047 THE TRAP
They reached the village square, surrounded by ancient totems of strange beasts and deities. In the center, a girl sat trapped in a large metal cage.
"There she is," Seer pointed.
"Don't worry, I'll rescue you," Madame la Rosa said to the girl, assuring her with her soothing voice.
"This is too easy", she murmured to herself.
"Who are you?" the girl asked the Madame, eyes wide with fear.
"I'm here to save you," Madame la Rosa replied confidently trying to fake a smile of concern. Her real motive though was to recruit her as one of her new Roses.
Suddenly, an invisible energy enveloped the square, swirling dried leaves and flowers into a violent cyclone. Magic crackled in the air.
"What is this?" Madame la Rosa demanded, raising her scepter as a cyclone of magic swirled around the square.
Suddenly, an arrow shot through the whirlwind, striking Seer and piercing his heart. The unicorn collapsed and died.
"Who dares to kill my unicorn?" she snarled, her voice echoing in fury.
A figure stepped into the square. He wore a feathered hat adorned with chicken feathers and had dried mushrooms and garlic draped over his shoulders.
"Who are you, and why have you come to our village?" he asked then he looked at the slain unicorn. "We apologize for your… dog. It seems he triggered one of our animal traps," the Medicine Guy continued.
"An animal trap?" Madame la Rosa scoffed. "Did my fool unicorn really step on one of your pitiful snares?"
The Medicine Guy nodded. "We set traps to ward off wild animals that come here to steal our food and disrupt our ritual ceremony. It's necessary."
Madame la Rosa turned her attention to the surrounding energy. "And what is this magic encircling the square?"
"It's a protective field for our sacred totem square, usually to ward off wild animals. It is necessary for the ritual, the ritual cannot be disturbed," the Medicine Guy explained, his expression unfazed.
"How dare you attack my dog?"
"You wandered into our sacrificial ritual to the great god Wakaka. I'm sorry about your… dog. We could find you a replacement, perhaps one that doesn't shit everywhere," he replied to her.
Madame la Rosa quickly assessed the situation. With no Roses left to do her bidding, she needed the girl in the cage for her plans.
"Why don't you undo the magic surrounding this place now? I'll leave with the girl," she demanded, her tone sharp.
"I'm afraid it's impossible," he replied with a shrug. "Once activated, the magic lasts until dawn. It's out of my control."
Madame la Rosa's jaw tightened in frustration. "Fine, I'll break the magic myself."
"Or you could simply wait until morning," he suggested with unsettling calm. "We have food and drink nearby. You entered our ritual by accident. It was not our intent to entrap you."
Her gaze shifted to an altar near the girl's cage, laden with food offerings. "You're performing some kind of ritual sacrifice, aren't you? Are you sacrificing the girl?" she sneered.
"No..no, the ritual is not a true sacrifice. It's a pretense. Just to show the gods of our sincerity", Medicine Guy said.
"A fake sacrifice to fool the gods? Where did you learn such a trick?" she asked.
"It would be wise to stay until morning," Medicine Guy continued. "The woods are dangerous after dark. And without your… dog, you would easily get lost in the dark."
Madame la Rosa considered this.
She was exhausted from the journey, and though she hated to admit it, the Medicine Guy had a point. Seer's absence meant she no longer had a guide for her search for a chosen one, and moving through the woods at night could be perilous.
The Medicine Guy dropped to his knees in a surprising display of desperation. "Please, I beg of you—do not disrupt our ritual. The survival of this village depends on its success."
"Fine. I'll wait till morning," she said, finally relenting.
"Please, help yourself to some refreshments," he said, gesturing to the altar.
"Very well. Where's the food?" she asked.
The Medicine Guy brought over various dishes, and she indulged herself. The food was surprisingly delectable, and after eating, she poured herself some wine from the altar.
"Is this poisoned?" she demanded suspiciously, her senses on edge.
"No, no—it's just strong wine," he assured her, though she wasn't entirely convinced.
"Liar," she hissed, her suspicion growing.
"What should I do?" Medicine Guy muttered to himself, his face pale with worry.
"Prove it!" she snapped.
"I would drink it myself to prove its safety, but I must remain focused on the ritual dance and be sober. We can't have the shaman getting drunk during a ritual. The girl can try it, though," he replied pointing to the girl inside the cage.
The girl in the cage quickly approached without hesitation, stepping out and taking the wine to prove its harmlessness.
"The cage is not even locked?" Madame la Rosa asked.
"Why would we do that? We must waste time unlocking the cage for the girl in the morning. The gods wouldn't know if the locks were good", the Medicine Guy replied.
"I'll drink", Lillsa said and drank a cup.
"See? Perfectly safe," the Medicine Guy said with a relieved smile.
"As I thought, a useless ritual," Madame la Rosa said, kicking the girl's cage in irritation.
To her surprise, the cage collapsed like a prop. It was a prop.
Madame la Rosa's aversion to the group slowly diminished through the night as she had more food and drinks. There was nothing in this mock ritual that was fatal to her.
After drinking more of the wine, she grew even drowsier. Eventually, she sank to the ground beside the girl, drifting unconscious.
Suddenly, a group emerged into the square, surrounding Madame la Rosa as she lay slumbering. The Medicine Guy wiped his face, revealing it was Leo, disguised in makeup.
"That was way too close," Leo muttered.
"I'm surprised she didn't break the force field at first sight," Yun-Yun said, shaking her head.
"What should we do now? Do I stab her while she's still out?" Dassa asked, gripping a dagger.