Chapter 9

Got it from some old ruins, heh heh. Really wish someone who actually knew how I got it was here simply for their reaction.

It wasn't like I was lying. I had gotten Indra's Vajra from the ruins of a very old wizard mansion. So what if I was the one to ruin it, that didn't make my statement false. Also, the guy who had the Vajra before me was honestly asking for it, talking about all that class shit. His head split open just as easily as anyone else's.

The Vajra had been quite helpful though. It, along with other ancient artifacts I had found, was what had allowed me to learn about the best of the enchanting.

When a wizard enchants anything, it is mostly done through charms which causes the enchantment to have a shelf life. No wizard could ever enchant something for longer than a decade, but the Vajra in my hand and many other ancient artifacts still could use their magic even now. The reason was simple.

Runes.

Well, less runes and more along the lines of any written language that had any amount of connection to magic. They allowed one to make enchantments that could last as long as the object existed. Unlike regular enchantment charms, the runes and the other magical symbols created a kind of program on the object. Which meant they could use their abilities as long as you supplied them with magic.

Real useful.

"We're here." I said as I unlocked the door to a very dirty house. As in there were probably some mutated rats around dirty.

"Do we have to stay here?" Monica asked as she sent a nasty glare at the stains on the walls.

"It's temporary. But I do have some standards." I said as I clapped my hands and casted several cleaning charms, vanishing the most obvious signs of disgustingness around the house.

"That's better." I said as I laid down on the now clean sofa.

"I'll be taking a shower." Monica said as she walked away with her tone sounding like she was just about done with everything.

Poor gal, maybe I had been too much of a troll around her. It probably wasn't healthy to have one's worldview shattered so much in one day. But I knew what would make her feel better.

First, I had to enlarge the room so that she wouldn't feel trapped. And some emotional support from a fluffy animal should cheer her up!

"Not to mention it's about time I let Ose out for some fresh air." I said as I opened my suitcase.

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Monica Rappaccini was tired. By Tesla's coil she was tired. Tired of running for her life, tired of Merchants going around in drugged haze, tired of the Brockton Bay and definitely tired of the way her new boss and his enigma chaos gremlin energy.

But she couldn't deny that she felt somewhat safe with him. Well... not safe exactly but more like... like a pilot fish next to a shark! She knew that he was extremely dangerous but also felt that being beside him would scare away the rest of the potential predators.

Yeah, that sounded right to her.

With those thoughts, Monica got out of the shower and dried herself with her towel before heading back to the living room. She might not exactly be happy about John's crazy idea to take over the city but there was a part of her that also wanted to be a part of such plan, especially since it would give her prestige and resources for her work.

So, she would be calm and ready to help John while also letting him know of any potential dangers like...

"What the hell is that?!" All of those thoughts left her mind as she screamed at the top of her lungs while pointing at the monstrosity behind her boss.

"Oh, hey Monica. This is Ose, come and say hello!" John said with a smile as he scratched the chin of 'Ose'. It would have been a rather lovely scene if it wasn't for one small detail.

That detail being that 'Ose' was a leopard like creature that had fangs one would only see in a saber tooth lion and the fact that it stood taller than John himself even while on all fours!

"I am not going near anywhere that thing!" Monica yelled as she hastily took a few steps back, not liking the way 'Ose' was looking at her.

"Oh come on, no need to be afraid. I raised Ose from the days he was a cub, he is perfectly harmless as long as you don't provoke him." John said with a shake of his head before pulling a steak that was the size of his own head from his briefcase and threw it in the air, where it was snatched by the feline monster's jaws and devoured within the blink of an eye.

"Quite impressive isn't he. A half Nundu and a half Ugallu. That's why he is so much bigger than other Nundus and… why am I telling this to a person who has no idea what a Nundu is?" John trailed off as he scratched the back of his head with a confused expression.

"Nundus… as in plural… are you saying that there are more… beings like that?" Monica asked with a shaky smile as she pointed at Fang with a shaking finger.

"Huh, of course not. Ose is special, Nundus normally don't grow much bigger than a normal lion." What a day that such a statement would make her feel better.

"Not to mention a normal Nundu can only breathe toxic gas, Ose can also breathe fire." John said with a smile that she may have seen once before on her father's face when she had told him that she had gotten the highest grade in her class.

Ose on the other hand burped with a small stream of fire coming out of his mouth before disappearing into air, proving John's claim.

She changed her mind, she wasn't a pilot fish next to a shark. She was just woman who ended up becoming the servant of some sort of demon. A demon who was getting licked by a giant feline monster that could breath fire and toxic gas as he scratched its chin.