The Witch

[nohalation]

Reaching the top of the stairs, you are met with a door that leads you into another with a flash of light.



You stand in a forested room with many mushrooms scattered about. This room... actually looks like a normal forest. Beyond this scene is the setting ""sun"", tinting the area in a sea of orange. While the setting is likely a lovely sight to behold, you're being watched by the figure leaning against one of the nearby trees.



She's dressed in such a way that'd make her stand out in a crowd of people, but she doesn't stand out in a room like this at all.

"I thought you would be arriving." Though she states this calmly, and looks over the lot of you with a hint of amusement.

The small children(??) responsible for fucking up your garden run up to her, and cling to her poofy skirt. Before allowing herself to get distracted, before allowing you to get a word in, she speaks up again; a bead of sweat makes it down her face.

"We have a great ordeal on our hands, don't we. I hope we can clear this up without violence..."


Dusk watches, hands on hips, and though she hadn't been carrying a smile since the Fun Guy incident, she seems to have found a new one. "That'd be great! I like your dress, it reminds me of fish."

The mushroom lady blinks, looking over her dress. Is she for real? This is confusing, that's for certain. "A... a fish? My, have you never seen a phallus indusiatus before?"

"A what?" Juno asks, because they sure haven't.

"I was thinking like a fishnet..." Dusk murmurs.

The mushroom lady's smile is a bit strained, but not out of frustration or irritation. She's bewildered. She expected hostility, demands, threatening comments. She's not sure if she should drop her guard...

Nonetheless, she kneels and brushes away some grass and pulls out...A mushroom?


"It's a mushroom of many names... it's edible, and quite nice to look at."

"Oh, it's so............"

Dusk gasps.

"Cute! ❤❤❤"

Is... is this a trap? The mushroom lady's smile is still strained, what is going onnnnn. "This won't work on me. I must know—are you here to eradicate me?"

Dusk blinks, looking at the others. Are any of them making threatening faces...."....No?"

Clima just sits on one of the marshmallow men, watching benignly.

Something seems to click for Juno, "Oh! Are you the witch?"

"The witch? Oh... is that what I'm being called?"

She raises an eyebrow and casts a look towards the children(?) who all scatter into the trees. Well, whatever. The woman brushes her hair out of her face.

"I'm not a witch at all. After all, I don't know any magic."

Dusk Headtilts. "Oh....then what do you do?"

The not-witch stands her ground, keeping a cool composition, though her fists are clenched tightly at her side. "Before I explain myself, I want you to explain yourself. Why is half of this labyrinth with you? Why are you here? What do you want?"

"Money!" Primrose exclaims.

"Well . . . I guess they wanted to go to my kingdom! It'll be fun there, some people can be beautiful, etc.etc. " Dusk looked back at all the people and realized, huh. We really did collect a lot of people along the way, didn't we? Cool. " Oh, I don't really want money though. Well, money would be helpful but that's not the reason we're here!"

...

"Well maybe it is for Daisy though!"

"I have no money, Daisy, unless you see value in this land..." Primrose, you don't look like a Daisy, but okay. She looks on, focusing on Dusk, fidgeting her fingers. "Why?"

"Um . . . something about food being stolen, I think." Dusk taps her chin. Hmmmm.

She blinks, and turns towards the children(?), who now hide behind the trunks of some of the trees. "You stole food? That is what you did?" she asks, through nearly gritted teeth. She has to keep some composure, but right now, in these circumstances, it's difficult.

The children yelp.

"You told us to scare them away!"
"Right! We were going to steal that disastrous emblem, but they sealed it up!"
"So we did the next best thing! We took their food!"

They all nod in agreement. The "witch" purses her lips, and addresses this calmly.

"You did exactly the opposite. Why, that kind of thing is exactly what would draw someone into their nest. You raised me to think fast on my feet, so I have to say I'm surprised..."

The child??ren???? look down at the ground, ashamed...

Dusk headtilts the other way. "Raised . . . "

She faces Dusk, casting the children(?) a side glance. "Yes. When I fell into this labyrinth years ago, I needed... assistance. This was completely different from the lifestyle I sustained before. With their help, I was able to stand on my own two feet."

"In other words, they raised me."

"You fell in?" :O :O :O "Wow, that's pretty bad luck!"

Oh. That presses exactly the right button to quiet her. She looks distant. "You wanted me to explain what I am... is that right?"

Did Dusk actually ask that? Hmmmm, she can't recall. "Well, sure if you want, I guess."


"I mean, I'm sure it's okay, whatever you are?" Juno, the Construct, says.

"I bear no shame in what I am. In fact, I feel nothing but pride."

The children seem to notice something... in her mood? They peek out from behind the trees with their fists held in cheer.

"Sulfur! Show them your magic!"
"Yeah, show them your spells!"
"You know more magic than anyone, so—

The "witch" sighs. "My guardians are confused. Their heads are swelling twice their size... It's because they don't know anything about my area of study, so I owe them no fault, being as they come from a world much different than the one I came from."

All three children tilt their head. Neither seem offended.

"What I'm good at is chemical composition. This is an understanding of natural and synthetic elements, and knowing how to create new and bold substances." She chuckles. "My tricks are old, but they're nothing to bat an eye at."

She reaches into her capelette, tugging out a potion of liquid. She shoves her hand into the other side of her capelette, searching.

"Drugs, medicines, potions, poisons... these are my specialties."

Just then, her smile grows wicked. Her head hangs low, bangs casting a shadow over her face. In a single motion she jams a cotton ball into the potion bottle, and sets it alight with a match.

"Sulfur of the Woods isn't a witch—she's a chemist!"

In seconds she's laughing wildly. She chucks the bottle into the air above her, and it crashes down around her. The children(?) escape quickly, and none of you are in range of the flames that suddenly erupt around her. She presses a hand to her face, and she laughs. The flames highlight her eyes, making them flash brilliantly.

"I'm not opposed to violence after all. Whatever you are here for, whatever it may be, it clearly involves taking away the one thing precious to me—this labyrinth! I won't stand for it. I'll protect this with every last inch of my body, so come at me, you children! Show me what you're made of!"
Dusk the Best06/18/2017
Dusk claps her hands, a little bit mystified at what just happened, wow! "It's very much like a magic show, isn't it?"

That's probably exactly why the children(?) thought it was magic, huh...

"Is this, what are they called..." Juno thinks for a moment, also enthralled, "Oh! It's fireworks! I've heard of stories!"

Dusk turns to Juno, eyes suddenly sparkling. "These are fireworks?!"

She has heard of them also in stories, but it's not a very common occurrence obviously.

"Yes, obviously." Juno nods, sure of it, "I don't know what that has to do with violence though?"


Just then, Two large mushroom(?) dragons(?) come around the flames. They tower over you, and bear sharp teeth.



"This isn't some game!" Sulfur shouts from behind her flame barrier.

"This one doesn't have a dress on it! What type is it?" Dusk shouts back at her, I guess she's take out her sword tho.

Primrose unsheathes(?) her crossbow, staring at the light show in wonderment. "If it's not a game, why are you making it so game-like?"

"I wish you wouldn't joke... nothing about this is game-like. You can't give me a clear answer, so I just have to give you mine."

Beyond the flames, you can see her shove her caplette back. As it turns out, she has NUMEROUS, potion bottles of various sizes strapped to herself on a belt. She's hella prepared.

"You didn't give me a clear answer about what type of mushroom this is either!" She puffs up her cheek, gosh darn it.

"Wow! Have you thought about starting a business? Dusk, hey, Dusk! Do we have like, rope or something?" Primrose shouts.

"I have a flag!"

"Flags aren't rope! Dusk!"

"Just take some of your clothes and tie them up or something!"

"No way, I need those!"

"Take Peanut's clothes!"

Walnut turns her head. "- What?!"

"Fiiiine."

Peanut's been here the whole time. Actually, wait a second - "My name isn't Peanut!"

Dusk turns around, looking shocked. Who knows if she's being serious or not at this point.

"Aren't walnuts just big peanuts?" Prim asks.

Walnut shoots them both a nasty glare.

But there are more important things right now, she guesses, so she takes her robes from her pack and tosses them in Primrose's direction. She has more, it's fine.

Sulfur watches with dead eyes. She's behind a wall of flames, but, uh, ya'll. Ya'll this isn't an anime, you can't just... really?

"I'm still not sure why we have to fight at all..." Juno says, not at all preparing, "I mean, we don't want to take this labyrinth?"

Clima still sits on one of the marshmallow men, watching the mushroom dragon. Honestly it doesn't really... look that intimidating? It looks kind of tasty, actually.

"Well, if fighting is the way to make new friends, I'm not opposed to it!"

Primrose catches Walnut's robes and waves Juno off with her crossbow, tutting at them. "Yeah, but I decided I wanna take her!"

"But why???" Juno asks, just, baffled and wanting answers. Most importantly: "Is fighting really the way to make friends?"

"Don't act like some fool. I know what what this new court was established for... I learned straight from the source myself. You need land, you need MONEY, you need resources such as food, and you require the means to develop yourself further so your pathetic kingdom does not become a speck!"

Sulfur purses her lips, yelling through fire is really getting...

"You won't be taking me! And there's nothing about friendship!!"

Juno tilts their head, still not at all convinced, "What does needing all that have to do with taking it away from you though... can't we just all work together? Being friends is better, isn't it?"

"And anyway, your parents are coming with us! You'll have to eventually visit anyway."

Sulfur's long gone. Her desperate, forced laughter is the only sound that makes it past the crackling of the flames.

"Aw, nuts, I never did figure out what mushroom type these are." Dusk sighs, oh well, they tried (?).