him.”

Lifting her head again, Erika moved her hat off her head and reached inside it.

”And well, since he has so many mistresses–not that it’s any of my business–I’d like you to give him this as a way of saying thanks for gathering such a fine company of ladies to receive me here.”

Holding a blood-red bottle in her hand, Erika’s smile broke for a moment.

”A potion made from my own blood. One sip and your man would be immortal–not invulnerable–for a whole day. His flesh can be torn, burnt, minced, or just splattered into a gore pile, but just as I do, thanks to the red devil’s curse, he will live, and he will survive. Given your profession, I’m sure that one day you might need it to keep him alive or perhaps revive someone in this room.” Looking over to Hilma, the witch spoke her last sentence before she finally left. ”See you again, and have fun with what you’ve bought.”

With the potion left in Mel’s hands, Erika–the crimson witch, followed Linkle to the mansion’s rooftop. There, the cosmic sorceress would convene with her people for a while, and upon coming to an agreement, the witch would be gone, possibly forever.