Witch of Fear [Mild horror, Isekai High Fantasy]

As the sun dipped beyond the far horizon, a pink glow lit up the evening sky, bathing the still bustling city. Lantern lights of mundane or magical origins were lit along the twisting streets. 

Even as nightfall approached, the city seemed still so alive.

Those who’d toiled during the day now emerged to relax and revel in a festival of liquor and satisfaction.

The trio eventually found their way back to the House of Blooms, only stopping occasionally to fill out their supplies. Things like hempen rope, bedrolls, travel gear, and a selection of dried rations. 

With the evening in full swing, the Red-light District was abuzz with libidinous entertainment. The red lanterns cast an erotic radiance on the street and on patrons. Autumn kept her head low and hidden as they pushed through. Out of her ragged apparel and now looking more like a proper adventurer, Autumn was catching more consideration from the local sex workers. Nethlia far more in her furs, leathers, and tight muscles.

After entering the safety of the bordello, Saphielle turned to the pair. 

“You didn’t get much of a tour before, did you, Autumn? Well, to the right of the parlor, through those double doors, is the main entertainment space with adjoining pleasure rooms. You’ve already been to the staff room and the art gallery, so let’s carry on to the second floor, shall we?”

From the entrance, Saphielle led them up a pair of majestic stairs. The room doubled in height as the two floors connected. Here on the landing were various nooks that lay scattered with pillows and tables. A more private function area.

At the end of the space, a solid wooden door sat closed. 

“This is the start of the residence for the staff. No clients are allowed up here, so bear that in mind.” 

The door opened smoothly to reveal a pair of corridors, one leading straight ahead while the other split off immediately to the right. Already, Autumn could smell the heady scents and aromas of roasting meats and vegetables wafting in from the corridor ahead. 

Dinner was almost ready.

However, instead of heading that way, Saphielle turned to the right-hand corridor.

“The first door on the left is the lavatory. Unlike the 1st floor, which has a lavatory outside, we have indoor plumbing. Most buildings in the city don’t, especially the slums, but the madam could pull some string to get it fitted.” 

Saphielle gestured as they wandered down the hall, arms still laden with dresses. 

“The second door is the bunk room. We currently have a pair of mercenaries to work as guards and bouncers. Wysalana, I call her Lana, and Yarica. You might meet them later.”

Saphielle stopped in front of the third door just before another corridor Like a T.

“This is Nethlia’s old room. Aside from dusting it every once in a while, nothing much had changed. Come along Autumn, I’ll show you to your room.”

“Umm, is it alright? I mean, this isn’t an inn or anything.” Autumn asked.

“It’s fine, it’s fine. The madam said it’s okay, although you might need to pitch in cleaning or helping around the place. Nethlia used to keep the people outside from getting too rowdy. To tell you the truth, I’ve found having adventurers around is good for business.”

“How so?”

“Well, firstly for protection,” Saphielle gestured at the towering form of Nethlia, “and second, it adds a bit of mystery and danger for our regulars. Not that we want actual danger, just the illusion of it.”

“Right,” Autumn said nervously.

Further down the corridor, the pair traveled, leaving a bemused berserker behind. At the junction between the two corridors, the pair stopped. Looking down the new corridor, Autumn could see five doors evenly spaced along the right-hand side while three doors lay on the left, after where Nethlia’s room would end. 

“You’re the first on the right. You know, you are kind of lucky. One of our staff left and we haven’t got round to hiring anyone new, so there’s a room free. If you have any issues, bother Lia. She’s in the bigger room at the end of the main corridor, just above the parlor.” 

With that last note, the blond elf scampered off down the hallway.

The bedroom Autumn walked into was fairly cozy, perhaps somewhere around ten feet wide by twenty long. Polished wooden floors stretched back to a window framed with velvet curtains in a rich purple. From this window, the red light of the swinging lanterns filtered in, casting the room in an intimate gleam.

A large pelt rug of an unknown beast dominated the floor space and upon it sat a bed of soft linens and warm furs. Plump pillows beckoned Autumn to rest her weary head. 

Beside the bed stood an antique-looking bedside table made of rich, dark wood. On its top, a couple of items lay; a candle holder with a fresh candle firmly nestled, a copper key, and a small polished-bronze mirror. At the foot of the bed was a heavy locked chest, wooden but banded with burnished copper. The lock seemed to match with the key on the bedside table and when Autumn tried it; the chest opened with a click. Unfortunately, the chest was empty, but it gave Autumn a secure place to store her gear. 

Just opposite the bed was a modest desk and stool. Thanks in kind to its positioning beside the window, light streaming through fell upon it. Only a few blank scrolls, an inkpot, and a quill lay on its smooth wooden top.

The only other thing of note in the bedroom was a lacy dressing screen currently folded up beside the door. Autumn didn’t spy any sort of wooden tub or bucket as she had in Nethlia’s tavern. She recalled Saphielle mentioning something about a renovated bathroom before.

“Are you all set?”

Turning to the doorway, Autumn took in the sight of Nethlia looming in the hall. 

“Yeah, just a little…lost, I guess. I’ve never stayed in a place like this before, both the brothel and the city. I keep worrying about the goblins, you know? What if they come back? What if they attack this place?”

Nethlia stared at Autumn for a moment, taking in her anxious appearance. 

“You’re not alone, remember that. Other people worry about these things too: the Duskguard, the Guild, and the Council. They keep the city safe and the monsters out. You’re safer here than anywhere else. So take some time to breathe and train for when they come. You’ll be ready.”

Nethlia gave Autumn a fanged grin.

“What are you two standing around and yapping for? We’ll miss dinner!” Saphielle said to Nethlia, who was blocking the hallway. 

“Alright, alright. Coming Autumn?”

Nethlia made way for her. 

Passing back the way they came, they ventured down the hallway they hadn’t yet traversed. At the end, the narrow hallway flared out, and to the left, a stairwell curved upwards to the third and final floor where the madam’s office and bedroom resided. 

Entering the dining hall, an astounding sight met Autumn’s eyes. Warm lantern lights floated unattached overhead, casting upon many elegant murals painted upon the walls. Colorful banners of red and gold hung beside windows that filtered out the lights and noise of the district. 

They had placed soft cushions and furs upon a polished floor in a circle, inside of which several low tables sat ready to receive many fragrant meals. Along the walls, several decorative weapons sat upon expensive-looking cabinets, and in the corners of the room leafy green plants flourished.

Currently, the only other person within this space was a small feathery-winged girl carefully clutching a cushion between two talons. Her face was alluring but still human, with soft lips and round eyes. What skin Autumn could see was bronzed by the sun. Feathers of spotted brown and white made up a fuzz around her head, draping back behind her rounded ears. Where a human’s arms would be, she instead possessed wings of feathers with long flight pinions that trailed to the floor. 

Sharp talons clacked softly against the wooden floor as she moved.  

As the Harpy turned, still carrying her cushion in hand, she spotted Autumn and let out a surprised thrill that calmed upon spying on Nethlia and Saphielle both. The sound was melodious. It flowed like music or water through Autumn’s mind and within it lay a trace of magic.

“Saphielle! Nethlia! ~” the harpy sang, “Hello new friend~ my name is Floriris.”

When Floriris spoke her name, it came out as a song, one that shifted and flowed. It told a tale of who she was; a lover, a listener, the free spirit of joy.

“Hello, my name’s Autumn,” Autumn shyly said. 

Floriris smiled.

“You can help me set up the cushions~. I’m not allowed to carry the plates~.”

“Alright.” 

Autumn helped the feathery girl arrange the cushions. As she did so, Autumn relaxed. Floriris seemed to have a way to her, an aura that was disarming. Maybe it was her looks or the soft laughter that sounded like the tinkling of crystal, but it was soothing.

“Floriris, do you mind if I ask about you? I haven’t met your kind before and I was curious. If that’s not rude or anything.” 

“Sure! You’re very kind~ Not everybody would ask so nicely. I’m a Noctua, or at least that’s what everybody calls us. In our tongue, we are called ‘♫♬♬♩♩♪’” 

What issued forth from Floriris’ lips was a trilling song that conjured the image of untethered flight across soaring peaks of ice and song. 

As with all the languages that Autumn had encountered so far, she understood it perfectly and was reasonably confident that she could replicate it. When Floriris’ song reached its end, Autumn closed her eyes and sang. She wasn’t as tone deaf as she remembered herself being, much to her surprise. She recalled Nethlia had mentioned how she had spoken Infernal so fluently as to not have an accent. Perhaps this was the same?

As the song ended and she opened her eyes, she was met with the cheering of a teary-eyed Noctua girl. 

“Beautiful! Beautiful!” Floriris sang “It’s been so long since someone understood~.”

Autumn grinned.

“I hope I get to see those mountains one day. They sounded wonderful.”

From behind her, Autumn heard an icy voice speak out. 

“What are you two lovebirds up to?” 

When Autumn turned to look at who had called her, she was met with the sight of an unusual woman. Her skin was as white as marble and her eyes were a pale pink. Trestles of white hair framed sharp cold features; high cheekbones, thin lips, and almond eyes. Broad shoulders bore the weight of a hefty bust of her hourglass figure. Her wide hips disappeared into a long slithering tail like that of a serpent and were as pale of scale as the rest of her skin.

Autumn recognized her as a lamia even if she didn’t know what they were called in this world.

“Caly! ~,” Floriris exclaimed “This is Autumn~ We were singing together~.”

Cold eyes took in Autumn as the lamia cocked her head from side to side. As she spied Floriris’ joyous expression, a small smile graced the corner of her lip and it gave her an otherworldly charm. 

Extending a manicured hand out to Autumn, she introduced herself. 

“Greeting Autumn. My name is Calyphopheu.”

Clasping Autumn’s hand, she brought it up to her lips and kissed the back of it. It wasn’t the first time this had happened today and within the same building, too, but it still took her back all the same and left a blush upon her cheeks.

“Hello, it’s nice to meet you. Umm, might I ask what your people are called? If it’s not a bother, I’ve only heard stories and I don’t want to get it wrong.” 

The handsome woman regarded Autumn coolly for a moment. Drawing herself up in pride, her ample chest puffed up as she spoke.

“It’s not a problem. I’m a Vipera, hailing from the far eastern reaches of the continent. Count yourself lucky, few of my kind like to travel so far from home, nor are many so restrained as myself.”

A pair of sharp fangs peeked out as she smiled.

“But enough about me. I think I smell dinner arriving.”

Sure enough, a side door opened and the already intoxicating smell of cooked meats swelled to a new high.

“Shall we?” Calyphopheu gestured to the soft seats.