Mika gently tousled Luka’s hair and smiled. “Look, I’m sorry, but I’m just not ready for a relationship right now. Oh, and by the way, if you really want a happy rest-of-your-life, don’t try to marry a guy you just met okay? I mean, why not Ander over there? Didn’t he take good care of you for several months?”
“ANDER? No way! He picks his nose all the time. It’s so disgusting…”
“Hey, hey…” Ander piped up in protest.
“And he farts loudly every time he gets excited. Plus, whenever he’s nervous, he likes to scratch his balls…”
“Please, enough! Can you just stop that…” Ander pleaded, his face a beet red.
“FREEZE!” Everyone turned towards Tobi. Behind her stood a molly mule, its rear legs poised to deliver a nasty kick. Whirling around to face the mule, she ordered: “Now walk over to that tree, and stay there until you’re needed!” Sebastian hung her equine head submissively and did as she was told.
There was a very long silence.
“What are you, Tobi?” Mika finally asked in a quiet voice.
“What do you mean what am I? I’m the little girl you made me, right?”
“When you ordered Luka give you the stone, I caught sight of a faint apparition right behind you. I thought my eyes were playing tricks on me, but… then I saw it again when you froze Sebastian. It looked like it was… attached to your body.”
Tobi glanced behind her in alarm, but there was nothing there. “An apparition? You mean, like the tooth fairy?”
“Oh there was definitely nothing fairy-like about what I saw…”
A sudden loud POP rang out, the same one Mika had heard when Tobi’s mistress teleported. Instinctively, he channeled his strongest lightning spell in its direction. There was a sharp yelp and the scent of scorched hair, but the witch was quick enough to raise a shield that deflected most of the bolts.
“You’re pretty good, lad.” she cackled. “But not good enough!” A burst of wind tossed Mika up like a rag doll and slammed him hard against a tree.
“Gotcha!” Audrey yelled. She had snuck up close behind the witch and swung her sword, but her blade sliced through thin air as the witch teleported a short distance away.
“You dare swing that silly toy at me?” the witch laughed.
Audrey dropped her sword with a cry as her hands fused into hooves. Her face tingled as her nose flipped up and pushed out a snout, and her breasts shifted into a row of teats. Her legs shortened, and losing her balance she fell down on all fours, becoming a large, squealing pig.
“So much for your new friends.” the witch guffawed, looking over to Tobi. “At least we’ll eat well tonight! Nothing compares to the complex flavors of whole hog barbecue! And now, you will give me that stone. You KNOW you don’t have any choice…” she grinned menacingly.