The Everlight party travels from south towards southeast of where they are standing now. Raye took out a map and look at it. There is a tundra before the next kingdom which they have to pass through. Raye pointed at the tundra and said to the rest of the Everlight party.
"I speculate that we need at least a week or two to reach to the tundra, then maybe another two more weeks to leave it, this whole journey would take about a month,"
"Three months of walking just for another month in the cold place,"
Al vexed as the Everlight party travels on a small ride. They sat inside a wagon where they can breathe the fresh air. Two horses at the front as an old man rides them. The Everlight party wanted to save time and cost so they picked something cheap instead of a carriage. Well, it is much better than a carriage if you think about it. Al doesn't have to squirm with Auoun and you can see the outside view. Without anything limiting the sight.
Tress towering at the side and flowers grown on both sides of the path. As they were travelling, a group of bandits suddenly came out of the bushes and threatens them. They attacked the rider, sending it onto the ground. A huge pool of blood formed on the ground as Al rushed to heal him.
"Don't move,"
One of the bandits threatened Al. They were all dressed in black clothing with mask that covers their mouth. They all wear hoods that cover the top of their head. The one threatening Al was holding a small dagger. Al didn't budge, he proceeds to heal the injured rider, ignoring the bandits.
"How dare you-"
Before the bandit rushed and attack the priest, his hands were severed. Losing both arms, he then lost both legs and falls onto the ground. The bandit shrieked as Raye just climbed down from the ride. His sword was unsheathed as he walks toward the bandits.
"You don't scare us!"
They then all ran towards Raye but before they could reach him, all of their hands and legs were severed. Raye did not sever their heads, letting them live on despite losing all of their limbs. A huge pool of blood formed around the bandits as they squirmed around. Raye just climbed back to the ride and reassured the rider. They then resume their journey, leaving the limbless bandits alone.
"How cruel,"
Will said to Raye as he wipes the blade of his sword.
"I let them live,"
"With there limbs lost, they might die due to blood loss anyway,"
"It's fine, they're bandits, robbing those who worked their ass off should pay for what they done,"
"..."
There were not any travellers or adventurers behind the Everlight party. Even if there were, they probably would not help them anyway.
After an hour, they had finally arrived to the next city. It wasn't any big like the previous cities they had visited, but they had something they are not proud of, that is, a witch.
"We have arrived,"
The Everlight party climbed down from the ride and enters the city. It was deserted. As if, everyone here had left their home for something.
"Hello? Is anyone there?"
Suddenly, a sound of a door creak open at their left. Raye quickly turned his head to the left and saw a guild. The city looks to be under drought. The grasses are dried up and water is limited. The Everlight party pushed open the door of the guild and enters it. While the outside of the guild is deserted, the inside is full of people.
"Who are you?"
A man roared at the Everlight party.
"We are the Everlight party, we so happen to pass by this city and decided to take a break here,"
Raye replied to the man. The people in the guild look at each other and laughs.
"Look here pal, let me give you an advise, leave this place, it's not big enough for the two of us,"
The people then laughs again. Raye places his left hand on his sword which the people notice.
"Are you trying to scare us? Did you not hear my advise, leave,"
Suddenly, the sound of taps came behind the guild. A man around his 40s came down from the stairs behind the guild and roared at the customer. He is a Rolken tribe and he has a brown hair, wearing a cowboy suit with a hat on his head.
"You guys are scaring the guests! Let me do it,"
The man then walked up to Raye and asked politely.
"I'm the guild master of this guild, how may I assist you?"
"We want a place to stay, I don't see any inn here so I supposed this is where I could find a bed,"
"...I'm sorry sir, but...we are under drought and famine, we are very limited with our resources,"
"What's with this drought and famine? I heard that this place used to be filled with lush greenery and a flower field?"
"That's what used to be this place of, because of that witch our city ended up like this,"
The guild master sighed and hesitated for a moment before deciding whether to let the Everlight party stay for a night.
"I could only let you stay for a night, how about this, if you defeat that witch, I will give you 10 bags of gold coins, one bag around 100 each,"
It's a good offer. In fact, the offer sounds like the person is robbing the guild master. Will instantly agree and signed an agreement with the guild master. Raye sighed at Will and asked information of the witch.
"So what's this witch about?"
"The witch of the touch of death, she was born with that curse and anything she touches rots or dies, usually she lock herself up in her house but just recently, she went rogue and causes this famine and drought, killing every livestocks we have and the plants that makes this place unique, she now is in the deepest part of the dungeon, be careful, one touch and you're dead,"
Touch of death? A curse befallen on a poor girl since birth, maybe that woman got something to do with it. Will lowers his head, as in understanding the situation. The guild master proceeds to tell them the dungeon location and everything they need to know about her.
The witch with the touch of death, she is still a young lady despite being called a witch. At birth, she killed her father and the doctors by simply touching them. Her mother managed to survive through avoiding the witch's grasp. Throughout then, she always stayed at home, not being allowed to go out as her mother teaches her everything. Even with that curse, her mother still loves her and would do anything for her. One day at the age of five, the witch was watching children playing outside at the field of flowers. Different flowers of different colours, creating a vibrant sight. "Mom, why can't I go out and play?" Asked the witch as she held her hands together, the curse does not works on her alone. "Darling, you are ill, very ill that going out will spread the illness," Her mother replied with a lie. "But mom, I can move freely and I'm not sick, why can't I go out?". The mother hesitated for a while and agreed to let her go out under her watch. It was a mistake, a mistake that took the cause of life.
The young witch went out to the field of flowers. She tries to hold hands with her mother but her mother moves it backward. There were children playing in the field and noticed the young witch walking in this field. The children who do not know about the young witch's curse came over and tried to play with her but the mother fended them off. The young witch does not understand her mother's action and for the next few days, she tries to sneak out and play with the children but her mother would always caught her before she enters the field. Until one day, she manages to sneak out into the field while her mother was busy with the laundry and ran into it. She stopped before the children that were playing in the field. The children turned their gaze to her as the young witch decided to pluck a flower and handed it to the children. It was a rose. At first, nothing happens to the rose as she handed it to one of the girl among the children. That girl reaches out her hand, having a huge smile on her face. Just before she could touch the rose, it withered from the stem to the flower, turning into dust. The young witch that had never touched anything before, not even a pencil was shocked. She tries to gather a few more flowers but all of them withered upon contact. The children that were once trying to play with the young witch fears her. They ran away and told their parents. And the parents complained to the young witch's mother.
"Mom, why does the flower wither when I touch it?"
"Darling, you have the magic that makes everything you touch lose their life, but the life that are lost makes you prettier, right now, you smell of the roses that you touch,"
It was another lie. Her mother had lied to her again. Though that time, she shouldn't have.
"Then…if I touch you, will I be as pretty as you?"
The mother watches her daughter as her eyes turns manic. Her mother tried to retreat but was soon cornered by her daughter. Her eyes darkened as the young witch reaches out her hands for her mother. Her mother shrieked as the young witch watches her mother's life left her eyes. When she snapped back out of it, she tries to wake her mother up, shaking her. Tears started swelling up her face as it rolls down. When the official arrives, they took the witch and enclosed her inside a room. This soon became known across the city. Every children feared her, those who tried to mock her was killed by a single touch of the witch. She has been living alone for the past few years until this year, the witch had now turned 19. Not to long ago, a man in feathers visited the witch. That time, the witch wore a gloves that help her touch things without worrying about provoking the curse. Having that, she can go to school and learn though people still gave her weird looks.
"Poor girl, being lied to all the time, do you want to get revenge on those who lied to you? They deserve to die for lying to you, lies may carry sweet words but they are just a facade for something deep and cruel, those that lie are the worse,"
And from that on, the witch's curse was provoked and worsen ever since. Now that whatever she touches, wherever she walks, she brings death with her. Just meeting her will remove the soul out of you. Will the Everlight party be able to help her out? Or will they fall onto the fate of those who lied to her?