A Journey Rewarded

“You know the wizard who cursed me?” Moliugas asked Saratoga, eyes as wide as could be in bafflement.

“You know the wiseman who identified my mothers curse?” Saratoga asked Moliugas, mirroring his feelings, albeit with less expression.

A laugh escaped the wizard's mouth as he watched the two. His loud expression of amusement brought their attention back on him.

Instead of staying alone and out of reach atop a mossy rock wall, the wizard lowered down a rope, requesting the two climb up to meet him. After a very difficult session of spraining their miniscule muscles to their maximum, they managed to climb up.

Behind him was a waterfall that concealed a cave where he claimed to live. Questions exploded from the duo's mouths, such as “Change me back at once, won’t you?” and “Where are the Teardrops of Life?” Both things he intended to appease with answers, but first came an explanation.

“I didn’t expect you two to meet, much less get this far, but consider me impressed.”

As they walked around the waterfall and entered the cave, they noticed blue gems were placed across the cave walls to give it light.

Saratoga was especially sluggish on their trek further into the mountain, which prompted Moliugas to question if she was okay.

“I’m fine,” she claimed. “It’s just been a tiring day.”

But what she felt was a bit beyond tired. Her stomach felt weak and her mind was cloudy. Her vision was a tad blurry as well, but she persisted.

All of her ailments went on hold when the wizard’s cavern was revealed. Although most of it was stone and ore, areas had been sectioned off for all sorts of purposes. The most amazing part to Saratoga was an alchemy lab surrounded by tall book shelves, whereas Moliugas seemed interested in the dining area with a fancy table.

But both were even more impressed when they spotted a river of water falling down in the center of the cavern and creating a massive lake-like pool.

“Astounding,” commented the young witch. “I can only dream of living in a place like this.”

“I’d prefer you didn’t,” said the wizard. “Living alone isn’t as pleasant as it seems.”

She was going to respond and say she was alone back home, but her mother came to the forefront of her memory.

“Both of you came here for something. Curses have affected your lives, and you seek the solution.” he stopped at the edge of the lake. “But this destination was riddled with challenge and change for both of you.” He turned to the rind. “Moliugas, I knew you weren’t the one to steal my quicksilver.” said the wizard.

“What?!” he uttered in shock, handing over the silver liquid vial. “Then why did you curse me?”

The wizard dusted some of the soot off the vial, seeing it was still very much as it should have been.

“You’re brother sent people to me twice. Once to steal my belongings, then twice to blame you for it. I was fooled at first, but then I met you. You were far more kind than any other member of your family, but you were demanding, impatient.”

Moliugas frowned and looked shamefully toward the ground. “Yes. I do suppose I am as you say…”

“But because of that, I decided to humiliate who I saw would one day make a good leader for this kingdom. That way, you wouldn’t have anything holding you back from being more than just good. You would be great.”

The shameful look on the prince's pumpkin face lifted, turning more hopeful at his words.

“As for you, Saratoga…”

She had been a bit absentminded since they entered the cave, but perked up at the mention of her own name.

“I’ve never met a more helpful pair of witches than you and your mother. She was always kind enough to give me medicine I needed. I suppose you made some of it.”

She did remember often helping her mother produce medicinal products.

“However, in recent years, you’ve become far too reclusive and depended on the woman who gave you life. I was willing to help your mother find a cure for her curse, but I figured letting you do it would push you to be more independent.”

“I see…” she breathed out. “That was how I viewed this journey, I guess. But, how did she become cursed to begin with?”

“I was wondering that too,” Moliugas spoke up. “It couldn’t have been you, right?” he asked the wizard.

The wizard was quick to dispel any thoughts that the curse had been placed by his hand. In fact, he didn’t know where it came from.

“There are many who look at the witch coven your mother came from as a burden, and there may have been a few within it that didn’t look upon her fondly. She was an outlier among her peers, attempting to use her skills for others' benefit.”

A belief that Saratoga’s mother was always sure to reinforce was that any of the bountiful gifts from nature were meant to be shared among all, and those who could process any of those gifts should do so. Of course, she also made sure that the young witch would make a little money selling those gifts.

But one thing her mother was never too open about was the culture among her coven.

“There was a schism,” claimed the wizard, “and all the witch sisters divided into two camps. The first was staying as they were, which was being a menace to the kingdom… And what your mother wanted, which was to use their powers for good or not at all. Then came the purge.”

“The lux, you mean?” Saratoga said.

When the witches were at their weakest during the divide, someone found it proper to terminate them by way of the lux. Hundreds of the glassy fiends were spawned and released into the wilds with only murderous intentions, as their summoner dictated.

“I do not know who did it, but it would have had to have been someone who knew about the schism and someone exceptionally powerful.”

“Hmm…” Moliugas hummed. “In all the kingdom, I can’t imagine anyone powerful enough to summon that many constructs all at once.”

“There are laws preventing anyone from getting that powerful,” the wizard said with a chuckle. “That is why I live here, far away from the public eye.”

“I don’t know if you should be telling me that,” Moliugas said with a wink.

“Regardless, the truth is that you both have done exactly what I’d hoped you would,” he said, turning toward the lake and stepping into it. “Thus, a reward is in order.”

His hands dipped into the water, then slowly raised back out. He held in his palm two clear tear shaped items, not any bigger than a golden coin.

“The Teardrops of Life…” Saratoga stepped forward, closely examining the items he held. “These are for us?”

“One for each of those respective curses. You can make exactly two philosopher stones with these, and then you can produce the elixir of life. But this is all nature will provide for now.”

“Then I’ll get to work, right away,” Saratoga nodded with a smile. “May I use your lab?”

The wizard was more than willing to let her use it, even desiring to help teach her how to make it proper.