"I will be doing no such thing," you say in protest.


Catia raises her eyebrow before breaking out in laughter.


"Well this is a first," she says.


You stare at her as she seems to be deciding whether she'll force you to remove your clothes. You feel the sweat drip down your back when she finally says,


"Maybe I really deserved to be sent here. I can't even manipulate a human into having sex with me."


A black cloud appears as she disappears from your room. You start violently coughing but don't pass out this time. It's not like it matters, you need to sleep anyway. You put out your candles and fall into bed. You focus on your breathing as you drift off to sleep. Best to reflect on what happens when you have a clearer mind.


You wake up with a throbbing pain in your head. The light coming from your window floods your mind with intense pain. Guess you drunk more last night than you thought. You decide its best to make yourself some food and drink to clear your head. You grab water and a slice of peach pie you made a few days ago. You scarf the food down and shallow the water in huge gulps. Your head should start feeling better within the next few hours.


Except it doesn't, you lie in bed with constant tension on your head. It's like someone is squeezing your brain with both hands, but not hard enough to cause physical harm. Something unnatural is going on and you know it. Hangovers should get better after rest, not worse. It's hard to focus on anything but the pain. You try remembering what Catia did before she left. She dispelled a black cloud which didn't knock you out. Is it possible this was a curse?


The more you think about it, the more it makes sense. While she tried not to show it, she was upset you resisted her temptation. She wanted you to pay for hurting her ego. That bitch! As you think about her more, tension is released from your skull. In fact, you're able to think about her in vivid detail and feel headache free. Although, the second you stop thinking about her the pain comes rushing back. This certainly isn't good.


You're going to have to do something about this. There is one obvious solution which is trying to contact Catia and having her remove the curse. Though who knows if she'll even remove it, assuming she still wants to visit you. The other option is going to a local witch doctor and having them remove the curse. Although, you've heard they've been busy since demons first started being sighted. Maybe the curse is temporary, why not wait it out?

You visit the Witch Doctor

Your brain aches with pain and going to what you assume is the source of the pain will probably make it worst. While you've never been too trusting of witches, you know a local one with good reputation. As you make your way outside the light pierces through your skull. Your eye sockets feel like their burning and your brain feels like it's melting. You press on and begin to enter the slums of the city. The practice of brewing potions containing humans, a required ingredient for witch doctors, is not exactly legal. Still, you are in no place to have such prejudice considering if your head keeps pounding like it is now, you might just kill someone.


You reach the witch doctor's office and make your way inside. It's pretty busy at the moment, which is no surprise as people want protection from demons. You wait in a line of about twenty people. The pounding has intensified, and you aren't even aware how much time has passed when somebody says,


"Excuse me, do you need to see the witch doctor"


"SHUT UP!" you snap.


The clerk cowers as you finish screaming at him. You manage to calm down and whisper,


"Please help me."


The clerk nods and orders you to follow him. You go down a hall way affixed with a assortment of trinkets and baubles pinned to the walls.


"To keep away evil spirts," the clerk explains.


There is a huge variety of objects that you would normally want to know more about. You are in no mood now though and continue down the hall until you reach the doctor.


You enter a room lit only by bright red stones. In the center lays a boiling pot emitting the scent of rotten egg. The bright lights distract you from even noticing the witch doctor standing right in front of you.


"I sense a demonic curse within you. Don't worry, I know the perfect potion for you."


The witch doctor, who prefers you call her "a potion brewer", starts throwing a concoction of ingredients into a cauldron.


"One imp carcass to ward off spirts, 2 cups of orc blood for personal strength, and a dash of lemon juice."


"Why lemon?' you ask.


She smiles and says,


"For flavor silly! Do you think you could stomach a potion solely comprised of raw meat and blood?"


She mixes everything together and pours out the cauldron into multiple bottles. She hands you one and the smell alone relieves your head. You down the vial and struggle to hold back from vomiting. It's a lot thicker than you thought and the blood clumps up in your throat. The potion brewer notices your discomfort and gives you a small vial composed of a black liquid.


"Drink this it will help."


You do as told and gulp the vial down. It seems to do the trick as the clumped blood slides down your throat. You still want to vomit out your insides.


"So how will you be paying today, soul or servitude?"


"I thought you accepted coin."


"Oh, we do, but the black vial I gave you was extremely valuable. The ingredients needed to make it cannot be paid by mere coin."


"What! How expensive can it be to make a potion that clears your throat?"


She laughs and shakes her head before saying,


"That's not what the potion did, silly! It's what I give to people if I sense they are close to death. It will prevent any proximate death, but can only be used once."


"Why not just give me something else then?"


"I wasn't sure if the curse was attacking you or if you were having an allergic reaction to the potion. While I can sense a lot, I'm not psychic. Rather than make a guess I did the only thing I could to guarantee your life."


"I suppose that makes sense."


"Great! Now how about that payment, soul or servitude?"

You soul

"I'll pay with my soul."


She smiles and says,


"I was hoping you'd say that."


She latches onto you and pushes you to the ground.


"Clerk Anthony, tie him up!"


The clerk pounces and takes out a long thread of rope while the potion brewer holds you down. The rope is wrapped around your hands and legs and you're tied up like an animal.


"Now time to harvest your flesh!"


The witch, which is more apt of a title, pours a white liquid mixed with thousands of black dots down your throat. It's not until you shallow when you realize what those black dots were, ticks! They burrow into your mouth and bite your gums. You feel bumps forming on your tongue, gums, and uvula. Then the biting spreads to your throat. More bumps form and you're unable to breath. Your face starts to turn blue and your senses dim.


"He'll be dead soon."


"But what about his soul, master?"


She laughs and says,


"I never wanted his soul silly! My herbal tea requires human flesh."


This is the last thing you hear before blacking out. Hopefully the tea was good.