On a path laid through a dense frost, a luxurious carriage moved swiftly.
"Ma'am, are you sure about this?" a well-equipped knight asked the elderly woman sitting on the opposite seat inside the carriage.
"Whether I'm sure or not, this is the only path that lies ahead of me. If I don't see this through to the end, even my ancestors would call me a fool," the elderly woman said.
"And also, I'm nearing my time. If I don't do this, I don't think I will be able to live for much longer."
"Grandma, where are we going?" a little kid sitting close to the elderly woman asked.
"Oh, my William, you're going nowhere. Just stay in the carriage safely with Sir Emill until Grandma returns, okay?" Hearing her, the boy nodded obediently.
"But ma'am, it's dangerous. Not to mention the person you're about to meet—I also heard that a herd of goblins that rob and slaughter are roaming these paths. So please, let me come with you for your protection," the knight exclaimed.
"Emill, it's my decision to go alone to meet her, and she specifically said she doesn't like anyone else coming near her area. So you must stay here, protecting William. Especially if those goblin rumors are true. Once my task is done, I will return safely," the elderly woman uttered.
Neigh!
At that moment, the horses that were running swiftly suddenly came to a halt. The carriage shook violently, and the knight hurriedly grabbed the elderly woman and William.
The coachman got down from the carriage and tried to urge the horses forward again, but even though the path ahead was clear, the horses refused to take a step forward.
"Seems we are in our place," the elderly woman said as she stepped out of the carriage. Following her, the knight and the little kid came out as well.
Stepping out of the carriage, the first thing the knight saw was a "Keep Out, Stay Out" notice board hanging by the road ahead. His face turned pale at the sight of it.
"Look, that sign clearly says to stay out, so you and William stay here, okay?" the elderly woman said with a smile. But seeing her smile, the knight's face turned even paler.
"Ma'am, I'm in debt to you for what you've done for me, and I'll obey your every command. But if you don't return within an hour, I'm afraid I'll have to break that oath," said the knight.
"Very well, do as you wish, but I'm not sure this old body can travel fast enough to return in an hour," said the old woman as she began to walk down the path ahead.
"Grandma," the little boy muttered as he watched his grandmother walk away. Her steps had an energy that a woman her age couldn't normally possess.
Shush!
The elderly woman stopped her walk as she suddenly heard a sound from the top of a nearby tree. She cast an observant gaze toward it.
Kwik!
From a branch of the tree, a little squirrel came running out.
"You little demon, you scared me for a bit there," said the elderly woman, as she continued her walk.
After she walked away, hidden among the leaves at the top of the tree, a little deformed-looking creature—a goblin—watched the elderly woman.
After watching her go, it hurriedly jumped down from the tree and ran into the forest. Running past the trees and numerous animals, the goblin came to an area with a slightly higher ground. At the bottom of the area, there was a giant hole that the goblin stopped in front of. In the next moment, the goblin jumped into the hole, sliding through it and falling deep below.
Thud!
After a long ride, the goblin finally landed in the deep, an area where the darkness was only swept away by lit torches and candles. Two goblins, who had handmade rusty spears with them, helped the goblin to stand up.
The goblin rushed past them, going past rocks in the underground, running through bridges, and at the end, it came to an area where a herd of goblins gathered around a giant throne. Around the throne, there were numerous kinds of treasure: gold, silver, swords, unknown items, and potions.
Sitting on the throne was a figure that was twice the size of a regular goblin, with a giant belly and a body resembling a giant mess of deformities overtaken by mosses. Covering those deformed body parts, the figure wore numerous kinds of jewelry, almost to the point where it seemed drowned in its own wealth.
"King, my king, it's the ravine road. There was a human woman on it, She's heading to that place," the goblin said, kneeling in front of the figure on the throne.
The goblin king, majestic and demanding, grabbed a slippery creature with saliva-like thing coming out from its body, offered to him by one of his subordinates, and put it into his mouth, chewing it.
"The ravine road... It's time to fetch some more treasure. Send a group to bring back whatever everything that woman brings with her," said the goblin king. The herd of goblins around nodded, and soon, from the hole to the goblin den, a group of goblins rushed out.
----
At the end of her road, the elderly woman stood in front of the edge of the cliff, where there was a quaint-looking house. Smoke rose from the chimney of the house into the sky, and around the house, a colorful array of flowers grew, making the atmosphere appear lovely.
Walking to the door of the house, the elderly woman grabbed the door knocker and began to knock. But with the second knock, the door suddenly swung open with a push.
"Excuse me, is someone inside?" she asked, but other than her own voice echoing back from the house, she did not hear anything else.
She gazed at the floor of the house, debating whether to enter or not without anyone's permission.
"Anybody?" She took a step forward and walked into the house. But as she entered, the door behind her suddenly closed, and the candles hanging from the roof and on the tables around suddenly lit up.
This book's true home is on another platform. Check it out there for the real experience.
"Welcome. I suppose you're the customer I'm appointed to meet today, right?" the elderly woman heard a sound of a human voice, looking in the direction she saw a black and white mix cat sitting on the comfortable looking sofa.
"Come, sit. Let's get comfortable, shall we?" said the cat.
"You're a cat, but I thought I would be meeting a witch," said the elderly woman.
"But I am a witch. Why, you've never seen a witch-cat before?" said the cat as he saw the elderly woman sit down on the sofa.
"Are you feeling comfortable?" it asked.
"Quite alright, actually," said the old woman.
"Right, then. I suppose this is the thing you came for," as the cat said, a little bird flew through the roof of the house, grabbing one of the potions from a shelf and bringing it toward the table between the elderly woman and the cat. The potion had a deep red color akin to blood.
The elderly woman's eyes gleamed with greed as she saw the bottle, and her hands moved eagerly toward it. But before she could touch it, the bird flew up with it.
"Eh, I'm sorry. I've become excited after seeing that. Here is the payment for it," said the woman as she gave a badge carved with a golden symbol to the witch-cat.
"With this in your hand, you could buy anything in the kingdom without worrying about money for three times. As for the other demand you requested, I already selected a group of people deemed worthy to be your disciples. But since it's hard for them to travel quickly, I came before them for the deal. After a while, they will soon be here," she said.
"It takes fifty years' worth of lifetimes of a witch to make this potion, and another ten years to refine it to its best quality. So even if there is a deep value for it, a witch like myself cannot give this away without a valid, reasonable reason. So, tell me, why do you think you're worthy of this thing?" asked the cat.
Phew!
The elderly woman leaned on the sofa.
"When I was a little kid, I was praised as a very talented person by my family. They guided me and taught me how to work in our family's mercantile industry, and not long after, I took over and grew it into the best merchant guild in our kingdom, achieving immense wealth. I think not even the king himself is wealthier than me. At that point in my life, I felt like I had achieved everything and I stood at the top. But when I saw how people with actual power dominate a kingdom without making a sweat, I realized all my life I've been chasing the wrong path.
"I wanted to change, I wanted to start over, but I was already old and weary, and the only thing awaiting me was my death. But by chance, I heard about your miracle potion, a potion that could turn any human into a youthful, energetic one again. I spent my time and money to search for you, and after five long years of searches, I finally found your place. Thus, now I'm here to retrieve my dream to start over again," the elderly woman gazed toward the cat.
"Simply put, I just want to start over on the right path."
In that moment, the bird flying above lowered itself and placed the bottle in the hand of the elderly woman.
"Drink the whole bottle in one turn; your wishes may come true. Also, be careful when traveling with it; it's much more fragile than a regular glass bottle," said the cat.
"Thank you, thank you very much," the elderly woman stood up from the sofa. "You're such a cute little cat," she said as she walked toward the door.
"Watch out, lady, don't forget I'm a witch too," the cat said in an annoyed voice.
"Wait!" he suddenly called out, stopping the elderly woman from leaving.
"Take that thing with you," it said, showing a wand upon a table. "I heard there's a group of goblins that rob everyone going on this road. I planned to take care of them later, but for now, take that with you for your protection," said the cat.
"Thank you for your concern," said the elderly woman as she took the wand and stepped out from the house.
Walking on the road, the elderly woman observed the potion bottle along the way, and after she saw enough, she tucked it safely inside her clothes.
Shrugh!
The leaves shaking sound was heard by her from the nearby tree, and knowing that it's likely creatures like squirrels, the elderly woman continued her walk without worry.
Thump, thump!
But in the next second, a bunch of footsteps echoed all around her in the forest, and from a bush, a group of goblins jumped into the road.
"You death step woman! Give us your valuables, then we shall spare your pitiful life," said the goblins.
"Goblins... I've read about them. Even tho their intelligent is like that of a three-year-old. Their unbeatable unity is what makes them dangerous," thought the old lady.
"Please spare me. Here, this is all the value I have," she said as she took out a coin pouch, producing the golden clinking sound and the shine of the gems casting out from it, the goblins' expression became excited.
She threw the coin pouch away, and all the goblins jumped toward it, trying to grab it. While the goblins were fighting for the coin, the elderly woman took out the wand she had and aimed it toward the group of goblins.
"To my knowledge, these wands have three power shots, each one activating with one keyword."
"[Blasting thunder!]" the woman exclaimed, and the tip of the wand glowed as a shining blue thrust erupted from it and blasted toward the group of goblins.
Bang!
The goblins that met with the thunder crumbled to ashes in an instant, leaving only one who was a bit away from the others, alone.
The elderly woman took a few steps back from the blast, her heart racing. Looking at the one last remaining goblin, she tried to blast the wand again, but the goblin jerkily ran away before she could do so.
"That'll teach them a lesson. I hope they won't bother me again," muttered the old woman as she picked up her shaking pouch again and continued on her way.
Running through the forest, the last goblin hurriedly jumped from the hole to the cave den and ran to his kind.
"My liege, we've been defeated! That old woman is sly as a fox. She lured us into a trap and annihilated us all," he said.
"Fool! If all of you are dead, how can you be here?" said the king.
"But if she has the means to destroy a whole group of us, then the treasure she must have must be valuable to the utmost. Ha ha, seems this job is one deserving for me," the goblin king stood up from his throne, numerous treasures upon his body fell to the ground, and the ground beneath him shook with waves. The goblins around began to scream with his rising.
Clink!
He struck his hand inside the pile of treasure and pulled out a giant club, placing the club upon his shoulders. The king walked toward the wooden plate. Once the goblin king stepped onto the wooden plate, a group of goblins began to pull from a rope that bound to the plate, lifting the king along with it into the air.
In a certain cave, the ground suddenly began to shake and collapse, and from the collapsed ground, the goblin king rose up, with some goblins following him.
Thud!
After walking out from the cave, the king hit the ground with his club, and the ground suddenly collapsed beneath him, causing him to fall into a deep pit.
In the lonely forest, the elderly woman was walking cautiously, but suddenly the ground before her began to shake and collapse. She took a few steps backward with fear, and from the collapsed ground, the giant and deformed king of the goblins rose up.
"Ugh, what kind of monster are you?" exclaimed the elderly woman.
The king cast an observing gaze toward her, her decrepit and luxurious clothes appearing skeptical in his eyes.
"Huh, looks like my hunch was right. You wretched woman, give me the treasure you have. If you have hopes of returning alive to your homeplace, that is," said the king.
"These monsters! Not even an old woman like me can go on a road alone without being robbed," said the old woman as she pointed her wand toward the king.
"[Blasting thunder!]" she exclaimed, and from the tip of the wand, a shining thunder erupted.
But with a wave of the king's wooden club, the thunder dispersed away.
"Woman, I have given you a one-time chance, but you decided to ignore this generous king's mercy. Now, I shall take what's mine by force," said the king as he hit the ground with his club again. A wave through the ground rang, shattering the surface. The old lady lost her balance and was pushed back, falling to the ground.
Clink!
And from her clothes, the rare potion bottles rolled away from her. Seeing that, the old lady exclaimed.
"My youth!" she cried out and tried to take it back. But the king saw it, his face turning ecstatic. Hitting the ground one more time, the ground below the potion bottle rose up, causing it to float through the air toward the king.
Extending her hand, the old lady tried to grab the potion bottle, but being larger than her, the king easily grabbed it. But once in his hand, it suddenly slipped from the slippery grasp of him.
Creak!
Once above the two of them, the bottle suddenly cracked and crashed, which scattered the potion in it all around, falling toward the old lady and the goblin king.