32

Dusting my hands of non-existent dirt, I stood up. Walking inside, I decided to wait a bit before heading off to meet Kariya. The kids deserved some time off, which would also be nice.

I didn't have any Dust, another issue; it was nearing the morning, so we could leave once 6.0 and 7.0 came back.

Walking outside, I noticed that Sola-Ui was still sitting on the lawn with a faint smile; I frowned as I regarded her. I needed her to heal Kariya, but the question was, would I still want her after?

There was no doubting that her skill was undeniable, but Brainwashing could be broken with pain, and that could cause issues at the worst times.

I could possibly bypass it by hypnotizing her not to feel pain, but there is a very good reason humans feel pain. I remember tales of people maiming themself because adrenaline overcame them and dulled their nerves.

Humming, I decided to push that thought aside. I could figure that out later; for now, I leaned back onto the grass, laced my finger behind my head, and closed my eyes.

As I slowly woke up, I heard stifled giggling. Keeping my eyes closed, I perked my non-existent ears. It sounded like Komainu was trying to hide laughter as she approached me.

I decided to let this go on as I forced down a smile. It wouldn't do to give away that I was awake. As I heard the sound of feet walking through the grass, I waited.

I almost immediately regretted it as I felt two knees drive themself right below my ribs. While this was a standard way younger siblings woke up their elder siblings, this was a bit different.

The difference was that I had nothing below my ribs, so Komainu was stuck. Looking around, I saw Shinji laughing while Sakura giggled.

Komainu looked around in slight panic as she tried vainly to free herself. Signing, she flopped over as her knees fidgeted around in my epigastric.

Flopping my right hand over my forehead, I cried out, all melodramatic. "Oh, woe is me. I have been trapped; whatever shall I do."

This caused another round of laughter from the children, Komainu included. With a wry grin, I teleported out, causing her to flop forward on her face now that my ribs did not prop her up.

As the laughter subsided, I saw two figures enter the clearing. 6.0 and 7.0 were back, each holding a small sack of Dust. Giving me a small wave, 6.0 handed me the sacks while speaking.

"I see you picked up some strays, boss." Giving him a look, I grabbed the sack he and 7.0 offered. Flicking my wrists, I gave them a shooing motion while speaking.

"For your information, I am reuniting them with their uncle. Now I need you to get more Dust filters set up; I'm sure I'll need it."

Raising a skeletal eyebrow, they both nodded and walked off. Turning back, I saw that the laughter had suddenly stopped as Sakura hid behind Shinji.

Sighing, I walked over to them before bending down and looking them in the eyes. Speaking softly, I attempted to reassure them.

"Those are just my workers; they aren't actual skeletons." Leaning further in, I whispered while acting like I was revealing some dreadful secret.

"They just look like spooky skeletons because they feel inadequate. The normal look like magic blobs, but a blob that can barely move isn't scary at all."

Rubbing his chin, Shinji nodded as Sakura peaked around his body, looking slightly relieved. Standing up, I clapped my hands together while speaking further.

"Anyway, it's time. Follow me, and you'll soon be reunited with your uncle."

Nodding, they followed behind me as I strode out of the home and followed the compass's needle. While the compass spun about wildly, it soon settled in one spot as we traveled through the streets, and soon we arrived at a small run-down house.

Knocking on the door, I took a step back and waited. Soon enough, the door opened a smidge, and I could see an eye peek out.

Giving him a wave, I started to talk in my most disarming tone. "Hello, I'm here to give back your cousins and possibly talk strategy."

His eye twitched, and the door quivered as his hand spasmed. Slowly the door opened, and I let Shinji and Sakura in first. Both of them relaxed slightly as they saw Kariya.

I followed behind them as was all sat around the table. The kids sans Komainu huddled around him, relieved. Seeing this, I decided that I could wait.

A few minutes later, the kids let go of him, and he turned to look at me, speaking in a creaky voice warped by the ravages of Zouken's work. "What do you want?"

"Your assistance," I replied calmly before elaborating. "If possible, I'll take Berserker off your hands before setting you up a meeting with Aoi and Rin. Tokiomi has been killed, and you can reunite Sakura with her sister and give them a worthwhile childhood together."

Rocking back, his eyes widened. I had walked in and offered everything he had ever wanted on a silver platter. Raising a hand, I continued to speak.

"Now, if I can't take Berserker off your hands, I will need your help. I have a few methods of ensuring you don't kneel over dead, but I'll be getting those worms out of you no matter what. In addition, I will be securing a method to kill Zouken permanently."

As I spoke, the Grimoire grew, granting me new might. This strange sensation caused me to adjust myself as I felt lighter, as if something had been lifted.

Pushing it out of my mind, for now, I waited for his response as I leaned back. I could tell his mind was working furiously for a few minutes before he nodded. Seeing his acceptance, I reached out a hand for him to take as I spoke.

"When I take your hand, I will attempt to sever Berserker's contract with you; then, I will transfer the command seals over. This could hurt, so be ready for that."

As he took my hand, I focused and, over the course of a few seconds, destroyed the link of flowing mana between the two of them. I then reached out with Blood of Kings to the two simmering sparks of magic that dotted his hand.

Pulling them to me, I reached out with mana towards the ephemeral form of Lancelot. Almost grabbing the line from me, I could immediately feel the drain.

While not a major deal when he was astralized, I could tell he would take a considerable amount. It would likely be better to link him up to the mana furnaces as the gem I used to siphon batteries had a limited throughput.

That was something else I could do. By separating my batteries, I could improve my throughput now that I had more batteries. Pushing that thought to the back of my head, I stood up and opened a Path with a wave of my arm.

"This will take you to my house; it resides in another dimension and is practically impossible to find. There I have the specialist who can heal you," I stated while waiting for Kariya to move.

Standing up, he shuffled off into the Path. Sakura and Shinji followed behind him, both clearly worried for him. As they stepped onto the Path, Lancelot, Komainu, and I followed and shifted it behind us.

Soon we reached the house, opening the door for them. I gestured for them to sit down. As they sat down, I turned to face Kariya as I started to talk.

"Once she removes the worms, what is your plan? I can have you meet up with Aoi and Rin, but it's up to you."

His non-dead eye flicked up before he looked back at the table, thinking. Slowly running his fingers over the polished wood, he opened and closed his mouth a few times before speaking.

"I would like to meet her on my own. If this will work out, I can't show up with a Servant."

Nodding, I hummed in acknowledgment and walked into the room that served as Sola-Ui's bedroom. Knocking, I waited, and it wasn't long before the door cracked open.

"Sola-Ui, I have a person for you to heal. They will need crest worms removed."

She gave a nod before speaking with Kariya about the procedure. Soon enough, he was walking towards the surgery room, helped by Sola-Ui and followed by Shinji and Sakura.

Rubbing the bridge of my nose, I decided to let them get the surgery done without any interruptions. My next trick would be to hook the mana furnaces to Lancelot and grab Ryuunosuke's command seals.

Walking outside, I strode to where 5.0 was taking a nap under a tree. Scowling at him, I walked past him and reached out toward Ryuunosuke. Pushing a smidge of mana into the circle, I turned it off.

I loomed over him as he looked confused before picking him up by the front of his shirt. As I grabbed him, I focused on the three sparks on his hand. Pulling on them, they vanished, and I could feel the new ones form on my hand.

Looking into his eyes, I slammed him with Hypnosis causing him to fall asleep before I dropped him to the ground. Shouting over to 5.0, I strode over to the magic furnaces.

"Oi lazy bum! I'm gonna need you to retool Ryuunosuke's circle."

Blinking slowly, he got to his feet and shambled over with the gait of somebody who had just woken up.

As he got to work, I squatted in front of the circles that held the magic furnaces. While discounting them would lead to a drop in my capabilities, powering Lancelot would be more than worth it.

While an intricate ritual would usually be needed to connect an entirely different source of mana to a person, Lancelot was not a person. So I could, with relative ease, grab three strands of mana and poke him with them.

He then grabbed them, and soon enough, the furnaces were powering him. I sighed in relief as the strain was lightened on me. Speaking to Lancelot, I sat down.

"Lancelot materialize in front of me and stand still." When I finished talking, a tall black armor-bound figure shrouded in black mist appeared. I grinned as I felt the slightest uptick in the strain as the vast majority of the upkeep cost was offloaded.

Dusting my hands off, I gestured for Lancelot to dematerialize before walking back inside. I knew the operation would likely take around thirty minutes to an hour.

Rummaging around in the cupboard, I frowned. The house had come stocked with supplies, but it would be enough for a few days if I were hosting more people.

Mentally marking down a shopping trip, I grabbed a few teabags and put a kettle on the stove, which I then flicked on. Settling down in the chair, I leaned back and closed my eyes with my hands resting on my stomach.

I could use this short time to rest my eyes, or at least until the tea was ready. Soon I heard a kettle shrieking, so I shuffled over to make myself a cup.

As I poured the cup, the Grimoire swelled with new power. As the power ebbed and I took a sip of mint tea, I could see faint flickers of red light twirl around my bones before disappearing inside me.

As the light hit me, I quivered as my mind felt the agony woven through the light. In contrast to the suffering from which this energy was forged, it seemed to soothe me.

The energy faded away, but I could still tell that the wellspring of health and agony was waiting just under the surface, ready for me to call upon it.

Slumping back into my chair, I brought the steaming mint tea to my lips and took a long sip while waiting.

Powers Gained

Unbound Casting

By keeping yourself untethered, it seems that your magic has similar freedoms. Your magic does not seem to suffer the same ill effects of counterspells or antimagic fields as other mages might. Regardless of the mystical circumstances, it seems that you will be able to cast your spells at full effect so long as you manage to complete them properly (note; You may still be stopped or interrupted during your casting, and some creatures still have innate resistance to magic which this does not bypass. Your magic will simply be unimpeded by any ambient effects or willful acts of countermagic.)

Arcana Of Renewal

How do you think the Ardent's survive being strapped to pillars and burned? Because the same power they call upon to destroy can be used to heal. As an Arcana, you can heal injuries quickly.