Every Witch Way

The mansion was located some distance away from the main city of Agama. One of the canals had a natural branch connected to it formed by nature's wear rather than the hands of the populace, and if you followed that little branch along a winding dirt path, stooping under low-hanging tree branches and tromping across a weathered old wooden walkway that stretched across the river, you would eventually come across the mansion in a clearing in the jungle. Surrounded by tall trees and difficult to see from any distance outside of the clearing, the old building was nonetheless full of life if the lights in the windows and shadows flickering across them were any indication.

"This mansion was built 220 or so years ago, at the end of the 18th century. It's been renovated a few times, but when The Coven got to it, it hadn't been touched in years. We didn't even have electricity until we got some crystal generators hooked up!"

Momopie had been babbling a mile a minute since the three witches had started on their walk. Behind her trailed Megumin, half paying attention to her friend's words in favor of taking in her surroundings. Bringing up the rear was Missy, who was munching on a granola bar she'd pulled from her overstuffed "Midnight Store" branded backpack.

"So according to our research, the original owner of this mansion was the last of a bloodline that had once been in high standing in Europe. They'd hobnobbed with royalty and acquired many riches! But over time, the kings and queens and other well-to-do folks retired or died and the next generation came into power, and the influence of the family declined as the new rulers were less interested in what they had to say. Eventually the line was whittled down to one eccentric old man, and so he became a recluse."

"Really. And what was this guy's name?" Megumin asked.

"Ehhh, I think it was Don Huxtable or something? I didn't pay much attention to that part."

"You seem to know the rest well enough."

"People are more interesting than their names." Momopie chirped as the three girls reached the entrance to the mansion. "So anyway, this Yon Yonson guy had no kids or descendants or living relatives at all, so he had this mansion built and then spent the rest of his life using what he had left on him to collect stuff. He gathered together things from all over the world and made what people back then liked to call a 'cabinet of curiosities'. Rich adventurer types liked to make them to show off their worldliness."

"Wait a second, wait a second." Megumin waved a hand, Momopie turning curiously. "I thought Agama was only recently re-discovered and hasn't invited tourists in ages. How'd this guy know where Agama was?"

"That's the strangest part!" Momopie grinned. "He didn't! This mansion was built in Europe."

"..........Wha?"

"Two decades after it was finished, the mansion vanished from where it was built. Only a large hole in the ground remained. Nobody outside of Agama knew it had shown up here until The Coven researched it and worked out the place's history."

"But how could that have possibly happened?!" Megumin exclaimed, scratching under her hat while Missy, enraptured, inhaled another granola bar.

Momopie just shrugged. "We don't know! But it was probably some kind of lost magic spell. It just made the mansion even better for us as a meeting place, no?"

Megumin looked up at the mansion, towering over her and the other girls. Suddenly the building seemed to take on an ever-more ominous tone. She could have sworn she heard an owl hooting, even though it was a cloudy afternoon and she was PRETTY sure owls didn't live in Agama.

"Anyway, let's head on in! I can't wait to introduce you to everyone!" Momopie knocked on the door, which then opened a crack. An echoing, metallic voice solemnly called out.

"Who goes there."

Momopie leaned in and smirked as she answered with "Momopie! I got the two new recruits I picked up at Olympia with me!"

"Entry accepted. Welcome back, Momopie. Welcome, new members." The door swung open, and as light spilled into the mansion, the girls could see that the speaker was what appeared to be a tall suit of armor... and it didn't seem as if anyone was inside.

"Thanks, Armory." Momopie giggled as the witches slipped inside.

---

"So does every Coven member live here?" Missy asked as Momopie led the way down corridors and past glass cabinets of collected artifacts.

"No, but some do. Others have their own homes or apartments in the city or nearby villages. I think we have some vacancies right now, so if you need somewhere to stay, you can ask the boss for permission to move in."

Megumin and Missy looked around, spellbound by their surroundings. Taxidermied animals leered at them from behind the glass of one cabinet. A crocodile-like gharial and a California condor were preserved in death alongside local fauna like piranha and a boa constrictor. In another glass case, various artifacts from ancient civilizations were displayed with informational cards written in a tight cursive the girls couldn't make out without spending time they didn't have peering at the words.

"So you have all these amazing pieces but only Coven members are allowed inside? You could totally charge to view this stuff." Megumin mused.

"It's a private collection, but I heard the boss was considering offering some of it for donation if anyone in Agama wants to open a museum. Agama doesn't have one yet, but with the increased attention we're getting, it's probably just a matter of time!"

As Missy inspected a stuffed marlin hanging on the wall, a voice suddenly seemed to come from it. "Hey, newbies! Like what ya see?" 

"EEP!" Missy jumped a foot in the air, and there was a giggle as another witch stepped out from behind the wall, which was only a thin divider.

"So you two are the newcomers. Nice t'meetcha! The name's Melody Farklight."

"U-um... hello." Missy managed, Momopie covering her mouth to suppress her laughter.

Melody grinned and crossed her arms, looking Missy and Megumin up and down and nodding in approval. "Never would have expected you to hook not one but two recruits, Momopie! You're not so bad at this!"

Megumin raised a hand. "Question."

Momopie turns to face Megumin, all smiles. "Yes?"

"Do you have to have a name that starts with M to be in the Coven? Like is it a theme thing? W for Witch, but upside-down?"

"No, silly! It's... uh, it's a weird coincidence, I'll give you that, but we have non-M members!"

Missy rubbed her chin. "Melody, maybe you can help me with a question I had. Momopie's been telling us a lot about The Coven, but she hasn't said what it is you guys actually... uh... do."

"Do? Oh, we do plenty! Some members work on inventions to help the populace, others conduct research into Agama and other civilizations of the continent, and there are people on the hunt for more artifacts to add to Von Buxton's-"

"THAT'S it! I keep forgetting the name!" Momopie interjected, pounding a fist into an open palm.

"-Right, yeah, his collection. Some members maintain it and add to it. Me, I don't know much about what all that stuff is, but if I find anything weird while treasure hunting I take it to one of the booksmarty witches and get it inspected."

"So what IS The Coven?" Missy insisted, still not satisfied with this vague answer.

"I was getting to that! Since we're all working together, it gives us more clout. Our founder started The Coven several years ago because she wasn't getting taken seriously. Her age and her looks were a barrier. Now that she's head of The Coven, though, she's pretty respected in Agama!"

"That's one word for it!" Momopie piped up.

"Quiet, you. So what that means is that we're basically a union for young witches. We help boost each other up so we can all succeed! Anyway, you guys... uh, I didn't catch your names."

"I'm Missy!"

"Megumin's the name, exploding's my game!"

"Megumin... Oh yeah, you were in that Brawl Momopie told us about."

"Yeah!"

"And you totally sucked!"

"...Yeah."

"So let me give you two a piece of advice." Melody looked over her shoulder before continuing. "Most of the girls here are friendly, but try to make a good first impression when you meet the boss. She's a good person, but she can be a bit... ah... intimidating to a newcomer. You'll get over it quick if you give her a chance, she's not so bad! She's just not much of a people person."

---

Speaking of people persons, the downstairs Experiments Lab had someone definitely not matching that description who was hard at work on her latest invention.

As Momopie, Megumin, and Missy approached her carefully, she continued to work on her project, ignoring them.

"Does she even know we're here?" Megumin asked quietly.

"She seems busy." Missy nodded. "Maybe we should-"

"HEY MOMOPIE! HEY FRESH MEAT!"

This time Megumin joined Missy in jumping a foot in the air, spinning around to face the other witch currently using the lab right now for an entirely different reason.

"Hey there girls! I'm Wendalyn! Who are you and what kind of magic do you do?"

"I'm Megumin, and my specialty is explosion magic!" Megumin poses proudly, instantly gaining her mojo back thanks to the second-best mood booster possible - getting to talk about explosions. "I can make a really, REALLY big boom! I'm still working on the little booms."

"Missy's my name!" Missy smiles and creates a green, fiery Wisp in her outstretched hand. "I work in the magic of Wisps, fireballs I can command."

"Woah, uh, better call that off just in case. Dunno what kind of fumes my latest experiment is giving off." Wendalyn gestured nervously at her cauldron. Her cauldron with eyes and a mouth.

Missy paused. "I have a lot of questions."

Momopie waved away Missy's worries. "Oh, that's just the Warp Cauldron. She's a sweetheart."

Megumin put two and two together and paled a bit. Much as she loved explosions, she'd gotten mature enough to know that this was potentially the worst possible place to have one. "Wait, if you're worried about a reaction, this other girl over here is using a welding torch..."

Sensing she was being talked about, the last girl in the room finally stopped working on her project.

"......."

Seeing Wendalyn, she let out an irritated huff, puffing up her cheeks, and buried her face in a notebook packed with schematics.

Megumin frowned. "Is she okay?"

"She's fine!" Momopie was quick to jump in again. "That's Constanze. She doesn't talk much." Momopie leaned in and stage-whispered loud enough that even the cauldron could hear her. "She's shyyyy."

Wendalyn rubbed the back of her head sheepishly. "Eheheh... She was here when I came in. I asked her if I could work down here too and she didn't answer so I took that as a yes."

Missy and Megumin cautiously approached the Warp Cauldron, peering inside. "So what are you working on?" Megumin asked as Missy jerked back slightly from the mildly obnoxious stench wafting from the cauldron's contents.

"Oh, a little of this, a little of that. I'm in the classic, old-school field of witches' brews. Nightshade, hemlock, mushrooms, reptile scales... though I use artificial eyes of newt. The real thing makes me squeamish. Anyway, it's pretty great, I just throw whatever I think would be neat to try in there and cast a few spells and usually something fun happens!"

"...I feel like this isn't really all that old-school."

"Yeah, don't they make recipe books for these things?"

"Aw c'mon, someone had to be first, right? How else would you get the first witch to have figured out 101 different ways to cook with frog legs but with experimenting? Riding blind by the seat of my pants! Or my dress, as it were."

The sound of a foot tapping on the floor reminded the other girls that Constanze was still here. With her notebook still covering her face, she tapped her toe impatiently.

"Erm, eheheh... Maybe I should wrap this experiment up and leave her to it. Let's see what I get this time!"

---

Three young witches made their uncertain way to the top floor of the mansion, ascending a spiraling staircase that wound around a large statue of a coiled, serpentine sea monster crushing a fishing vessel in its' grip.

"That was an experience." Megumin deadpanned, the burnt and tattered remains of her belt now tied around her staff.

"She said she was sorry!" Momopie insisted.

Round the staircase they went, the way onward lit by what seemed at first glance to be candles on the wall. However, a closer look revealed they were artificial - small orange-yellow gemstones pulsed quietly with magic as they illuminated the way, nestled into ornate candle holders that were sculpted with pride by long-gone artists. The sea monster's head leered at the girls as they circled around it, unseen crystals set deep in its eyes and throat providing a little additional light. But before long it was left behind, the trio left to contend with one more hallway of old paintings and vintage photographs. They pattered down the length of it, sparing a few moments to examine the art, none willing to admit to the others that they were a little afraid of the leader of The Coven, given her reputation. Even Momopie, who had been her usual bubbly self until now, was silent. Her mind coursed with thoughts about what might happen if her new friends were rejected by the big boss. Surely they wouldn't be, right? The Coven was a very accepting organization, and even men and non-witches were treated kindly by Coven members despite the fact that they couldn't actually join the group...

They arrived at the door at the end of the hall. Tall and imposing, the door's two-flap structure stretched up to nearly scrape the high ceiling. Nearby, a gargoyle statue was perched atop a pillar, and beneath it was a rounded, polished gemstone inset into the pillar, surrounded by a ring of brass. Momopie hesitated, steeled herself, and pressed down on the gem, speaking into the gargoyle's mouth.

"*ahem*... Miss Ashley? It's Momopie. I've brought the new recruits."

The silence that ensued lasted four seconds but felt like four lifetimes.

"Alright. I'm coming."

A few more eternally-long seconds followed before one leaf of the door slowly swung open.

Ashley, founder and leader of The Coven, stood before the other girls. Despite not being much taller than the diminuitive Momopie, she seemed to tower over them all with her presence. Megumin gulped audibly, but no one said a word.

It was Ashley who had to speak up. "Well? Introduce me."

"O-oh, right! Um! Uh! This is Megumy, and this is Missin! Wait, no, I mean this is Miss Meg and this is Mini-"

"M-Megumin, miss Coven Leader."

"M-Missy!"

"It's Ashley, Megumin." Ashley said in a bland, mildly irritated tone. "Did no one here tell you my name?"

Momopie rushed to her friend's defense. "N-no one did!"

"So you didn't, either."

"Erm."

Ashley sighed. "Everyone's so scared of me... Can't imagine why." she mumbled, scratching the back of her head as she stood at the threshold of her intimidatingly large doors, next to the creepy gargoyle statue. "So they're the new Coven members you found in Olympia."

"Th-that's right!"

"Okay. And they do magic?"

"Yes! I work with Wisps, and Megumin specializes in explosion magic."

"Uh-huh. Well, you two seem to fit the bill for our group." Ashley nodded slowly, her twintails bobbing. "Welcome aboard."

The three witches stood rather dumbstruck. "...That's it?" Missy gaped.

"That's it. What, you want some kind of initiation challenge? Forget it. You're young female witches, that means you're part of the demographic we're working to elevate. Just pay your membership dues and once you're in you'll get the welcome kit."

Missy smiled at Ashley. "Wow! Um, thanks, Miss Ashley!"

"Just Ashley will do fine."

"Huh. I expected this to go a lot worse." Megumin said, head tilted a bit. "You're not so bad, Ashley!"

"Well, I can't say my reputation is entirely unfounded." Ashley replied as she slowly turned and began moving back into her room, the door closing after her. "I have granted kids to hell, after all."

"Wha-"

The door slammed shut, and in the silence broken only by the echo of the closed door, the three girls just looked at each other.

"...What did she mean by that?" Megumin asked Momopie.

"Don't ask me!" Momopie shrugged. "Let's go get those membership fees worked out so you guys can get started!"

Confused but oddly content, The Coven's two newest members followed Momopie as she led them back where they came.