Grillby x Reader: Burn the Witch

Part 1

Flame slowly enveloped every part of his body. He struggled against the restraints. Tried to free himself from his hellish fate. To no avail. He screamed. No pity came from the crowd that had gathered around him. He pounded his fists against the log he was tethered to. It shook slightly, then stilled once more. Minutes passed. His pained yells still pierced through the air. He hung on to life, but it was slowly fading. In his last moments of life, his eyes began to glow. The magic within his soul trying to preserve itself. The crowd gawked at the sight. They yelled in anger, calling for his damnation from their God.

(Name) couldn't bear the sight for much longer. But she knew that looking away would oust her. She knew walking away would condemn her. She knew saving him would damn her to the same fate. So, she watched. A blank expression etched on her face, unfeeling. Her throat burned with a mixture of fear and guilt. Every pained scream was another knife through her heart. Every crackle of flame was another knot in her stomach. But she watched. Watched as her friend died in front of her eyes. Watched as her neighbors called for his death. Watched as another mage was burned at the stake.

It was over as quickly as it had begun. As the crowd thinned, she looked at the remains left on the platform before her. He was gone. His body vanished to dust. His soul had fled. The only sign he had existed was the faint magical tug she felt. She turned her back and walked away, speechless.

It had all happened so quickly. Just a few days ago, they talked about escaping the city. About leaving everything they knew behind. They had hesitated. He had been accused. He was put on trial. He was publicly humiliated. He was burned. He's dead.

As she traversed the streets of the city, she knew she was in danger. If they had discovered he was a wizard, they were sure to suspect her. She would be next. She had been interrogated and had managed to escape prosecution. But how long would that last? How long would it be before they had connected that a confirmed magic user would surround themselves with more of them? How long would she be free?

As she returned to her home, she had decided. She needed to leave. She didn't know where, but anywhere but there. She locked herself in her home and packed. She took only the essentials: food, water, clothes, and a few tomes. Then, under the cover of darkness, she burned her home and fled.

She was truly alone now.

After several days of walking, she had nearly exhausted her supplies. Her robes were crusted with dirt and torn in multiple places, food supply was nearly depleted, and she had not properly rested for several days. Becoming desperate, she neared the base of Mt. Ebott. She had heard the rumors; people who go up the mountain never return. She was about to turn and head in the other direction when she a flash of light and sudden boom. She looked behind her and saw huge grey clouds approaching. Other than the mountain, she was surrounded by forest. Even with magic, if a forest fire started she would be defenseless. She needed shelter and quickly. She fled up the mountain looking for a cave to wait out the storm.

Once at the top, she found a large cave with an even larger chasm in it. For a moment, she thought of inspecting it crossed her mind. She decided not to, instead opting to stay near the opening of the cave and camp out until the storm passes.

Evening soon turned to night and the storm was still raging. She had set up camp for the night, constructing a small fire to conserve warmth and light. After a small dinner, she looked longingly over the world below her. She reminisced about her life she left behind. She knew that fleeing was her only hope of survival, but that didn't stop her from remembering the city fondly.

As she silently reflected, she hadn't seen the two figures at the base of the mountain. It was only when one spoke when she had noticed the danger approaching. She quickly put out the fire, hid in the shadows, and waited. The voices grew louder, the words slowly becoming clearer.

"Are you sure it's safe?" one said. "What if they really are a witch?"

"There's two of us and only one of it," the other replied. "Besides, the reward for captured witches is worth the risk."

(Name) had heard the rumors that neighboring towns had given rewards to those who had information on witches but she had no idea that it was so serious. Were these "witch hunts" truly this dangerous that people would try to find them so far away from a city? She had no time to ponder this much longer though, as the voices grew louder and closer to the cave. She gathered her belongings and was about to quietly leave the cave, when she heard footsteps right outside the cave.

She quietly backed away from the entrance when a root made her lose her footing and fall to the ground. To her horror, instead of falling to the ground she fell into the chasm. She caught the ledge in attempts to pull herself back up. She had managed to grab the ledge with both hands. She had wished she knew magic powerful to allow her to fly, but she knew such magic didn't exist; at least not to mages, anyway.

As she tried to pull herself back up, she looked up and was met with a youthful looking human man. He had warm brown eyes, still naïve to the world's horrors.

"They're here, brother," he said, calling behind him.

"Nice work," the other one said approaching the chasm.

She looked at the human, and peered into the cruelest eyes she had ever seen. The other man was older than his brother. Dark eyes glinted from beyond dark hair. He was smiling, but the smile didn't reach his eyes. She felt her blood run cold. She started to slip.

"Now," he said, the smile still plastered on his face, "How about you and I make a deal?"

She was quickly running out of strength. Just as she thought she could pull herself up, she slipped again. Her arms ached, stretching to the breaking point. She couldn't perform a spell in front of the humans, they might think that it's hostile and attack her. She was out of options.

"What do you want?" she asked.

"I'll pull you out. And in exchange, me and my brother take you back to the city," he said.

"Or what?" she said voice straining.

"Or," he put his foot over one of her hands, "you fall to your death." He pressed his foot slightly against her hand, sending a wave of pain and fear throughout her body. "Your choice."

She hesitated. No matter which option she chose she was dead was as good as dead. She glanced down to where she thought the bottom was. The light faded the deeper down you looked until the light was nonexistent. She looked back up at the two humans she was at the mercy of. She had to pick her poison: falling or burning.

"Fine," she said finally. "I'll go with you."

"Good choice." He started to pull her out of the chasm, "Glad to see you witches have at least some brains."

Her shoulders were just above ledge when she heard that. She didn't know what took over her; perhaps it was embarrassment, or maybe fury. Either way, something in her snapped. Everything that humans had done to her people, the things she'd seen, the things she'd done to survive,

Kendrik's death.

Before she could process what she was doing she felt the hand the human pull her up with grow hot, hotter. Flames flickered from her fingertips, until it erupted in a red-hot flame. The man let out a cry of pain and let go of her hand. She fell into the chasm. She didn't try to grab onto the ledge. She was strangely at peace; she had picked her poison, now to wait for it spread through her body. She closed her eyes, accepting her fate, and felt the light fade from beyond her eyelids.

Then everything stopped, and world suddenly became pitch black.