Tale of Kaede (Continued)

Previously, on the Tale of Kaede...
Help decide the next part of Kaede's journey here!
---
Kaede knew what she had to do. Fight or die. Or be kept as Oda's prisoner for the rest of eternity. Either way, there was only one real option. Disoriented by her new form, Kaede willed herself to move, slithering across the floor. She could not see or here Oda, but she could sense her, somehow. She was smiling, and began to mutter an incantation, glass jar in hand.

Kaede forced herself to leap towards Oda, feinting for her throat; Oda raised her hands up in defense, and Kaede moved herself down, shooting at the witch's ankles. With a tight knot and a hard tug, Oda went crashing down, the jar shattering and sending shards flying everywhere. Kaede rushed in for the kill, untying herself and moving up the witch's back like a ropey snake. She had already firmly tightened around her throat when Oda began to resist, her incantations choked off.
--

Kaede tightened around the Witch's throat, cutting off her air flow entirely. Oda struggled, sending blasts of magical energy flying as she flailed around, trashing the room completely. Kaede choked off all of Oda's complex incantations, robbing her of her most advanced spells. With the tight grip Kaede had around Oda's neck, it would be impossible for the witch to blast her off.

After a minute of futile thrashing, the Witch's struggles became weaker, feebler, until she finally stopped moving entirely, her face turned blue from lack of oxygen. When Kaede was sure Oda was dead, she untangled herself, slithering off and leaving the body behind.

Lacking a proper body, Kaede was unsure what to do.

--
Lilith gave a chuckle when she laid eyes upon Kaede's new form. The demoness grabbed Kaede, looking over the rope.

"Ahaaha, I see the Witch gave you more trouble than you thought. I can only assume the deed is done. Now, girl, I assume you'd like to get out and stretch your legs? Well, a favor for a favor, right? Your new form seems it would be great for killing...and capturing. Tell you what, girl... I've been bored here of late, and I think I need a new plaything. Go out and find me a pet and bring it back here, and I'll let you out of your little prison."

Kaede wondered what she should bring back to Lilith...

--
Kaede had decided it was time to go demon hunting. She slinked back to Oda's shack, where the Demon had run off after being freed. She moved around the area, examining her surroundings with her odd sense; she could see and hear, in a blurry, stilted way, but completely lacked a sense of touch or smell. It was hard to navigate with her blurry pseudo-vision, and more than once she found herself caught in a snag somewhere on the ground. She deftly avoided being seen by any passerbys, being a rope slinking around the ground and all.

She had narrowed done her surroundings to a few general areas. Oda's shack was in the eastern half of Humthet, near a collection of market booths. The demon could of fled deeper into the town, perhaps finding haven. Further east, the town ended, and Kaede took note of some nearby caves, as well as a forest in the distance. She had a lot of possibilities, it was only a question of where to start looking.
--
Kaede made her decision: she would give up her chase of the Demon and instead grab a random peasant. She was always told she was indecisive, that she always took the easy way out. She didn't actually remember who told her this; they were probably dead anyway, so it didn't really matter. She sensed a person nearby walking alone, and lept towards him. After a few minutes of struggling, Kaede managed to get herself wrapped around the man's neck, and yanked him with the threat of strangulation keeping him in line.

She dragged him all the way back to Lilith's hut; when the Demoness came out to see what Kaede had brought, she scoffed. "This all? I could of just grabbed some guy off the street." She sighed deeply. "I'll guess he'll have to do." Kaede waved her hands, and the man fell to his knees, hands gripped tight around his face as he let out a horrific scream. Kaede's vision blurred again, and she found herself standing by the man's side, in her own body. The man's hands went limp, and dropped, revealing a now-blank stare, a trickle of droll coming down his mouth.

"His mind didn't even last a minute! I thought you were the ambitious sort, girl. Well, if you want to do just enough to get by..."

She conjured up a broom, and shoved it into Kaede's hands.

"I guess you can help clean up around here. Or you can go out the door. Either way, I won't be training a lazy bum like yourself anymore. Well, chop chop."

--
"One more chance, you say? I'm not one to give fools second chances."
Kaede blinked, and looked down dejected. The farmer she had kidnapped was still on the ground, a line of drool tracing from his mouth.

"Just kidding. I'm sure your gift will be amusing if nothing else. The peasant certainly was. One more chance, but if this gift is disappointing, I'll just make you my new plaything. Granted, you already kind of were, but I'll rip your mind in half to make it more fun. Anyway, bring me someone back. And I mean someone; bringing groups counts as cheating, and you don't want to know what I do with cheaters, girl. Be creative. If you bring me back someone especially powerful, I'll teach you a little bit of secret magic. Remember, girl, be ambitious; the greatest warlocks and witches in the land did not get where they are by settling for the least that can get them by."

Kaede nodded, and Lilith quickly shoved her out the door. She was at a loss; who could she bring back to impress Lilith? She remembered the other trainers the bartender had mentioned; maybe those would be good prizes? Certainly not easy, though.

--
Kaede was at a loss for where to start looking for the Warlock, so she returned to the Bartender. She went back to the pub and found the same bartender, and took a seat at the bar. He looked at her, somewhat surprised.
"You're back? Here for a drink after a hard day's training...?"

Kaede shook her head; she explained that she was looking for where Byron was specifically.

"Oh, well, his cottage is south, on the outskirts of town, all on its own. It's a humble little building, but you aren't likely to miss it. Byron is out in the forest gathering some supplies, I hear. There's a rumor going around that he's taken on an apprentice already, some young boy from a distant land, so I'm not sure he'll have the time to spare for you."

Kaede nodded, and thought about what her next course of action would be. If Byron was in the forest, she could try and find him there, or she could go back to his cottage and wait for him. She might run into his apprentice, though.