1378 Losing Face!
--Hidden Fortress, Tenola--
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~Shahhhh~~
The rains were hard today, unlike the case with the other days.
Once again, the spring rains began washing away the layers of snow residue left from the harsh winters.
The buds of greenery within the ancient and towering fortress soon began to dance to the beatings of the rain.
And within the fortress, no creature or person could be seen lurking around the zone.
The quietness of it all only made the place seem even more mysterious.
Cold stone walls, gloomy buildings... Everywhere one looked, it seemed as though they had entered an abandoned ghostly site.
However, appearances could be deceiving... Especially when the seemingly abandoned fortress was protected by thousands, all hidden in various spots.
Any intruders who dared to cross into the territory would die an excruciating death!
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~Shahhhhh~~~
The rains continuously fell.
It was like meditative music to one's ears.
And in a grand room within the tallest towering building, a certain person sat on her desk, cold tapping their fingers against the table.
It was the soon to be 41 years old Jimila!
That's right.
She was the current Head Witch!
Looking at the secret documents she received a day ago, Jimila's entire body was on fire with rage!
"How dare they?"
Bam!
She smashed her fist against the table, damning the consequence.
And almost immediately, the temperature in the room dropped even more.
~Gulp.
Those standing before only felt cornered like animals the more vicious her expression and aura changed.
They looked at the documents in her hands, wondering what was on it that would make their Head Witch so furious.
Taking in deep breaths, Jimila forced herself to calm down.
She was only halfway done with the reports. So there should be more to it.
Particularly, she was hoping for some happy ending in this long tale.
However, the more she read, the angrier she became.
Until finally, she had read them all.
Son of a b**ch!
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Like a fire-breathing Dragon, Jimila huffed and puffed, wishing that she would've been there in person to take care of those bloody sons of b**ches that had the guys to touch her witches!
"Leave!" She ordered.
And even before replying, those in the room felt their legs had long betrayed them, moving faster than their mouths could talk.
"~Aaaah!"
Boom!
A chair flew across the room, smashing itself into the walls.
The entire scene was chaotic, with Jimila turning her entire office upside down in hopes of relieving her irritation.
'Why? Why is this happening now?'
The Full Moon Festival was only a month and a half away.
And for the festival, everyone was looking forward to the big sacrifice.
However, the star of the show hadn't arrived yet. And from the reports, she wasn't going to anytime soon.
Jimila took her seat once more within the chaotic room, thinking about all the face she was going to lose.
'I blame that b**ch! Because of her, I'll definitely get mocked by witch Edna and her bloody goons!'
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Dammit!
Jimila was about to die in frustration.
What? Do you think because they're witches, they don't have internal conflicts and struggle for power?
Over the years, she had been fighting a long battle. And her opposition wanted to hurriedly replace her with the 34-year-old old Edna, a rare genius with innovative ideas for their future.
A witch can only be a Head Witch until the age of 45!
After that, they were to step down and join the sacred council tasked with assisting the next head witch.
However, it's not all the time that they will be eligible to join the council.
One wrong step during one's reign as Head witch could make their retirement into the council living hell.
At the same time, one Gloria move could also make them live in paradise above the others.
Mind you, in summer; she would be turning 41.
This means she only had 4 more years to enjoy her position.
The moment she and many high-ups heard about the traitor's daughter, it had been long decided that they would have to bring her in.
In the end, if she, Jimila, could do it in her reign, appeasing many with the traitor's blood, then she would go down in Witch history and be a beacon and a symbol of awe to the many generations of witches.
However, things didn't go according to plan.
And now, the sacred festival was upon them with no sacrifice!
The festival was a big deal, with Witches coming in from various cities and empires within the vast continent of Tenola.
This was their main headquarters. And the esteemed and high-ranking witches overseeing the other fortresses would all be here.
It was going to be big.
And for such a festival, they had captured over a thousand men, giving them their secret poison, called Bone-chiller.
Once taken, the victims will only feel cold and wet day by day, not even having enough strength to shout.
It was a poison they dared say was only known to their Society.
Of course, they also made the antidote, just in case one of the witches accidentally ingested the ghastly poison.
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In the end, the food and spring water given to the prisoners were all laced with the poison.
And even if these prisoners knew they were being poisoned, what could they do about it?
Could it be that they were to stare here for weeks and weeks without eating or taking a single drop of water?
Sure... They could live off of rat flesh and blood running about the dungeons.
But in this winter, where the body was fighting against using fat to keep them alive and not starve, relying on rats alone wouldn't do.
Plus, in the winter, rat activities in these dungeons errant that high.
The dungeons were cold, and the rodents typically focused on warmer regions within the fortress to survive.
Like so, many of the prisoners were given small doses of the dastardly poison, prepping them for the big day!
