I bowed my head down in respect, stealing a glance at the others as they too bowed their heads down.

“How wonderful, you all know your manners. Now, enter before any of you catch a cold.”

‘I think we all caught something much worse…’

“Thank you for inviting us in.” I walked in first, still carrying Matthias. Looking around, I was so pleasantly surprised that it was exactly how I envisioned a hag’s house to be like. The walls were in shambles with paintings of monsters upon them. The chandeliers were floating on a lantern that emanated a green, sickly light.

Meanwhile, the floor looked spotless aside from all the cracks and crevices on it. The furniture itself was so on spot with skulls of both humans and monsters, with jars filled with a strange liquid with suspended body parts like eyes and tentacles.

It was so much like those old tacky haunted houses that I couldn’t help but smile. This was the real deal, and it was exactly how I envisioned it.

“You’re welcome, any friend of Matthias, I shall house and feed. You’re in time for supper.”

‘Please don’t be human remains. Please don’t be human remains.’

“Are you sure? We do not mean to intrude upon your abode as much as we already have.” Katya called out as I felt Kariya and I both mentally sigh in relief.

“Nonsense. I am treating my guests the best I should, after all, you all had quite the hard time getting here.” She gestured to all of our injuries.

We couldn’t exactly say no to that. It would be extremely rude to her, and I don’t think any one of us wanted to be rude to a witch. Especially one who we needed help from the most.

“If you insist, Ms Roga.”

“Call me Baba Roga dear, and once more, a pleasure to help the weary and those who have proven themselves. Nowadays, I don’t get many visitors compared to my sisters. I would move northwards, but alas, I am stationed here.”

She waved her hand as several brooms, brushes, shovels, and many other furnishing items began to come alive, moving around the hallway and into the dining room, where we saw a large round table being prepared by animated cutlery.

The air itself began to be filled with the smell of braised beef. I could feel my mouth watering as I took in a deep breath.

“Meat… You have actual-”

“Meat…” Katya’s eyes were watering. She looked as if she were on the verge of crying. I turned to Kariya and found her beginning to sob as she wiped her eyes.

“By all the spirits in the land, actual food.” She muttered aloud as Godwin had to help her back up while she nearly broke down.

“It’s wonderful, isn’t it? We finally can eat something that won’t break our teeth.” Godwin laughed at his own little joke as he helped Kariya and Rodion into the dining room.

“You may eat first without me; I have to come to the aid of the injured you have brought.” Baba Roga waved her hand as large beds marched out of a nearby room like soldiers in a war. They lay down next to the kitchen, which seemed to also double as a laboratory, judging by the sheer amount of potion bottles on display.

“It’s just like the movies…” I squealed in delight as Katya stared at me in confusion.

“The… Movies?”

I then remembered that everyone here was basically stuck in a super ancient world-like mindset. “Oh… You have so much to learn when we get back home. It’s basically like moving pictures made to tell a story.”

“I… See…” Katya then quickly changed her gaze towards the beds as she and Kariya placed down the others on it.

I followed in their footsteps, placing Matthias on the bed, although it was a little hard as he kept on clinging to my shirt the entire time like an actual cat. “Come on now. It’s okay. Let go.” I patted his head as his ears kept on fluffing adorably.

After some time, I finally managed to take him off my body and onto the bed, sighing in relief.

“I won’t eat until all of my comrades have been healed.” Katya sat down, her gaze holding steadfast as she stared at Rodion and Leonid.

Kariya nodded with her, doing the same. “I don’t deserve to eat at all, especially if I wasn’t able to protect them.”

“I’m not that hungry right now either. Especially since… Matthias is only dying because of me.” I held his hand and grimaced.

Godwin sat on one of the beds, leading Carey to his side as she was dead silent, staring at the floor. “I don’t think any of us should eat yet, considering all of us are still rather injured. Well, except for I believe Peter, of course.”

I laughed awkwardly and rubbed my head. “Yeah, that checks out. Sorry, it took a while for me to get back up.”

“Nonsense, my boy. You came just in time.”

Baba Roga gave a hearty cackle that sent shivers down my spine. “Lovely, how utterly lovely. It’s good to see such unity in these times. Worry not, this shall not take long at all. Such injuries are merely flesh wounds… All except one of course.” She turned to Godwin, who looked down. I wondered what that was about for a moment before Roga walked over to Matthias first.

She lifted her hand into the air, and a small salve of red liquid flew over to her side before she uncorked it and poured the contents into Matthiass’s mouth.

My eyes widened at the display. “You have Healing Salves here?”

Baba Roga stared at me curiously while Matthias’s wounds began to close up, rapidly healing as his breathing stabilized. “You ask as if it’s rare in your world.”

“It is, Epithet made sure that only they and anyone else they endorsed could be the only ones who produce Healing Salves, Potions, etc…”

I gave a quick glance at Godwin, who sighed. “Peter, my boy, it’s not inherently my fault for the decision of the organization as a whole, but, yes, it is quite saddening that not everyone can make it.”

Matthias began to stir as Kariya faced Godwin with a confused look plastered on her face. “Wait, why does your group ensure only they can make it.”

Before he could answer, Carey mumbled out the truth. “It’s so that they could mark up the prices and sell them for higher.”

“Sell them for higher?” Katya asked as she blinked for a few moments, trying to comprehend it. I then realized that they wouldn’t really know what that means; they haven’t interacted with a proper society at all… Then I realized I just thought that Epithet was a proper society.

“It means that Epithet would be able to determine the cost of the Healing Salves, and would increase the cost to any price possible according to their desires.”

It took a few moments for Katya to internalize this, and I could almost see the gears in her head turn while her eyes widened in disgust. “Why would your company do that?”

“It’s simply to help fund and to ensure quality design of the product.”

Matthias’s eyes fluttered open as he took a look around. “W-What happened-” Our eyes met, and instinctively he shrank in fear, nearly falling out of the bed before Baba Roga caught him.

“It’s alright, young one. You have nothing to fear.” She patted his head and gently rubbed his ears as he cowered.

“N-No, I-I- Baba Roga? Peter? What’s going on?”

“Your friends managed to climb the mountain in time, and now I’m healing all of your wounds.” She placed him on the bed, but he moved away from me.

“... I’m… I’m sorry.” Was all I could say as he looked away from me.

I could only sigh, facing away too, as the others began to be healed as well. One by one, Baba Roga managed to mend their forms, and I could even hear a conversation in the background about Ephitet and how they owned many of the medical supplies and their means of production. But I didn’t really mind any of it.

I couldn’t bear to face Matthias, not after I tried to kill him in his most vulnerable state, mentally and physically. I couldn’t even imagine what it was like to have that happen. It was right after he saved me, too. The only thought left on my mind was just how to make it up to him.

“And that is all of you!” Baba Roga yelled right beside me as if intentionally snapping me out of my stupor.

“Now then, shall we feast?”

Supper was awkward yet lively. It was rare for me to see the Keepers smile as they did now, and yet that was the only thing they kept doing the entire time as they sat around the table and ate.

Although, I could see why they were happy, in front of me was braised beef stew, or what I think is pork, honestly, I didn’t care if it was some random monster meat at this point, I couldn’t really judge since my entire diet for the last four years or so was noodles, fizzy drinks and microwave pizza.

The whole place smelled amazing. I could see the smoke rise into the air, and every so often, I took a big waft. It was fresh, salty, and never in my life was I so thankful for cooked vegetables in my bowl. I felt like I could cry there and then.

I grabbed the wooden spoon by my plate and began to dig in, tasting the soup first. It was hot, but that was preferable to the unending cold that we’ve had to endure for the last few days. It was also surprisingly creamy, buttery too, must have been the fat from the salted bee,f which I could taste.

I didn’t even need to cut the meat in the soup; it was already so tender that it fell apart, and when I ate it, I almost cried. It was so simple, buttery, juicy, so many other words to describe the Magick of an actual cooked meal. I’ve had a lot of food from the weeks in Ephite,t yes, but maybe these three days really helped make me realize how much I really missed out.

“This is amazing… Thank you.” I stared up at Baba Raga, who just smiled. “It’s my pleasure, always to help those who truly deserve it, and you lot are definitely one of those.”

Rodion raised his hand up like a kid. “Is it any trouble that we live here with you instead? Our old base went up in smoke.”

Leonid grimaced at that and whispered. “We can’t ask that. We only arrived here a few minutes ago!”

“It’s of no concern to me, as long as you can become my butler of course.” She grinned, showing off her crooked teeth, as Rodion began to take out gloves from his pouch.

“At your service my lady.”

Kariya snorted out a laugh as the rest of us joined in on the fun.

“But… That’s not why you’re all here, is it now?” Baba Roga leaned in as we grew quiet.

“Yes. We need your help getting to Baba Yaga, please. She’s the only one who can help us with…”

Everyone then turned to look at me.

“Peter.”