Abel, scared: What the hell was that?!
"I'm guessing that that's [The Sigil of Sparks]."
Sister Spark remained silent, twisting and going right into the next swing without a break. It was going to hit him. He wasn't fast enough to get away from the scythe. All he could do was move and change where in his body it actually hit. It had to be her Sigil. He may not have known what that was but it was the only explanation, somehow this is what her Sigil could do. He Blazed the rest of his sword to try and recycle the little Lux that he could.
[Lux: 0 (+402,501) -> 402,501]
Sister Spark: Goodbye Kaelen Calder.
Not only would he not be fast enough, but with skills like [Effective Range, Level9], [Advanced Future Sight, Level 7], and [Miss Redirection, Level 4] he was pretty sure it was impossible for her to miss at this distance, so all he could do was try and prevent the hit from being fatal.
He took a step back, letting the scythe dig into the front of his chest instead of his side, barely slicing his stomach instead of bisecting him, though he could have sworn he saw her push her scythe forwards before he moved backwards.
[Health Points: 86/86 (-2) -> 84/86]
She was definitely using her skills. He had the brief amount of time that it took for Sister Spark to remove the scythe and strike again in order to figure out how to make a Sigil with what Lux he had and hope it would be strong enough to win, or at least escape. Or that was the plan- The scythe embedded in his front sparks, a miniature explosion occurring in his stomach.
[Health Points: 84/86 (-12) -> 72/86]
[Notice: Status effects gained]
[Burning, Tier III]
[Bleeding, Tier IV]
[Health Points: 72/86 (-3) -> 69/86 (-4) -> 65/82]
[Notice: Status effect unnullified]
[Burning, Tier IX restored]
[Burning, Tier III (+IX) -> Burning, Tier XII]
[Health Points: 65/82 (-12) -> 53/82 (-4) -> 49/78]
Sister Spark tore the scythe free as Abel's guts spilled, his insides charred. He grabbed his front and coughed up blood.
Abel: ... F... F-fu-ck...
Sister Spark: You did well for a basic member of the public.
[Health Points: 49/78 (-12) -> 37/78 (-4) -> 33/78]
"Well this went well. It seems that I'll be accepting those missions, we can't win like this."
NO!
Now or never. He focused inwards on all the Lux he had. Brother Shade had mentioned that you could Blaze memories too, so he started immediately, Blazing everything from all the other Save States that he didn't need. Even Blazing chunks of his memories from his life prior to Transmigration despite how far away and long ago that felt now. Nothing else mattered. He didn't believe in God, nor did he believe in this world's God, Lumex, he couldn't.
[Health Points: 33/78 (-12) -> 21/78 (-4) -> 17/74]
But if believing in Lumex or God is what was required for making a Sigil then he would become the most devout person in the entire world. He would sacrifice everything to survive right now, his past, present and future. And then the sun stopped. The never ending heat coming from the sun stopped.
???: Swear.
"Don't do this Abel, you'll regret it. I know I do."
I am not letting you take a mission! I am not letting that [System] force that experience on anyone else! Not now! Not ever!
"We're too similar Abel. I suspect I won't be seeing you again."
Abel: ... I... I s-swe-ar... Everything I had, have, and will have is yours. Just help me survive right here and now.
[Health Points: 17/74 (-12) -> 5/74 (-4) -> 1/70]
Love what you're reading? Discover and support the author on the platform they originally published on.
[Notice: Death imminent]
[Lux: 6,004 (-6,004) -> 0]
He felt something get carved into his body, the shape tracing his soul. A Sigil. Or at least he hoped so.
[Notice: Sigil gained]
[The Sigil of Weaponry: Allows the Fabrication of any weapon without using Lux, provides ample knowledge on use]
[Notice: Status effects cleared]
[Bleeding, Tier III (-3) -> Bleeding, Tier 0]
[Burning, Tier XII (-12) -> Burning, Tier 0]
[Notice: Skill gained]
[Health Regeneration, Level 0 (+1) -> Health Regeneration, Level 1]
[Health Points: 1/70 (+4) -> 5/70]
"Weapons? Give me the body I can-"
No... I know what to do...
[The Sigil of Weaponry activated]
Sister Spark: What are you-
Sister Spark stopped in her tracks and looked down. A spear pierced her chest, growing out from the ground, the blood flowing down the spear and dripping onto the hot earth, boiling as it did so. His body was now slowly healing, with his new Sigil and skill he was likely to win.
[Sister Spark - Health Points: 108/108 (-10) -> 98/108]
Sister Spark: -Y-you... H-he gave you a Sigil?
Abel: Seems so.
[Health Points: 5/70 (+4) -> 9/70]
"I wonder how your Pact works? Does you giving up your future count for me as well? I sure hope not."
We'll just have to see.
Sister Spark snapped the shaft of the spear off, leaving the spear itself in her gut so she didn't immediately bleed out. He reached for his Sigil, a large warhammer Fabricated in his right hand. He had never even seen a warhammer before now, never mind knew them well enough to Fabricate one, the same went for Kaelen, and yet holding it felt like the most natural thing in the world. It seemed [The Sigil of Weaponry] clearly worked extremely well. The ability to instantly Fabricate and know how to use any weapon without spending Lux.
[Health Points: 9/70 (+4) -> 13/70]
Although Blazing the weapons didn't seem to do anything either, but he wasn't too surprised about that one. He had any weapon he could possibly want with seemingly perfect knowledge on the use at his fingertips. Sister Spark would not be surviving the hour if he could help it. Kaelen walked toward Teardrop and swung the warhammer at her, she moved out of the way with ease, using [Advanced Future Sight].
"That'll be an Active Skill, she won't be able to use it forever. Just survive until it runs out and then strike with all you have."
[Health Points: 13/70 (+4) -> 17/70]
He takes another swing and she dodges with ease again. And again. And- She was too slow and it hit her straight in the face shattering her mask and breaking her skull, knocking her down onto the floor.
[Sister Spark - Hit Points: 98/108 (-28) -> 70/108]
She already ran out of Mana?
"Future sight clearly isn't cheap."
Abel: Standard public member, eh?
[Health Points: 17/70 (+4) -> 21/70]
Abel: Out of Mana and nowhere to run. I'll be as fast as I can.
Sister Spark struggled, but managed to stand up, Blazing and Fabricating skull parts.
"Whoever she is, she knows the human body extremely well. But if all sixteen of the other people who had gone missing had been Blazed by her that isn't particularly surprising. There are only two ways to kill her if she knows the whole body, make her use all of her Lux and then strike again, or deal single strikes that would kill no matter what."
He hoped she didn't, but was aware there was every possibility that she had set up an automatic Fabrication for her entire body, so even if he did strike fatally she would be revived by it, like he had been taught to do with the auto-Blazing of the chair by Kaelen.
[Health Points: 21/70 (+4) -> 25/70]
Sister Spark: How come he gives you a Sigil? -Unless... You got it from someone else.
Abel: I don't know what you're talking about as you've not named either of the people you're talking about.
"Cryptic piece of shit."
Agreed.
He didn't like killing, and would prefer to avoid it wherever possible. But he knew that he would just die over and over again until she was dead, he could hate himself for the deaths of both Brother Shade and Sister Spark later, but for now he had to find a way to live. He prepared to swing his warhammer again, only for Sister Spark to bring back out her scythe and swing it as well. The two weapons collided, and her scythe sparked, his warhammer exploding as it became engulfed in the ball of fire. The shatter warhammer quickly disappears and is replaced by two gauntlets as he activates the Sigil again. Sister Spark swings again, Abel catching the weapon as it- Before it manages to spark, he slams his fists into either side, shattering the blade, splitting it in two.
[Health Points: 25/70 (+4) -> 29/70]
"Where did you learn to fight?"
I didn't, it's the Sigil.
"That is so busted. How come you get weapon control and I get my body stolen?"
Alongside functional immortality.
"... True."
As Sister Spark begins to Blaze her scythe, Abel steps forward, throwing a gauntleted punch straight into her head, manifesting a dagger as he did and stabbing her in the throat from the other side.
[Sister Spark - Health Points: 70/108 (-50) -> 20/108]
[Health Points: 29/70 (+4) -> 33/70]
Sister Spark gasps for air, but blood leaks from her neck and her face.
