My Servant System

"You really think they don't need any aid? I mean, look at that..."

Jahi gestured down at the sea of flames that had sprung from the earth after Ka'Volan slammed its four flaming fists down, the Fiend unleashing a Domain type spell that empowered it within a small area, which it was using as a shield against Leone so that it could fight Anput one on one.

"At what? An uninteresting, basic Domain that anyone fresh off of a Core Awakening could conjure up with enough mana, or the fact that Anput has to actually begin trying in this fight? Ka'Volan has raw strength and a fury to make it dangerous and unpredictable, but as you are likely well aware, raw strength has nothing against good technique. If you cannot control your strength, you should not have it."

"I understand that, but still, being trapped within a Domain - be they a basic one or a complex one - is still dangerous on its own, and this Fiend has a high amount of Fire Mana and a decent control over it! Why shouldn't we just make this a four on one?!"

Jahi's anxiousness at wanting to be there for our lovers in a battle was obvious, but as soon as the Sultana glanced at her and said "The answer is simple; ganging up on an enemy and tearing them down with numbers does nothing to improve your skills. You killed a Fiend but learn nothing at all. If you desire to do so, be my guest; I won't stop you. Just know you are stifling the growth of your lovers - one of which is my daughter.", her flat tone giving Jahi pause as she glanced back down at the two mortals and one Fiend.

"They'll be alright, Jahi. Leone has magic that can even the fight some more, and Anput has Fire Mana as well; she won't be too vulnerable in that heat. We should trust them and let them learn here. Besides, we both know that the next Fiend we come across - if it isn't too bad - will fall on your shoulders and mine instead of theirs. So let's just believe in them and let them train against this Fiend."

The Demoness bit her cheek as she stared down at the two, her amethyst eyes filled with reluctance and worry as she watched Anput summon a weapon for herself as she rolled away from a triple punch, the Jackalkin making liberal use of her agility to outmaneuver the unwieldy Fiend to buy more time for not only herself, but also for the Vampire who was in the midst of unweaving the Domain around her.

Her concern trickled through our bond as we watched Anput roll once more, the roaring Fiend swatting at her and trying to catch her from all angles, each of its fists crackling with power as they blasted through the air towards her body, which she had begun to coat in her Metal Mana as a precaution.

Taking her hand in mine, I soothed the Demoness as we continued to watch from afar, this odd experience that we rarely subjected ourselves too making it hard to settle down and not lunge forwards to join them, even if I get the logic behind why we should remain afar.

It was logical but I sometimes despised how logic worked, and that only made me slightly more annoyed as Anput spun away from a jab and retaliated with a swift set of cuts straight to Ka'Volan's arms, her katana dancing around as she began to leave even more into her speed.

Shallow cuts appeared on the Fiend's arms, her Metal Mana infused blade dealing damage even to the flaming constructs that it used as limbs, something that the Fiend wasn't expecting as it suddenly found it harder to control one of its arms, which had crisscrossed cuts going up and down all the way to its elbow.

With another flourish, she cut an 'X' on the Fiend's chest before leaping backwards, resuming her run as one of its fists was cocked back and aimed at her head, resuming the hit and run tactics that bought Leone even more time to utilize to aid her, as well as further anger the Fiend to bait it into the flashier, more open attacks so that she could land even more hits.

And right away the Fiend dove for the Jackalkin, trying to catch her mid stride and end her once and for all, all four of its flaming arms cast out as wide as possible like a net as it launched itself towards her with a flap of its wings and a blast from its soles, but the downside of being so muscular and so large was that its version of being quick was still much, much slower than what Anput was capable of.

Matching it's technique of expelling mana from her feet in an non concentrated blast, Anput shot herself towards the Fiend instead of away from it, heading just above the Fiend as she spun and scored a deep gash on its back, her katana flashing through the air in a glittering arc of silver before she skidded across the flaming sands behind it.

Meanwhile, Leone had approached the edge of Ka'Volan's Domain and was directly influencing the loose, messy tapestry of magic that it had erected as a barrier, the Vampire expertly plucking away at its weak points and revealing an entrance for her to make use of, which she used right away to launch a flurry of needles at the Fiend, her spell from early still active.

Not even a second later she forged her blood into a hefty spear that she hurled at the Fiend's torso, plunging the lance into its stomach and staggering the giant red skinned combatant, giving Anput the opportunity to land yet another attack easily on Ka'Volan.

Another burst of mana from her feet sent her flying straight at the Fiend's head, and yet another flourish of her curved blade cut deep into Ka'Volan's neck, the Metal Mana severing the sinews and threads of mana equally and dealing a heavy blow.

"It's all about momentum, these fights against larger enemies. Especially with a numerical advantage on your side. Build up that pressure slowly but steadily, and you can win more often than not. Reach a certain point and begin striking hard and fast, and these types don't know how to react. Wounded and overwhelmed is a deadly combination, but not one that guarantees victory."

Like she said, the Fiend let out another roar and displayed its unearthly constitution as it slammed one of its hands on its neck, scorching its red flesh and charring it to close the wound and allow it to ignore the severed sinews, substituting them with another flare of magic.

Spinning around swiftly, Ka'Volan caught Anput mid jump with a backhand, sending the Jackalkin flying in a direction she didn't want to go in, earning itself a moment to flap its wings and send the flames around it into a frenzy.

Another barrier blocked the needle storm, giving it just a moment to recuperate mentally so that it could turn and send a rapid barrage of fire bolts towards Leone, peppering the area around her and driving her back out of the Domain, leaving Anput alone with Ka'Volan once more.

The curtain of flames thickened as Ka'Volan shouted "[Ignasia Maceria]!", making use of an incantation to further isolate Anput from Leone as it flexed its raw magical strength, and as soon as we heard that shout, Jahi wrenched her hand from mine and grabbed her great sword, preparing to rush down into the basin to join Anput.

"You have little faith, Demoness, and it is both endearing and irritating."

That simple utterance from the Sultana gave her pause again, the Demoness gritting her teeth as she snarled "I have faith in Anput, but if I can help her, why shouldn't I?!", something that made the Sultana nod as she remained silent.

Not getting a response from the veiled woman beside us, Jahi turned back to the basin and was about to rush down once again, though this time it was Anput who gave her a reason to pause as she saw the Jackalkin dart beneath the Fiend's legs and crouch behind it, avoiding the reactionary backswing and giving her the freedom to launch herself once more.

But this time, instead of landing a simple attack and running, the Jackalkin decided to be greedy and go big, so she leapt into the air and plunged her katana straight down into the Fiend's neck, the silver blade encased in a cocoon of rock for even more damage.

Stabbing the katana into its neck, she twisted the blade instantly and ignored the Fiend's gargled roar as it tried to reach for her, only for it to go limp as the katana in her hands vibrated, that cocoon no longer remaining on the metal as it instead bounced around within the Fiend's body, decimating its insides and doing severe damage to its spine.

It might be an abomination born of the anger found from the world, but even still it was a living, breathing thing, and like most vertebrates, dealing damage to the spine led to the inability to do most skeletal functions, leaving the Fiend to stand there unmoving.

"You have little faith..."

Clicking her tongue, the Sultana stood up from her spot and approached Jahi, patting the Demoness' shoulder as she said "Though I must admit I thought we still had another minute or two before Anput decided to go for a killing blow. The world is full of surprises... like that this Fiend isn't just dead yet."