Just as the spear was going to connect with my exposed back- [Reflection] activated.
*THOOOOOOOOOOM*
"ACK!?!"
The spear flew back the moment it had touched my skin.
With a bounce like propulsion, it flew directly right at the old Demon-
He was impaled by the spear, his torso becoming a spiraling mess of wind.
"AGHHH!!!" He cried out; blood was being splattered everywhere as the spear continued to spiral into him; a cyclone in this Demon's gut.
"SHIT!" I got off Flaur and ran to the dying Demon.
I was hoping the spear would be reflected at an angle where it would fly upwards- per the curve of my back, not backwards in a perfect line.
I tried grabbing the spear, but I couldn't- the pressurized winds kept pushing my hands away; it was taking all I had right now not to be blown away either as I dug in my feet as hard as I could into the floor.
What if I try removing the magic to get it out of him!?
// Activating [Absorb] //
// [Absorb] Failed, Divine Curse Cannot Be Negated. //
WHAT!
Divine Curse!? The hell is that!
Don't give me this crap right now! Work dammit, stupid skill!
"*Gasp* S-Stay,. STAY BAC- AGHHH!!! *Hack*" He tried weakly pushing me away, but instead all he managed to do was cough up a waterfall of blood with the attempt; stubborn bastard, I'm trying to help!
"...!"Flaur was at the door, her voice was drowned out as she was barely clinging onto the door frame from the sheer velocity of the roaring winds coming from the spear.
It was almost as if the spear was becoming larger too, it seemed like it was expanding the longer it was impaled into him.
What do I do? What do I do!
I feel like he'll be ripped in half if I move him off of the spear itself, so I can't do that!
Agh!
Suddenly- a hand appeared onto my shoulder.
"Levii!?"
It was Levii- but something was off about her.
Her eyes weren't her usual earthy-brown- instead, they were a glowing vivid green.
// [Servant: Levii] Has Activated Personal Skill [Wind-Deity's Grace], Immunity to All Wind Effects Active. //
She's using her skills! So that's what that does!
"..." She whispered something inaudible as she walked past me and stood before the Demon, effortlessly placing a hand onto the formless spear's wind- her hand curled to where the shaft's shape should be.
As she stood before him, it was as if the wind itself wasn't even touching her- her silver hair wasn't being ruffled in the slightest, neither were her clothes showing any signs of being blasted by the high-speed winds.
"Athibar, Returning Gale." Levii uttered a strange phrase-
And the winds began to shrink; I could see the original form of the spear beginning to rematerialize!
Slowly, surely, the winds proceeded to die down. As Levii continued to hold her hand on the spear, it's gales retracted, and slowly did the silver spear take shape.
And at last, did it finally stop- the hurricane had finally dissipated, in its place the long silver spear, it still in the old Demon's torso.
But- he wasn't responsive, his eyes were fading into a glossy haze.
Shit!
"Don't pull it out just yet! You'll make it worse!" I shouted at Levii to not do, if she pulled out the spear now- it'll completely disembowel him.
Aghh- I have a trait, a trait- it's something that I had done with Levii before.
That [Healing Entity] trait, but- it's not a skill!
How the hell do I activate it?
I grabbed the now unconscious demon's shoulders, trying to shake him to keep him awake- but his eyes just slowly lulled in response.
"Don't sleep bastard! Stay awake! I'll figure out something!"
Once Levii had let go of the spear- her strange green eyes faded back into the normal brown that I was used to.
"H-Huh? Milord? W-What happened?" She was completely out of the loop- entirely unaware what she had just done a moment ago.
"I'll tell you later- just give me some space!" I commanded, and so she did as she jumped back a yard.
I- I didn't know what to do.
With no apparent skills, what was there that I COULD do?
// Target In Weakened State - Servant Acquisition Parameters Activated. //
// Evaluating... Evaluating... Evaluating... //
// Servant Acquisition Parameters: Satisfactory. //
// Target [Aim Dagon] in Debilitated State - Concordant Contract Impossible. //
// Forced Contract Available. //
// Force Servant Contract on [Aim Dagon]? [Yes] or [No]? //
Huh!? What'll this even do if I make him a servant!!
That won't save his life!
Wait a minute--
What had happened to Levii back then, after the paladins! That's it!
"Hey GEEZER!" I roughly shook him- it made his ears flick in response; good he's still kicking.
"Don't complain about what I'm about to do- otherwise, you owe me big time for this!!"
I hope this works like how I think it does!
// [Yes] //
//Beginning Forced Contract on [Aim Dagon]. //
// [Personal Class: Sage Assistant] Primary Passive in Effect: [Magic Contract(s) Cannot Fail]. //
The scar on my chest felt like it was burning hot- as if a fire brand was being pressed onto my ribcage.
The heat from it flowed from my chest, then to my shoulders, elbows, forearms, and finally my hands.
I felt the heat seep away from within my hands and into the body of his; color was returning to his face. His shoulder's felt warm, and to my disbelief, the gaping maw of a ruptured wound on his gut began to appear as though was healing.
"Levii!"
"Yes, Milord!?" Levii who was watching me do this stood up straight as I called to her behind me.
"Forget what I said! PULL OUT THE SPEAR!!!"
Levii thankfully didn't question my contradictory statement as she instantly jumped into action, grabbing the jutting long shaft of the silver spear, pulling it out effortlessly as a trail of blood spewed out of the opened wound.
"O-Ogh..." He softly groaned as the tip of the spear finally left his body.
No sooner did Levii remove the spear did the wound begin to heal around it. Torn skin and exposed muscle began to heal; ligaments, sinew, veins- all of it were being restored at a rapid rate.
"Aim!" Flaur had managed to recover from the door frame and ran up to where I was, she looked exhausted as she gasped at what was happening right before her eyes.
"M-Maj...es..ty?" Was all he could muster to say in response to hearing Flaur's voice.
"Hang in, there- I don't know what I'm doing but I think it's working!!" I shouted.
// Servant Contract Form Completion Rate: 59% //
//...62% //
// ...75% //
"!?" Aim, what the old Demon was called, gave me a perplexed look as he noticed his wound was healing- strength was returning back to him as the percentage of the contract finalizing grew.
"W-What're you doing boy!?" He began to struggle; he gripped my arms in response.
"Saving your stupid life, that's what!" But even with me saying that- it looked like he was trying to peel me off.
// ...80% //
// ...86% //
The higher it went, the stronger he got- and the more I began to struggle to keep a grip on him as he tried to pry me off of him.
"Stop! If I let go, you'll die!"
"Better to die then let a Human save me! AGH!"
"I'm not Human dumbass!"
"Your Majesty, get back! This Human is dangerous!!"
"AIM!" Flaur managed to get to my side, her face darkened from her hair obscuring her eyes.
"Your Majesty, stay awa- OOPH!"
Flaur, with a surprising amount of strength, landed a heavy jab into the still recovering Aim's solar plexus- it looked like it actually hurt.
"YOUR 'SENSE' IS WRONG, SHUT UP AND LET HIM SAVE YOU!" Is what she angrily shouted to him.
"M-My 'sense' is... wrong?"
// ...95% //
// ...99% //
"He's my suitor, he is no Human."
"YOUR WHAT!?" A pitiful cry escaped Aim as he heard what Flaur said- more precisely, the fact that I'm her """suitor""" part.
// 100% //
// Forced Servant Contract [Complete]. //
// Acquisition of [Aim Dagon]: Successful. //
// Review [Servant] Data Now? [Yes] or [No]? //
I can't deal with that right now; it looked like this old timer was going to rip my head off if kept my hands on him any longer.
// [No] //
With that, the wound on his stomach was completely healed over- I let go of his shoulders as I denied the review of his information.
"Woo- that was a close one, I didn't know I could do that!" Go me! I can heal people... kind of, I think.
"I HAVE FAILED YOU!" But instead of the gratitude I was hoping for from this troublesome old bastard, he instead dropped to the floor onto his knees- groveling to an unknown someone with him shaking a wobbly fist into the air.
"OH, YOUR GRACE! OH, YOUR GRACE! YOUR PRECIOUS DAUG- GAH!!" A perfect-form axe kick descended onto Aim's head- it knocked the old man into the floor with a lot of force, a small crater formed into the stonework where his face was.
"Why do I bother, ugh." Flaur sighed as she rubbed some viscera off her bloodied boot with a handkerchief.
"Woah- I didn't think you had that kind of strength. Also, I don't think it's a good idea kicking just recently healed old people in the head Fla-." I tried to chide her for her reckless use of violence on someone who I had just saved- but I was interrupted by the surprisingly still surprisingly conscious Aim.
"It's YOUR MAJESTY, NOT simply FLAUR- YOU FILTHY STRAY!" He corrected me as a small blood spout began to arc upwards into the air from the bit of a balding head that was peeking out from under his disheveled tricorn hat; that wound was definitely not from the spear.
"Also- wonderful form your Majesty, I see you have been taking my lessons to heart- but if I have to comment on one thing, you still slightly hesitate to bring your axe-kick into full swing due to your embarrassment of revealing your undergarme- GAAAHHH!!" And another perfect (it looked perfect to me)-form axe kick descended on the already disfigured tricorn hat atop of Aim's head- the face-sized hole in the stonework grew deeper a second time as his face landed into it.
Flaur buried her face into her hand as she let out a long-drawn-out sigh.
"I'm sorry you two."
"This is the Warmaster, Aim Dagon." She motioned to him; his face was still deep in the crater.
"He acts as the chief war strategist for the royal army-" She then took on a kung fu-like combat stance.
"As well as my combat teacher." She threw a few quick jabs, ending with a kick flourish that made her skirt ride up a little too high.
"I had entrusted him to take care of your equipment for safe keeping- but, for his actions..."
She let out another, long sigh.
"He does not see the world like you and I do."
Aim began to pick himself up from the rubble, as if he was never really that hurt in the first place.
"It's as her Majesty says, I am Aim Dogan, Warmaster of the kingdom of Modos, and her combat instructor."
He dusted himself off and took off his disfigured tricorne hat- remolding it to its original shape.
"What her Majesty means by how I 'see' the world is..."
"I am blind." His eyes scanned Levii and me.
"Thankfully so, I wouldn't want to sully my eyes on a stray dog like you, boy."
"Aim." Flaur only had to say his name for him to shoot up to attention like a soldier.
"Explain to me- why did you attack us to begin with; I can hazard a guess, but I need you to confirm it." Flaur crossed her arms waiting for him to explain himself to us.
"Your Majesty." He began to speak- he fiddled with his goatee as he did.
"As I had said earlier before, I am blind."
"However, that does not mean I am truly 'blind'."
"I see the world through mana." He eyed the surroundings of the hallway.
"Reveal the incantation circles, they won't understand until you do." Flaur snapped her fingers, prompting Aim to oblige.
"As you command your Majesty." He closed his eyes for a moment and as he opened them, two small prismatic magic circles appeared, roughly the size of glass lenses hovered in front of his eyes.
"With these- I had sensed the presence of Human-like mana approaching the armory a few minutes prior." He stared at me.
"All three of you were cloaked in it, your otherwise strong aura was completely overshadowed by it your Majesty."
"Forgive me for not realizing it was you, and for attacking- please, swiftly execute me for my crime of raising a hand against you- GAH!" A resounding karate chop thwacked the back of Aim's scalp- elderly abuse in Modos is no joke I see.
"I don't know why you thought we looked Human to you Aim-" Flaur snuck a glance at me, "But you were simply doing your job of Warmaster if you had sensed Humans within the castle's walls."
"Excuse me, if I may?" Levii spoke up, until now she had remained silent.
"I am confused by one thing as of so far- if you were entrusted to hold onto our equipment, then how was it possible for you to repair my spear to its original form?"
"Additionally- ..." She looked hesitant to continue, but she pushed forward.
"How we're you able to use the Wind-Deity magic, that's only something possible for the Steppe Imp Noble bloodline to be able to channel." She looked at the silver spear in her hand warily as she asked that to Aim.
Wait- she was aware of that? Of the whole Wind-Deity thing? I thought she didn't- I think I might be underestimating her too much....
Aim looked at her oddly, well 'looked' in his sense.
"That's a fine question m'dear, but if I were to answer that I require you to oblige to the same- how we're you able to channel the Wind-Deity so potently as you did a moment ago?"
"As Warmaster, I have the trained ability to replicate any weapon's innate ability to a certain extent- perhaps up to 20-30% proficiency." What you did back there was 20-30%!?
"Which is why I was able to utter the weapon's true name-"
"And use its power; albeit with the assistance of channeling the Wind-Deity herself, a magic crutch to the most effect." He pinched his goatee to that revelation.
"But- I was not able to utter it's true curse, it's divine ability; not even a channeled chant of the Wind-Deity would allow me to do so."
"That of which, 'you' did."
Levii looked confused by his accusation.
"What I did? What did I do? All I remember was you attacking using the spear, then you suddenly being impaled by it in the wall a moment later."
He scrunched up an eyebrow in question.
"Hmmm- is that the case? I see, that could be possible." He muttered under his breath as he twirled the end of his goatee some more.
"Whether you're telling the truth or not young lady, you had channeled the deity's essence that inhabits that spear that you're holding."
"Gae Assail- Spear of Ludannan; Spirit of Gales."
"The Mother Wind of the Great Steppe." Levii gasped.
"You had uttered one of the two curses that are imbued into the spear- Athibar, Returning Gale."
Levii winced as he repeated the chant that she had said a while ago; like a memory was being forced into her head.
"I-- I feel as though I did say something like that, b-but... other than I knowing who the Wind-Deity is, the Mother Wind, and the origins of this spear to my clan; father had never told me any such thing beyond that!"
"How do you know that!"
"Tsk, Tsk. I've already answered one of your questions- now you have to answer mine."
"Why, actually- I have many questions to ask! How this whole suitor nonsense has occurred, who these two are exactly, and why they are in chains in the first place." Flaur failed at an inconspicuous whistle in response to his complaint about being left in the dark.
He eyed Levii who still wasn't answering.
"I don't know- I just don't know, it's as I told you- I had come to my senses only after the spear was impaled into you."
"I have no recollection of doing anything that you're accusing me of doing Lord Aim!" Levii looked at me with pleading eyes.
"Are you aware of what happened Milord? Is this a result of my connection to you and of my appearance?"
Oh crap- now you've done it.
Flaur raised her eyebrows inquisitively to the new bit of information that had just escaped Levii's lips.
"Ohohoh, you were responsible for her change of appearance, Kai?"
"Why- why as the girl says, now that I'm standing here- I feel as though I'm connected to you too now, boy; what filthy magic did you enchant onto me." Aim spoke up, his brow furrowed at me.
"H-How did you heal me from certain death, boy?"
"How did you change her, Kai? I feel like now's the time to tell me!"
"What did I do, Milord? Is what he's accusing of me- true?"
Ah, man.
What a pain.
///