Witch Zanthia's Little Shop Of Horrors

The witch walked between the corridors of the building, followed closely by the two figures in cowled robes. They went down the stairs and then continued on until they found an empty room on one side of the hall.

Once the three of them reached that room, they entered and the witch closed the door. Then Zanthia cast a spell to check if someone was spying on them.

¡Good! Nobody was doing it. That meant that the three people in this room had privacy to resolve their issues without anyone interfering ...

The witch looked at the monk of black skin and white hair. He looked at the female monk in the white robe. She looked at the witch. The three began to cast spells at the same time. Magic flooded the small room.

And finally, when everything was said and done, Zanthia was the last human standing in the room.

Because the "monks" had transformed back into their original forms.

A pair of cute felines.

A big black cat and a white p.u.s.s.ycat with sunglasses.

"Pheeww! We did it! I'm glad it's over! I'm so drained! Nyaa," said Moon while l.i.c.k.i.n.g one of her delicate paws.

"Yes, the truth is that maintaining that bipedal shape is really tiring. Also, I do not think it properly shows my grandiosity. "

"Pppffh! You tired? But I am the one who was forcefully sustaining your human form with my magic! You alone are not capable of transforming yourself to a human form, even after all this time! Maybe, if you did not sleep so much and study more, then in the future you could do it without relying on me.

"What are you saying Moon? Sleeping is my way of studying. It is my daily practice. " said Little Sun, looking offended.

"You're really impossible, you know? You drive me craazzzy!" complained Moon while throwing a tantrum.

"You are already craazzzy!"

"Alright, alright! Stop it, you two!" said Zanthia but she was doing an effort to keep a serious face.

"Good job, both of you! Everyone believed that you two were the true monks. To say that Little Sun had made a vow of silence was a masterful move, Moon. "

"I was afraid that this fool would say something that would have spoiled our work," Luna said.

Little Sun ignored her remark. Zanthia continued talking with a wider smile.

"No, you two both did a very good work. You were actually resembling real monks. And Little Sun had a very dignified appeareance."

"I always thought I am monk material. I probably would have been an excellent Truthteller if I had wanted to be one. Who knows, maybe I would have even become the High Priest. "

Zanthia and Moon imagined Little Sun as the highest representative of the God of Truth. Both exchanged a look of complicity and could not help but laugh. Little Sun seemed offended.

"I do not know what you are laughing about. I was serious, you know? "

Zanthia and Moon laughed in clear laughter. The witch wiped the tears from her cheeks with her fingers and the white cat clutched her belly with her delicate paws.

An indignant Little Sun turned his back to them, raised his head high and gave a long sigh.

He felt that nobody understood him.

A few moments later, when the witch and the cat had regained their composure, the conversation continued.

"Are there any news from Shadow? Could she find the girl? Asked Little Sun

"She did found her. She is protecting her as we speak. The interesting thing is that she already had to thwart a teleportation caused by a black card that aimed to abduct Opal. "

The cats frowned and exchanged a concerned look.

"A black card? That means…" said Moon.

"Devils! " the black cat finished the sentence.

"Indeed. The Association of Reasonable Exchanges. Or, at least, one of their clubs," confirmed Zanthia.

"I should have imagined it. Devils love souls. They like to eat them as if they were gr.a.p.es, " said Moon.

"It's a posibility. There is another thing I forget to tell you, yesterday in the square, when you left me alone to go eat. Something strange happened ... "

" Something strange?"

"I felt five threatening auras and I heard a voice that challenged me to meet them within two days at midnight. It sounded like it was an invitation to a duel. A very threatening invitation. "

"You're not going, right? There is no sense in fighting with strangers. "

Zanthia sighed. And then she closed her eyes to check the system message that she received at that time.

[SYSTEM: Sudden Mission. Accept the challenge of the mysterious strangers. Find out who they are and what they want. Defend the honor of the Association of Horrors and prove that the owner of a store of horrors is not an easy prey. Level of difficulty: Unknown. Reward: appropriate at the mission level.]

The witch opened her eyes and looked at the cats.

"I have to go. I would have preferred to ignore the challenge of these strangers but the system gave me a sudden mission to defend the honor of the Association of Horrors. I want the reward. "

The cats shaked their heads and shighed. Then, they looked at each other and nodded.

"You're not a combat cat, Moon," the witch said while shaking her head.

"But Little Sun y Shadow are. And my magic is strong enough to kill most enemies. Do not worry, Zanthia. " answered Moon.

"Yes, do not worry, Zanthia, I got her back covered. And yours as well." Little Sun intervened.

"Very good, Little Sun. I leave it in your capable hands then. I mean, capable claws. "

The black cat made the typical gesture of thumbs up.

"Very well. It's time to get Opal out of jail. Let's go."

The witch left the room followed by her cats. If Zanthia's life were a minstrel's story, at this moment there would be a sunny day and birds would sing as a metaphor for their victory so that the public would know that everything was going to be fine from now on.

"Very well. It's time to get Opal out of jail. Let's go."

The witch left the room followed by her cats. Undoubtely, If Zanthia's life were a minstrel's story, at this moment there would be a sunny day and birds would sing as a metaphor for their victory so that the public would know that everything was going to be fine from now on.

A few minutes later they entered the prison, where Zanthia had to show court papers to be taken to see Opal. Finally, the young witch found herself in front of the girl.

Opal was much better than before. She had had time to recover his composure and dry her tears before Zanthia's arrival. Remembering everything she had said and done before the jailer, now the girl felt completely stupid.

Why he had told the jailer all these fantastic things?

She, who usually did not told anything to anyone, talked like a w.h.i.n.ey kid! How silly that had been! The only explanation was that fear had dulled her senses.

Now, everyone would think she was crazy!

What if they told the magistrate about it?

Something alongside the lines of '…besides murderous, she is also crazy, your excellence, it will be best to hang her at once.'

That's what Opal Twister was thinking when the jailer opened the door of the cell and let the witch through.

"The cat lady! Did you come to visit me? I know, you thought I was hungry and you brought me something to eat. Madam, you would not have bothered. Thank you so much! But you, who are already so old, would not be better staying near the fireplace? The weather is half bad today, with so much rain. "

"Girl, I was talking to the magistrate and ..."

"Did not you bring me anything to eat, ma'am?"

"What? This brat! Why do not you let me talk? Are you really so hungry? "

"I'm always hungry. Here the only thing they gave me is a crust of bread. A little hard but it was pretty good. The problem is that it was a little crust, you know? Are you sure you did not bring me anything? How strange, in the street the only ones that almost always feed me are the grandmothers like you… "

Zanthia glared at her, this badly educated brat dared to tell granny to her. To the powerful witch Zanthia, how dare she? The young witch was totally outraged.

"Alright! Alright! Brat, I get it. You're hungry. The truth is that I did bring you something. Grab this! "Zanthia said and threw something round at the girl.

Opal catched it only by virtue of her reflexes. But instead of eating it, she stared at it with a frown.

"An orange? Seriously?" said the disappointed girl.

"Beggars and prisoners cannot afford to be choosers, girl. And by the way, I'm not a grandmother. Nor an older lady. My name is Zanthia Fateweaver and I am a witch. "

Opal hesitated a moment but in the end she shrugged and began to eat the orange.

"Listen to me, little girl. I spoke to the magistrate about you and I convinced him to let you go free."

"Seriously, thank you, ma'am! Oh and tell me Opal. Opal Twister. Thats my name."

"You're welcome, Opal. Now you are in my custody. So you're going to live in my shop, at least for a while. "

"Listen, I do not want to seem ungrateful or anything like that, but I do not know her. Does it seem reasonable to me that I'm going to live with a stranger? How can I trust you? "

"Your two friends trust me."

"I do not have two friends."

"What about Pedro? Tall boy, haircut with bangs, a little fat, talkative, he likes sweets a lot. "

"Pedro! Is it true that you know him? "Opal asked, a little calmer.

"Yes and you will be able to see tomorrow, as long as I manage to convince the mother that you are now a respectable person. Which is going to require a good bath and that you change those dirty clothes. Maybe a haircut will also help. "

Opal narrowed her eyes and smelled her dress. The truth was that after a night in the humid and cold cell it did not have a good smell. The girl shrugged and nodded. Then she seemed to remember something.

"Did you say that I had another friend? But Pedro is the only friend I have. "

"Seriously? And what about her, is not your friend perhaps? "

Zanthia snapped her fingers and a grayp.u.s.s.ycat came out of the shadows.

"Meeoo"

"Kitty!" Opal exclaimed with wide eyes and a big smile.

"Let me officially introduce you to my cat Shadow. She was the one in charge of taking care of you while Pedro's father and I convinced the magistrate of your innocence. According to what she told me, it seems she did a good job. "

"She did! She truly did a great job! Thanks Kitty! "

A few minutes later, two humans and three cats walked together by the streets towards a shop of horrors. For most of them, it was just the return to the same store as always, but for one of them it was something she had dreamed about for years. The opportunity to have a home and a family again. A new beginning.