Poisedon's Kiss

Prospective Magic Future

"If that does not suffice, then I can teach you that which you don't know. I can teach you magic and how to enchant your weapons." She said, squinting at me.

A-ha!

Magic, there we go!

"Sold!" I smile at her, my head filled with thoughts on how to make sure she does not pull a fast one on us.

"My lady?" David turned to me, his eyebrows knit closely.

"I know." I sighed with my eyes closed.

Now that I think of it, I ought to have actually asked how David fared instead of going on with this.

But, don't blame me. I mean, coming from a magic-less Earth and landing here with the potential of having magic to learn.

And actually seeing a real chance to that, a teacher before our eyes.

You do know, right? You do know the possibilities, the infinite possibilities that lie before us?

Our knights would not be so easily squashed. Not before Mana Beasts and certainly, not before the Church nor the Kingdom's might.

We would become so formidable that our enemies would think twice before even daring to rise up against us.

Gosh! There's just so much possibilities ahead there. I'm pretty hyped up already.

It's almost as if I should start, like, you know, be the first person to master magic in all of Titledom. And with that, I could be so much more than just a defiant lady in power.

With magic in me, becoming a Queen would not be so hard, not anymore.

Okay, come back to the present,Sam.

"David, how do you feel?" I asked him.

He shrugged, his hand still holding the side of him. "Never being better. Just as long as the Lady is fine."

"Aaaaaarrrrghhh…" Hera screams, promptly arresting everyone's attention. She dropped to her knees, holding out her hands, screaming further.

I do not like this.

What is this?

Blue veins begin to sprout in all the parts where her skin is shown to us all. Immediately as that happens, there is a clearing made around her, isolating her from us as myself and the Knights move backwards.

Speaking of which, System Scan her!

[System Query Initiated] The blue interface which pops up in front of my eyes read.

[Hera Naron

Nationality: Xerxean

Occupation: Bounty Hunter

SideNote; Formerly experimenting with Mana, Hera came into an ailment known as Sickness known as Mana Poisoning when she attempted to cultivate Mana without usage of blood.

To the less knowledgeable, it is referred to as a Curse, the Curse of Hera.

And because of this, she was cast out of her family, labelling her a devil's associate]

The screen faded, bringing my focus to Hera who is on fours right now.

Grunting, she forces herself to rise up, looking nervously at us while taking backwards steps.

"I'm sorry!" She muttered, pulling over her hood.

She really looks ready to ball out of here. That, I cannot allow. Besides, with that side note on her, this just means that she is pretty much on her own.

I mean, certainly not amongst those Mercenaries whose primal instinct is to look out after themselves alone.

And if she has not a place to return or call home with the workings of a family, then, I think it is time we welcome a new member into Titledom.

After all, accepting massive immigration is among the plans I have sketched out.

"Hera." I called out to her. "Hera Naron, that curse you think you have, is actually a sickness."

Hera gasps, obviously startled that I know her last name.

"If you stay with us, I can help you understand more things about yourself than you ever know. More things about the sickness that people call a curse."

Don't believe me, I have no idea on what that is. I know what Mana Poisoning is, sure, but how to counter it, come on…

You should know I'm only trying to buy her over.

Atleast, I didn't say I was going to cure her, did I?

"With you in Titledom, teaching us how to use magic and I, teaching you vast things about yourself and Mana at large…"

"Excuse me," Hera interrupts me.

You spoilt brat! Don't you know it's rude to interrupt royalty?

"If you are going to help me understand all of this. I don't even know how you knew. If you are that knowledgeable, then, why aren't your Knights Mana efficient?"

What?

I honestly didn't see that coming!

Hmm… how do I answer that?

I sigh, looking to my right side. To the sides, I see Knights roping the skeleton's parts to several horses. And, Alianus is busy leading the operations, gesticulating and pointing here and there.

When I return my gaze to Hera, she has a suspecting look on me.

"Ahhh… I actually have no idea what is going on there!" I nod my chin at a standing Knight. "Please, call in Sir Alianus."

The knight throws a salute and hurries over, leaving me to deal with her.

Like I mentioned earlier, I need to find reasons to hook her to me otherwise, it is more than certain, she may somewhat get bored and escape from Titledom.

After all, with her skills and that Mana sword of hers, I don't think she'll fare badly against those knights, should a day like that come.

"My lady!" Alianus's voice breaks into my thoughts.

"Yes, what is going on there?" I asked, looking at the knights on a dozen horses, the skeleton being towed in several parts.

"It is to clean up the area. Surely, our buyer would not as much carry the pieces all together." Alianus locks eyes with Hera.

"See, Hera? Helping you lessen the load on you."

"Thank you, my lady!" She replied, kowtowing.

"The question now is, Can I trust you? After all, what's to stop you from leaving Titledom and escaping forever?

Surely, you know we might never be able to pursue that far." I ask.

"Oh!" Hera swallowed. "I know it is hard. But here." She slips her hand under the Tassets where she put the pouch earlier.

Holding up the little sack to the air, she pulls the string, tilting it so that the contents pour out.

And oh, my, there are several pieces of Mana crystals, different colors and glowing dulling that fall to the ground.

"These are the lot of my earnings in several campaigns. Judging by how knowledgeable you are, I assume you quite know the value that these manastones hold? And in here, there are several dozens of them."

She pulls out from beneath her Tassets, two more pouches, dropping them to the ground unopened.

Then, with eyes trained on me, Hera unsheathes her sword. As she did, the knights do the same, standing battle ready. However, she does not do anything besides throwing the sword down.to the ground.

It clangs down on the Mana crystals, it's hilt obscuring a pouch from sight. It has a rod like handle or hilt, -you know, that skipping rope handle thingy? Yeah, exactly that size- the blade, thin and long protrudes out from the hilt, about the same size of the hilt.

It has a circle or more like a depression in the shape of a circle and on it, I see a blue Mana crystal.

This one is so small, giving up vibes that it was being sucked in, into the sword. The area around it has a dull gleam of blue while a bronze cap tops the black hilt of the sword.

"These are extremely in demand in the market. I'm sure you would agree. And to that extent, not even the skeleton corpse is worth all these combined.

So, I'm asking you to confiscate all of this when I leave. Return it only to me when I come back, to fulfil my own part of the bargain." Hera said, stepping backwards from the items.

"Sounds fair! We have leverage now!" Alianus said.

"Hmn!" David sighed.

"Just so you know, in case the importance of these Mana Crystals are not yet emphasized. With a Mana crystal, you can enchant your weapon.

You can learn magic and you don't need blood to do that!"

"What?" I exclaimed.

Who does she think she wants to fool? You're the one who got Mana poisoned when you tried that, remember? You want the rest of us to enter the same condition as you?

"That would not be necessary!" I speak.

GRRAAAAAAA…

What?

Hastily, I turned back only to see to my shock, a tree lifting itself out of the ground, root by root.

The bark shifts and shifts till it forms up a large angry face. The branches that shoot up, two branches shoot downwards out of them, forming limbs that curve in an elbow bend to the waist.

Like it has a waist.

"GRRRARAAAAAAA!" It roars, green fluid spitting out of it's greenish mouth while advancing at us.

"Everyone run! The Treant is reacting to the manastones and the skeleton's corpse." Hera yells out, hastily grabbing swords and stones into her arms. "We need to leave here so it can settle down and become a tree again."

Without a moment of hesitation, she begins to run, jumping from tree to tree as the Treant tries to follow after her.

Well, me too.

Can't let my leverage get away from me.

"After her!" I cry out, urging my horse away from the angered Treant.

The horses that are attached to the skeleton immediately charge, followed by the knights, mounted and unmounted as we run away, far from the roaring Treant.