Chapter 33 — Stone the Witch!

The palisade-walled village was beginning to stir as usual by the time she stepped out of the shop’s front door.

The leatherworking apprentice did another double-take when she waved to him again. Ria wasn’t in a hurry this morning, so she skipped on over to introduce herself. His incredulous expression was hilarious.

“Morning! I’m Ria, and this is my buddy, Ranger,” Ria greeted cheerfully.

“Woof!”

Apparently, the contrast between her armored appearance and her greeting was too much for him to process, and he just stared at her, frozen mid-motion.

“I just moved here, and I see you out here all the time. What’s your name?” Ria tried again.

“…uh, Erik, are you the witch that everyone is talking about?” the boy asked tentatively.

“Yup. Want to see some magic?” Ria asked.

Before he could respond, a male voice came from inside the workshop, “Erik! What’s taking so long?! We’ve got to get started on that crapload of new pelts that hunter Jarrel dropped off yesterday evening!”

“Uh… I gotta go,” Erik mumbled and took off.

Well, that could have gone better. At least she got his name.

With nothing better to do, Ria skipped her way over to the bakery, where Leon was setting up some pastry displays for the morning.

Leon had a bemused smile and was shaking his head at her approach. “Do you have any idea how ridiculous you look skipping around happily while dressed like that? And what’s with that terrifying mask anyway?”

“Aw! I was hoping to get a better reaction than that!” Ria complained.

“Woof.”

“Thanks, Ranger. I like the way it looks too.” Ria stuck her tongue out at Leon… then realized with the mask that he probably couldn’t see it.

“You really never cease to amaze me. Where did you even manage to find a suit like that in your size?” Leon asked.

“Harris and his dad sold it to me,” Ria answered. “It was really expensive, but I wanted something that was easy enough to move around in, and it looked a lot better than the other ones.”

“Well, it certainly looks better than anything I could afford,” Leon admitted.

“So, did you make any progress with the book?” Ria asked excitedly.

Leon’s face clouded. “Did you really learn magic from that book?”

“Yeah, why?”

“It basically says, try, try, and try harder until you get it,” Leon complained.

“Hahaha! It’s not that bad! If you got time later, I’ll help you get started,” Ria encouraged him.

“Mom and dad gave me the day off when they found out that I was going somewhere with a girl,” Leon admitted sheepishly. “Should I bring the book?”

“Sure, we can study in my room later. I can work on enchanting while you practice the exercises,” Ria replied. “So, you need any help setting up the displays?”

“Sure. Come on in,” Leon said and led Ria inside. Ranger followed, so Ria told him to make sure he behaved.

"Woof…"

The interior of the bakery was pleasantly warm. Emily and a portly man, who Ria assumed was Emily’s dad, were stocking the display baskets lining the counter and the wall behind.

“Your house must be nice and warm in the winter,” Ria commented.

Leon nodded with a grin. “Yeah, but summers are rough.”

Ria laughed. “I bet!”

“Good morning, Ria—what are you wearing?!” Emily started to greet Ria then saw her armor and weapons. The portly man was staring frozen mid-motion for a moment. Haha, another victim.

“Leon and I are headed over to pay some adventurers to beat us up,” Ria said with a laugh and took her helmet off so she could properly greet their dad.

“Ugh. Don’t say it that way!” Leon complained. “I’ll be right back. Emily can show you what to do.”

“Um… hello?” the portly man offered as Leon rushed up the stairs. "What's with the dog?"

“Hi! That's Ranger. I’m Ria. We just moved in with Grandpa Orlan and Grandma Fana at the butcher shop. Nice to meet you!” Ria greeted the man energetically and offered her gloved hand.

He gripped her hand lightly, still not sure what to make of her. “Dennis. Emily and Leon’s dad. Nice to meet you…”

“The tarts are really tasty, Mr. Dennis. I bought a bunch yesterday,” Ria complimented him.

Mr. Dennis smiled. “Glad you liked them. They were Lina’s idea to appeal to younger buyers.”

“Lina is mine and Leon's mom,” Emily clued Ria in. “Are you an adventurer, Ria?”

“Not yet.” Ria shook her head. “I’m thinking about it. I can send out really strong lightning with my wand, and I can use healing magic, so if the pay is good, I might be able to help out.”

“You’re still teasing us, aren't you?!” Emily accused, not believing a word of it.

Ria tilted her head to the side. "Leon didn't tell you that I can do magic? I'm not just a hunter apprentice, you know, and Jarrel and I did survive two months crossing the highland wilds."

"The wilds?" Emily's father asked in disbelief.

"No way… it's true?" Emily still couldn't quite believe it, either.

"Wanna see some magic?" Ria tried for the second time today, grinning.

Mr. Dennis seemed to be coming to some kind of realization and glanced at her nervously. "Ah… let's not do anything dangerous inside the shop."

"I want to see it, dad!" Emily elbowed her father, and looked to Ria in anticipation.

Ria held out her gloved hand and made a flame appear above it, changing the flame into a ball, a ring, and then the serpentine flow, like she did for Lord Vorshan. Both of their mouths dropped open at her display.

"Ack!! It's the witch! You've become so bold as to do your illegal magic in plain sight?!" squawked a woman at the bakery entrance, hiding a little boy behind her.

"Woof!" Ranger objected.

"Wha-?" was all Ria could reply in surprise at the woman's sudden outburst.

"Ah! Ria, are you the witch girl that everyone has been talking about?!" Emily asked, shocked.

Ria looked back to Emily and nodded. "At least, that's what everyone is calling me..."

"She admits it! See if you'll get your hands on my son!" the woman scooped up her son and ran outside yelling, "Witch! Witch! Call the guardsmen! She's casting illegal magic!!"

"Was that really illegal magic?" Emily breathed out. Her father had gone a shade of pale and was watching the direction the hysterical woman had gone.

"It's a standard control exercise for fire magic. There's no way it's illegal," Ria reassured Emily and her father.

"What did you do this time?" Leon asked as he rushed down the stairs, wearing a thick wool tunic, leather gloves, and warmer-looking pants. He had a suspicious package wrapped in waxed cloth and tied up with cords.

"What's all the commotion?!" a woman stuck her head in from the back room.

"Miss Irene saw Ria showing me some magic and called her a witch and ran out screaming about illegal magic," Emily reported. "Ria, this is my mom."

"Nice to meet you, Miss Lina," Ria said and curtsied politely using her armor's mid-thigh skirt.

"Woof," Ranger greeted.

"Oh, and that's Ranger," Emily added.

"Ah, um, nice to meet you… but why is a dog in the shop?" Miss Lina asked.

"Woof…" Ranger's shoulders and tail drooped.

"Ranger is my familiar," Ria replied. "He's really intelligent and well-behaved."

In response to Ria's words, Ranger sat up straight and solemnly nodded.

"I-I see," Miss Lina replied. "C-can't be helped then."

Leon had wandered over to the window and was looking out at the growing commotion outside. "What do we do about this, Ria?"

"Guess, we'll have to wait for the guardsmen to show up before we can head over to the Adventurers Guild," Ria said with a sigh. "Sorry, about costing you a sale."

"Y-you're not worried about the guardsmen arresting you?" Emily asked, worriedly.

"Even if what she said was true. I have a license to practice shamanic magic, so I don't think there's any problem in particular," Ria shrugged, then remembered the package Leon was carrying. "Ah, Leon. It's probably better if I carry that."

Leon looked down at the wrapped package and helped Ria put it at the bottom of her satchel. "Um, Ria what are the vials for?"

"Healing potions. Why?" Ria replied.

Leon grimaced. "Ugh. I was afraid of that."

"Um… Leon, wasn't that the wrapped package that you came home with yesterday?" Leon's dad asked suspiciously, and Leon's nervous look totally gave him away.

"It's a beginner's book on magic written by Archmage Luventi. I lent it to Leon because I've identified that he has potential," Ria revealed.

"Wha-? Really?" Leon blurted out in disbelief. "How?"

"Remember when I had you carry my staff and I asked you how the staff felt in your hands? What was your answer?" Ria quizzed him.

Leon looked at her oddly. "… I said that it reminded me of you."

"Yes. Exactly." Ria grinned smugly. She was quite proud of herself with how the test had turned out.

The confused expression on Leon's face explained why he hadn't made much progress with the book.

"What does that mean, Ria?" Emily asked. Her parents seemed to share the same confusion.

"It means that he can sense magic, of course. How else would he be able to notice that my energy was stored inside the staff?" Ria sagely explained.

"No way…," Leon breathed out in surprise.

"Leon can sense magic?! Isn't that incredible?" Emily asked, eyes wide.

"No idea." Ria shrugged. "According to Luventi's book, learning how to sense magical energy is the most difficult part of becoming a mage."

"My son, a mage… if that's true, shouldn't we find a master that will sponsor him so he can go to a magic academy?" Miss Lina asked, glancing at her husband.

"Maybe so…," Mr. Dennis admitted. "But Archmage Luventi… hasn’t he been missing for a really long time?"

Just as Mr. Dennis was going in a worrisome direction, two nervous guardsmen entered the shop, crossbows held at the ready. When they spotted Ria they aimed directly at her, and she gulped nervously.

"We have reports of a witch casting illegal magic. Do you intend to come with us peacefully?" one of the guardsmen demanded.

Ranger growled a warning, and the other guardsman turned to aim at him.

"Y-yes, of course. B-but I don't think that will be necessary," Ria stammered.

“Oh? And why is that?” the guardsman asked almost mockingly.

“I’m taking out my guild card so please don’t shoot,” Ria pleaded as she dug her Enchanters Guild card out from her tool pouch and held it up.

“Slide it over,” the guardsman instructed.

Ria reached down and slid it across the floor, where the other guard picked it up.

“What’s it say?” the guardsman in charge asked his partner.

“Ria of Shadewood, provisional member of the Enchanters Guild,” the second guardsman started reading off then groaned. “She’s got a shamanic magic license.”

“You’re kidding me,” the first guardsman complained. “Witch, even if you have a license, your magic use might still be illegal. What magic were you casting?”

“I-It was a training exercise called Serpentine Fire. I was just showing Emily because she wanted to see some magic,” Ria answered pitifully. “I didn’t mean to cause any trouble.”

The guardsman rolled his eyes. “Witches are always trouble. Dennis is what she’s saying true? Did she trouble you in any way?”

“No, no trouble, Collin. She showed Emily some fire magic, and Irene saw it and got upset,” Mr. Dennis reported. “Was it really illegal magic? There wasn’t any chanting or drawing.”

Collin shrugged and shook his head. “No idea, Dennis. We’ll need to check with a mage, but it doesn’t sound particularly illegal. That said, Irene insisted the witch was casting some kind of snake charm on you and Emily.”

Emily’s parents both stiffened at that.

Ria was going to say that it was the same magic that she did for Lord Vorshan but realized that if they thought it was some kind of charm spell… that would explain how she ‘charmed’ Lord Vorshan and Captain Bastach.

“I don’t even know any charm magic. That’s all superstitious nonsense!” Ria protested.

“So you say.” Collin sighed and lowered his crossbow. “In any case, there’s no dangerous magic here, and there doesn’t appear to be any victims.”

The other guard lowered his crossbow, and the relief in the room was audible. “Yeah, Collin. But, even if that’s true, if we go out without arresting her, they are going to say we were charmed.”

“What a freaking mess. This is why Captain Bastach always says that shamans and witches are trouble. Witch girl, do us a favor and don’t use any magic in public where it can be seen,” Collin complained.

“I’ll try my best. Sorry,” Ria readily agreed. It really had turned into a mess… if the noise from outside was any indication. She was pretty sure they were chanting, ‘Stone the witch!’ What kind of crazy place was this village?

“Gods, what has Irene gotten up to now?" Collin asked the heavens upon hearing the chanting. "Wenden, go take a look and tell me how bad it is."

The other guardsman, Wenden, rolled his eyes and looked out the window, checking left and right. "Looks like about twenty or so of our neighbors with stones waiting for the witch to be brought out."

"And where are they planning to do this stoning? Are they intending to bust my windows?! I've got half a mind to go out there and let 'em have it!" Miss Lina said irately.

"I would advise against that, Lina. When they're this whipped up, they'll just turn on you," Collin warned.

"I don't want to see Ms. Lina and Mr. Dennis's bakery damaged either," Ria worried. "I have a magic that can block the stones, and I'm wearing armor. Maybe I should try to run for it?"

“That's a terrible idea,” Collin said dismissively. “Where would you even go? By the time they corner you, half the village will be rioting.”

"I have an entry permit for Lord Vorshan's manor," Ria argued. "I could go there."

"Well… that's possibly less terrible," Collin considered then shook his head. "But if the mob chooses to loot the manor and kill Lord Vorshan, that could be even worse."

Ria's face went pale. “T-that would be t-terrible!”

“And that’s why you’ll be sitting tight for the moment while we figure something out,” Collin said.

“Um, you might want to hurry up on that plan…,” Wenden warned.

The chanting outside had changed to, ‘Bring out the witch! Bring out the witch!’

“That doesn’t sound good,” Mr. Dennis worriedly commented and Emily gulped.

"I could make them sleep…," Ria offered.

"Hasn't your magic already caused enough problems?" Collin replied, frustrated.

"I think we should consider it," Wenden recommended. "Especially if things turn violent."

Collin groaned. "Ugh. You're right, but what do we do with a pile of unconscious villagers?"

"Maybe arrest them for rioting, attempted murder, and property damage?" Miss Lina suggested.

"Well… there is that," Collin admitted.

"Um… can't Ria and I just sneak out the back?" Leon offered. "I can help her get away without them knowing, and you can tell everyone that she wasn't here when you came in."

Ria felt a ray of hope then worry. "What if they go after Grandpa Orlan and Grandma Fana when they can't find me?"

Just then, a loud voice boomed out, "I COME OUT TO SEE WHAT ALL THE RACKET IS AND FIND A CROWD OF MURDERERS GATHERING IN FRONT OF THE BAKERY?! IF Y’ALL WANT TO SEE DEATH SO MUCH I CAN OBLIGE YOU!"

"Waaah!!! It's the barbarian!!!" someone wailed in fear, and the murderous chanting stumbled to a stunned hush.

"LITTLE RIA IS IN MY CARE! IF ANYONE EVEN RAISES A HAND IN HER DIRECTION, I WILL CUT YOU DOWN WHERE YOU STAND! NOW, WHILE I’M STILL FEELING CHARITABLE TO MY NEIGHBORS, GO ABOUT YOUR BUSINESS OR STAY AND BECOME BLOOD ON MY BLADES!”

"Throw your stones! He's with the witch!" Irene screeched. "No! Don't leave, you cowards! We have to defend our village! Youuu foooools!"

The sound of Irene's voice seemed to be getting further away at the end. Did she run away?