(35.2) Mark of the Desert
Blades humming with magical enchantments slice viciously past her and a whip cracks at her head.
Quick stepping out of harm, Aki swings her pendulum up, manifesting glowing swords resembling the light sword she had seen in New Pinacca.
"Tell me," the slaver woman taps her whip against her palm. "Are you one of those knights that attacked Libertale back then? Mmm, no. You don't match the standards for the Scales."
Again the guards slash at Aki.
She directs the illusory swords to meet the slaver guard's path.
Rather than reacting to the spinning blades, the three slavers zoom straight through the false swords.
"They can see past [Minor Illusion]? Damnit." Aki squeezes her wrists tightly.
She switches gears, raising more illusions as possible obstacles and dives in to fight directly.
Again the slaver woman's whip cracks, slicing through all of the illusions and clearing the narrow street in a single snap.
Instinctively, Aki flinches and starts to drop low while raising her hands protectively over herself. Her momentum shifts, turning the dive into a jump, dodging the slaver guards again by slamming two of their heads into the ground.
For a moment, the perspective illusion she has breaks and her true appearance shines through. Pale green becomes emerald and cream skin becomes white. Yet in the moment, the scarred skin of her wrists and ankles are clearly visible before hiding beneath her flowing cloak.
The slaver woman stares smugly at Aki, as if she's chewing on something funny. "Oh… could you really be one of those escaped slaves I heard about?"
"I'M NOT A SLAVE!"
The outburst distracts Aki long enough for one of the slavers to land a hit, cutting deep into Aki's face.
Blood sprays from the speedy slash, flying against the wall and the attacker's arm.
"So she is a slave." The offending slaver guard chuckles.
The anger hardens as Aki redirects her glare from one slaver to another. Her pendulum burns brightly, surging with more mana.
"Spilling my blood was a mistake." Aki says.
Her voice rings with power. Every syllable is full of mana and resonates greater with the waves of acidic mana flowing off of Aki's body.
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[Bloodbolt Lv. 0]
[Bloodbolt Lv. 0]
[Bloodbolt Lv. 0]
[Bloodbolt Lv. 0]
[Bloodbolt Lv. 0]
[Bloodbolt Lv. 0]
+200
[Repeated activation failure. System of the Soul cannot process command influx]
[Forced Acquisition of Sanguine Magic]
[Acquired Sanguine Magic]
[Forced Evolution of Sanguine Magic applied]
[Spell splitting: Bloodbolt Lv. 0 has evolved and split into Blood Saw Lv. 1]
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The blood that coated the slaver's arm squirmed noticeably then began to spin.
In the next moment, the blood wails and spirals up the entire length, tearing into the flesh and shredding his arm.
His scream is joined by the other slaver guards who fall prey to the same as consequence for standing by the bloody wall or Aki flicking her cheek at the attacking slaver.
"AAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!"
Pain pierces her mind as she witnesses them fall.
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[The Dominator's Flame stirs]
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Embers alight atop the puddles of water around her, evaporating everything in her immediate vicinity.
A menacing aura flows from Aki. The green fire, the Dominator's Flame, surged with hunger. Eerie whispers called for Aki to burn. To slaughter.
It wails its demands with increasing volume, trying to dig into her psyche.
"Just burn…" Aki snarls. The fires burn hotter and inch closer.
The slaver woman falls back on her ass. Fear contorts her face as she presses her back against the wall, unable to escape.
"W-w-wait! Wait!" She raises her hands and waves them frantically. "I'll tell you! I'll tell you where the auction is!"
The panic in the woman's face shakes Aki free, clearing her mind.
"Skies and stars. Get a hold of yourself. I can't let emotions control me."
With a flick of her pendulum, Aki redirects the fire to harmlessly melt the slave's shackles. Then she turns to use a series of healing spells on the groaning slaver guards — although just enough for them to survive and not suffer.
Afterward, Aki turns back to the slaver woman.
"You will? How do I know you aren't lying?"
The slaver points frantically to her discarded pack. Aki nods once and the slaver throws herself over.
She produces a scroll and tries to hand it over, but elects instead to read it. "It's in a code. But! BUT! I'll read it without lying. I promise."
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[Tactician Lv. 3 - Insight Granted]
[Gift Activated: Empath]
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Aki nods, slowly readjusting her position without letting her cloak move much.
"Thank - eh, um. It says I'm supposed to burn it after memorising it. Thank the stars my memory is terrible, right?" Her weak chuckle fades and she reads. "The Drowned Sailor in the Fourth Ward. Ask for the off-menu item 'Freedom's Bliss' then wait for someone to approach your table. Respond with 'I'll be celebrating for a week' to whatever they say. Follow them and you'll be taken to the auction site. That's it. I promise."
Aki nods in thanks. She closes her eyes for a moment in reflection.
The slaver lunges forward, revealing a dagger with a nasty-looking wave blade from underneath the scroll and slashes at Aki's neck.
However, the plan never makes it that far. In one motion, the attempted attack is countered. She is slammed back into the ground, disarmed and dazed.
Aki spins the dagger in one hand, twists the slaver's arm further behind her, and digs her knee into the slaver's back.
"Thank you. It means a lot, really. But…" Aki tightens her grip on the slaver's arm and puts more of her weight on the woman's back. "As an otherworlder and as a human being, I can't tolerate slavery. Still, this isn't my justice to take."
"Otherworlder? They're… but you- you're our biggest clients!"
Aki breaks the slaver's arm in two places with a quick snap. Before the slaver can start to scream, Aki is already restoring it back to normal.
She leans forward to whisper in the slaver woman's ear. "Your only 'clients' are monsters."
The slaver whimpers weakly as Aki stands. Still twirling the dagger with a menacing expression.
Aki throws the dagger at the freed slave's feet. The blade imbeds itself into the stone with the grip facing them.
"Since she was honest, do me a favour and don't let her suffer at least." Aki turns to walk away, stepping over the unconscious bodies of the slaver guards, healing their burns and injuries as she passes.
"Whatever justice you follow for her and those guards... I won't interfere."
"I was just doing what I was told! Please!" The slaver woman's pleas reach no one.
Her and her slaver guard's words are cut off, drowned by the laughing cries and angry roars of the freed slaves.
The sounds of bones breaking, blood spraying, and flesh being torn is all that can be heard from the abandoned narrowed street Aki walks away from.
"Fourth Ward. The Drowned Sailor. Freedom's Bliss. I'll be celebrating for a week." Aki mutters to herself, repeating it mindlessly.