There was a reason no one liked their kind: smug looks, inappropriate witty comments, and making a clever and intimidating entrance. Most of the warlocks and many witches were exactly like that. From the victim's perspective, she could see why everyone loathed and feared her kind.
"Look, warlock!" said Quinn. "Don't flatter yourself. We have business in this town, and you are getting in the middle of our way. So, do your job, and let us do ours."
"Hmm." He tapped his fingers on his dimpled chin. "So you were not following me around town to find out where Doctor Oliver has run off? Because if you were, I might have at least given you a hint." His voice was not heavy for a big fellow.
"And why would a heartless assassin do that?" Quinn asked.
He pressed one hand on his heart. "Ouch, that hurt! I have a beating hurt inside me as well, you know. I can be generous too, not for free, of course, but I am certainly in the mood right now." He ogled at Quinn's breasts, protruding out of her tight shirt. "I have needs, too, you know. And I especially have a thing for blonde wizardesses with tight bodies and sassy attitudes. Come warm my bed, and I might spill all the secrets while I am on top, behind, or under you, whatever you prefer, sweetheart."
Elvira was sure that he was about to have his skull smashed by the dangerous woman in front of her, but instead of doing that, a corner of Quinn's mouth lifted. "Or I could warm your bed with the hot blood running through your veins. It'll do the job of taking all the secrets out of you."
The awful smirk on his strong-featured face remained the same. "I can surely bleed a little for you if it helps your fetish, darling." He winked and blew a kiss her way.
She looked at Quinn. Her blood must have been boiling at that moment, but it seemed like she was trying her best not to act impulsively.
The wizardess didn't respond to that last comment and began to walk away.
"Hey!" said the warlock, blocking her way. "Where are you going, sweetheart? I thought we were getting along." Again, no response came from Quinn, and she moved to the right, but then the warlock grasped her wrist and pulled her back.
The way she glared at the warlock once he dared to touch her indicated she had enough of his nonsense. Elvira took the chance and moved at least ten steps back. The warlock was so uninterested in her that he didn't even notice. Things were about to get ugly, or perhaps she planned to escape.
Quinn's other hand glowed with a shimmery blue light, and she attacked the warlock. However, he had such a quick reflex that he deflected her attack with something in his hand and sent her force flying toward the sky.
"Feisty, but too slow," said the warlock. The smug grin on his face was irritating even to Elvira. "I wonder if you're this aggressive in bed as well because I like that in a woman."
"You have an object in your hand. Too afraid to fight on your own? Why not lose it before talking big?" Quinn challenged him.
"You know I have tried to be nice to you, but if you want a dual with me so badly, I won't disappoint you," he said. "If I win, which I will, we get naked in bed together, deal?"
"If I let you walk away alive today, you can have whatever you want. Now put that thing away!" Quinn spoke confidently.
He put the round bronze object in his pocket and showed his bare hand to them. "Here you go!"
As soon as he did that, a magical dual with no rules broke between them. Elvira hid behind a cart far away to avoid getting hurt in their chaotic fight.
Fortunately, she had a clear view of everything from where she was hiding. Brown and blue magic bolts were repeatedly getting fired at their opponents. A fight with magic was even more terrifying because one misfire almost destroyed nearby buildings.
Elvira wished she could help the wizardess because it looked like she was about to lose. That warlock was quick on his feet and appeared very skilled in defending himself. Quinn was powerful, too, but her aggressive attacks were useless against his powerful defense.
His first counterattack had Quinn on the ground. She looked so pale and weak that another attack could kill her. Elvira wasn't a fan of that wizardess, but she required her help to find Doctor Oliver. Perhaps she could surprise the warlock by attacking him from behind to rescue the wizardess.
She was about to intervene when Quinn teleported out of there, and the warlock disappeared, too. He most certainly went after her. Nevertheless, Elvira chose to sprint out of that alley, considering it a fatal trap to pursue them through a portal.
She waited upon Wivior and Ezra while sitting in the town's tavern. Around an hour had passed, and there was no news of them. She looked at the door, lightly tapping her feet on the ground while sipping a glass of water. She blamed herself for not going after Quinn because now it seemed like she was dead. However, she needed to keep her true identity hidden to save her own life, so there was no way she could have saved her without revealing her true nature through her dark powers.
Those warlock assassins seemed to be well-trained in combat magic. His defense against Quinn, the aggressive lioness, was so impressive that Elvira planned to learn it upon her return. It felt nice until she thought about how Wivior was following those deadly assassins. What if they killed him as well?
Even the thought of his death felt like someone had pulled her heart out. She pushed that thought away and assured herself that Wivior must be more skilled than Quinn because he had been practicing for decades. And he also had possession of the red staff.
Maybe Quinn was not that important to their journey, and it wouldn't be the worst thing if the woman who was hungry for her family's blood died. Wivior's survival was, however, essential to her for many reasons.
Elvira recalled the kiss they had shared before he left her with Quinn. She had made excuses to kiss him because she had been craving another taste of his tender lips since the moment she put an end to their passionate makeout session at dawn.
She hated the bitter reality that she had to leave him at some point. Where was she ever going to find a man like him? Maybe she could cherish and make the most of each moment. Alternatively, she could pursue a romantic relationship with him, maintaining her human disguise and not informing her family.
It sounded insane in Elvira's mind, but she didn't want to hold her feelings back anymore! She had to let him know about her craving for him.
Her eyes turned to the entrance again. She didn't know about Quinn, but Wivior would come through that door without a doubt.
Shockingly, the door opened that very moment, and her heart skipped a beat, thinking it could be Wivior, but it turned out to be Quinn, alive in one piece. She was breathing but looked like a horrible mess! The wizardess scanned the room before walking towards her table.
She was covered in filth from head to toe: dirt, mud, strange bird feathers, and other nasty things. The people that she walked by were covering their noses and mouths. And the moment she came close to Elvira's table, it became clear why when a repulsive stench entered her nose. Automatically, her hand covered her nose. It seemed like she had just crawled out of the gutter.
"So, any word from the boys yet?" asked Quinn, taking a seat.
Elvira removed her hand to speak but instantly put it back. The air had become so foul that it was hard to breathe in it. She pinched her nose. "No, but I am relieved that you are okay. I was worried about you."
Quinn rolled her eyes at Elvira's amusing nasal voice.
"Those warlocks won't be bothering us for a long time now," said Quinn. "Stop overreacting because the smell isn't that bad."
"Have you smelled yourself?" Elvira asked with a pinched nose. "Did you two land in a gutter after disappearing magically from that alley?"
"Yes, I landed in a dumpster the second time I teleported. That bastard wouldn't leave me alone," she answered.
Elvira noticed the bird's feathers sticking to the mud on her. "I suppose some sort of poultry farm, too?"
"How did you know that?" asked Quinn.
"You brought some back with you." Elvira pointed them out.
The wizardess searched around her body and found several feathers on her arm. She put some of those mud-covered feathers in her pocket, and Elvira watched in disgust. "Something to remember this day by," she said.
"What are you doing that for?" asked Elvira.
"The farm is where I showed that pig whose boss. So, I am saving this as a reminder. I always do that in every fight." Elvira's nose wrinkled in disgust at Quinn's response. "If this bothers you so much, I wonder what would you think about the heart that I took of one witch that used to torture me."
If only Elvira could tell her that listening to that gave her goosebumps and made her skin crawl. As a witch, she had been exposed to blood and internal organs so many times that she had stopped finding such things revolting. What scared her was Quinn's method of revenge! Knowing that the maniac in front of her was holding the biggest grudge against Elvira's family made it sound even more disturbing.
"I am going to take a bath," said Quinn, taking a gander at the people vacating the table next to them. "People are being a little overdramatic here.
"Listen!" Quinn got up to leave. "Don't mention that warlock to Wivior. Just tell him we were in this tavern the entire time. There is no point in telling him about it since we didn't find anything."
"Sure!" said Elvira unwillingly.
"I knew you would be fine with it," said Quinn. "I wonder how you survive with such an overprotective man. He should cut you some slack. After all, you're his woman, not his child!"
Elvira only smiled her way. She had been practicing in her mind to tell Wivior about it in a hundred different ways so that he would never leave her alone with that maniac, but now she was forced to stay quiet.
"Order some food for you and a jug of ale while I bathe," said Quinn.
"A jug? I don't want to drink." Elvira scrunched her nose in disgust.
"Well, it's for me. I like to keep drinking throughout the day. As a magical being, alcohol doesn't make me dumb but helps with the stress of the work a bit," Quinn spoke before walking away.
Elvira had some breakfast and stared at the foaming jug of ale sitting in the middle of their table. The wizardess was taking unusually long to finish her bath, but she had more than sweat and dirt to take off her body and hair.
She rested her head on the table and closed her eyes.
"Hey! Human girl, get up." Elvira instantly recognized that voice and lifted her head. It was that insolent warlock from the alley, and he was wearing the same cocky grin on his face. That time, he had brought another man with him.
"Don't be scared! We just need answers from you, but they better be good!" said the other man. He was much smaller but had wickedness written all over his ugly face.