Accusatory
Town of Thomas Danforth
All the officials gathered to crack a case for who amongst them were members of a malicious coven, who needed some of the town members to die in order to conquer this place.
"Tomorrow, not all of us are guaranteed to be here," said Thomas Danforth. "So have a good dinner tonight everyone."
"I'm crusader on VIP," announced Thomas Banforth. "Other town protects on me."
"You could be medusa," said Thomas Stanforth.
"Yes, I could be, buddy, but I assure you that I am crusader."
"Well, good luck, man."
"Thanks," Thomas Banforth said, adjusting his bowtie.
They all went inside, some of them terrified that death might happen to them. The VIP had no such fears, though. He had a crusader protecting him and a town protective was likely on that person as well.
When they stepped out in the morning, they saw an entire house stoned over, the one that belonged to Thomas Ganforth. There was no way to get inside, it was like a mountain had been dropped into the town, very bizarre. And Thomas Ganforth's family were likely trapped in there as well, their own bodies petrified, which was awful. People gathered around curious what the dead guy's occupation could've been. (He was basically dead as no one knew how to reverse petrification, supposedly not even the witches themselves.) There were a few possibilities for what Thomas Ganforth had actually been, but even if they asked, "Who is this?" or "Who is that?" people could still lie, the coven leader especially might claim whatever Thomas Ganofrth was, if they manipulated that person to visit medusa, which was very likely.
"Hey, I'm Psychic," said someone in front of a brick house with an orange beard. "Last night I had a vision which told me that either Thomas Kanforth, Thomas Stanforth, or Thomas Panforth are evil."
"Why the heck is this town full of people whose last name rhyme and all the dudes are named Thomas?" asked a blonde woman wearing a black dress. She stood in front of a peppermint house.
"This is the Anforth's Arena," said a guy wearing a green hat and having a pipe in his mouth. "That is the name of this town."
"Can we please get occupation claims from Thomas Kanforth and the others in the psychic's vision?" asked a dude wearing a blue hospital shirt that patients wear and lots of bandages around his neck and arm.
"Why are you signalling me out specifically?" asked a guy wearing a yellow construction hat and overalls.
"Shut up, all of you," said a guy with a pale face wearing a cape and tuxedo. "We are lynching Ann Hibbins today, NO ONE ELSE!"
"What? I'm not even in psychic's will. Also, I'm tracker," said the blonde in the black dress.
"The stoned person could be tracker," pointed out Thomas Panforth, who stood in front of a wooden house with a chimney sticking out of the top. He had big, bulging muscles and wore a dark green shirt and cargo pants.
"Who did you follow last night?" asked Thomas Stanforth, who seemed confused, thinking he was a king, he wore a golden crown, had on royal garments, and absolutely acted like he was a king based on this.
"I followed Thomas Lanforth," Ann Hibbins said. "He didn't go anywhere."
"Yeah, because I'm a guardian angel," said Thomas Lanforth. "You know how that works, we protect from afar."
"That's it, Ann Hibbins is Potions Master!" screamed the dude with the construction hat and overalls. Thomas Kanforth, who seemed to have murder in his eyes with a wicked grin.
"What? I'm not Potions Master," the woman said, confused. "I'm a hundred percent tracker."
Thomas Manforth and Thomas Stanforth approached her and started putting chains on her wrists, then dragged her off as she screamed. "We shall vote on you, Potions Master!" Thomas Manforth sneered. "I hope the town will realize that the tracker has to be stoned, and vote to get rid of you. But don't worry, we'll make use of you until this afternoon, if you know what I mean."
"Dude, we can't do that to her," Thomas Stanforth said. "If we do, we'll be in contempt if she is deemed not guilty by majority vote."
"Fine," Thomas Manforth said, with a dismissal wave. "We'll save an hour between the voting and the execution this afternoon. It sucks it has to be that way, but what can you do?"
"You sound so confident that she won't get voted innocent," Thomas Stanforth said.
"This town is smart. They know the dead guy is very likely the tracker, it is guaranteed."
Ann HIbbins kept screaming and Thomas Manforth took a handkerchief from her purse and stuffed it in her mouth, then he and Thomas Stanforth dragged her off to the county affairs building and kept her there until afternoon.
The other members of town all went about their business throughout the day until afternoon came and Thomas Stanforth stepped up on a soap box with a bullhorn. "People of Anforth's Arena, submit your votes on whether Ann HIbbins is innocent or guilty at our very own drab county affairs building as you see fit. Those who fail to vote, no worries, we will count those as abstains."
Some people went to submit their votes, it was public who voted what as per the rules of the town. But not everyone checked those records. The building they had to enter was very dirty, which made some not want to enter, most notably the angel, Thomas Lanforth.
When the time for voting was done, Thomas Manforth carried the cookie jar into the center of the town with everyone in front of their houses like before, minus Ann Hibbins. Thomas Manforth pulled out the slips of paper and set them on the soap box announcing whether they declared a "Guilty" or an "Innocent." When he said "Guilty!" he shouted it proudly as if he were eager for that sort of vote to go through, and the "Innocent" was uttered in a low voice every time.
There were some townsfolk who got to vote but weren't involved with the case to find the coven members that plagued the town with intention of taking over. All of the other townsfolk didn't have the first name Thomas or a last name that rhymed with everyone else's. In this town you had to be an Anforth of some sort, which was a major reason people distrusted Ann Hibbins or were quick to assume she was Potions Master and allow the voting process to take place.
The coven members were hidden among the officials searching for them, but no one knew who they were, which was why these trials had to take place.
Another thing was the coven just needed to kill one specific individual in order to take over, they could bypass everyone else, if they were lucky. They didn't know who this individual was, though, but there were ways to find out. Chances were they'd have to eliminate everyone else before getting rid of this very important person.
Some people in the town, who weren't involved in the case, were in the coven's pocket. They didn't know who the coven members were specifically, but they felt that once they won, life would be better than it was now.
"Eight guilties to seven innos," Thomas Manforth said, with a big smile on his face. "I suppose the woman dies, then."
It was possible some of the people not involved in the case believed her to be Potions Master and had innoed her for that reason. Either way, the process had been done. Some of the officials involved in the case gasped, but many hoped Ann Hibbins was Potions Master because it would absolutely be terrible to lose a tracker. Though probably not the worst thing.
"In one hour, we will have the public Execution," Thomas Stanforth said. "Then we will raid her house."
"Which is sure to be full of potions in vials and cauldrons and stuff."
"Why don't we just check her house before the execution?" Thomas Lanforth, the guardian angel, asked. "Makes more sense to me."
"That's not how things are done in Anforth's Arena," Thomas Manforth said. "And if you keep questioning us, we'll have the vigilante shoot you."
"Who is vigilante?" Thomas Chanforth, the guy with slick black hair and the cape and tuxedo, who appeared to have long fangs from his top jaw.
"Dude, Thomas Chanforth, you know he can't reveal himself, that awful witch that can force people to do things they don't want to is still alive," Thomas Manforth said.
The guardian angel shivered. "Look, all I want is for my target to live, I don't want any trouble with coven or any other business."
"Don't forget that there's a pirate in our midsts as well," said Thomas Kanforth.
"Let's not worry about pirate," Thomas Stanforth said. He gazed around at everyone. "Bring your popcorn or roasted marshmallows or whatever treats you feel like for the execution, it shall be a spectacle."
"You know pirate can kill us off one by one, right?" said Thomas Panforth.
"Yeah, but he can just as easily snag coven members, can't he, Thomas Manforth?"
But Thomas Manforth was nowhere in sight, he had snuck back to the county affairs building to make use of Ann Hibbins' last hour on Earth. He was alone with her so no one heard him whisper in her ear that he was the actual Potions Master, and as she remained gagged, no one could hear her while Thomas Manforth held her down, kissing her neck and doing other indecent things with her, she would remain gagged until executed so she couldn't even warn the town.
She was drowned in the nearby river, it was a grisly sight, they had to keep dunking her till she was thoroughly dead, after that Thomas Stanforth got in a boat and tossed the corpse deep down the river so it would float away and not bug their consciences anymore.
At least if she turned out to be Potions Master. But either way, the deed was done, no more Ann Hibbins inhabited the town of Anforth's Arena.
Then several of the officials entered Ann Hibbins' house and while many expected to find potions and vials, maybe a cauldron, as well as odd potion ingredients like armadillo bile and monkswood, there was none to be found. Just a foot-stamper, which was a tool a tracker could use to erase their own footprints, and some other objects that aided someone talented in following another person stealthily.
"My word, she actually was tracker," Thomas Manforth said, sinking into a chair in Ann Hibbins' sitting room and putting his forehead in his hands. "Can't believe this."
"Flummery," Thomas Stanforth said. "We gotta hope pirate can get a coven."
"Maybe vigilante will randomly get a coven, never know," Thomas Panforth said.
"That would be nice," said Thomas Manforth, raising his face and looking hopeful.
They had to report to everyone else that Ann Hibbins had been tracker, not Potions Master. It disheartened several, but the town protectives were determined to work harder to keep everyone, but especially the VIP, safe.
A few days later, all of the officials who were on the case were dead minus three. Thomas Stanforth had turned out to be pirate. Even the guardian angel, Thomas Lanforth, lay dead, shot by a vigilante, and his target had perished as well.
The three that remained were Thomas Eanforth, the psychic with the orange beard, Thomas Danforth, the VIP mayor, who proudly wore the badge that announced him as the strongest person in Anforth's Arena, a gold badge fastened to his blue and white striped suit, and finally Thomas Manforth, who whistled at the sight of all the no longer occupied houses.
Some houses still had family members of the deceased official who used to live in them, but many had lived alone.
"Well, it's clear who the last coven is at this point," Thomas Eanforth said.
"Yep," Thomas Danforth said. "I'll go submit the papers to the county affairs building, have this sorted out and the lynching will take place this afternoon."
The psychic nodded and returned to his house to have an onion, pickles, and bologna sandwich, certain absolutely nothing could go wrong at this point, the VIP had been spared. They'd get rid of the final coven and boom, the town would not have any more evils to be concerned about.
The mayor submitted his three guilty votes at the county affairs building, a very heavy weight. The psychic and Thomas Manforth also submitted their votes, against each other obviously. But the mayor's votes were concealed, as he had requested.
The psychic went home to make some lemonade, which helped clear his mind, everything was almost over.
He was shocked to hear loud pounding on his door. He took another drink of his lemonade, just as his door was burst inward. Several men entered, one of them holding the vigilante's gun. It was aimed at Thomas Eanforth.
The mayor entered as well, his chest as chubby as Santa Claus', a sneer on his face.
"Be prepared to die, Potions Master!"
"Um, excuse me?" the psychic said, stroking his beard, quite bewildered. "Surely this is a jest?"
"No, you are clearly the one. There's no one left among the officials who can be the evil."
"Um, I'm Psychic. It is literally impossible for anyone else to be that, and I have reported all my visions since this reign of terror began."
"Nah, one of the stoned people are Psychic."
Thomas Eanforth stared at the barrel of the gun aimed at him, open-mouthed. "Dude, mayor, it's clearly Thomas Manforth, don't do something you'll regret, you can change your votes. Unless you're pulling my leg, in which case...this is a very mean joke honestly."
"Thomas Manforth is the trusty trapper, he has been a big help in this case," the mayor said, toying with his badge. "Now finish him off," he commanded the men, before stepping outside.
Gunshots were heard, the psychic's screams not lasting very long, before the men trooped out. saluting the mayor and then going on their way.
Thomas Manforth approached. "Got rid of that nasty Potions Master, eh?"
"Yeah, his body is full of bullet holes," Thomas Danforth said.
"Let's go check out his house then."
So they entered Thomas Eanforth's house and looked all around, but there was a surprising lack of potion ingredients, cauldrons, or even any hint that he had been a member of the coven, no purple banners or anything.
"I'm slightly confused, did he bury everything in the backyard or something?" the mayor asked, scratching his temple.
"Look, a crystal ball," the Potions Master said, pointing to a table. "And also Conducive Lemonade mix, which helps open your psyche to the waves of the unknown."
"Did he fake being Psychic so badly as to redecorate? That's a lot of work to put into it, especially considering we weren't going to check his abode until after he was killed."
"You don't get it yet, do you? I'm the Potions Master, I tricked you!" Thomas Manforth exclaimed.
"I don't understand," Thomas Danforth said, shaking his head as if to clear it.
"See you tonight, mayor!" Thomas Manforth said, gleefully. "With a potion that shall be absolutely...fatal!"
"H-how?" the mayor asked, flabbergasted. "You're trapper."
"Clearly I'm not," Thomas Manforth said, wagging his finger. "Hope you enjoy what I'll serve you, I'll make it a tangerine-mango flavor, I spoke with your secretary about what you like to drink."
The mayor had no more protectives, a couple town had been stoned by medusa, and not only had their bodies been stoned, but their entire houses. They couldn't search them for clues to their roles. That also meant their families were petrified as well.
The mayor attempted to hide in a different house from his own, if he could just make it to the next day, he'd get the Potions Master lynched, but if he died before the sun rose, it would be too late.
The house he had chosen had belonged to the coven leader, Thomas Panforth. This would keep him safe, surely…
But Thomas Manforth had brewed a Seeker Potion ahead of time just in case the mayor tried to thwart him in this way. He stirred his cauldron, waiting for it to reveal to him what he wished to know. It showed him the mayor sleeping in the coven leader's bed, the mattress quite scratching, he tossed and turned.
Grinning, Thomas Manforth collected the vial with the Killing Potion in it, stepped down his creaky stairs, emerged from his house and moved in the direction of the coven leader's former abode. The mayor's secretary couldn't protect him either, she was going to be Thomas Manforth's concubine and was currently tied up in his basement.
He entered the coven leader's house easily, having been given a key. Up he went to the bedroom that used to belong to Thomas Panforth, the Potions Master pulled the coven leader's blanket down, forced the mayor's jaw down, uncorked his vial, and tipped the potion so it drained into the mayor's throat, his body involuntarily swallowing it. He obviously wasn't the first to take the Killing Potion, but this definitely was the most satisfactory for Thomas Manforth to deliver to his victims.
And true, he didn't have his fellow coven members anymore, but he could train some of the regular townsfolk, those willing to learn. A new regime had begun in Anforth's Arena. It was kinda crazy that the mayor had chosen to kill the psychic, but Thomas Manforth had gone into this day confident, the mayor in his pocket basically.
Thomas Danforth's throat gurgled, the potion seeping its way down his esophagus, to make his blood vessels pop, shatter his bones, and do other disturbing things to stuff he needed in order to live.
There was nothing like an evil victory. Perhaps Thomas Manforth would move his coven army to another town and conquer them as well. Would be risky, though. He probably wouldn't go himself, unless he had his own guardian angel. Wouldn't that be something? he thought to himself, with a smile.
But either way, Anforth's Arena had succumbed to...
COVEN TAKEOVER