I'm currently reading a report on the trade route between our village and our neighbor. Looks like the Gate that had appeared on the usual travel route got closed. I'm honestly surprised that these merchants are so eager to travel through that swamp, but as long as the goods still make their way here...
I sign the document and place it in the "finished" pile before letting out a sigh.
This work never ends. I understand that we're effectively rebuilding society from nothing after everything collapsed, but I could use some vacations.
I scratch the triangular tip of my ear, thinking about whether my master would allow me to take some time off, when she suddenly storms into my office.
Ibellir, the Elven Witch. It's such an honor for me to be serving her. It certainly doesn't hurt that her looks are well above average, not that I would ever dare try to court her. Her ears are such a perfect shape, her golden hair is the incarnation of grace and beauty, and her curves are to die for... But it's her personality that made me want to assist her in the first place. Ever since she awakened as a Witch, she's been working tirelessly to finally give elves a chance to live normally again. She is incredibly patient and kind-hearted, and I trust her to lead us forward.
"Garion, do we have any reports of a sixth Witch having been sighted recently?"
A sixth Witch? What a ridiculous idea!
"No such thing, master."
She seems to think about my response for a bit, before saying:
"I can still feel her power, but it's quite far from here. It would probably be dangerous for me to just rush there by myself... Garion, get me a map of the area."
"Of course."
I get up, dig around in one of my office's drawers, and come back with a map of this region. It originally wasn't drawn with any villages on it, since cartographers realized that putting settlements on their maps just made them expire quicker, so I had to add them myself.
She points to a specific area of the map. If my memory serves correctly, these are the ruins of an ancient city.
"Do you know if there's anything there?"
"I believe a Gate appeared there a mere two days ago, madam."
"A Gate, you say?"
She takes some time to think about something. She's as inscrutable as ever, but I can't deny that I find her adorable when she's deep in thoughts.
She continues:
"Could it be that this Witch comes from the other side?"
"Are you implying that there could be a human Witch?"
"If she had been in this world when she awakened, I would have felt it. Instead, I felt the already awakened power of a Witch appearing where you're telling me there's a Gate. The only conclusion I can reach is that the humans from the other side managed to awaken a Witch of their own."
"Is that a good or a bad thing?"
"Hard to say. It's not like we're at war with them, right now they're just fighting the World Eaters that leak into their own world. But this does go counter to what we had assumed Witches to be."
With the Collapse, most knowledge and technology was lost, so when the five Witches awakened, nobody knew what their power was or how to try to understand it. A lot of our current knowledge is based on assumptions. One such assumption is that they awakened to help protect this world, as a sort of defense mechanism against World Eaters. But if the other side has one or more Witches, then it might have strictly been a stroke of luck that five ultra-powerful girls happened to all be born 18 years ago, sharing a power that led them to taking on the mantle of "Witches", a word that was long used to describe female mages in legends who could protect and destroy as they saw fit.
"Do you intend to investigate this, madam?"
"You bet I do!"
She grins before continuing:
"A sixth Witch is a massive deal. Since she's the first and, as far as we can tell, only human Witch, she's probably very confused. We can answer a lot of her questions, and in exchange, she could help us defeat some of the World Eaters that have been able to keep up with us thus far. They're going to become an issue for the other side too one day anyway, so it's a good deal for everyone involved."
That's my master! Striking a deal with this new Witch so she'll help us in return, always the shrewd merchant.
She continues:
"Send a message to the others. I'd like all five of us to prepare to meet this new addition to the family. We'll let her close this Gate, I don't think we can make it there fast enough anyway, but we need to be ready to meet her the next time she shows up."
"As you wish."
With this, she walks out of my office, seemingly satisfied, as I grab a small enchanted item that allows me to communicate with the helpers of the four other Witches.
