The dark sky returned by the time Lucy, Charles, and Ivy approached a tall wooden gate at the end of the road. The town sign hung over the gate, shaking in the breezing wind.

You discovered Tarrin! A peaceful, isolated farming town, known for their popular vegetables grown in the swamp. If you got poisoned or a minor stomach arch, the swamp farmers have the remedy for you. Although peaceful, the townsfolk are very suspicious of voodoo witchcraft. Many children fall ill to strange curses and some vanished without a trace. So if you are a witch, they might blame you for all the strange happenings around the town. If not, enjoy your stay.

"Are you sure she lives here?" Lucy asked. "My notification says this town is suspicious to voodoo witches."

"Wow, you get different notifications too?" Ivy asked. "You really are a player!"

"A computer player!"

"Sorry, but yes. Tashina does live here. Nobody knows she is a witch doctor. As long as they don't discover her powers, she is safe."

"It sounds foolish for a witch to live in a town who prosecuted witches," said Charles, glancing at the gate.

"But where else could she live in the swamp?" Ivy pointed her finger at the dark woods. "There are countless bandits and creatures roaming around the trails."

"I know some witches live alone in the swamp. They use protective charms to keep the monsters away."

"I don't know Tashina's deal." Ivy shrugged. "Maybe she likes the company, but she is very weird."

"How weird?" Lucy asked.

Ivy twirled her finger on the left of her head.

Lucy never met a witch before, but the dark tales she heard about them made them sound crazy. Like drugs and rum, magic could drive their users insane or change their personalities into thinking differently than normal people. But most rumors were based on hatred and fear, which Lucy wouldn't believe. Not all voodoo witches were bad. Right?

"Don't worry, she is a good lady," said Ivy with a grin. "But if she offers you tea, don't drink it."

"Why?" Charles asked with suspension in his eyes. "I like tea."

Ivy grimaced as if she drank something nasty. "You don't want to know."

She pushed the gate open as a thong of people rushed toward the center of the town. All of them gathered around something, cheering like they were watching a ball game.

"What's this?" Charles sprinted toward the crowd as the girls followed him.

They squeezed through bulls, a rabbit, two deers, and a sheep until they reached the clear square near a church.

A hyena lady, with a cloth around her chest and a raggy brown skirt covering her legs, was tied to a post over a stick pile. She has a bone necklace around her thick neck and silver earrings through her round pointy ears. Eyes red like she got no sleep, or she drank too much grog. She doesn't seem to be scared of the mob at all. Just sighing as if they were boring her mind.

Tashina Race: Hyena Level: 10 Non-character player Sidequest completed! You received 1,000 EXP Level up! Health restored! You received one proficiency point! New side quest offered! Save the Witch You found Tashina, but the townsfolk are preparing to execute her for suspicious voodoo cursing in their town. Rescue her and she will help you find the Howling Caverns. If not, they will seal her fate. Do you accept this side quest? Aye, or nay?

Lucy immediately accepted the new side quest. Perhaps it wasn't her business to understand why the townsfolk want to burn Tashina, but Lucy needed the witch doctor to find the dungeon. And maybe the hyena could join Lucy's crew before they leave the island.

Congratulations You accepted the side quest!

Near the stake, a goat priest in a black trench coat rose on a stool, holding a torch in his right hand. He pointed the flames toward Tashina's face. "Madam Tashina, we have found you guilty for cursing our town and eating our children! Do you have any last words to say?"

The hyena's corners of her lips curled, showing her sharp teeth like she was ready to bite the goat's head off. That smile wasn't a radiant smile. More like a grin full of insanity. "Bun mi an di curse wi neva tap, fools!"

The priest glanced at the crowd. "Anyone know what the hell she just said?"

The crowd stared at each other, shrugging and shaking their heads.

The goat gruffed. "Never mind!" He glared at the hyena with a grin. "For your curse, your punishment is death! Prepare for the fire!"

The townsfolk roared into a cheer, shaking their fists in the air. Everyone applauded for her death except Lucy and her companions. She has to do something before the priest sets the poor hyena on fire. Attacking the priest wouldn't be bright, although he wasn't strong.

Priest Race: Goat Level:05 Non-player character

If Lucy attacks the priest, the entire town could swarm her and her friends. They were weak too, but too many attackers could kill Lucy. Perhaps making the town believe something else was curing them should make them spare Tashina’s life.

“Stop!” She shouted with her hands up, drawing everyone’s attention to her. “She is innocent!”

The goat priest glared at her. “Innocent? You dare take her side?”

The townsfolk sent glares at her, and all the carnivores flashed their growling teeth at her.

She gulped, feeling butterflies fall into her stomach. No matter how angry the crowd got, she couldn’t let the witch doctor meet her fate. “No! Uuuuuuuuh…..”

“Tell them the Howling Caverns is responsible,” Charles whispered behind her. “You can do this.”

Lucy nodded with a grin. She almost had a heart attack before she could say her next word.

She cleared her throat and pointed her finger at the hyena. “She isn’t your problem! There is a real menace, haunting your town and eating your children!”

The townsfolk mumbled into an argument toward her until the goat held up his torch.

“Silence!” He pointed his torch toward Lucy. “Explain!”

Lucy grinned at him for a bit. “I have seen another witch sneaking around inside your town! She came from the Howling Caverns!”

“Where is your proof?” a pig blacksmith shouted.

Lucy glared at him. “Where is your proof?”

“She’sss…..” The blacksmith darted his eyes around. “She is a witch!”

Lucy crossed her arms. “Oh, really. Have you ever seen her eat children and do nasty things to your house?”

The pig scratched his head as if he ran out of something to say.

“She was taking my herbs from my flower pot garden!” a sheep lady shouted, pointing her finger at Tashina.

“Yuh di one who keeps stealing from mi herb stash liar!” Tashina shouted back.

“And I got sick after I drank her tea!” A goose gentleman shouted, raising his cane up.

Tashina giggled. “Yuh should ave seh no foolish old man!”

The goose honked in anger while others joined his banter.

"Alright! Alright! Enough!" The goat priest shouted, waving his arms up and returned his glance to Lucy. "Why should we listen to you? She might have bewitched you to help her escape."

Tashina beamed her eyes at Lucy. "Mi neva seen dat gyal inna mi life."

The goat shook his torch toward her face. "Shut it, witch! Speak again, and I will cut out your tongue before I roast you!"

"She is right!" Lucy shouted. "I never met her before, but I know she isn't the one causing you trouble!"

"Silence! The jury has already decided the witch's fate! She must burn now!"

Lucy sighed, feeling defeated in trying to reason with the foolish priest. It looks like she would need to rescue the voodoo witch the hard way.

"What a bloody pain!" She took out one smoke bomb and tossed it toward the stick pile. After the bomb exploded, white smoke clouded the entire square. The people coughed and panicked, unable to see what was happening.

Lucy covered her mouth and sprinted toward the stake. "Come on!"

She climbed up onto the stick pile and untied the ropes around the hyena's waist.

"Wah yuh doing?" Tashina asked, surprisingly.

"Saving your life, of course!" Lucy pulled the ropes loose, and they fell to below the hyena's bare feet.

She took Tashina's hand and guided to her friends. They rushed through the mob as the smoke grew thinner and thinner.

By the time they reached the gate, the smoke faded away, leaving them completely visible.

"Stop them!" The goat priest shouted. "Maaaaaaaaaaaaaaa! They are getting away with the witch!"

The crowd ran to their houses, grabbing pitch forks, torches, and whatever else they could use as weapons. Then all of them rushed toward the gate.

"Mi wi stall them!" Tashina opened a small porch on her belt.

She pulled out a small black ball and tossed toward the mob. It exploded in front of them similar Lucy's smoke bomb, except the smoke was green like poison.

The mob halted within the gas and coughed with choking noises.

Lucy stared at Tashina in shock. "Did you poison them?"

Tashina raised a grin on her upper right cheek. "It no poison. It a mi specialty. Heeheehee."

The townsfolk dropped their weapons and screamed all over the place. Some ran while the others punched each other, starting brawls.

"There are spiders all over me!" A chicken lady cried.

"Zombies!" The pig blacksmith swung his pitchfork around. "Stay away from me!"

Even the goat priest dashed around in circles as if his pants were on fire. "God's wrath is upon us! God's wrath is upon us! We're all going to hell!"

Apparently, the entire town was going straight to hell.

"The gate is open!" Ivy announced. "Come on!"

Lucy grabbed Tashina's hand and pulled her through the gate, following her friends across the road.

The hyena yanked her hand from Lucy's grip and sprinted to reach ahead of the group. "Follow me! Mi ave a boat inna di riva nearby!"

They turned off the road and skipped through the marsh woods. With her speed, Lucy caught up toward Tashina.

“What did you do to the town?” she asked while letting her breath escape at the same time.

Tashina giggled like an evil killer escaping from murder. “Just a lilly spell dat mek dem si dem own fears. It lasts fi one minute.”

Sidequest completed! You received 1,000 EXP

Lucy hoped she could trust the voodoo witch doctor. More problems would only slow her down from achieving her main goal.

They reached a dark river where a dock rested on the shore, and a longboat floated against the wooden platform.

“ Dat a mi boat!” Tashina pointed her sharp claw at it. “It looks rusty, but it wi float.”

“I hope so.” Ivy stepped into the longboat first. “I don’t want to swim in swamp water!”

“Wah mek complain bout it, likkle one?” Tashina sat next to Ivy. “Swamp wata gud fi di skin an fur. Mi bath inna it many times a day. Heeheehee!”

Ivy took a quick sniff of Tashina’s black bladed hair. “Peuh!” She pinched her nose. “I can tell, now!”

After Lucy and Charles sat down, they grabbed the paddles and rowed the boat from the dock. While drifting down the river, the mob reached the small dock lead by the goat priest. They roared and shook their weapons over their weapons.

“You will not get far!” The goat shouted. “We will tell the other towns about their whereabouts! Mark my words! You will all burn in hell!”

Charles waved to the mob with a grin. “You can try, fools! More bodies will decorate your island!”

The mob kept raging until their echoes faded through the darkness in the swamp. They could gather boats to chase Lucy's companions down the river, but the boat drifted faster as if a windstorm was pushing it. If trouble awaits them in Turtle Chain, Lucy will worry about that later.