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 servitude

"I'll pay in servitude."


She frowns and murmurs,


"I wish you chose the other option That would have been a lot more fun."


She explains how in exchange for saving your life you will be her assistant until she considers you debt repaid.


"My name's Helena by the way, but you can call me master."


"Can as in I have a choice?"


"You really are silly! No, can as in you can chose to call me master if you want to live, Understood?


"Yes…"


"Yes what!"


"Yes master…"


You begin work immediately and are sent out to gather various herbs for her potions. One day while gathering a rare mushroom, you encounter a demon who screams,


"I CRAVE DESTRUCTION!"


You try to run but he sends a bolt of fire into your chest. You burn into blackened ash.