Combat Healer Ch. 04 (My Girlfriend's an Oni)

December 10, 2021

NOTE: This is practically a whole new story at this point, so be sure re-read the first 2 chapters if you read the older version: “My Girlfriend’s an Oni Demon”

I took the first 2 chapters and turned them into 4 chapters.

It's now a story that will have multiple love interests, as well as LitRPG elements (which was what I intended to begin with, as seen by him commenting on his 'analyzing' skills, but I hadn't fleshed out the world that much yet when I first started writing this).

<< Chapter 3 | Chapter 1

- CHAPTER 4: Demonstration -

Several Years Ago

A young Oni woman with rosy skin and white hair stepped into the dimly lit shop, looking around as her gold eyes slowly adjusted to the light, hoping to find what she was looking for. She knew this day would come, when her growth as a fledgling mage would come to a near halt, and she’d finally have to pay for a Focus Ritual in hopes of advancing any further.

However, upon entering the city for the first time, she’d been drawn to this place, a nagging feeling in the back of her mind that wouldn’t go away until she finally let it lead her down a dark alleyway to an obscure weaponsmith.

But why?

Why was she so drawn to this place?

And why did her skin crawl as she entered the shop, feeling like something was watching her?

An elderly man looked up from a hilt he was engraving, not seeming phased by the bright red skin of his unexpected company, but looking a little grumpy.

“What can I do you for?” he wondered.

She frowned at that, uncertain if it was just his manner of speech, or if he was propositioning her. “Umm, I think…” Her voice trailed off as she focused toward the corner of the room, behind his wooden counter, seeing a tall black metal staff resting in the corner.

She immediately pointed toward it. “How much for that mace?” she asked seriously.

He laughed. “That piece of junk? What you want it for?”

She frowned at that. “My business is my own.”

“And my business is my own,” he retorted, looking annoyed. “Now get out of here. It’s not for sale.”

For a split second, she decided she was just going to leave after all, feeling like a complete fool, but then her gut wrenched, and she immediately knew she had to leave here with that mace at all costs. Regretfully, she unshouldered her bag, and reached in to dig out her money.

All of it.

The money that was meant to buy her chance at a Focus Ritual.

Her hand was trembling as she stepped forward and dumped the coins on the counter.

“Is this enough?” she asked, swallowing hard.

Her heart was racing.

The man glanced at it for half a second, only to do a doubletake, his beady eyes suddenly wide. “Well, I’ll say. No idea why you want the piece of junk, but for that much I’ll sell to your kind.” He then scoffed, standing up as he grabbed a large piece of parchment, only to walk over to wrap it up and hand it to her. “Take it and leave.”

She was shocked by the admission of bigotry, not realizing that’s the main reason why he didn’t want to sell it, but she couldn’t bring herself to care. She’d just purchased the mace with every coin she had, and she needed to take it and leave.

Immediately.

So that’s exactly what she did.

But she couldn’t go far, the mace seeming to call out to her, begging her to touch it.

So she unwrapped it and did as it wanted…

How it must have been providence that the weapon was waiting for her in an obscure shop down a narrow alley, because what happened when she touched it shouldn’t have gone unnoticed.

But it did.

* * *

Loving how cute Mel was being, begging to know my little secret, regarding why I used a slingshot, I was grinning practically ear to ear, really enjoying being the one to tease for once.

“Okay,” she finally said with an exaggerated sigh. “How can I convince you to tell me, Allie?” She lowered her voice. “Want me to drop your pants right now and wrestle your cock with my tongue?”

I looked at her in shock, wondering if she was serious.

“You’d really do that?” I asked in disbelief. “Because I’m not sure that I’m interested in doing that kind of thing in public…” I paused. “But I also doubt that I’d try to stop you.”

She grinned, her gold eyes dancing in amusement. “Nah, probably not.” She then scoffed. “Don’t want people thinking I’m easy. Next thing you know, that elf will be over here, pulling out his cock so I can service him too.”

I grimaced, prompting her to let out an adorable chuckle, clearly poking at my sore spots, as all Oni loved to do.

“Alright, alright, I’ll tell you,” I replied with a sigh, leaning closer again, even as I tightened my grip on her hand affectionately. “Two reasons,” I began, suddenly having her full attention.

Damn, she really believed me that I had a valid reason for using a slingshot in battle.

Which, I did have a reason, but still.

Having her confidence was a nice change of pace, compared to the laughter I got from everyone else who didn’t understand the value I held in a fight with the Scourge Beasts.

I continued. “First, I have a sort of unique ability as an Essence Diviner. If I concentrate, I can often anticipate the monster’s attacks, both physical and magical. Normally, that isn’t necessary since both Turg and Dagru have amazing ‘Battle Instinct,’ but if I sense something they might not see coming, I’ll use my slingshot.”

Of course, I was referring to my Foresight skill and Stun spell, the latter of which could be used without the slingshot, but had a more limited range if I simply cast it normally.

Her gold eyes were wide in surprise as she absorbed that. “You provide a distraction?” she guessed.

I nodded, still planning on keeping the Stun spell a secret for now until I got to know her better. “Yeah, I’m a good enough shot that I can often hit a sensitive part on the monster, interrupting the magical attack. Or even just pure distraction if it’s a normal attack.” I grinned. “But that’s not even the best thing I can do.”

I paused to look away from her curious expression then, scanning the ground around us while we walked. Letting go of her hand, I then darted away to grab something small off the ground, only to return to her side and continue walking.

“Want a demonstration?” I wondered, holding up a small rock between my thumb and index finger.

She rolled her eyes. “Of course, silly!” she said dramatically, only to quickly look around to make sure she hadn’t drawn too much attention.

She hadn’t. There weren’t many people out here yet, and most were occupied in the distance with their own business.

Concentrating on the rock, I activated my ‘Imbued Spell,’ combining ‘Cure Poison’ with the basic ‘Heal’ spell, the first of which could get rid of intoxication, while the second was able to only heal basic flesh wounds, along with certain ailments like minor Fatigue.

----------------------------------------

SPELL: Imbued Spell

----------------------------------------

DESCRIPTION

Level: 5/5

Element: Light

Cost: 2 Essence

Effect: Imbued any item with a spell.

Cast Time: Variable

Use Time: 30 seconds

Cooldown: None

Limitation: Cast Time varies depending on size of the object.

----------------------------------------

----------------------------------------

SPELL: Cure Poison

----------------------------------------

DESCRIPTION

Level: 3/5

Element: Light

Cost: 6 Essence

Effect: Neutralize any form of poison.

Cast Time: Instant

Use Time: 10 seconds

Cooldown: None

Limitation: None (Intelligence: 24)

----------------------------------------

----------------------------------------

SPELL: Heal

----------------------------------------

DESCRIPTION

Level: 5/5

Element: Light

Cost: 4 Essence

Effect: Restore flesh and recover minor ailments.

Cast Time: Instant

Use Time: 10 seconds

Cooldown: None

Limitation: None (Intelligence: 24)

----------------------------------------

Once I was done, I let go of her hand again, both of us stopping as I took a step back, before glancing both ways and flicking it at her. She had a confused look on her face, until the moment the pebble hit her red muscled stomach.

Instantly, her white eyebrows shot up, her gold eyes wide in absolute shock as she felt the effect.

“Holy fuck,” she hissed, looking down at her free hand, before grabbing her leather-clad thigh, her staff still on her shoulder. “Did you just Silent Cast? And on a rock?”

“Amazing, huh?” I commented, definitely fishing for compliments.

Her expression was suddenly intense. “Amazing as fuck,” she said seriously. “What did you use on me? I still felt warm from the ale earlier, but suddenly the sensation vanished. And my legs were a little sore too from all my traveling, but that’s gone as well.”

I intertwined my fingers in hers again, pulling her along, focused on the stone structure just ahead of us now. “Heal and Cure Poison. Figured you’d notice the effect of at least one of those.”

Her voice was low, an awe to her tone as she replied. “And you can do that in battle? Heal from a distance like that? Fuck, silent casting alone is impressive.”

I nodded. “That strategy could backfire if I accidentally hit the monster, instead of my teammates, but that’s why I practice as much as I do. I have zero Ranger skills, so I have to rely entirely on my normal physical capacity to hit my mark.” I glanced at her again. “And the hit might sting a little, but the healing spell would eliminate the wound even if I shot them with a blunt arrow.” I laughed at the ridiculousness of shooting a teammate with such a projectile. “Obviously, that’s not ideal though.”

“No, it’s not,” she agreed, pensive now. “The slingshot really is the best weapon for that kind of skill. Although, a blunt arrow would fly further.”

I nodded. “True, but there are two problems with that. First, wooden arrows vary so much that it’s difficult to hit a target for the untrained. And second, the larger the object, the more difficult it is for me to use that skill. With a pebble, marble, or small rock, I can do it in barely a second or two. And the spells dissipate quickly, so I have to use it right away. It would take too long to do an entire arrow, and I couldn’t do it in advance because of how quickly the spells would weaken. I’ve actually tried just doing the tip, and it doesn’t work.”

Her white eyebrows shot up. “Oh. Well then, yeah. That really is the perfect tool.” Her gold irises were suddenly full of affection. “I love how you’re secretly a badass,” she whispered.

I grinned, stopping at the entrance to our destination. Damn, how did I get so lucky? She was amazing. She preferred humans, especially ones that were her size or smaller, and she saw the value in my skills. She gave me the benefit of the doubt, assuming I’d have a legitimate reason for using a slingshot over other projectile weapons, unlike most.

I cleared my throat, sounding a little cocky now. “Well, I’m not a badass in the way most people consider, but yeah. I kind of am, aren’t I? Proud of your badass boyfriend?”

She laughed again, her chuckle echoing down the stone hallway leading to the four training rooms. “Wow, you’re sure humble, aren’t you?” she said playfully.

I shrugged. “I am the best healer after all, even if most don’t see the value in that, since all the other healers are more than sufficient.”

Mel frowned then, looking suddenly concerned, though I had no idea why.

I decided to quickly move the conversation along. “So, are you ready to show me what else you can do?” I wondered.

She looked surprise, glancing down the hallway lit with yellow Light Crystals. “Oh, is that why you wanted to bring me here?”

“Yep,” I agreed, giving her a small tug and walking with her down the short hallway. The Light Crystals were only needed for this section, since the actual training areas were lit by the blue sky above. As we approached the first doorway, I realized someone was just coming out at the same time another person was going in.

I stopped in my tracks when I recognized the individual exiting. An elf with black hair, wide shoulders and chest, wearing a cotton tunic and brown leather pants, having a long steel sword strapped to his waist.

“Jackel? I thought you were still in bed!”

The tall muscular elf looked at me in surprise, his dark green eyes having their familiar flash of silver due to the dimmer lighting, since the other person closed the metal door. “Oh, hey buddy. I did sleep in, but--” He stopped midsentence, focusing on Mel, then our hands, and back at her again. “Who’s this?” he wondered seriously.

“My girlfriend, Melantha,” I said cheerfully. “And also, the newest member to our team,” I added.

He gawked at me, before focusing on her. “You fucked him to join our team?”

She smirked. “Nah, I just promised him I would is all,” she teased, glancing at me in the corner of her eye. “He’s very gullible,” she added with a wider grin.

I rolled my eyes, ignoring Jackel’s amused expression. “Anyway, she’s a Battlemage, so I was just going to see what all she can do.”

Jackel was immediately impressed by the Focus alone. He reached up to scratch his smooth chin as he looked her over again, focusing on the staff she still carried on her shoulder. “A Battlemage, huh? Mind if I watch too?”

Mel looked at me, seeming uncertain. “Well, that’s up to Allie,” she replied.

I appreciated the fact that she didn’t want to ruin our date, but my response was interrupted by Jackel bursting out laughing.

“Allie?!” he roared, literally doubling over. “Oh yes, I must also call you Allie from now on.”

Mel frowned. “No you won’t,” she snapped back. “He’s my human, and that’s my pet name for him.”

Jackel laughed even harder.

I sighed, scratching the back of my head briefly, before tugging Mel along again. Jackel followed after us, once we passed him, still laughing.

“Okay, Allister,” he finally said. “I won’t use your girlfriend’s nickname she picked out for you, but I’d still like to see what she can do.”

“I don’t know,” I replied playfully. “This was kind of supposed to be our first date.”

Suddenly he was serious. “Oh, well then I’ll see some other time.”

I smirked at how that sobered him up.

That was one of the things I liked about Jackel. He was definitely a manwhore and a player, but when it came to women and dating, he took that kind of stuff very serious in the sense that he wouldn’t mess with someone else’s game. In a very real sense, he truly was a buddy. Fun to hang out with, always offering unwanted tips on how to get laid, and ready to take his leave if it would interrupt someone else’s attempts to get laid.

“Nah,” I replied, glancing over my shoulder up at him. “It’s fine. We have more plans today anyway, and it might also be good if she can see what you’re capable of.”

He nodded, all his playfulness sincerely gone now. “What role do you think she’ll play on the team?” he wondered.

I stopped at the entrance to the last room as I considered that, before focusing back at Mel, while Jackel moved to my other side. “As a Battlemage, she would probably function best as part of our frontline attack, along with Turg and Dagru.”

Mel nodded. “In the past, that’s often been my role. I’ve also protected the Mage before, but that was a unique situation where he needed a lot of time and concentration to cast his spells. And then I’ve protected the female healer before as well.”

“Yeah,” I agreed, ignoring the fact she pointed out the healer had been female. It felt like a playful jab at me, but I was talking business now. “And while that is an option, it would probably be better for the team to have Jackel continue protecting me. It lets him conserve his strength, which is important considering he’s kind of our secret weapon, as well as our Behemoth Slayer in the event a high-level Essence Beast makes an appearance.”

Mel leaned forward a little to look up at Jackel in surprise. “You’re that powerful?” she said seriously.

He smirked, though I could tell he was holding his flirtatious smile back. “Allister and I both have a few secret skills we like to keep to ourselves.”

“I already told her about mine,” I teased.

Jackel sincerely looked surprised, focusing on me before giving his attention back to her. “Oh, well, I’ll tell you, of course, since you may end up seeing it eventually. But I prefer not to use the skill here.”

I leaned toward Mel, prompting her to lean closer in response. Our lips were suddenly only a few inches apart as I spoke. “He has an Immortal Form,” I whispered.

Her gold eyes nearly bugged out of her head as she looked at him again. “Holy fuck,” she exclaimed.

Jackel laughed. “I have Allister to thank for obtaining it though,” he admitted cheerfully. “He definitely has a gift.”

Mel immediately went from impressed at him, to suddenly staring at me in awe again. Damn, this was awesome, having her look at me like that. I’d already told her that I helped my teammates get stronger, due to my analyzing skills that could pick up potential in certain circumstances, but it appeared she’d just now finally understood the full implications of what that could do.

“Well shit,” she said seriously. “If I knew you were so amazing, then I would have skipped the boyfriend part and just forced you into being my pet instead.”

Jackel barked out more laughter, finding it especially hilarious because she said it with such a straight face.

Mel finally grinned when I rolled my eyes.

“I can be your pet too,” I replied.

Her face lit up, her gold eyes mischievous. “Oh, I was just teasing. I think I’ve made it very clear you’re already my pet, my little Allie.”

Jackel had to place his hand on the wall to support himself, he was laughing so hard now.

I took the opportunity to lean forward and peck her on the cheek, causing a sincere blush to darken her red skin slightly, before reaching out to open the door and lead her inside. The moment the metal barrier cracked open, the hallway was flooded with sunlight from the open-air room.

Jackel collected himself as he followed us in and closed the door behind him.

Mel was looking around at the wide-open space, barricaded on all sides by stone walls with inset black Crystals spaced every dozen feet. I wasn’t sure if she’d seen anything like it before, but I knew she’d be familiar enough with Essence Dispersion Crystals to understand the gist simply by looking.

“Obviously, you want to avoid hitting the walls with your magic if you can,” I began explaining. “But you’re free to show off your spells without worrying about damaging anything, even if you do accidentally hit the walls.”

She nodded, still seeming awed by the sheer size of this one space, both in terms of width, as well as height. “This is perfect,” she finally whispered, primarily looking up.

“Perfect for what?” I wondered, assuming she had something in particular in mind.

She grinned at me, the crystal shape at the top of her metal staff suddenly glowing softly like the metal was hot out of a furnace. “Perfect to show off my special spell. It’s not as amazing as an Immortal Form, and I can only use it for a few seconds, but…” Her voice trailed off as she concentrated for a second.

I exchanged a grin with Jackel, who was sincerely intrigued, before we gave her our attention again as she whispered the name of her spell.

“Rising Phoenix.”

Immediately, two tongues of crimson flames shot out of her back, flicking downward wildly, before straightening out into an ethereal set of bird wings. Then, Mel’s feet abruptly left the ground as she soared straight up, slowing down just before she reached the top of the tall walls, before gradually beginning to descend.

It was quick, and might have seemed to some as anticlimactic, but being able to reach that high in the air without climbing something was impossible for most people.

“Holy shit!” I exclaimed in sincere shock, as she came lower. “You can fly! That’s awesome!”

However, when she touched back down on the ground, she abruptly fell to one knee, the black leather tight on her thigh, panting heavily. “I promise my other spells don’t take this much out of me,” she said after a second, still trying to catch her breath. “Should have saved that one for last. I got ahead of myself.”

“No, that’s understandable,” I replied. “It’s still badass as hell.”

Jackel nodded. “Yeah, when I first learned my Immortal Form, it was pretty rough on me too. I had to practice for months to be able to function afterward. And I still feel drained after using it. It’s why I focus on protecting Allister, to save my strength in the event I need it.”

Mel gave him a small smile in appreciation. She then took a deep breath and stood up on shaky legs.

In the meantime, I was trying to perceive what was going on.

----------------------------------------

Melantha Murta’rahg

----------------------------------------

STATUS

Race: Re’ju (Red Oni)

Gender: Female

Class: Mage

Focus: Battlemage

Ailments: Fatigue (severe)

----------------------------------------

I stepped toward her and closed the gap, reaching out to rest my palm on her muscular upper arm, my hand a sharp contrast to her rosy skin. This time the Fatigue was different, being more potent, which meant it required a direct spell designed specifically for this very situation.

‘Heal Ailment, Fatigue,’ I thought in my head.

She immediately stood up straighter, the shaking in her legs disappearing entirely. Her gold eyes were wide. “H-How did you do that?” she said in shock.

“Do what?” I wondered seriously, since I’d gotten rid of her fatigue twice now.

“I’ve had healers try to make me feel better afterward, but nothing helps. I just have to tough it out for a few minutes. Sometimes longer, if I’ve been using my other spells a ton.”

“Ah,” I replied, nodding once. “It’s because most healers don’t have analyzing skills, and wouldn’t know what was truly wrong with you. That Rising Phoenix spell was above your current capacity, and made you inflicted with the severe Fatigue ailment, something that typical healing spells can’t handle. It’s not a super common ailment, and can be resolved on its own by resting, which means most healers have never practiced the spell to dispel it.”

Honestly, in hindsight, I should have realized why she was surprised.

Mel was staring at me like I had three head sprouting from my shoulders. “You really are the best healer, aren’t you?”

I shrugged, trying not to grin. “Well, I don’t know if I’m the best healer of all time. I’m sure there are others out there who are better, but I’m definitely the best registered healer in the capital.”

She nodded, suddenly seeming hesitant now. “You wouldn’t perhaps know anything about…” Her voice trailed off as she glanced at Jackel.

“About what?” I wondered seriously, my brow furrowing, with that single comment causing a few things to click into place. While I couldn’t be sure previously, it seemed as if she might truly be seeking out a healer for some kind of ailment or curse. But the problem was, she didn’t appear to be suffering from anything, which was why I wondered if maybe the reason might be something else.

But then, did that mean she was asking on another person’s behalf?

Maybe a family member?

But if so, then why was she so hesitant to ask her question? Did she specifically have reason to be embarrassed about it? Was it because I was a guy? Would she be more open if she was speaking with a woman?

I mean, for all I knew, maybe she was actually the shy type, and just did a good job of hiding it.

Either way, I couldn’t exactly question her right now with Jackel around, based on how uncomfortable she looked, and honestly I realized it would probably be best to wait until we got to know each other better before trying to tug it out of her. Otherwise, she might really break up with me for being too pushy when she clearly didn’t want to share.

Sure, I suspected that, given time, she’d be more willing to tell me anything once she fully trusted me, just like I’d be more willing to tell her about certain things like my Stun spell, but we’d literally just met and it would take some time for that kind of trust to grow. Thus, I didn’t push the issue when she responded how I anticipated, given that we had company.

Mel shook her head, turning away entirely, while holding up her staff. “Never mind. Time to show off my Flame Whip.”

I briefly got distracted by looking at Mel’s plump ass, covered in her tight leather pants, but then immediately looked up again when a tongue of flame shot out of her staff this time, firing away like a harpoon, before it grew slack, falling to the stone floor.

Mel then gripped her staff in the middle, and began maneuvering the weapon in order to yank the fiery whip back toward her, swinging it over our heads before snapping it toward the wall.

Not having an actual target to hit, it simply licked at the air in complete silence, before falling to the ground again, but I knew it would have inflicted some serious damage to possibly multiple enemies, both when it first shot out, as well as on the second round depending on how she handled it.

“Damn,” I said sincerely.

She smirked at me, before her flame whip dissipated, only for her to wave her staff in an arc above her head, creating a little over a dozen tiny fireballs in the air.

Fireballs that quickly condensed into ethereal shapes.

“Flame Daggers.”

Instantly, all fourteen flames shot away from her like they’d been unleashed from my slingshot, stabbing at the wall and dissipating with a loud sizzle due to the black crystals.

“Well damn, Mel,” I said seriously. “I thought you were leading with your best, but every spell is just as powerful as the last! But I guess this means you’re entirely focused on fire magic?”

She grinned. “Yep! And I can also use Fireball of course too. I probably would have been a Fire Specialist if it weren’t for me unlocking the Battlemage Focus. However, just so you aren’t disappointed, I only have one more spell, not counting Fireball.” She paused, glancing at Jackel. “You’ll both want to stand back for this one.”

We both backed up a little, while she walked further away as well. Of course, I understood why she wasn’t wasting her time showing us Fireball, since it was the most basic fire spell, and she was showing me everything that wasn’t standard. Focusing on her tight bubbly ass as she walked, I finally returned my gaze to her eyes when she faced us again, a confident smirk touching her pale lavender lips.

“Ignition.”

It was as if her leather boots exploded in flames, only for the space around her to erupt, as the fire rapidly covered a five-foot circular area surrounding her. It wasn’t enough to do massive Area of Effect damage, but as a Battlemage, it was enough to prevent herself from being surrounded. Or to at least disperse the enemy in the event she was surrounded.

“Perfect,” I exclaimed. “Mel, you’re perfect! I have no doubt you have amazing combat abilities, and you have the perfect spell skillset to compliment it! You can attack close up, attack from a distance, and you even have two spells to help in the event you get overwhelmed with too many enemies.”

She was grinning, but then cocked her head in confusion. “Two spells?”

“Yeah, Ignition and Rising Phoenix.”

Her eyes widened slightly. “Oh, I’d have to be about to die, or something, to use Rising Phoenix in battle. Otherwise, I’d just fall right back into the fight, suddenly feeling like shit.”

I nodded. “Yeah, but once you’ve grown and trained it more, it’ll be a viable option for you to escape and regroup if you get surrounded.”

“Huh,” she replied. “I guess you’re right. But I’m not really sure how to train it,” she admitted. “As you can imagine, I’ve practiced it before, but I just feel like shit afterward, and can only use it just once a day.”

I frowned as I considered that. “Why don’t you try using it again?” I suggested, prepared to try to examine her Abilities as she did so.

She stared at me for a second, before inclining her chin. “Okay, I’ll give it a try.” She held her staff like before, and concentrated. “Rising Phoenix,” she said, with no power behind her words this time.

Of course, nothing happened.

When spells were spoken, even the untrained of almost any Class could sense the magic behind it. An awareness that there was power in the words, even if the spell didn’t target anyone. However, her second attempt at the spell was just breath coming from her pale lips and nothing more.

Her Abilities didn’t show anything useful.

----------------------------------------

Melantha Murta’rahg

----------------------------------------

ABILITIES

Skills: Unknown

Spells: Fireball, Flame Daggers, Flame Whip,   Ignition, Rising Phoenix

----------------------------------------

Unfortunately, still being unable to fully control Eye of the Goddess, information I comprehended beyond the basic Status and Attributes was often stuff I already knew, with Unknown information usually only getting filled in as I learned it. Of course, one day I was hoping that I’d be able to always see stuff that had been previously unknown to me, much like I did with Ailments, Rank, and Level, but for now I was stuck guessing.

That obviously wasn’t to say I never learned new information via this method, since it was how I discovered that Jackel had an Immortal Form, but just like my Foresight in a battle was limited and somewhat inconsistent, so was my use of Eye of the Goddess.

Still, I really wanted to try to figure this out for her.

“Try again, please,” I requested, watching her even more closely now.

She nodded and proceeded to do it again. “Rising Phoenix.”

----------------------------------------

SPELL: Rising Phoenix

----------------------------------------

DESCRIPTION

Level: 1/5

Element: Fire

Cost: 20 Essence

Effect: Manifest wings of fire and ascend   into the sky.

Attack: 200 (Splash)

Cast Time: Instant

Use Time: 20 seconds

Cooldown: 20 hours

Limitation: Inflicted with Fatigue (severe),  reduced Use Time, and extended Cooldown if Intelligence is under 20.

State: Bound (Melantha Murta’rahg)

----------------------------------------

State…

Bound…

I focused on her weapon with a frown. “I see the problem now.”

“Y-You do?” she said in surprise.

I nodded. “Unfortunately, that spell doesn’t fully belong to you. It’s a magic granted to you by your staff.”

She looked down at it in shock. “It…it isn’t mine?” she repeated.

“Well, it is yours, since the weapon is bound to you. However, you’d still need the weapon as a catalyst to activate it, similar to how your Fire Whip requires a catalyst, whereas you could use your other spells with just your hands, albeit at lesser strength.” I paused with a frown, as I considered the Limitations placed on it. “The biggest issue, though, is that whoever created it set up safeguards. While you can use your magical essence for any other spell you want, as much as you want, the staff is actually limiting your use of Rising Phoenix to only once within a certain timeframe.” I paused. “That limitation might go away as you get stronger, but I can’t promise that.”

Of course, I knew more details than that, but there was a slight problem.

Last thing I wanted was to suggest that increasing her Intelligence by one point, something that was far more difficult than it sounded, given her current overall level, would eliminate the limitation entirely when it might actually just change the limitation. For example, maybe at 20 points, the Fatigue would only be moderate, and the cooldown might drop to 15 hours, instead of 20 hours.

Which, either way that pretty much meant only one use per day.

Hence, I was hesitant to say much more than it ‘might’ go away.

Jackel spoke up before Mel could respond, changing the subject slightly. “Wait, that’s a bound weapon?” he said in surprise.

Mel was immediately guarded. “Yes, it is. Why?”

“They’re rare,” he said matter-of-factly. “Like, so rare that your staff would have to be a magical artifact created from Lost Magic.”

“Jackel,” I said firmly.

He looked at me in confusion, before focusing on her again, finally registering her reserved expression. “Not that I’d ever tell anyone,” he quickly clarified. “Obviously, such a weapon has no value to anyone else, and even if someone were to kill you for it, the chances of the weapon binding to another in the next decade would be slim.”

I sighed. “Jackel’s not a thief,” I stated plainly. “You can trust him. And I’m sorry for mentioning it in the first place.”

She shook her head slowly. “No, it’s okay. I’ve let it slip before too. But yes, I would prefer both of you keep that to yourselves from now on. Because that’s exactly what I have to worry about. Someone trying to kill me in hopes my staff will choose them as its new owner.”

“I won’t tell anyone,” Jackel promised.

I nodded in agreement.

Mel sighed. “So, is there any way to allow me to use the spell more often?” she wondered seriously. “Because I think I could handle the spell just fine.”

I grimaced, assuming she was wondering if I could adjust the limitation directly, since normal weapons could sometimes have their properties modified. “I’m afraid I know nothing of modifying artifacts. As Jackel said, it’s a Lost Magic, and even if it was a normal weapon, I wouldn’t really be able to help with that.” I paused. “I read a lot though, so I could keep an eye out for the subject. But otherwise, getting stronger is probably your only option. Specifically, stronger with your magic use.”

She nodded, seeming a little dejected, likely because she understood that she’d reached that infamous plateau most Scourge Suppressors were aware of, and that ‘getting stronger’ at this point wasn’t an easy chore. It could take years to just get a tiny bit stronger now, with each attribute point being progressively more difficult to obtain.

Of course, I doubted she knew anything about the attributes I perceived with my unique skill, but she at least understood that she’d pretty much reached the pinnacle of her strength, and wouldn’t be getting a ton stronger anytime soon.

Normally, it wouldn’t be that big of a deal, since one could still progress with their skills, many of which also had levels. But for her, she had a reason to raise her actual attributes just a little bit more, if at all possible. And honestly, this limitation on her weapon was probably the only reason why it might even be worth trying to get a tiny bit stronger, just so she could fully unlock this Ethereal Scythe’s capabilities.

Still, I kind of felt bad I couldn’t help her more, since it was doubtful that would happen anytime soon.

“Sorry that I can’t help in this case,” I said quietly.

She looked at me in surprise. “What? No, that’s fine.”

“You seem disappointed,” I pointed out.

“Oh.” She paused. “Well, it just sucks that I’m not nearly as powerful without my weapon.”

I shrugged. “I mean, Turg and Dagru aren’t as powerful without a sword or warhammer in their hands. And Shel has a staff too. Sure, she can still cast almost all of her magic without it, but the magical catalyst really unlocks her potential.”

“Yeah, I guess,” she replied unconvincingly.

I sighed. “Mel, not to complain, but I can’t do shit in battle, except support people. And I don’t even really have the option of having a weapon or catalyst to make me more useful, aside from a slingshot. Your Ignition and Flame Daggers alone give you both an offensive and defensive capacity, even without a weapon.”

She smiled slightly. “Thanks. You’re actually a pretty good boyfriend, aren’t you?”

“Think you’ll keep me?” I asked playfully.

She grinned. “If not as a boyfriend, then at least as my pet.”

Jackel chuckled again. “Alright, I think I’ll show off a few skills and then take my leave for now. Not sure if you heard, but there’s a Bard coming this evening, and rumor has it she is actually a Songstress. If I can, I want to lay eyes on her before anyone else does.”

I rolled my eyes. “Yeah, I heard. Although, might want to convince Turg to stay an extra day then.” I then scoffed. “Just don’t ruin our entertainment by stealing her attention,” I added.

Jackel grinned. “Oh, I won’t. But if she’s as beautiful as my informant claims, then I’ll want her to be thinking of me when she shares her final tale and sings her ending song.”

Mel laughed.

“Apparently, she’s exotic too,” Jackel continued eagerly.

I frowned at that. “Exotic? How so?”

After all, I was well aware that Jackel had pretty much fucked every type of woman imaginable, whether that be elf, human, Oni, Holstaur, and pretty much everything else out there that could pass as a humanoid.

Including a Lamia, or so the rumor went, though I’d never actually heard him talk about that experience, only hearing it from an old friend of his who was a member of the Elf Guard.

Jackel shrugged. “I guess no one knows her race,” he admitted. “She’s not a human, nor an elf.”

“And she’s not an Oni?” Mel wondered, seeming sincerely curious now too. “She’s not perhaps a healer, is she?”

I knew where this was going. This Songstress could possibly be her mystery person she was searching for. Technically, Bard and Songstress could both be an official Support Focus, having a wide arrange of skills and spells, including some even being able to talk to animals like Beast Masters could, but often a bard was just a poet, singer, or storyteller. Which meant it was theoretically possible that the songstress was an actual legitimate Healer, who just happened to make a living as a singer and storyteller instead.

Especially since true Bards rarely had any actual healing capabilities, only being able to ease pain and heal very minor wounds if they knew the Aid spell.

Needless to say, Jackel had his mind in the mud. “Oh, you’re interested in an exotic fuck too, huh?” he teased.

Mel laughed again, seeming sincerely amused. “Well, I’d be lying if I said I hadn’t experimented a little with another woman.” She laughed again, ignoring my shocked reaction. “But no.”

Jackel chuckled. “A shame. And unfortunately, I don’t know if she’s a healer or not.” He sighed. “Anyway, I really should be going soon, so let me show off a few of my skills, and then I’ll be on my way to let you two continue your date.”

Mel grinned at me, an affectionate look to her gold eyes, even as she responded to him. “Sure,” she agreed warmly, stepping up to take my hand again in preparation to watch. “Sounds like a good plan.”

FEEDBACK: What's your level of interest in the story at this point? (As of this chapter)

1) It's okay,

2) Really like it a lot,

3) Super Engaging (love it),

4) I am so obsessed with this story, and can't get enough.

Please be honest. A 1 or 2 is perfectly fine, if that's what you think. How does it compare to Innocent Devil's Harem? (I'll still write on that one, but just want a reference.)

ALSO: This is how far we got in the story in the original 2 chapters (I added a lot of information, and turned the 2 chapters into 4 chapters).

The next chapter will be new stuff.

I've been wanting to work on this story for a long time now, and I've finally managed to get enough chapters written that I wanted to start posting them as I slowly write more of this story.

Chapter 5 >>