It Happened Quicker Than I Expected. What Can You Do? (Part 3)

"Our first course of action is the destruction of that medal." Victor said while pointing at the medal in Cassandra's pocket.

"Ok. How do we do that? I'm guessing that we can't just throw it in a fire and let it burn." Cassandra asked as she guessed that it was a more involved process. She then handed the medal to Victor.

"Actually that would work fairly well. It would destroy some of the stored attributes and more would be lost in the transit process but would get the job done. However, since I'm here, we can go for a more efficient process. I'll destroy the outer physical layer then wrap the attributes in a protective mana coating to prevent damage or dispersion in the process." Victor explained before crushing the medal in his hand while unraveling the bonds keeping it together. He then allowed the attributes to be transferred back to their original owner, but not before applying the mana coating.

"Now on to you Miss Elizabeth. I'll make the rounds tonight, putting humpy dumpy back together and ridding every one of those nasty boils." Victor told the girl. He would travel through the shadows as it was quicker and easier to get around undetected, especially at night. The actual procedures just involved Biological Stitch for reconstruction and Soul Weaving to extract the concept of pestilence from them.

While the concept was not a new one for him as he already got most of the standard concepts for Mena's Record and their corresponding flaws for Black Gold, it never hurt to have a stockpile of various essences, even the ones that he could create using the Record, as it saved him the time and effort of creating them. The stockpile he would go out of his way to obtain were the ones that the record could not recreate. These were ones that had a history baked into them, his copies would be at most be low-end know offs. One example would be leather from the Nemean Lion, he could recreate it once he encountered it, but it would not work as well as the material with the history of invincibility ingrained in it.

It was the main reason that despite his skill all his magic artifacts so far were relatively lower end, he could not turn mud into gold. All the higher end stuff were just seeds at the moment waiting to be watered by his and other's history like most of his soul tattoos and/or refined by the addition of other essences and histories.

"Just like that?" Elizabeth asked, confused by the ease of the process.

"Just like that. What is difficult to you all at the beginning of your path is easy to me who has already ventured far on this path" Victor explained.

"As for you Sapphire, do you even want the curse reversed?" Victor questioned.

"What do you mean by that?!?!" Sapphire asked, shocked by the question.

"Your curse is relatively unharmful and uncorrupting now that the seed has been exorcised by your shock and repulsion at what you did. The only harm done is to a man that deserves it." Victor retorted.

"Aren't you going to say anything about that it's not right or that I have to be the bigger person?!?" Sapphire shouted, before glancing around at the people who did not notice the outburst.

"Sapphire that curse is in my opinion just and fair. Your father chose to live by the wings, in this case fear, thus he can be killed by the talons. The only truly dark things that occurred were your actions that had little to do with the curse. Now that you know just how slippery that slope is you can take care while treading it." Victor told the confused young girl.

"I don't know. I fear what I will become if this situation is to continue." Sapphire said while staring at her feet.

"You are the author of your story, only you can truly decide what you will become. Say the word and I will either lift the curse or leave that man to suffer his retribution." Victor clarifying the young woman's choice.

"Leave it as is." Sapphire resigned to her choice.

"Sapphire!!" Both of her friends shouted aghast.

"It's the only way that this ends peacefully. I can't stay in his house with him as he was now that I have this power and knowledge, he will eventually push me too far and I will have no choice but to react which will lead to his maiming or death. However, I can't leave home and stay in this city with you two as the police or your parents will eventually have to send me back." Sapphire explaining her choice.

"So be it. You girls go home and rest, you've all had an eventful day. Wake up tomorrow to your mistakes expunged." Victor told the young girls to send them off.

"I brought the book with me; don't you want it?" Sapphire asked.

"Why would I want what's yours. In fact, here's a notebook I threw together on some foundational knowledge you girls should know, it will help fill in the gaps in knowledge you girls have not had the opportunity to learn." Victor said before handing them a spiral notebook filled front to back with arcane knowledge he picked up over the years. While most of his knowledge was on his own, craftmanship, and runes he had picked up some general witchcraft know-how during his studies. The rest of the notebook was filled with the basics of all magic, techniques he thought might be of use like mana purification, mana control, and aura, and lastly his thoughts and experiences with the previously mentioned including tips and warnings.

"Why are you doing this after all that we have done?" Elizabeth asked almost crushed by her guilt.

"As I previously mentioned I was once where you all are now, and an older and wiser magic user gave me a second chance just like I am. You have learned some of the most important lessons in magic: Always perform purification rituals regularly, never use magic that you don't fully understand, and lastly that magic is a weapon as much as it is a tool. Also, this is a dangerous world, even more so for the magically inclined as you are like catnip to things that go bump in the night" Victor told them before teleporting them into their respective bed, stalking for the win.

Victor waited a couple of hours until midnight then went around town healing the sickness caused by the STI potion and repairing the damage Troy had done to himself. Not the most fun he had ever had at night, but needs must and all that. When he was done, he drove out of town towards his next destination while hoping there would be something there for him.