'Emergency clause applied. Section 4 on safety evoked. The system advises the user to purchase the basic martial art skills from the shop' Iris did not have the presence of mind to know what that was about.
She just knew that she needed to survive and for that, she needed that skill.
As soon as the transaction took place the tides of the battle changed completely.
Iris lunged forward, moved her foot, and reassigned her body weight for an attack. Her fist got the younger right in the middle, knocking the air out of it. The other went unconscious in seconds.
Of course, it was all because of the magic inside her body that was unleashed during the attack.
The other two seemed to be having it worse than her. The number of demons attacking them seemed to not be lessening and Iris wanted to help.
But then thought better of it. She had just gotten the martial art skills and she had no idea what they were capable of doing.
It was best to stay behind for now.
Besides, she needed to check on the younger girl. She seemed alright but one could never tell by just looking.
"N-Not fair. You played dirty by attacking out of the blue. I will get you next time" the girl muttered as soon as Iris removed the foreign magic from her system.
"Kid, I'm a healer, not a fighter. If you want to fight then find someone else" it took a few more minutes to make sure the other was really alright.
The sultan and Nicole finally seemed down at that point and jogged over to them with a worried expression.
"I'm sorry for her. She's a decent enough kid when she does not have fighting on her mind." the sultan seemed to be making excuses for the kid who huffed at her.
"I'm not a kid. I'm a leader of Oreta, just like you and that old hag" the insult caused Nicole to go stiff but she could not retaliate in front of the company.
"I apologize for her behavior. Misha, just be good for now and I will arrange a good fight for you later" the child finally seemed to be listening, her eyes shining at the promise of a good fight.
She stared at Iris and the sultan before nodding.
"Sure. I will try not to attack them if you promise to get me a decent fighter later" finally, one problem was out of the way and the group felt like they could relax.
They decided to rest for a few minutes while Iris decided to treat their small injuries. They might not seem critical but they could be the difference between life and death later.
The young child just watched, fascinated with Iris's magic.
"Let's had out now. I do not want to face more demons out here" the groups finally started to move toward the center of the clearing.
"Why are there so many demons here? Isn't it unsafe for them to be here? What if they break out?" Nicole asked, finally biding enough courage to ask it all.
Iris was curious as well, finding it all sort of odd.
How was the city still standing with all these demons?
"It is because of the ruins. If you ever observe the demon's major dwellings, they all have one thing in common - the proximity to courts. No one knows why that is so" it was not wrong and had been hinted at a lot in the novel.
"No, not that. I mean, why build a city here if there are all those monsters inside?" Nicole asked with a confused voice.
It was a valid question to ask and Iris found herself curious as well.
"It all links back to Oreta and its development. It all started with the court and four major cities on all sides. As more and more people settled, they decided to get connected but not this place." it seemed like an odd choice.
"Demons always existed here so the folks outside thought they should build around it for safety. Before they knew it, this place had been isolated and not one could clear it out" the young girl ended.
Now it made a little more sense.
But there were various questions still unanswered.
"How do they even sustain themselves. There is no energy source here. Who are they still thriving?" it was a valid question but it seemed to be the only one which the other answered without any doubt.
"Someone once told me that every court had its energy source that only their members could feel. The remains of the court should still sustain that energy source and it is enough for these demons" somehow, it all made sense.
The city beneath was barely visible from this high, the outer wall as bewitching as ever.
"Beautiful, right? My lady always said that its design and layout were left behind by the gods. She was convinced that it held much more secrets than just protection" Iris looked at the wall again.
It did seem as if there was something different about this wall.
"That's true. The design of these walls and the whole city was something the court left us behind. I made sure it was followed as closely as possible" the sultan seemed certain about the fact.
It was all very interesting but there was no time to think it over.
"We are about to reach the clearing now. Look, there it is - the court of Isis. Well, the remainder of it at least" Iris looked over to the ruins. They all seemed to be destroyed by something.
There were fire marks on the walls, the ceiling non-existing, and the pillars swinging from one place to another.
"Be very careful. Once we step inside the circle, we will officially enter the protected area and no demon will be able to enter with it. But the place itself is not stable and could collapse under us" Iris was not afraid.
She could feel a power connecting with her as soon as she entered the area. It was calling out to her, becoming her to follow its direction.
"Iris? Where are you going?" Nicole was calling her but Iris was lost in that voice and power. The pull was strong and bewitching.
It was all pulling and Iris needed to follow her.
The surroundings, the court, everything had ceased to exist around her but the call of that magic. It was beautiful and powerful as well.
"Hey, lookout. Don't dive down" and as soon as the haze had fallen in on her, it was lifted as well. There were chains around her, dulling her senses and her connections to magic.
Her surroundings were coming back slowly she found herself face-to-face with the broken portion of the floor.
"You alright? Sorry if your fall hurt you" the sultan apologized to her and it finally told Iris what had happened. The chains were also a good indicator of what happened to her.
"You can let me go now. But keep a chain on my wrist. The pull of court's magic is very strong here" it was curious to see.
There were neither members nor offerings here. So what was keeping this magic and connection so strong?
What was about this place that was so special? Iris had a feeling that something huge was about to happen and she felt excited as well as scared.
Did she really want to do this? She was not sure this was a good idea anymore.