Witch of Fear [Mild horror, Isekai High Fantasy]

“Come in, Come in!”

A woman ushered both Nethlia and Autumn into the building. Upon entering, a large elegant foyer met them, much like the lobby of a hotel. Soft couches lined the walls while a well-organized desk dominated the space. Upon it, an enormous book rested.

The woman who greeted them was rather short for an Inferni, around Autumn’s height. Two small horns peeked out from a stylish curl of black hair that draped down to her shoulders. Bright orange eyes shone out from behind a pair of slim spectacles as she observed them. Her slim body was clad in a fusion of medieval attire and a modern business suit. A three-piece suit comprised a white blouse, a leather vest, and a blue coat that fell to her knees. Tight suit pants tucked into leather boots and a cute bow tie pulled the outfit together.

With a cheery smile, the demoness addressed Nethlia.

“It’s been so long! Are you here to visit, or are you looking for work?”

Autumn turned mechanically to Nethlia with disbelieving eyes and flaming cheeks.

Nethlia coughed in embarrassment.

“Don’t say it like that, Stacy!” Nethlia turned to Autumn. “I worked here as a bodyguard, that’s all. Just to supplement my income.”

Autumn was relieved slightly and, as she turned back to the receptionist, she caught a look of mischievousness in her glowing eyes.

Nethlia let out a relieved sigh.

“Is the madam in?”

“She is, but let me check if she has any appointments.”

Upon saying so, Stacy the receptionist skirted around the desk and began leafing through the book placed there. A soft hum filled the air as she ran her finger down the entries before stopping upon a black space.

“It looks like she has got no meeting scheduled at the moment. Most likely she is either getting a handle on some paperwork or having a break. Normally, I’d have to pencil you in for later, but I’m sure she’d want to see you.”

Stacy winked at Nethlia.

Nethlia nodded before turning to Autumn. “Right. Pass me the pouch and I’ll get it exchanged. It’ll only take a minute. You hang out down here for a bit. I’ll be right back.”

“Oh, right.”

From within her robes, Autumn withdrew her coin pouch and handed it over. Nethlia gave a small wave before striding off into the lobby and ascending a grand stairwell there.

A sigh escaped Stacy as the pair watched Nethlia go.

“What a great ass.”

Autumn choked on her spit at the comment. As her face reignited, Autumn whirled upon the demoness beside her. Stacy was dreamily staring at the retreating ample backside of Nethlia.

“T…that’s…I wasn’t…staring or anything.” Autumn stammered.

“Huh? Sure.”

Stacy smiled at Autumn’s blushing face.

An awkward air of silence emerged between the pair. Stacy returned to her spot behind the reception desk and listlessly watched Autumn.

Feeling the gaze upon her, Autumn coughed away her embarrassment.

“Umm, Stacy right? Is that a local name? I’m not really from around here, so um, I haven’t met many…uh Inferni?” Autumn rambled.

Stacy’s eyes squinted at Autumn as if she had touched upon a nerve. Seeing the demoness giving Autumn a judging look, she squirmed in place.

“It’s not. Local, that is. I’m a Half-Inferni if you couldn’t tell. My mother was human, so she gave me a human name.”

Autumn breathed a silent sigh of relief. She had heard Nethlia refer to her people as Inferni before, but still wasn’t sure. The last thing she wanted was to embarrass herself or come across as suspicious.

“I couldn’t tell that you were a Half-Inferni. Does it matter here or something?”

Stacy hummed.

“Many people don’t like humans around here, so I get harassed a bit. You might want to watch out. Don’t worry about the House of Blooms, if you are a friend of Nethlia, you’ll be fine here.”

“Oh,” Autumn muttered.

Once again, an air of awkwardness sprung forth between the pair. Autumn fidgeted in place under the oppressive silence.

“Have…have you worked here long?” Autumn blurted out.

Stacy let out a long sigh.

“I’ve worked here for a while. You know what, instead of waiting out in the lobby, how about I take you to a side room to rest your feet or something?”

As Stacy rounded the desk, she guided Autumn further into the lobby. In doing so, Autumn missed a twinkle of mischief in her orange eyes. Step by step, they guided Autumn further back and down a corridor before they stopped in front of an innocuous door.

Taking a key from around her neck, Stacy unlocked the door.

“It’s just in here. You go first.”

Unsuspecting, Autumn obeyed. As she stepped through the sight before her made her freeze and before she could retreat, the door shut behind her with a slam. The sound of the lock re-engaging broke the silence.

From behind the door, a muffled voice called out.

“Take care of Nethlia’s friend, would you girls?”

The room Autumn had found herself in was a lounge area for the courtesans of the house to relax between shifts. Various cushions of varying sizes and decorations lay scattered around the floor amidst low tables filled with food, drinks, and, sometimes, games.

But what sold that the space was for the bordello’s workers and what had made Autumn freeze was the half-dozen scantily clad women of all sorts of species now all staring at her curiously.

Autumn’s hand frantically turned the door handle behind her, to no avail.

Normally no one but the staff of the house were allowed into this area, so the sudden intrusion took aback the lounging women. Not to mention that Autumn hardly looked like their usual clientele given how disheveled she was, but at Stacy’s mention that she was Nethlia’s friend, several of the women brightened up.

Autumn had no notion of what to expect. She’d never wandered into a brothel before in her life, so she half expected to be set upon like an antelope before a pride of lionesses.

Seeing her discomfort, one of the women stood up and smiled gently at her.

At first, Autumn took her for a rather tall human. Her skin was a rich chocolate that coated dense muscles all along her rather exposed body. Only a tight white shirt and small black shorts covered her modesty. A pair of slender shoulders supported her generous breasts that strained under the tight top. A skinny waist packed with powerful abdominal muscles led down into broad flared hips and a pair of thick thighs on top of two long legs.

What clued Autumn to her being not a human, or at least not fully, was a pair of long rabbit-like ears that sprouted from a head of soft white curls.

From a pair of sensual lips, a voice like creamy milk flowed forth.

“Hello lovely, don’t mind Stacy. She’s not very patient. Why don’t you take a seat and tell us why she has hidden you away with us?”

Autumn almost got lost in the ebbs and flows of the woman’s smooth voice. Before she could reply, another voice broke in.

“Was Stacy telling the truth? Are you a friend of Nethlia?”

Ahead of Autumn was an elven-looking girl. Silken blond hair trailed down a cute face of heart-stopping beauty and around a pair of long drooping ears. The elf girl possessed a delicate slender body, only barely hidden behind a sheer dress that flowed along her small curves.

Most fantasy fiction she had read often depicted elves as supremely attractive, and as Autumn’s heart beat frantically in her chest, she could only agree.

“Hush Saph. Oh, I’ve been ever so rude. My name is Lia. Lia Sher in full, but Lia is just fine.”

With her introduction, the bun-woman lightly grasped Autumn’s hand. Seeing her prosthetic fingers, she faintly paused in curiosity before kissing the back of Autumn’s hand.

“May I be so fortunate to know your name belle femme?”

With a bewildered and reddened face, Autumn replied.

“A-Autumn, Witch Autumn, umm. Just Autumn is fine.”

“Such a curious and beautiful name.”

Lia smiled a smile that melted Autumn to the marrow. She felt all gooey inside; nobody smiled that way at her before. She could tell that the interest was real, as in her previous fright she had instinctively activated her emotion-sensing powers. The room before her was filled with the colors of curiosity.

“And I’m Saphielle Valnelis or just Saph to friends.”

The elf declared with a bright smile that almost blinded Autumn in its purity.

“H-hi.” Autumn squeaked “Um, I came in with Nethlia. She’s talking to the madam. I don’t know why Stacy shoved me in here.”

Saph snorted surprisingly elegantly, despite her crudeness.

“She shoved you in here ‘cause she can’t hold a conversation to save her life. Why she’s a receptionist, I’ll never know.”

Autumn could sympathize.

“I’m sure Miss Autumn would like to take a seat. How about you help her with her coat and hat, Saph?” Lia asked.

Autumn instinctively grasped her hat protectively.

“Umm, please don’t touch my hat. You don’t touch a witch’s hat.”

Without missing a beat, Lia gave Autumn a soft smile.

“That’s fine. At least allow Saph to take your coat.”

Reluctantly, Autumn allowed Saphielle to take off her robe and hang it up along the wall as they guided her to the center of the group. Upon sitting down on one of the fluffy cushions, Autumn was practically surrounded. 

On her right-hand side, Lia had rested herself and was idly examining Autumn’s prosthetic. The gentle strokes of feather-light fingertips sent flutters into Autumn’s heart and she didn’t have the willpower to pull away. To her left, Saphielle sat with a plate of fruits and diced cold meats, offering them up to the witch. Her ocean-blue eyes were piercing as they gazed at Autumn.

“You look a little tense. Would you care for a shoulder massage? Nalaia is our best masseuse. Her hands could turn stone to mud.”

A pink-skinned demoness knelt behind Autumn at her quiet assent and began softly kneading Autumn’s tense muscle. Slowly, a knot of tension in her back melted away and, under those firm hands, Autumn became a pool of bliss.

A long sigh of contentment escaped Autumn.

“How did you meet Nethlia?” Lia asked.

Seeing as they were friends or at least friendly with Nethlia, she saw no harm in telling them and, to be honest with herself, Autumn wanted to vent. She had decided to tell Nethlia anyway about the Feywild. She just hadn’t decided upon whether to disclose that she wasn’t from this world yet.

“Well, it’s a long story. It all started when I was going to sleep–”

Autumn wove together her tale. She avoided telling them about Earth, but she told them about her abduction and almost drowning. Of the Summer Court and her daring escape. Spoke of the river Styx, of the dead within, and her brush with a visage of death itself. She told of her discovery of the witch’s hut and her recovery, of her fight, flight, and leap to freedom.

On and on she spoke to an enraptured audience who gasped and cheered, wept and admired.

It was cathartic to spill it all out and with her powers, she knew that the surrounding women weren’t just acting for her benefit, they truly wanted to hear what she was saying. It was an intoxicating feeling.

When it came time to tell of her meeting with Nethlia and the deaths that weighed upon her, Autumn’s eyes welled up and the dam of emotion broke.

As she cried for those she had doomed, they held Autumn against bosom and breast.

A black and tattered hat loomed above like a lone sentry.