Not much to say about this one, just hope you enjoy the little bit of buildup here. I decided to move the actual action to the next chapter, so as not to make it overly long.
Also, as of this post, SoFurry is acting up for some reason, so I haven't been able to upload there yet. I'll fix it when the site comes back, but in the meantime at least the other options are still there! (AO3 or Weasyl still display things the best anyway, IMO)
Excerpt below:
“...you really are a Sylthean, aren’t you? I know I mentioned it before, but-”
“Maybe, maybe not, what’s it matter? Been around a long time ‘n’ seen all kinds’a shit,” the witch retorted, then took a loud sip of her tea. “I’m Algrytha, moss witch of the Aberrant Garden, the only fool crazy enough to take up residence in the cursed forest of Kryckwood. Other than that, I’ve no partic’lar ties to anyone or anythin’ else these days. I’d be just as much an oddball in one world as another, ‘n’ that suits me fine. I’m me, and that’s that.” She punctuated the end with a nod of conviction. “Ferget what y’are, it’s who y’are that matters.”