And if We Cannot Find a Light, We’ll Burn The Forest Down (Witch)

Content Warning:

Comatose Doll, claustrophobia, blood and pricking fimbers, worry over a thing twisting loved one into breaking/loss of personhood. Talk of dying Doll/terminal illness. Nightmares about past abusers. Angry mists/haunting mupples. UMMM.... BEEEG chappy!

“Choices, choices, so few choices.” Yselda purrs. “Which is which my budding Witch?”

And… then I wake up screaming. Curl about myself like I’ve not done since… since…

“Xafra.” I whimper into the dark.

Only silence greets me.

{Xafra?}

No answer from the slack and still tether.

I jerk up and look about the chamber. Grasping out with my own Ousia sense and soul tethers to find…

No Xafra, and… my Doll sleeps. Not even stirred by their Mistress' cry of fear and longing and pain as she escaped a horrible Nightmare.

“Sch– Schatzi?” I whisper.

Nothing.

“Ver–”

“Witch Elevar!!!” Comes a wailing cry from downstairs.

I jerk.

Primrose?

I toss aside the covers and move to the steps just as Xafra’s first Doll comes stumbling up them. Very nearly falling into my arms as she shivers in anguish.

“P– Please. M– mistress Elevar.” She whimpers. “Mistress Xafra she… she’s…”

I just barely avoid snapping a furious command at the Doll with my Tone but… No. Won’t help. Will just send her into a mess after.

“Calmly, Primrose.” I intone as I rub her back and glance back as my unroused Doll. “One word in front of the rest now. Come on. Tell me where Xafra is.”

“I… I don’t know!” Primrose cries, and from the bond Xafra’s forged she’s shoving… something at me. “She… she gave me this. Just as she fell and told me she’d find her way back to me!”

Such a strange thing. Laden with Ousia. Nothing like the tomes I shared through the Archive.

Without hesitation I try to access it.

[You are currently unable to give informed consent to open this.] A simple message comes from the strange thing.

“She… I heard her go into the tunnels for a long time.” Primrose babbles as I glare off at nothing. “And the Old Mistress told us to watch for wanderers and bring them back and I found her and was doing that but… But then she spoke big again and… and a hole opened and… and…”

“Schatzi, Verbess. Up. Now!” I spit in my most furious Witch Tone.

They don’t rise.

My heart nearly stops at that. And I nearly have to drag the shivering Primrose behind me as I move back to them. Reach out to brush hair aside to find them still very much functional but…

Blood on their shirt? Lips? Forehead warmer than any Doll’s should ever be. And… where is the Heart?

{Calix, dear. Rouse Adaline and come to my chambers. Quick as you can. No distractions. Xafra’s in danger.}

[Yes Mistress!] He yelps.

I’ve barely slipped on a light blouse and trousers before Adaline bursts into the room with Calix following swiftly behind. "What has Mistress done?"

I motion to Primrose. “You, remain here with my Doll and tell them where I’ve gone if they wake.” Then to the other two. “Come. We need to talk while we move. Xafra's wandered below and upset this Estate.”

I turn to slip behind the shelf I had Verbess place in front of this Spire's entrance to the tunnels, then pause as I see the curling fog misting at the bottom of the steps. {Calix... before we get cut off. Can you tell me what this is?} And I send him the message Xafra left with Primrose. {It won't let me open it.}

"Fine. This one has dealt with worse. Let's get her back." Adaline adds.

I want to hiss at this wretched luck. Stupid Half-Knit, Adaline’s going to be so unsteady in those confines and Calix…

He looks over the message in confusion [I don't know, but the amount of Ousia is unusual. Seventeen thousand Thaums. If you transmitted that to a non-doll, they would probably just... die?]

Well… He’ll probably find the Loom interesting. Will help me double check how much this will cost us all.

“Keep it safe.” I huff and turn to continue down the steps. “She gave that to Primrose as this place dropped her into Containment. We need to get to the Central Loom, make sure this place doesn’t do worse. Stick close. Our bond will probably give out the second we enter that mist.”

"Gave what?" Adaline interjects.

"Some kind of message. Filled with Ousia and a message telling me I can't open it. Apparently it would kill any non-Doll who tries." I reply just as the miasma touches my toes.

Flickering on my own Ousia sight to try and sense this Estate's current regard...

"What? Like it's poisonous? That's nonsense." Adaline looks back at Calix and pulls from her backpack a length of rope that she ties around her waist at one end and Calix's at the other. "Don't get separated, or this one will beat you until you stop enjoying it, Calix."

Curious of me. Writhing in worry? Cracked and Riven Moon, Xafra! What did you do!?!

“Raw information too much for my mind, from the way he explained it.” I move forward, setting a brisk pace. “And Calix? Stick to spoken words till we’re back above or the miasma clears. Feel free to examine it more so long as you don't risk opening it. Share what you find with Adaline and I.”

"How much information?" Adaline asks as she ensures both her and Calix stay in lock step with me.

"Seventeen thousand Thaums." Calix mumbles as he twiddles his fingers in some odd patterns.

"Why would she send you the equivalent of an infant's soul?" Adaline murmurs.

I very nearly tumble to a stop at that.

She… WHAT?

"Necessary information acquired? Mistress', the thingy spoke." Calix states.

I hiss, picking up the pace. Dig nails into palms as I steady my voice. “Thank you for puzzling that out for me, Calix.”

Stupid Gerl. Nothing in there is worth more to me than you. Why toss yourself into this position right as we were settling!?! We… we could have stayed safe for decades without anyone even caring to check on this old rotting place!

The miasma churns in odd patterns as we pass. More alert that I’ve seen in years. And ahead are now the doors to the Undercroft and the memorial to the Dolls that died.

My heart clenches as I feel Adaline hesitate behind me.

“Last steps. The Loom is just ahead.” I continue forward and carefully pull it down, ensure nothing rips and as little touches the ground as possible. Carefully but without hesitating folding it over my arm as I push at the doors behind it, I glance back. “The miasma won’t hurt you two, might even lead you back if you need to go. I understand. Haven't been able to come down here for years myself. But I… I can manage this from here.”

No matter what it costs us. I won't leave these Dolls to fade without a good Mistress ever again.

"We'll be alright to join you.” Adaline insists. “Let's continue."

"Hmmm?” Calix echoes. “Yes! This one wants to help."

“Thank you. I…” Can’t get the words out, so instead I turn and lead us, drawing the knitting needle and placing it in my left hand.

Tunnels twist from ugly shale and vines into well wrought tiles and walls. And ahead the passageway splits into three. The central with a scaled curtain hanging, and two that twist down and away.

“Miasma is still quiet. Good. Means this place still recognizes me as her Floret.” I sigh in relief as I step up to the curtain and push it aside.

Revealing the Uppermost Loom to Yselda’s Estate.

It’s a smaller space than I remember, but… thrums with the countless spinning wheels and threads and scrolls that twist and pull about along walls and ceiling. Without pause I step up to the central weave and deftly begin pricking my right hand on the needle. Thumb, and four side bearing fingers. Leave the pointing one free.

You might be reading a pirated copy. Look for the official release to support the author.

“Calix, Adaline, go over there and keep an eye on those Scrolls. Look for any marking bigger than your thumb or tears in the threads or cloth.”

"Yes ma'am!" They both respond while stepping up to the tasks.

Four droplets of blood ready to fall yet held still with Physis as I fill them with Ousia, my little Archive fluttering to life before my eyes, I grip the thread.

A stream of information washes through it. Nearly shattering my collection and overwhelming my mind with the raw knowledge of the Estate. Seemingly endless and raw and horribly foreign to my Archive and mind. But…

Cracking one's mind is how you have to become a Witch. So I ignore the mess. Focus. Find Xafra. Look for the way you suspect this place would mark her. It’s easier than I expected, but not for any good reasons.

The fool gerl’s already been moved into Containment chamber 6! Need to skim past the useless parts, find the uprooting commands.

“135 useless monsters, 3 potentials…” A memory from my Nightmare’s muses past. “Why not reknit them a touch? Make them–”

“Cracked and Riven Moon. Be quiet!” I hiss and look past the memory echo wafting through the stream. Then call back “Adaline, I’m going to try and force something. There will be some tearing, but anything smaller than your hand is fine.”

Adaline looks to bite back comments and simply responds "Yes ma'am."

I reach out with Physis tinted with my Blood’s Ousia into the weave laid before me within the setting of my own little Archive. Feeling about and searching for the root of this. The logic behind this jump from observation to… to Synthesis. Pluck at the stem of information with my Ousia to replace it w–

Adaline hisses as the spooled scroll within her cluster makes a loud tearing sound, sending strings and parchment to thrashing. Torn asunder. All around us the Estate seems to shake in warning as more miasma wafts into the room.

"Alright, fine." I growl. "You can leave those to help Calix, Adaline. It's told me quite clearly it thinks me a fool in that regard. Let's try for this second subtle attempt."

"Bloody Riven bitch." Adaline dashes across to beside Calix who's struggling to keep track of the rapidly moving loom.

Let’s… try for this then. Go deeper.

Can already feel the Glyphs thrumming to life around her, the… the process it intends to use to Synthesis her.

Pressurize her form under snap-cold temperatures. Use spinnings that I can feel have broken much larger and denser creatures. I have to deliberately not access those weaves else risk total fracturing of my little Archive. Too much detail. Then… reshape and remold. If she’d been immune to the Tone I’d be less worried but… once that spell activates.

It won’t. You have options. Try this next one.

Find its core reason for Containment.

Her use of the Tone. Talk of… Oh. Moonshite.

I try anyway, even though I already expect the cracking of the Loom by Adaline and Calix.

Reknit the logic to include what Xafra is, and isn’t. Not her abilities, those seem to be guessed at here, but her will. Her goals. Drives. Even try for a few memories of her work with the Dolls here.

The Estate’s shaking roar drowns out the Looms' fracture and the Dolls exclamations while the miasma rises all about us. My Ousia senses show me that it’s mostly ignoring those two, at least. Writhing about the stupid Half-Knit trying to untangle what it sees as a monster caught in the net.

It doesn’t strike. Thank the Dead Hag. But presses close. Like a predator hissing in an annoying sibling's face as the Estate quiets.

“Choices Choices so few Choices.” My lips whisper as I grip the thread, echoing the last favored taunt of an old cunt as I watch in Riven horror as my little archive shows me Xafra’s Warlord form finally buckling and her twisting back into her spear form.

And… everything stops. The Estate goes still. Begins to prod and poke and… and…

It can’t find her.

Cracked and Riven Moon it… That’s RIGHT!

When deep in her Driftdream, she can hide her Ousia and Physis!

I scour the information as it records it. As it Compares this incident to old Tomes and recordings. Looking for references. Similar monsters. I move ahead of it through the stream of information. Using it’s slower regard as a distraction to just make sure…

My heart lurches at the knowledge I find, and… what I have to do.

{Blasenplage} I hiss, and burn the treasured information from the Estate’s records and my own little Archive right as it passes over my section. The only fragments are the little flutters I'll be able to recall. And feel tears dribble down my face as it passes over and through the ruined remains.

Offer it instructions and advice. {Move the remains of this creature to Chamber 1, Allow her Floret to advise and contain?}

It accepts without a word, and as the miasma withdrawals I read the spells it uses to move Xafra. Ensuring it is safe to send a subtle ::Calm/Hide/Dream:: to her before I tear my bleeding fingers from the Central Thread.

Calix turns away from the loom, his fractal eyes empty. He speaks, but Xafra's words come out, "Suitable vessel detected. Initiate Introjection protocol?"

"Wh- What?" I stammer to Calix. "What vessel?"

Calix points to the central Thread, "Sufficient soul capacity, malicious intent, and harm detected to Mate. Vessel is suitable."

"This is such a bad idea." I just... stare at the fool boy holding my fool lover's last little gift to me. "But... Yes. I'll not let this old foul thing hurt you or the others again. Use my Archive to slip beneath its protections. Take it slow. And... be wary of the perfect recall. There... there are old memories and Nightmares in there that..." I look down and away. "Doesn't matter. Will tell you soon, I guess. You both? I'm not sure. After your inside, we'll get your other bodies and get above ground."

Then I uncurl and reach out with one of my six tethers, alter it with a touch of Ousia, and offer it to Calix, then I turn to grip the central thread once more, and let my lover's wicked scheme infect the Estate.

Calix glows to my sight as the Ousia laden thing latches into the central thread and simply merges onto it. "Sikkina Parasite beginning Introjecton. Estimated time to completion: one year."

"Wife... This one is going to scream now. This one hopes it will be forgiven for doing so." Adaline states before panicking.

Loudly and with temporary abandon.

I scramble over to Adaline, get in front to slide wrists beneath hers. Offering whatever she needs as I tug her toward the exit. “It’s alright. Let’s get you out of here. C'mon.”

"Mistress... Where are we?" Calix asks in confusion as Adaline starts to scream and wail.

"Underground, Calix." I say to him as I pull Adaline along, "I need to get you both to the surface, then come back down for Xafra."

"Oh, we're here already? Okay." Her murmurs, confused but following.

"This one... Elevar, Can I help?" Adaline gets out amidst her slowly steading panic.

“Only if you want to, Adaline.” I reply softly. Visibly relieved as the miasma slowly dissipates to a mild covering about the tunnels. “The Estate is already moving her into a place I can pull her out of without resistance. You… you don’t need to brave these tunnels anymore.”

"This one... does want to." she says, obviously nervous.

“Alright.” I nod, then twist to seal the pin-pricks on my right hands before gripping hers. Moving us over toward the left tunnel that'll lead toward chamber 1. "Calix, I... what's the last thing you recall? Before being in this room, I mean."

"We entered the miasma and this one told Adaline how many Thaums the... Oh the thingy is gone, Mistress! This one is so sorry for losing it and will go look for it immediately."

A memory backwash? I… Xafra, your brilliance is only balanced by your compassion. If that was made to consume this place then of course you’d not want to risk your Doll.

“Don’t, you performed perfectly.” I reply. “Your Mistress will probably explain it better later than I could fumble about now. Be sure to ask her once things have settled, alright?”

He looks puzzled but agrees, "Okie dokie. You said that this one needs to go? Should he find Nettle and join Primrose looking after Verbess and Schatzi?"

“Yes.” I agree. “And… be sure to ask Primrose where exactly Xafra lost her new Frame so I can pick it up on our way out. The Miasma should be clear enough for me to ask through the bond by the time we find your Mistress.”

"Yes, Mistress Elevar!" He turns and happily walks along towards the exit still tied to Adaline.

I almost miss snipping the rope with a working of Physis when he calls me that.

Did… did we forget to tell the fool boy to… no. Can’t deal with the implications of that. Too many would set my teeth on edge.

The only Doll I’ll ever want or need is above, those gerls will be the only ones I ever take.

I should be incredibly worried about them, and I am but… not as much as I’d otherwise be. Whatever is happening to them is due to the heart they ate, and Xafra would never hurt them. Even if unintended consequences were to bubble up… well, she’s very good at helping Dolls through worse things.

“C’mon, this place always frays my nerves.” I tug on Adaline, “Let’s go get your Mistress.”

"This one can explain, if you would like. To set your mind at ease." Adaline murmurs as we descend back down towards Chamber 1.

“Huh? Explain what?”

"Why Calix calls you ‘Mistress’.” She replies.“He is... Unwise at times."

"I... Yes. Please.” I agree as we move from the tiled tunnels into ones with seamless slab walls and ceiling. “That would be nice right now. I've missed hearing how you explain things."

"Mistress Xafra said that the way... marriage works for her is that her property is shared with you, though her responsibilities are not. In effect, you have full rights to us and anything else she owns but she takes personal responsibility for your treatment of us." She explains with some trepidation.

"What an odd custom. I... I'm not sure we ever talked about all the details of our relationship in regards to that." I chuckle and shake my head as we finally reach the entrance to chamber one. A sudden break in the perfect wall sliced away and filled to bursting with vines. “I refuse to take another Doll into my care, but if that title can keep Calix and the other two calm in case of times like this I’ll let them adopt it. Let any of you all come to me if you need something.”

"We revert to unowned if she... is lost for good. She was clear about that with her claiming. Your... authority is dependent on hers."

“I am glad she included that in her litanies to you all. It’s how it should be. Even Inspired me to change things before my surgery.” I assure her while reaching out to let this place take more of my blood and Ousia.

The vines soundlessly fall away, revealing this place's most gentle containment room.

A small space, barely tall enough to stand in, and would force Xafra's Warlord to sit were she not wearing flesh of iron. And pulled taught through it all, are thousands of threads of all sizes and colors. Each thrumming with so much Nomos that even without reading the numbers taken from the Loom I can nearly taste it in the air. And in the middle lies my Xafra. Still and inert, too much like the day I found her.

“Alright, we’re going to do this just so, Adaline.” I murmur. “I need her to stay inert till we’re above, just in case. I'll use Physis to Cant to let her know.”

Intone ::Calm/Hide/Dream/Carry/Trust/Patience/Stillness:: down the bond. Miasma now settled and no longer inhibiting the flow of messages in this place.

“Wait here, won’t be a whisper.” I instruct Adaline while slipping hand free of her's. Then I step forward, and the threads twist up and away while I approach to kneel over Xafra's form. Still very much ready to weave into activation in case of danger but... not set to bursting like they could be.

I carefully pick her up, set her into the crook of my left arm with cloth and needle, then carry her out. Taking up Adaline's hand with a relieved sigh as nothing seems to change. "C'mon. Let's get above ground."

The walk is quiet, but with every breath a little bit of anxious fear slides away to worry of different sorts. Along the way we find Xafra’s new frame, as slumped and inert as its Mistress. Adaline has to carry it, and from there it’s only a few dozen heartbeats back up and into Xafra’s Spire, then out two dozen paces into the grass before I nudge Xafra with ::Freedom/Starlight/Safe/Awaken/Calm/Adorations:: and even mangle a messy ::Prosthetic Prepared:: at the end of it.

Xafra does not respond.

I take a deep breath and on my exhale let my own mess of worry and protective adorations flow freely. {Xafra? Love? It’s safe, you can come out. We’re outside again. Or…} I lay my consciousness at the edge of her Driftdream, as I did those weeks ago after the trio of Witch Tone hurt her. {I can come to you. If you’d like. No rush either way. Take your time. I’m here. I’ve got you.}

Feeling for her, I can tell that she's present, yet... oddly active in a state of hyperfocus. My hands on her form noticing alterations in the texture of her spear form, despite no external use of Ousia.

Cracked and… but the Synthesis hadn’t started yet! She… so is… what is…

Reforging herself? She… she probably didn’t think anything down there could hurt her while in this state. And then probably sensed with specific acuteness what that chamber was ready to do. Like being just a whisper from a strike you know could break a previously invulnerable form.

I nod, wanting to pull her from this but… No. She's safe. I can wait.

And so I keep my promise, and I don't rush her. Continue to intone in simple Cant ::Unending Patience/Freedom/Embraced/Loved:: while trying horribly to mimic the song along the bond she composed for us in the jungles. Not to distract. Just... to not allow her to miss the truth of her outer state. Giving her a light to follow home at task's end.

Hours later, the spear is different, blade and wings edged in a strange greengold material that spirals in an inlay from the head down the shaft terminating at the far end in a translucent sphere.

[Love? Is everyone safe?] Xafra reaches out in concern.

{Yes, I’d… like assurances from you on Schatzi and Verbess but… That can wait. Are you alright?} I release a sigh of relief, then turn to Adaline. “She’s come about.”

[I screwed up. Again. Not sure what happened, set something in motion after trying to... help whatever entity was in the tunnels. Didn't want to leave anyone behind trapped. Found blessed strength. But... got trapped by the entity. Serves me right. What I deserve. Committed... High Crime. Unworthy of your presence.]

"Good. That's really good. Is she... okay? This one knows it would be quite distressed if she was trapped like that again." Adaline responds to me, unaware of Xafra's words.

“Yes, she’s shaken. But whole.” I respond to Adaline. “Give me a moment to…”

{Xafra, you… I won’t say what you did was a very intelligent decision, but from what I read while attuned to the Loom you acted with all manner of courage and grace that is befitting to my chosen love. No. Your mistake here was wandering into places I warned you about, multiple times. And… and mine was not drawing up the courage to ask my partner if she would help me figure out how to manage my inheritance well.}

[I can't let Verbess and Schatzi die. I won't. I had to look for something to help. I'm sorry. I should have asked you to help but... I didn't mean to overhear. Didn't realize I could. didn't want to cause harm. Hoped I could just... perform another miracle. but I couldn't.]

I go still and cold at her words.

“Die?” I hiss. “What do you mean, Die? Is… is the heart they ate going to break them?”

[No, it's. it should help a bit, makes them somewhat more like me. They... Said they were dreaming and that means... They are close to death and I don't know how Dolls even function but if they work anything like me then because their souls are made material they would eventually run out and I don't want to lose them. My sisters.] despair echoes through the bond before being strangled tight. [Sorry. I'll find a way. we will. you know more so... together?]

I grind my teeth and move us to stand. Terror freezing my heart solid while fury burns me into motion. Old insistent lessons about the Quirks of Dollcraft warring with hatred for how wrong it’s been up until this point. How many lies and half truths and just… ignorant hateful assumptions have ruined any good knowledge I may have otherwise turned to.

“Dreaming?” I spit, spinning slowly dwindling Physis reserves to move us at speed toward my Spire. “Cracked and Riven Moon. Tell me everything. Every wretched word and emotion and infested thing you heard from them. You… Xafra they’re not waking up, and otherwise might have kept this secret till it was too late."