The green light from the house flickered as the players got closer, and then suddenly, it stopped.

Arthur stepped onto the porch of the run-down house and walked through the open doorway. The neglected floorboards creaked beneath him and echoed through the deserted interior.

The furniture was covered in dust, and cobwebs filled many of the room's corners.

His eyes scanned the derelict room for any signs of the witch having lived here but it was far too run-down for someone to be living here.

“Where is she?”

Alex came through the doorway behind Arthur, with a few players he had personally picked to join.

The army of players waiting outside the house was too big to fit all of them inside so a small group had to head in as the vanguard. That was Arthur, Alex, a healer, a mage and another fighter like Arthur but they focused more on tanking damage.

The group split and searched the abandoned house in search of the witch, from the floor to the attic, there was nothing.

Except for the basement.

As the small party of 5 met up by the basement door, Arthur twisted the door handle and a cold breeze came from below. The atmosphere was enough to make them feel like running away. But, they decided to push through. They weren’t going to run away from what they originally came for.

Once the last person of the party entered the basement, the door behind them swung closed and the house trembled violently, a few planks of the ceiling fell before what felt like the house was wobbling side to side.

Was it an earthquake? What was happening outside?

The party wondered but they could not find out, they were trapped inside the basement with no way to go but forward.

As they continued to descend the stairs, they caught a glimpse of a vibrant green light pulsing around the corner. Turning toward the source of the light, the party noticed a large cauldron in the centre of the room. The flames beneath the cauldron burned a forest-green colour and the runes circled glowed in a sinister purple.

Inspecting the cauldron, their faces contorted with disgust as they discovered what was inside: several small tongues, eyes, and hair floated above the bubbling black ooze inside.

The green fire of the cauldron flickered and the sound of an eerie laugh reverberated through the house as numerous shadows danced across the walls.

“Have the children come to play?” The voice of an old woman echoed in the room.

“I’ve felt so, so lonely. It's time I got new guests, would you like to see my lovely George?”

A rat ran from one of the shelves to another and cowered in fear behind the mess of ingredients.

“He’s a little shy as you can see. But, I’m a little tired of him…” The voice snickered and the rat popped into a mist of red.

What the hell…

Arthur glanced at the blood splattered where the rat had hidden, and a cold sweat ran down his neck. Will that happen to them too?

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

The tank of their party bashed his shield on the ground, “Show yourself you monster!”

“Monster? Oh no, no. You’re very wrong about that young lad.”

The shadows gathered up by the cauldron, and the old woman Arthur had seen in the town emerged from it.

“I-Its you! Where’s Sorin?” Arthur asked.

“Oh…” The old woman's mouth curved in a way impossible for humans, “That little boy made for a very nice meal last night, the leftovers are in there if you want some?” The witch pointed toward the bubbling cauldron.

“W-What…?” Arthur trembled.

“Oh you poor thing, let me share some with you.” The witch scooped the black ooze with a ladle and passed it to Arthur. Inside was a strand of blonde hair and a blue eye floating on the disgusting ooze.

His eyes narrowed in anger as he snapped. Arthur unsheathed his sword and charged toward the witch with the blade held high. The witch cackled and teleported them away from the others.

***

On the second floor of the witch's house, the two stood facing each other, ready to attack at any moment.

The witch cackled and transformed from an old woman into a pale grotesque creature with sharp teeth sticking through the exposed rotting flesh of her face and bones protruding in abnormal ways from her body.

“Aren’t I pretty, young lad?” The witch snickered.

“You’re the worst-looking thing I’ve ever seen in my entire life.” Arthur retorted.

“You shouldn’t say that to a fair lady, you disrespectful brat!” The witch screamed in anger and jumped at Arthur with her bone-clawed hands.

The house wobbled again and Arthur fell to the side, avoiding the witch’s attack.

Arthur was near the main window of the room and he looked through the window, a puzzled look spread across his face.

The house was much higher than before when they entered. It was also moving around as if it had legs. Arthur could make out a few of the archers and mages shooting projectiles toward the base of the house. He presumed the fighters were underneath, where he could not see them.

So we’re not the only ones fighting huh… That explains why the house is wobbling so much.

Arthur turned toward the witch and swung his sword at her, however, it was blocked by a magic shield cast right before the blade hit her.

The witch cackled and dissolved into the shadows of the house.

A magic circle formed beneath Arthur, and as he noticed it, he jumped off. From the circle, a plume of fire burst forth and burned for a few seconds before vanishing into the air.

“It’s no fun when you scurry around like a mouse!” The witch screamed in frustration and a gust of wind blew the roof of the house away, and it slowly made its way down to Arthur as it got rid of the house’s walls.

He swiftly ran down to the first floor, clutching onto anything solid within reach, ultimately finding stability by holding onto the fireplace.

The remaining portion of the house was blown away, leaving only a flat area for them to fight.

“Much better, no more running away, little mouse.” The witch sneered.

The locked door to the basement was blown away as well and now the rest of the party that came with Arthur were free. Alex and the group dashed toward Arthur and they regrouped while taking formation.

“So the children want to resist me? So be it.”

The arena was engulfed in fire, trapping them from all sides.

“You’ll all make for a lovely supper tonight!” The witch cackled and shielded herself behind multiple magic barriers. Several shadows formed in front of them and the fleshy monsters they had fought last night emerged from the shadows.

The caws of the monsters echoed through the arena as they charged towards the party, and disregarded their own safety.

The tank of their party bashed their shield on the ground and a flash of light shone and from it emerged a small arc came and covered the front of the group. The monsters making the reckless dash toward them were blocked and headbutted the magic shield.

Small cracks started to form in the areas being hit and the tank of their party yelled, “I can’t hold them for long, if you’re going to do something then do it now!”

He gave them this opportunity and they couldn’t waste it, they had to take care of the monsters before they could get past the shield and reach the crucial members of the party.

Arthur brandished his sword and charged forward.