"Now then, enough of the sappy stuff!" She shouts out, removing herself off my body and moving back in front of me, trying to retain some dignity after such an adorable display, failing miserably.
"You've got the magic circle. You've got the magic. Now, you've gotta work on it! Right now, your magic is utterly pathetic!" Ouch. At least try to preserve my dignity, please.
"But, you've improved so much in the last few days that I don't doubt you'll be a novice magic user by the weeks end at this rate!" Huh. Thank you?
"This is the area I really excel in, so we've got a lot of ground to cover. Now, hit me with a spell. Any spell." She places both fists on her hips, standing confident with a toothy grin on her face.
With a simple shrug, I raise my left hand and let my magic circle manifest as fast as I can, throwing out a wave of fire from my palm afterwards.
Serafall just watches as the scorching flame approaches her, until suddenly she raises both palms, the Sitri crest manifesting in her hands, and I realise how utterly outclassed I am.
In a fraction of a second she sends a jet of water that squashes my meagre flames and blasts me into a nearby statue, followed by a geyser underneath my feet in the shape of a dragon, throwing me violently into the air.
With my body stuck in the dragon's jaws and 20 feet in the air, she slams her hand down, sending the dragon crashing into the ground.
-792HP!
(474/1266)
Three broken ribs. I think I fractured my pelvis. Head is going slightly woozy, has she given me a bloody concussion?
Fucking hell, I didn't expect that to hurt as much as it did. With a slow stagger, I raise myself from the ground, utterly drenched and aching all over. Using Caduceus to stay on my feet, I let the Abyss Flower Sigil fall down from my sleeve and feel the suffering leave my body.
1080HP!
"Huh. Guess I'm a little rusty with water magic, I figured you'd stay down after that one." She looks at her palm in disappointment.
"Bloody hell woman, are you trying to kill me?" I spit water out as I speak, and she crosses her arms.
"Of course not. That'd be stupid. I just wanted to show you that you should never assume an attack has connected, always have a follow up or a defense ready." I hold my response for a moment, instead manifesting an open flame against my drenched body to try and dry myself quick.
"I suppose I can see the logic in that, but was the dragon really necessary?" She scratches her cheek, face slightly red.
"Not really. I just wanted to show off what I can do!" I don't know what's worse, the fact that she said it, or the fact that I didn't call her an idiot for it. Noticing my heaving breath, she raises a hand in concern.
"You... you're not mad at me, are you? I didn't want to hurt you that bad, I just wanted to make sure you understood." She takes a step forward, then changes her mind halfway through the action and keeps her distance. My response comes midway through drying my hair.
"No, Serafall, I understand what you're trying to do. Soon, I'll be heading out to take part in a war, a war where I can very easily meet my end." I pause for a moment, taking off a boot and emptying the water within.
"Of course, you don't want such an outcome, so you wish to prepare me as much as you can. Pain is the best teacher a man can have, and being that I can heal myself so well, it's a match made in hell." I repeat the same process with the other boot, occasionally grunting because the straps on these boots are so damn tight.
"Just... don't do it as much, please? While I only feel it for a few seconds, pain is still pain. I'd rather not experience it." She's both glad that I'm not mad at her, and strangely disappointed?
"Damn. I was hoping you liked it. I had so much planned for us." She whispers under her breath, yet I hear it clear as day, resisting the urge to shiver. Deciding not to stay on that topic any longer, I speak up once more.
"Moving on then, any other tips you have for me? Ones that don't involve practical lessons?" She raises a finger to the air, and the disappointment is washed away.
"Of course, my dear little student! One of the most important aspects of magic to exploit is the utility it has. A Devil can always find a situation to use their magic, because they can mold it to whatever they want it to be." She raises a palm once more, and I barely suppress the urge to run.
"Whether it be a large blast to take out multiple people at once, or even a small bolt of raw Mana to hit someone from a distance, no matter the situation, you can alter your spells to fit it best." Mana flows from the crest in her palm and rapidly shifts forms, from a ball of flame to a small tornado of wind lashing around.
"Another thing to know is that a magic circle can be cast onto different surfaces alongside your own hands. It's as simple as willing the crest to manifest within your line of sight and letting the Mana transfer from one circle to another." She forms a magic circle on the wall of the manor to demonstrate, a wall that is more than 40 feet away.
"That means you can shoot a spell from anywhere you want. Wanna hit someone from below? Place your magic circle underneath them and let the spell fly. Same for behind, or to their side. The only downside is that this is slower than regular casting, and the Mana transfer means it loses some of the power." The applications of such a thing are nearly endless.
It astonishes me, the sheer versatility of a Devil's magic. Though, it also makes me wonder just how chaotic war among Devils really is if such things are possible. Serafall slides up to my side while I'm in thought.
"You wanna see one of my favorite spells? I think you'll like it." I'd never pass up on the chance to see more magic being used.
"Depends on if I'll be the target." She laughs slightly, waving a hand at me.
"Oh no, this one is for groups not single targets, that'd be overkill. I'll just use the garden to demonstrate. Now, brace yourself, cause you're gonna be blown away!" To emphasise, she mimics an explosion with her hands.
After that, she takes a deep breath, and I watch as the warm light fades from her eyes, replaced by an awe-inspiring chill. The air around me shimmers with rime, her breath coming out in slow clouds of fog. Slowly the garden is enveloped in shadows as the Sitri crest manifests in the sky, blotting out the sun.
"Everlasting Winter." Her words come out slow and labored, her hand pointed forward to the sky. Her voice sends a shiver down my spine, goosebumps manifesting on my limbs. The world loses all sound for a brief moment as the magic circle turns.
In the blink of an eye, thousands upon thousands of shards of razor sharp ice fall down upon the garden, eviscerating everything they come into contact with, freezing over the land around us as they fall. The deadly rain doesn't stop for several seconds, until finally the sound of whistling ends abruptly.
She hasn't finished yet though, because following the rain comes the real killer. She clenches her open palm, crushing the magic circle in her hand and causing the same effect to occur with all the shards that fell, before finally she sends a gust of wind through the circle.
It's utterly ingenious. The shattered shards leave tiny fragments of ice in the air, small enough that they can be inhaled, and the wind kicks them up and sends them around a designated area.
Any who survive the icicle rain would quickly die from the razor sharp ice shards entering their lungs and shredding them, and the icy floor stops them from making a quick escape. I'm almost put off by the cruelty of such a fate, yet awed by the ingenuity.
It is a perfect area denial spell, a perfect clearance spell. The only way to guarantee survival would be a mage of equal strength to Serafall using fire to counteract it, or a large group doing the same, though if the spell does it's work well enough there won't be many Devils left to clear the icy winds.
I look over to Serafall and see her looking at the destruction with a mixed expression, glancing between the frost ridden garden and her own hands. Her cheeks have trails of ice climbing up them, her hands utterly covered in frost. The gardens around us, stretching for miles, are decimated.
"It's one hell of an impressive spell, I can't lie. I'd dread being on the end of it. I'd also hate to be one of the maids right now." She preens under the praise, placing one hand on her hip and another on her head, holding a peace sign. I almost laugh at the pose and her grimace at the maid comment.
"Pssht. This is nothing! I could freeze just under half of the underworld if I wanted! And the maids don't mind, I think." I'm not sure if thats an exaggeration or not. I'm almost scared to ask.
"I see you've certainly earned your position in the Anti-Satan Faction." She drops both hands and flicks her wrists, the ice shattering away into the air instantly. It seems it was only aesthetic, I thought it was indicative of exhaustion.
"Hehe, yup! They don't call me the Frostweaver for nothing! Though, they also call me a lot of things. Wicked Witch, Whorefrost. Point is, I'm pretty damn strong!" I almost choke up with laughter after hearing the loving names she's been given by the Satan's Army, covering my mouth quickly to ensure no giggles slip.
While I try not to lose myself at the ingenius name Whorefrost, Serafall seemingly receives a message, raising a hand to her ear where a magic circle soon forms. I don't catch much of the words spoken, but the look in Serafall's eyes could kill.
"I see. I'll be there as fast as I can." She looks over to me after the call disconnects, and I see that she's in business mode now. No more cutesy Sera-tan, she's back to being the Devil General.
"Alistair, I'm sorry to cut things short like this, but there's word of an offensive being mounted against the Agares territories, and I can't allow that to continue. Hopefully I'll be back soon, but if not then I'm glad to have met you, and I can't wait to see you again." I try not to let the disappointment show at the news, but clearly she notices.
"Don't be sad, Ali. It won't take long." After that, she moves in close and plants a swift kiss on my cheek, her own cheeks red with warmth after she backs off. The last I see of her is a tiny wave of her hand, and then she teleports away.
Damn. Gone like the wind yet again. Now what do I do?
[You've got 2 stat points to allocate, User! And some items to use!]
Thank you, Anya. I'd be lost without you.
Without any hesitation, I throw both skill points I received from levelling up into INT. After seeing what Serafall is capable of, I'm feeling quite magically inspired.
INT: 14
Great. Now then, I also got some special rewards for reaching Level 30, since it apparently counted as a milestone, though I haven't looked until now.
Level 30 Achieved! Rewards:
x2 Skill Unlock Token!
x1 Dragon Egg!
I beg your fucking pardon? A dragon egg? At level 30!? Surely this is a joke. Hesitantly, I open my inventory and select the egg, ready for disappointment.
Item: Dragon Egg
As a reward for your progress thus far, you have been gifted the egg of a low level dragon from this world. Incubation will take 90 days, with each Level reducing incubation time by 2 days.
Holy shit, it's real. An actual dragon egg. Granted, I won't be able to make use of it for a while, but does that matter? It's a dragon, the supreme race in this world, just having one as a companion opens incredible avenues for me.
My leg is shaking slightly in excitement at the thought. I feel like a giddy child, yet that doesn't stop the grin on my face. Soon, I'll see a real life dragon. Not something from a book or movie, but a real bloody dragon.
[Would you like to name it, User?]
Absolutely. I already have the name in mind, too. Alduin. He was a badass creature in Skyrim, so hopefully that translates to this world too.
[Name assigned! Alduin will hatch in 90 days!]
Good. Now that the dragon business has been sorted, I'm swimming in Tokens and I reckon it's time to redeem them. No Gacha though, I haven't seen one for a while in fact.
Skill Unlock Token Used!
New Skill: Shadow Puppetry (User is adept at using light to create shadow puppets on all surfaces.)
Utterly worthless. I almost got excited when I saw the name, but now I'm left sad and disappointed. Nevertheless, we move on.
Skill Unlock Token Used!
New Skill: Doppelganger (User can create a spectral clone of themselves. Doppelganger is controlled mentally and shares the User's stats, though cannot use Skills. Initial summon cost: 40MP. Sustained cost: 5MP per second.)
Hoho! Now this, this is a real Skill! Shares the users stats, controlled mentally, it's phenomenal. Universal utility. To test it out, I quickly summon my Doppelganger and watch as the spectral clone forms.
A yellow, spectral duplicate of myself stares me down. Unfortunately, I can't share it's senses, though I suppose technically it doesn't have any. I walk around it, searching for any imperfections, yet there are none.
When I face it once more, the Doppelganger suddenly drops to one knee and summons its own Caduceus, planting it in the ground and bowing its head. I find myself rooted in shock though, because I never moved it.
To make sure I'm still in control, I send it off into the gardens to run around and strike random plants, quickly finding that everything is working right.
The gesture of loyalty is endearing but the sudden sentience has me concerned. At least it controls fluidly, I don't even need to vocalise the thought, the second I have the image in mind the Doppelganger obeys.
0/492MP!
Like dust, the Doppelganger fades away when my MP runs out, and suddenly I find myself missing its presence. The fact that it shares my stats makes it even better, though the Skill limitation hurts slightly. Oh well, I'm absolutely not complaining.
Just from these rewards, today has been an absolutely phenomenal day for me. Hell, even without the rewards, today has been great, and it's only been about 2 hours since I woke up. Now though, all I can do really is get to training for those stat boosts.
Before I can get to stretching though, I feel an odd tingle in my head, close to my ear. The sensation isn't painful, it's really only barely noticable, but it persists and that annoys me. Running out of ideas to deal with it, I raise a hand to my ear and let the Mana flow, as Serafall had earlier.
A moment later, a green magic circle forms in front of my right ear, one that I don't recognise given that I can only see the edges of it.
"You certainly kept me waiting, Luocha. Or is it Alistair now? Nevermind. I'm waiting in the dining hall. Be swift, we have much to discuss." Ajuka? I knew he was visiting again, but why exactly does he want to see me? It's barely been two days.
Before I can even respond, he disconnects the transmission. Rude, but I suppose he isn't the type to care about hurting people's feelings. I should be spending my time training, but I'm not in a position to refuse one of the Devil Generals.
Surprise Companion Quest (Lab Visit) has been initiated!
Well, fuck. That doesn't bode well.