"It is time to prepare my main ingredients." Salem cackled and licked her lips. She looked at her captives, who would serve as her main dish, with glee.
With a snap of her fingers, a pentagram formed underneath the cage and had teleport it to the kitchen.
The woman heated the cauldron and began peeling the vegetables. Then she added them to the boiling concoction.
She selected a dagger from her collection and then she began sharpening it.
The grinding of metal against stone made their hair rose as they watched the witch drag the dagger across the whet stone repeatedly.
Satisfied with sharpening her tools, she put them down and went to fetch her first victim.
Lily got ready to take the woman by surprise. She knew that the witch will take down the nullifying spell once she opens the cage.
Opening the cage, Salem tried to catch the princess. However, Briar got in the way.
"Let her go!" he struggled against the witch.
"Don't get in my way, boy!" she hissed at him and shoved him off.
Because the witch forcefully pushed him, Briar lost balance.
In order to stop his fall, he got hold of something-which was the witch's necklace.
The golden chain broke off and the black onyx pendant glowed before its gleam was lost.
"NO!" the witch shrieked as she began to change into an old woman who was bent over with age. Her skin wrinkled and her hair fell off, leaving only a handful of grey strands.
Feeling some of the spells losing their effects, Lily used the chance to break them all out of the cage.
She would have engaged in caster's battle but the stupid fox took away the attention of the witch.
"Wow! She surely is old." Rei mocked. "She's just wrinkled skin and bones!"
Turning towards the witch fledgling, he asked. "Lily are you sure you are not as old as she is? Maybe you are just masquerading as a teen-age witch."
As response to his last statement, Lily manifested her broom and hit him with it. "shut up! I am only fifteen! I am not that old."
The woman turned towards them with utmost hatred. "Now, you have done it!" she almost growled as she chased after them.
The three tried to get away but they never expected that despite her age, she was quite fast.
Only a few meters behind their backs, the witch drew a pentagram and shouted. "Bind!" ribbons shot out from the center of the circle.
Seeing that Salem's target was Lily, Briar pushed the girl and the two managed to avoid the binding spell.
But Rei got unfortunate and was caught. The ribbons wound around his body.
"Let go!" he tried to burn the bind to break free but the fox's fire was rendered useless.
Seeing that the nine-tails was in danger, Lily shoved Briar and decided to take on the witch.
"Why don't you pick on someone of your own size?" she shouted as she hurled pure mana at the elder witch.
Salem cackled. "Do you honestly think that a witch fledgling like you can defeat me?"
Raising her hands, a pentagram formed as she returned the pure mana attack towards the girl.
Lily dodged the counterattack. She would have gotten injured if she was not able to get away on time.
Concentrating on her mana, she made the floor move to trip the witch, but Salem countered her spell. The whole floor spun as the two casters engaged in a battle.
Though they were getting dizzy, both the prince and the tied up fox could do nothing but watch.
Lily would cast offensive magic and hurl pure mana balls at the witch. But Salem only deflect them and would launch her own assault using her spells.
The two witches cast spells and counter spells to defeat the other. But alas! With her lack of experience and skills, Lily got overpowered.
Hit with a full mana blast, Lily got thrown off to the wall. "Crap!" she groaned. "Good thing, I have a barrier up."
Since Heather trained her to use a barrier before, it helped her in avoiding a fatal attack. That mana blast would have roasted her if she wasn't able to protect her self.
"Are you alright, Lily?" Rei asked.
Lily looked up and noticed that she had landed a few paces near the fox.
Trying to get up, Lily had seriously proposed. "Rei, I initiate a contract, be my familiar. It is our only chance to defeat that old hag."
Since Lily could not fight back, the witch used the opportunity to assault the girl. "Like I will allow you to make a familiar out of that fox!"
Salem made a pentagram and from its center chains shot out. The chains would have hit the girl however, Briar stood in her way.
Using the witches onyx pendant as a catalyst, he was able to hold the witch off. A rather purplish barrier had formed between the witch and the three captives.
"This temporary spell will not last long. Hurry up and form your contract." He shouted at the girl and the fox.
"A contract, you say? I really do not want to be your familiar, Lily. You are such an incompetent witch!" the fox scoffed.
"You do know that I am nothing against that old hag. I lack training and experience to take her down. But if we work together, we might have a chance." She argued. "Come on, we don't have much time."
"Hurry up!" Briar called as he tried to maintain the spell using the pendant. The barrier it created was wavering.
Without other options left, Rei finally consented. "Fine! But you owe me."
Lily then produced a dagger from her pocket and slit her palm open.
Seeing the blood sacrifice, Salem unleashed a burst of mana towards the girl but the barrier from the onyx prevented the offensive magic to reach the girl.
Then as her blood welled up from her wound, Lily offered it to the fox.
"What the hell were you doing?" Rei snapped at her.
"It is the blood sacrifice for the contract." She replied while holding her palm to him.
"Idiot!" If Rei was capable of slapping her upside her head, he would have done it. But being tied by the witch's spell, he could not do such a thing.
"What am I going to do with that?" he asked in annoyance.
"Lick it?" She answered with uncertainty.
Lily only read the information about contracting familiar haphazardly because she found them boring.
She was not that knowledgeable enough when it comes to making a contract with familiar.
Salem stopped her assaults and waited for the barrier to dissipate.
Hearing the fox's and the girl's conversation, the old hag cackled at princess's ignorance. "You only offer blood sacrifice if you are calling a familiar… stupid girl."
The girl glared at the old hag but tried to concentrate at her task. "So what am I to do?"
"Release me from this bind." The nine-tails instructed.
Although, the girl tried to work with grace under pressure, she only managed to severe the bind holding the fox's right hand.
"Can't you release me from all of these shackles?" Rei grumbled while struggling to free himself.
"Sorry. My mana is already depleted…" she panted. That simple unbinding spell took its toll and left her exhausted.
"It cannot be helped then." The fox shrugged. "Come here."
Being unsure what to do, the girl took several wary steps towards the fox.
"How can we form a contract if you are that far?" Rei complained in annoyance. "Come closer! Hurry up!"
Knowing that the barrier would not last long, Lily had to move fast to complete the contract and make the fox her familiar.
She took several more steps closer. When she was within reach, Rei grabbed her by the collar.
"This is how you form a contract." He said before pulling her towards him and smashing his lips to hers.