Joe could feel her charming effect wash over him. Her voice was so sultry-sounding it sent shivers down his spine. Yet even though he felt like a tongue-tied teen, he wasn’t worried that she was trying to dominate him. [Iron Mind] was not reacting to her bewitching presence at all.
She was playing with him, and it was pretty clear she was watching to see how he would react. Would he fight back? Would he get creepy? Would he fall apart under her charms?
Joe decided not to make the same mistake he had with Sir Groven. He would not contest her charming efforts, just as he shouldn’t have pushed back against Grover’s bullying demeanor. Better to play along with her than try and counter her.
He was the one coming to her for a favor. And she was enjoying putting on the show.
Like the lady said, if you had such magic, why not savor it?
Joe returned a warm smile, stating, “Just Joe, please,” as he stepped onto the grass. “How is it that you know I am a newcomer? Is there something about me that gives it away?”
The young woman laid her hand gently on his arm and ‘allowed’ Joe to lead them to the white wicker seats under the scarlet tree.
“Well, in my case, my morning omen told me a Newcomer would come and ask me a favor when the sun was high in the sky. Since we are getting close to midday, and I am already well-acquainted with your guide, I made the assumption that you were my Newcomer.”
Her smile was utterly captivating. When she lifted the teapot, one that had definitely not been on the table a second ago, Joe could barely process that simple gesture. He could not help but be distracted by the elegance of her features and movement.
Thankfully, Kaid’s snicker broke him from his captivation.
Joe shook his head and saw that the table now bore a tea set, cups, and some snacks. There was a plate of pink wafers and another bearing a couple of freshly sliced apples. The chairs had acquired red cushions that Joe had not noticed on his way across the water. Joe pushed down on the cushion and felt the soft pressure one would expect from a pillow. Granny Growlbee’s smile grew a tad wider as she watched him test the veracity of what his eye saw.
“Your magic is amazingly subtle,” Joe flattered. “I didn’t even see all this appear.”
“Why, thank you. Such a clever compliment. You acknowledge my manipulation but with generosity instead of apprehension. I think I like you, Joe Morris,” she stated, giving him a winsome smile before turning to his small companion. “What have you brought me, Kaid?”
“Don’t know him all that well, but he seems like a good guy. I think he can help me recash in my favor, if that's ok with you, Granny.”
“I don’t see why not,’ she answered. As she did so, Joe noticed her eyes seemed to slide gently through hues of rich color. One moment, they were the deep purple of amethysts; the next, they had the aqua green of a tropical ocean. “What can I do to repay my obligation?” the mystical lass inquired.
It took Joe a second to stammer out, “Rhiley’s mother is very sick….”
“Rhiley’s mother. You mean Sarsa Haydall?” she huffed, her eyes now deep golden color.
“Well, technically, Sarsa Dellham, but yes, it is the same person,” Joe countered gently.
In stating her name, Joe’s mind conjured up the image of Sarsa, hurt and confused. It was such a poignant contrast to Granny Growlby’s playful charms that it broke Joe fully free of the witch's enchanting appeal. The glamours slipped away, giving him the resolve that he needed to stay focused.
“Kaid said you made him an elixir for a serious inflection, but because of the family situation, it was rejected. I was wondering if you have a spell that could perform the same task that I could learn from you in exchange for the favor Kaid is owed.”
“That is a very reasonable exchange. One I cannot easily see a way to decline,” she replied demurely. The lovely witch lowered her eyes to her steaming cup, and Joe could swear he saw the wisps of vapor caressing her full lips. “It is not as though I wish the poor woman to suffer, but the Haydalls have much to answer for,” she uttered in a soft voice.
Unauthorized duplication: this tale has been taken without consent. Report sightings.
Joe was about to recant his request, realizing how callous it was to place this delicate young lady in such a difficult position.
Yet before the words escaped his lips, he felt a stirring from [Iron Mind] for the first time. A shiver of cold precision swept through his consciousness, banishing Granny’s ‘poor little girl’ charm. It didn’t feel like she was trying to fully enthrall him so much as to gently push him away from this request. Even so, it was enough to awaken the dwarven trait.
“Be that as it may, Maam, as a healer, I must try and do everything I can for my patient,” Joe announced firmly. As he made this statement, Joe realized he had spent way too much time around doctors over the last few years. Somehow, he had picked up their rhetoric.
“Very well. I accept,” she exclaimed sharply, sitting up straight and placing her cup on the table. “Still. Great Gran Growlbee would skin my feet should I give such a gift to a Haydall without stacking the scales somewhat in our favor. So how do I balance such welcome manners and an old debt with just enough spitefulness to keep my great-grandmother from turning me into a dun-cow?”
With long purple nails, she plucked another cube of sugar from a small ornate bowl and dropped it into her cup. Stirring the drink, she seemed to think while throwing shy looks through her lashes at Joe. He was ninety percent certain she already knew what she wanted to ask but was enjoying how much she was still able to fluster him.
“How about this?” she finally stated, tapping a glossy red nail against her cheek. “I do need saddleleaf. In the grasslands just north of the Mere, you should be able to find plenty of the plants for me. It has broad, dark green, leathery leaves. Get me a dozen good-sized leaves, and I will provide you with a witch’s restoration skill.”
“That’s it? Just go grab some plants from over there?” Joe asked, pointing across the water.
A small foot kicked him lightly under the table. He looked to see Kaid pointing his thumb in almost completely the opposite direction.
Joe had to admit that even though he had always had a strong sense of wanderlust, he also admitted to a pretty terrible sense of direction. Even when he had a cell phone, it was bad. The one time he visited NYC, he ended up walking almost a mile in the wrong direction, even though the streets there were numbered. He had given up playing Minecraft without a map mod since he invariably lost his base anytime he went exploring.
He was certain Illuminaria had a map skill and wondered if it would be worth spending an attribute point on.
His musing was cut short as the Witch of Brandy Mere replied. “The Dourfore is a dangerous stretch of wood. All manner of fell creatures lurk there. The task I am giving you is hazardous enough to appease my callous kin, but since I like you, Joe, I have a hint that should lessen your danger greatly,” she stated, leaning in close to whisper almost conspiratorially. “Saddleleaf likes the light and so will grow on the outer edge of the forest. You will not need to venture into the dark depths of the woodland.”
She delicately placed her hand on his arm and matronly added, “Nor should you. While even the perimeter of the Dourfore has its perils, they are far fewer and more surmountable than those that lurk in darker depths of the forest.”
“Thank you, Ma'am. We will be careful. As for my reward, you did not say I would get Cure Disease. Is there another name for the skill?”
“Well, you are asking for a skill that a healer might possess. I am a Witch. Our restoration talents have many comparable skills, but they are not exactly the same. Our [Pestilence Purge] is quite similar to a Healer’s [Cure Disease], but if you wish for a spell that targets infections, then you may want [Dispel Rot] instead.”
“That makes sense. Ok. You have a deal.”
New Quest [Hazardous Harvest]
Gather 12 Saddleleaf Leaves from the Dourwald.
Reward: 1 New Skill
Joe accepted the quest, noting that Hawking had even listed Granny Growlbee’s offer as the reward.
He turned to the gnome beside him. “So what about you, Kaid? Are you coming with or heading back?”
“You are not quite as hopeless with your stick there, Joe, but you ain’t quite ready to go solo. I’ll come with you if ya want me to.”
“I would. Thanks,” Joe clapped a hand on the tiny man’s back. Kaid looked like he was going to dodge the gesture, but the little guy was hemmed in by his chair and the table. The gnome’s expletive sigh as Joe’s proportionally huge hand thumped onto his diminutive torso spoke volumes.
“Sorry,” Joe uttered.
Kaid gave him an eye-rolling shrug, and the pair returned to the raft. As they pushed off the shore, Joe kept finding his eyes turning back toward the small, low island and the enchanting young woman watching them go.
Eventually, Kaid’s wet pole poked him in the back, getting his attention. Joe realized he had been just standing there with his staff in his hands while Kaid was doing all the work by himself. Joe dropped his eyes to the lashed logs and began shoving the raft forward across the water in time with his companion.
As they slid across the lake, Joe couldn't help but scoff at his behavior, acting like a schoolboy with a crush on his teacher.