“Above! Above the girl!” Apherward shouted in the voice of an old wisen wizard.

  “I see him! I see him!” Warumasa shouted back in it’s low demonic voice.

  Ronkorell Hayman brings his sword down on Ren, and she barely manages to block it with her own. A sword imbued with divine might clashes with a demon blade made from the body of a powerful demon. The collision of opposing powers sparks a wild whiplash of power carving gashes into the marble walls in this hallway. That and sparks fly when the blades clash, but that’s less impressive than the divine and demonic magic whipping around. As this hallway becomes a mess of debris and slash marks, a shadow darts along the walls and floor dodging the wild blows.

  “Oh what now?” Apherward asked.

  “I recognize that shadow diving trick.” Warumasa says. “It’s Roderot. One of the other demons who got pulled in with me in the ritual.”

  “Okay. What does he do?”

  “I don’t know! I didn’t stop and ask the guy!”

  “WHY NOT?!?!”

  “WHY WOULD I DO THAT?!?!”

  “BECAUSE IT WOULD HELP US NOW!!!”

  “Well you try talking to some guy you’re forced to work with! I want to see your shut in wizard ass talk to people!!!”

  “WHAT DO YOU THINK I’M DOING NOW?!?!”

  Ronkorell attacks with nothing but normal attacks. Even if they weren’t backed by skills, they could still cause bodily harm. Ren has to parry and dodge it all. If she ever tries to counterattack, Ronkorell has a shield. All of her normal attacks bounce off the shield harmlessly. The only one to do any real damage was a skill. Even then, the shield survived the blow and still functions fine. To stress Ren’s body just to deal any amount of damage to her opponent’s shield is not a cost effective fighting strategy. Ronkorell, on the other hand, has a stronger body and a more balanced sword and shield in his hands. This affords him more room for error, and more room for aggressive moves.

  “Heavy Slash!”

  Ronkorell swings with a skill to empower his strike. Ren puts her sword between herself and Ronkorell’s sword. The block does prevent horrible damage, but Ren still takes damage.

  Status: Injured

  Left Hand Bruised Severity 2

  “YOU’RE LETTING THE GIRL TAKE A BEATING!!!” Apherward shouted.

  “YOU’RE NOT HELPING!” Warumasa spat back.

  “THEN MOVE AND LET ME FIGHT!!!”

  Ren takes a hand off her sword and points the free hand at Ronkorell.

  “Ice Bolt.”

  A magically conjured bolt of ice lurches out towards Ronkorell. This spell hits his shield. Despite it’s torn condition, it still holds against the spell. The spell had an even lesser effect than the sword.

  “Is that all?” Ronkorell asked. “Is that all the power the demons offered you?”

  “HE’S TALKING TRASH ABOUT MY SUPREME MAGIC!!!” Apherward shouted.

  “WILL YOU SHUT UP?!?!” Warumasa matched the tome in it’s shouting.

  The two sentient consciousnesses have a moment of silence.

  “Even I know why the sword and shield are known to be the best equipment for a warrior.” Warumasa said in it’s low voice. “The perfect balance of offense and defense.”

  “Then use your skill again!”

  “Using skills, especially highly advanced skills, puts a lot of strain on the body. Your fancy magic recovers more quickly than the body. Especially now that you decided to leave the house in wizard robes and not armor.”

  “Recover? You mean there will be more fights after this man?”

  “Yes! There are tons of fights after this! I can’t risk the girl getting injured or wearing herself out so soon!”

  “So instead you take injuries.”

  “That or I beat him with normal attacks.”

  “Or beat him with spells that accumulate harmful magic in the girl’s body.”

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  “It will clear up. I know how spellcasting and accumulating magic in the body works.”

  “So you want me to win with spells so you can keep fighting later.”

  “That or get him to a point where I can land a decisive blow without that shield getting in the way.”

  “Might I remind you that we are in close combat? There aren’t many wizards who want to get in close with a warrior. Not to mention, the girl’s class is currently something stupid like ‘Samurai’ or some such.”

  “Deal with it! I’m not risking a level up into another magic class that will make her stats even more lopsided than they already are.”

  “You’re asking me to fight with my hands tied!”

  “Yeah, so what? I’ve killed plenty of mortals with my hands tied. Besides, you only need one hand to do your fancy spell stuff.”

  “Oh, fuck you! Envision for me a way in which I win this!”

  “I don’t know! Try imparting a new spell onto the girl!”

  “I-... uhh… huh…”

  “Did you really just think of something because of my off hand suggestion?”

  “Shut up!”

  Ren learned Magic Pierce Level 1.

  Spell Level Up

  Magic Pierce Level 1 -> Level 2

  Ren takes a hand off her sword and points it at Ronkorell.

  “Magic Pierce.”

  A ray of magic energy shoots out of Ren’s fingertips. The spell punches through Ronkorell’s shield and blood begins to drop down from the back of it. From the view of the sword and tome, they cannot see if the wound is lethal. The two can’t see past the hole in the shield to gauge the damage done. In either case, Ronkorell remains standing and gives Ren a scowl.

  “That spell wasn’t in your stats a moment ago.” Ronkorell says.

  “I’m not worried about that..” Ren says. “Hey! Is that a demon behind you?”

  Ren points past Ronkorell.

  “How stupid do you think I am, heathen?” Ronkorell says.

  “No, I’m serious. There’s a demon behind you.” Ren says in a flat tone of voice.

  At those words, a hideous figure leaps out of Ronkorell’s shadow. A vaguely humanoid figure with muscular arms and legs, but with the head of a great white shark. It’s jaws wrap around Ronkorell’s torso and begins thrashing him around to drive the rows of shark teeth deeper into Ronkorell.

  “See. I told you.” Ren says without a hint of tone or emotion.

  It takes a few seconds, but Ronkorell does manage to pin his arms against the jaws of this shark and force it open.

  “Magic Pierce.”

  Before Ronkorell’s feet could meet the ground or this shark headed demon can regain it’s footing after thrashing the man in it’s mouth, they both dodge another ray of magic.

  “You mongrel.” Ronkorell spits out. “Using whatever cheap tricks you can fathom.”

  “Well it was either this, or ask you to take off your armor so I could stab you.” Ren says. “I think shooting you would be faster. Now hold on while I cut you both down.”

  As the demon pulls itself off the ground, it dives back into the shadow cast by Ronkorell like it were a bottomless pool. Ren pauses for a moment.

  “Damn it.” she cusses in the most monotone voice known to man.

  In that moment of hesitation, Ronkorell rushes at her with his sword and swings for Ren. Apparently, the spell to pierce his shield wasn’t as impactful as the voices in her head were hoping for. The speed of his movement and the form he stands with has little to no concern for the hole in his shield or the tiny trickle of blood that runs down his arm.

  “Grand Swing!”

  Using a skill, Ronkorell brings down his sword with obscene speed and strength. Ren can only try and put her sword between herself and the blade. Despite her best efforts, the blade cuts into her arm.

  Status: Injured

  Right Shoulder Cut Severity 3

  “And so you are felled. Kneel!” Ronkorell demands.

  Ren remains standing pointing a hand at him, but otherwise shows no signs of having this battle end because of this cut. Ronkorell looks at her with a confused expression.

  “The Sword of Penitence racks you with pain. Pain so much that all kneel before it’s wielder." Ronkorell says with a reverent tone before the confusion reaches his voice. “So… so kneel…”

  “No thank you.” Ren says.

  Blood begins to drip from both Ren and Ronkorell’s wounds. Often which drip onto their own shadows. However, the blood doesn’t splatter against the floor. Rather, it sank and mixed into their shadows. Like the blood dropped into a pool of water. Both Ren and Ronkorell look down at their own shadows.

  “Huh.” Ren says. “Does that just happen when a shark demon guy is around?”

  At those words, rows of teeth emerge from Ren’s shadow. She responded by back flipping over the lunging jaws. Unfortunately for the shark on legs, Ren’s shadow disappears from where he emerged. As he ducks back into the floor, the floor functions like a regular floor instead of letting him dive back into a shadow like it were a body of water. Instead the shark man pushes himself off the floor and Ronkorell’s mouth hangs open.

  “What? You should be writhing in pain! If not that, on your knees begging!” Ronkorell shouts.

  “Noisy.” the demon named Roderot says in a low demonic tone.

  The shark demon lunges at Ronkorell with impossible speed. Ronkorell tries to put up his shield, but the damage his shield had sustained crumbles before the jaws of Roderot. Ronkorell tosses the shield into Roderot’s mouth and the demon had to bite his way through the shield before his mouth was free to snap at Ronkorell again. Ronkorell takes this chance to stab at the demon.

  “Kneel, demon!” Ronkorell shouts.

  The holy blade cuts into the demon. Blood is drawn, and the massive demon winces in pain.

  “Annoying.” Roderot says.

  The demon straights himself out to take a fighting stance again.

  “Kneel damn it!”

  Ronkorell swings for Roderot again. The shark headed demon remains still. Where the muscular humanoid form meets the shark head, a blade plunges into what could loosely be called a neck. Roderot winces in pain, but otherwise shows no sign of kneeling.

  “Quiet!” Roderot says.

  Roderot grabs Ronkorell. He then bites down on Ronkorell’s head. Ronkorell drops the sword he was so proud of. The shark demon then violently thrashes his head while biting down on Ronkorell. The man violently flails and kicks as the shark head swings in the air violently. Ren simply waits for the shark demon. The voices in her head are happy to let the demon try his hand at killing Ronkorell.

  “Augh! No! Why won’t you kneel?!?!”

  Even in the jaws of a demon, Ronkorell won’t shut up about kneeling. It isn’t until blood begins to spray onto the walls and floor as Roderot flails that Ronkorell finally grows silent. Once his legs stop kicking and he goes still, Roderot begins to scarf the man down. Ronkorell vanishes into Roderot’s mouth. It is notably quieter without Ronkorell’s grandstanding. The demon turns to face Ren. As a show of defiance, Ren takes up a fighting stance with both hands, although they’re a bit injured. The demon just eyes her up and down, as if waiting. Ren begins to recite a haiku.

  “Cut upon the wind.”

  At those words, Roderot shouts and charges at Ren.

  “Beyond my blade, you shall fall.”

  Roderot seems to be charging at her with a sprint, but before he can reach her, he dives into a shadow cast on a rock.

  “With my steel, you die.”

  From behind Ren, from her own shadow, Roderot emerges from her shadow. Unfortunately for him, Ren had since rushed forward and turned around to face the demon.

  “Form 4: Blade Wave”

  Ren swings. However, she was far, very far away from Roderot. The edge of her blade was nowhere near the demon. Despite this, blood began to leak from the demon. Despite the distance between the blade and the shark, there was a slash. A cut from shoulder to hip appeared and the demon began to fall into halves. The demon had been bisected.

  “It’s finally over!” Warumasa sighed in relief.

  “Yes, yes. How is the girl?” Apherward asked the demon blade.

  “She’s fine for the most part. We should still bandage what wounds we can.”

  “Any other injuries that we should worry about?”

  “Yes, yes. Give me a second. Let me see if there’s any more pain on her.”

  There is a moment of silence within Ren’s mind. After a moment, Warumasa shrieks in pain.

  “YOWCH!!! HOLY SHIT THAT HURTS!!!”

  “Bad enough to bring demons to their knees?”

  “Pfft. No! Maybe a mortal, but not a demon. This guy was an idiot. A hack. He was trying to get a demon to kneel because of a boo boo or something. This thing works fine on mortals, but if he thought he was going to use this to make a demon kneel, he’s the wrongest person in the world. At best he could use the holy aspect of the sword, but it’s whatever.”

  “Right, right… hey, why was there a demon here in the temple?”

  “I don’t know. Do I look like a demon king to you? I don’t track what every demon in the world is doing.”

  “Yes, yes. Whatever. Come now. We have a quest to finish.”

  “And a lot of blood to bask in.”

  Ren begins to apply a bandage to her shoulder wound, before heading to massacre some other poor soul.