(Curator Pov)

You know I shouldn’t even be surprised when things go tits up anymore. Haah, but this takes the cake! The two biggest egos in the dungeon, on one floor, interacting with the same group... And it had to be the big four. The golden girls, wolf boy, the love maniac, and the ever stoic iron maiden. Well, if anyone could keep up the duo’s insanity, it would be them.

Speaking of which, whatever grand scheme Grandma has brewing is at hand. And I have zero clue what it’s about, only that it kept to the basic premise. On that, she gave me her word. No trying to be the hero or anything, just good’ol witchy shenanigans.

Alberich, on the other hand... Saw the target of his affections and hijacked the castle for his personal play date. So, why didn’t I put a stop to him? Simple. It was interesting. Specifically because of those six.

They shone brighter than many of the adventurers pluming my depths. Undertaking the unknown, blazing their own paths. Living a life worthy of being recorded, worthy enough to accompany the merriment of booze, storied enough to be passed on.

Well, as of now, they may only be a footnote. One day, I’m sure they’ll reach even greater heights.

There are a few individuals who deserve similar accolades. And a bunch more who definitely caused events worth recording. On a smaller scale, of course.

But back with the group. Having just acquired two more keys from Alberich, setting the score at two–two. They marched towards the witch’s den, determined to retrieve the final key, knowing full well the hag wasn’t going to hand it over without a fight.

Faced with that faded chocolate brown door, sapped dull by the silvery gleam it hid. The group gathered their wits, steeled their nerves, and pushed onwards.

Finding an auditorium turned workshop steeped in disorder. The culprit at the center of this mad fort of haphazardly opened bottles and ajar tomes, still tending to the cauldron. So intensely focused on her craft that the world was but a passing thought.

Entering in the evening, beating Big Bad by night, and now at the apex of their conflict with Grandma, it was midnight. The moon hung bright and full above the waiting battle, unobstructed by any cloud.

Signs which Fredrica, Su, and even the ever stoic Antonia did not take lightly. False or not, they would be fighting under the gaze of their goddess.

And despite how focused she was on bringing her scheme to fruition, Grandma was keenly aware of her guest. She was under no illusion, they would be back eventually, and she was ready to give those youngins a beating.

Slowly splitting up with each step, Nick stayed on the topmost layer near the entrance, nocking an arrow as he surveyed the blindingly bright room. Sushila and Tsukiko took to the middle layer, ready to provide support as necessary.

“Seems like ya got something to say.” Unfazed by the group of four behind her, the old hag threw a question without even bothering to meet them. Knowing full well, there would be no reply. Grandma had the key, and they needed the key, simple as that.

Building a mirthless chuckle into a merciless sneer, that was Grandma’s cue for me to act. Expending Dp, I pulled each quarter ring outwards as the walls stretched to match the room’s changing dimensions. Setting the stage, the moon’s presence crept ever so closer as I rose Grandma and her cauldron up on a winding pillar.

I had to make it up to her one way or another for neglecting her for so long. But she also knew I would never say no to spectacle.

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(Zhenya Pov)

Under the old bag’s shameless room morphing cackle, we regained our footing, craning our necks upwards in irksome fury. “Eyhehehe. Here I thought the little brat would string ya along a while longer. Ah well.” She continued to stir the cauldron, now bubbling and flashing. “Ah-ha, off with the impurities~.”

Twirling up a thick gummy blot of pale silver muck with her staff, the which flung the viscous mass at us. Landing with a sickening splat as it bounced back into form. Coagulating into a being resembling the mud golem.

Out in the open air, the blob’s silver sheen swiftly darkened into brownish ichor. Right as another one came crashing down, then another.

“Shit!” Before long, there were two of these things for every one of us. Things were going down the gutter real quick.

Sandwiched between these monsters and cauldron pillar quickly turned the fight into a brawl. The shoulder-to-shoulder combat, proving absolute hell for an ax user like Belle.

On the middle layer, Su took her chances. Revealing herself, she assassinated one of the globs, cleanly cutting it in half, whittling their numbers down to thirteen.

And Nick. Well, he had plenty of space to run, so he had that going for him, lucky bastard.

Quick on my feet, I try to take one out before it can act, but the blade sinks into the gelatinous mass the thing calls a body. As a ‘blurb’ sound bubbled out of the creature’s amorphous mass, so to did a tentacle. Ready to impale me as I tried to free my sword.

Only for Freddie to come charging in a steel rending whip mark at her back as she smashed the blob to pieces with her shield. Just as Nick let out a yell, “Crap! Water does nothing to these guys!” An arrow in hand and a skin of water in another, as he kited his pair of opponents.

This guy... I fear for him. Each of his pursuers had multiple arrows sticking out of them.

Just as I make a move to help Nick out. A loud shattering caught the attention of everyone involved. As such, I watched in awe as the other three blobs assulting Su and Tsukiko were frozen solid under an arctic wind at the shrine maiden’s beck and call before crumbling into pieces.

I can feel the cold sting even from here. How nostalgic.

Resuming my plans, I signal for Freddies’ help, as in another spare moment, I jumped up to the middle floor using her shield as a springboard. Before breaking into a sprint, kidnapping Tsukiko along for the ride, for the topmost ring.

Just in time to swat a muck crawler way with the flat of my blade, letting the shrine maiden down in the process, as we watched the thing start to reform.

“Ha. Thanks. Ha. For the save. Ha.” What was this his third lap around the ring?

Chanting, Tsukiko retrieved a translucent blue crystal from her sleeve, which promptly disintegrated as she uttered the final verse.

With a flourish of her staff, its scattered dust took to the wind as a cold chill swept across our enemies, leaving a snowbank in its wake.

As the pair of rusted blobs froze over, they started to sway side to side. Uncaring of their fate.

... Which had other plans. Right when they should have shattered, moonlight bent, no they were absorbed by the ice-bound blobs, making the room noticeably darker. And no sooner did it become blinding, the twin rejects exploded out of their frosty prisons, regaining that silver splendor with an added tint of frosted blue.

“Tch.” They absorbed the ice element. “Tsukiko, don’t use magic on these guys when they’re swaying!” I have a niggling feeling that these guys might not be effected by ice anymore. Though they do have a more solid form n-

“Oh, shit!” Dodging a fired icicle. I totally kept my calm. “Nick, shoot them! Shoot them!” Two arrows hit them square in the head. Creating cracks as they bounced off.

Bingo.

“Well, well, well, Nick. Looks like we got a time trial on our hands.” I say, pulling out three daggers between my fingers.

“Whoever kills theirs first gets the key?” Picks up fast he does.

And like that, we were off. I struck the first frosted blob before jumping away from its flailing form, flinging two daggers into its pointed head and coming back to stab it with the last.

All the while, Nick did his best to turn his opponent into a pile of snow, using some type of blunt arrow.

A devious gleam in his otherwise focused eyes. And that could only mean one thing. Raising my blade for the final blow, a perfectly placed arrow to the head shattered my ice blob. “That’s two – oh!” He mocked with a wolfish grin.

Yep, mild-mannered one moment at someone’s throat the next.

As the ice melted, only pure silver remained. “Yes! Impurities removed, only pure essence remains! The witch called out, her eyes boring into us with unrestrained ridicule, used her staff to magically lift the new substance before Nick or I could react.

Crap, this is what she wanted. As I turn to relay this new information. It was already too late. Freddie, Antonia, and Belle stood in a pool of the silvery concoction. Which was already in the process of being magically transferred into the old hag’s cauldron

Sensing danger, the trio dashed their way up to us, just as the cauldron's liquid wrapped itself around the old bag. “Tch, second form it is then.” Things are not looking too good. Despite all the posturing, Nick and I had our fair share of cuts and scrapes from the previous fight.

Little to say about the trio, who did things the hard way. They looked worse for wear, their armor and dress dented or scuffed. And they were breathing hard, from throwing their weight around to crush the amorphous blobs.

Tsukiko was in the best condition, but she was a caster. Push comes to shove we’re going to have to play protect the shrine maiden.

Doing the smart thing Nick fired off an arrow. Not wanting to wait for whatever the hell that was to hatch. But sad to say, they were swallowed whole by a tide of silver. Great, no bullshitting our way out of this one, I suppose.

As cracks formed on the faux moon cocoon, black muck seeped and overflowed, filling up the room to the highest ring. And in an... inelegant way, a young form dragged itself out from the egg.

A woman with taut pale skin that glowed in the darkest voids. Contrasted by her voluminous raven hair, which blanketed her ankles. There was little doubt in my mind this had to be the witch.

What muck was left on her drained into the pool below. But to my surprise, some didn’t, marring an otherwise perfect form.

Trails of dull splotch-like browns ran from the right side of her forehead through her right eye and all the way down to her left hip.

Not that the psycho noticed anything wrong with her new perfect form. “It’s been a while since I felt this good. That Curator should’ve just given me this form, to begin with.” Twirling around, she gave us full view of her newly regained curves.

Initially naked with only her hair blanketing her form, a hand wave transformed them into cloths. Draping herself in dark royal robes that only served as a sign of status rather than practical clothing and a similarly colored witches cap with a bent tip.

Silver liquid churned out of the cauldron at her call, forming a perfect sphere floating in her hand. “Come, brats! And face the wrath of the moonlight witch!” Ripples spread across the muck pool in time with each oscillation of the hand-sized moon.

Wasting no time, Nick was the first to react, firing off three bolts.

She effortlessly swatted away the sticks. But this is where a peculiarity surfaced. The impurities on her body started to spread and warp. “Eh, what?” The witch stuttered.

In the face of this revelation, Su finally revealed herself. Landing next to us from her hiding place amongst the rafters. Holding an empty bottle. Lighting a burning rage in the rejuvenated witch as she watched her reflection in the cauldron deteriorate.

It was the bottle of moon juice she used to get us off her back, the bottle of impure moon juice. So that’s where she went after Tsukiko freed them up... Bullshit’s back on the menu!

“You!” She pointed at Su. Lashing out with what little power she retained. But at this point, it was no use. The more she used that power, the quicker she melted away. That and the several pointy metal objects we shoved into her in this moment of weakness.

As several muck monsters, even flying variants, lunged at us to display the power she should have wielded. They dispersed as the witch’s body finally gave out and turned to muck, draining into the pool below, as it rescinded with her death dissipating into the ether.

Moonlight once again flushed the room. And floating on top of the pure water inside the cauldron. seemingly having absorbed the moon’s essence was a key.