Cain smiled, staring at the four women they caught. "Take them to the ship and have Alice look at them. After that, I will milk as much information as I can from them." Kayden, Chad, and Zaleria started dragging the women inside while Cain looked back at the island thinking about what he just discussed with Kayden.
'Five ladies? The crow, the finger, the liver, the dimple, and the tooth…all of those are witches?' Cain thought. 'I'm called the necromancer and my sister is called Inferno, all witches have a nickname related to their main power.' Morena stated.
'I know that. Kayden said the liver created the flesh golem he fought which kind of shows their powers. Do you think they are dragons?'
'No way, the names sound too weak for a dragon to carry.' Morena replied with a snore and then added 'How about you send me and sister, add that ice witch Bela and her daughter, even Sofia and let's have a full-on witch war.'
'Just Zaleria alone will destroy this whole place, sending you all will sink the island.'
"Cain, I healed them!" Alice called him from the deck, the four women were ready so he flew over.
Thud! He landed and saw the four women tied with ropes to the mast, shivering upon seeing his face. He can't blame them for being scared, Kayden clearly had six eyes in the background glaring at them.
"Now, now, where should I start…" Cain pulled a chair and glared at them, "You're free to choose. Speak on your own and then can stay here on the ship under our protection till the witches are dealt with. Refuse to speak and I will get to make you talk."
He took a deep breath, "There are two major ways to get information from you. Torture or magic. Magic will leave you like empty husks so it's better avoided."
Follow on NovᴇlEnglish.nᴇt"Torture on the other hand is more fun, I can either carve your bodies until you speak or carve your minds. Both are extremely painful. But don't worry, I will start slow so you can get used to it."
"First, I will carve your nails and teeth out…"
As Cain kept talking, Kayden watched him wondering why was he talking a lot, he should just get to it. But surprisingly, after about half an hour of explaining how he is going to torture them, they started speaking on their own.
Cain was the only one who didn't beat his attacker senselessly, this was a reason they can trust him. Also hearing how they are going to be tortured first was torture on its own.
Ladies of the silent mount. The witches of crooken berg, the third mountain of this island, the one covered in the wilderness.
Just a bit after the pirate dock there is a small village formed from the pirate families and relatives, it's like a normal village, as anyone you can see on land. But since it's isolated, the people had made a deal with the witches.
The deal was to cure diseases, avert bad weather and plagues, and as well bless them with bountiful harvests and powerful children. The witches posed as servants of Umberlee so their claims seemed legit.
For the past twenty years, the witches have been doing their part wonderfully. The only downside was their strange prices. Five maidens each year are to be sent to their mount, but no one returned. On top of this, the village provides them with food, and clothes and sometimes runs errands for them, like this one.
You can't just go to meet them, their mountain is on an isolated island with powerful sea monsters guarding it, and they also said the mountain itself is fully trapped. The only way in is when the ladies call you, a stone path forms on the water surface that the maidens will walk on. If anyone tried, they will drown and get eaten by the monsters.
To heal people, the witches request the sick person to be dipped in seawater at the shore facing their mount, the path will then open. You then need to send a small child no older than six years old alone across the stone path, which will bring the medicine with him a few minutes later.
Cain slowly stood up, "Well then, let's meet those witches." He flicked his finger, ZON! A blue portal opened up and Bela leaped from it with an excited smile.
"MASTER<3!" She hugged Cain, almost suffocating him with her chest.
"Mother, stop it." Jella walked in, grabbing her mother by the hair and pulling her away from Cain. "Let him breathe for a second."
"ARA! He would have dodged had he wanted me not to hug him…" Bela replied with a sad face.
Cain smiled and looked back, "Zaleria, Sofia. You two come as well, five witches fighting five witches let's go."
"Five witches?" Zaleria stared at him as she approached them. "Yeah, me. Remember that I ate Morena?"
"So sister is coming as well, just make sure she is under control."
The four women stared up at them with baffled faces, "Witches, you as well?"
Bela smiled, puffing her chest up, "That's right, we're all witches."
Jella approached Cain with an exhausted face, "Can we just move? I'm sure you want this over with quickly as well."
Follow on Novᴇl-Onlinᴇ.cᴏmCain nodded, "Let's go, we still need to check on the bar later." The five of them walked out of the ship, slowly making their way to the other side of the island where they could see the mountain island.
This time the pirates stared with puzzled faces, last time he had two men with him, and now it was a whole five beauties. But no one dared speak, they remember how the woman who dealt with Zaleria ended, they could expect the other three women to be just as violent.
As they passed by the village, the people closed their doors and refused to get out. Only peeking from the cracks in their walls and doors. The air became chill as the dogs in the back began barking loudly.
Multiple crows landed on a dead tree staring at Cain and his group, CAW! CAW! CAW! CAW! CAW!
Sofia walked closer to Cain, "This place is a bit creepy…" she looked around at the withering grass and rotten fishes in the back of the street.
"Don't worry, this is a learning experience for you all. See how real witches fight and deal with conflict." Cain replied with a smile.
As they approached the shore, they could see the mountain in the distance across the raging sea. At the water, edge rested an old fishing boat with a rotten human corpse on it. The thing almost had only bones as the scavenger birds finished him off.
CAW! CAW! A crow flew in, resting on the corpse's skull. As Cain and the others were passing by…
"Accursed one, leave our land." The crow spoke, staring at Cain with one eye.
KYA! Sofia, and Jella got scared. Sofia hid behind Zaleria while Jella was behind Bela.
Cain slowly turned toward the crow, "The crow hag? Am I right?"
"But a messenger, accursed one. Leave our land before the next dawn." The crow growled.
"I see, a familiar…or all of them are your familiars." Tens of crows landed around him like a swarm of pigeons. "Was it you who strangled me?" He asked with a smile.