Part I – Hana
I screwed up. And then I did what any sensible person would do: I ran away.
It was the only viable option. I retreated to the subconscious before Shizuo could keep pressuring me. I would need a good excuse. Luckily Livia's body was exhausted and it didn't take long for me to feel Shizuo's consciousness withdrawing too.
I don't know how long we slept, but our afternoon nap apparently extended, because it was pitch black.
No...
I couldn't open my eyes. I tried, but my eyelids seemed to weigh tons.
Sleep paralysis? No, I never defined that Livia had such a problem.
Ah... the tea.
I should have guessed. A palace kitchen like this would never make tea sweetened the way I like it, unless they wanted to hide some aftertaste. Probably a bitter one like from...
Dragon Herb Essence.
That's it. I wrote something like that, chapter 30. The problem was exactly this: Lucian would use this trick to kidnap Livia. I can't believe he — or whoever was inside him now — needed this. Besides, it was too early for this damn scene.
I tried to move one of my fingers. Unsuccessfully.
I took a few deep breaths and tried to understand my situation better.
Cold, a soft breeze, smell of wet hay and... sound of horse hooves and two wooden wheels against the firm ground.
Great, somehow they managed to take us out of the mansion.
Shizuo.
I called her in the shared space of our minds.
She took a while to answer, I don't know if because she was asleep or because she was mad at my flight.
Shizuo, I need you to trust me.
Well, you didn't do a good job of earning my trust. Why did you run away? How do you know about the way I died? Not even I remember how I died!
I promise I'll tell you, but now is certainly not the time! We are being kidnapped.
What?! How?
The tea — I replied, trying to keep control of the situation.
Oh, that's why it was so sweet.
Yes. We need to escape, I'll think of something... I must have written something that helps us in this situation...
Wait, written? Hana... Hanako Toriumi?!
Yes, since I committed the gaffe it's better to be honest with you right away, but you need to promise to leave the questions for after we survive.
Right, agreed.
After a while, I managed to open my eye. Above me I saw the moonlight through moth holes in the fabric covering the pile of hay on which our body lay.
I tried to move again. Unsuccessfully.
Shizuo, look at the status screen, can you confirm our situation?
One second... HP 100/100, energy 0/100. Condition: Paralyzed (Source: Essence of...
Dragon Herb, I know.
This was a disaster. This drug had a long effect; I would probably only be able to move the next day, and still in a limited way. If Livia still had a more robust constitution, the effect would be reduced, maybe even neutralized.
But no. I made her to be fragile, to be an easy target.
Damn.
Damn, damn, a thousand times damn...
Humm, Hana?
What is it?
Well, a screen opened, but it's different...
She didn't need to explain, I was seeing it!
It looked like a ruled index card, the ones I used to make canon guides. What I described on these pieces of paper became fact in the manga world.
I thought and the words began to appear written on the card:
'Livia, as a child, used to sneak out of the house to visit the mines of her territory. She thought the shimmering shine was beautiful. In the cave she always inhaled toxic gases, and when thirsty drank water of questionable quality, which made her naturally resistant to toxic substances...'
Hey hey hey! Hana, it worked: Skill acquired: Toxin Resistance!
Yes! — I started to celebrate, but soon fatigue took over me.
Hana? Hana!
I couldn't answer, I could barely stay conscious, it was as if I was numbed...
Spent.
Part II - Shizuo
As soon as the new skill was unlocked, I had to clench my jaw tight so as not to let a gasp of pain escape. I must have spent hours lying like a rag doll in this cart, because every muscle in my body either hurt, or was numb.
I tried to control my breathing and moved slowly, getting into a more comfortable position. Whoever kidnapped me didn't even bother to tie me up. Good.
While making micro movements in the joints to stimulate normalization, I tried to call Hana again. I felt her consciousness present, almost inert, but still there.
Don't dare die, if a soul can die like that. You are going to answer my questions, Mrs. Screenwriter!
No answer, but a reaction, a grumble maybe.
I went back to concentrating on the now.
Slowly, I lifted the tarp covering the bed of the wagon where I had been left and looked around.
We were moving, but the wagon was going very slowly. It was a road — no, more like a trail — passing through a densely wooded area. The Woods behind the property, probably.
I took a deep breath and, without thinking much, jumped.
I regretted it immediately after, when Livia's body once again proved more fragile than would be sensible.
My legs gave way under my own weight and I rolled in the dirt, breaking the silence with my pathetic scream caused by the fright.
The wagon stopped, and from the front appeared a large man with a long knife in his hand.
He wore the standard bandit set in fantasy worlds: hood and a scarf hiding his mouth and nose.
— Look at that, the girl... it's not safe to walk alone at this hour — mocked the man, spinning a knife with annoying dexterity. — The client said not to spoil the merchandise, but he knows sometimes we need to be firm.
Generic low-level NPC. Predictable attack pattern.
I tried to get up, forcing my trembling knees. The dress weighed tons with the accumulated mud.
What I need is to get up fast, lateral dodge and, finally, counter-attack.
My mind knew the move. It had already executed that thousands of times on screens and controllers. After I reincarnated, I discovered I was capable of doing everything I did in the videogame, just needed to give the mental command, but... Livia's build was trash. My body responded with a terrible delay.
After tripping on my own petticoat trying to firm my foot, I took the knife I hid in the hidden pocket of the dress and cut it without pity.
The bandit smiled and advanced. It was a telegraphed and slow attack like in the tutorial, even so, I couldn't dodge with the ease I imagined.
I felt a burning sensation at the height where the knife passed, but didn't dare look away.
I rolled to the side, dirtying the already completely ruined expensive dress even more, and finally managed to stand up, panting.
— Hey! Why is it taking so long? — shouted the coachman.
I looked around, mapping the situation. Two enemies.
In my head, the status screen showed:
Mana: 5/100.
Wow, that overpowered skill is quite expensive, I thought. The "cheat" of creating poison resistance had burned 95% of my reserve. Couldn't do much with so little mana. Maybe enough for a level 1 trick.
Available Magic List:
- Light (Passive)
- Minor Heal (Cost: 10 MP) - Unavailable
- Flash (Cost: 4 MP)
Flash. Utility magic. No damage, but causes temporary Blindness. Well, it's this or accept the Game Over.
The bandit regained his balance, and when he looked in my direction I already had my left hand, palm open, aiming at his eyes.
— Flash!
It wasn't anything as impressive as a divine blast or a fireball, but a sudden shine of white and concentrated light, like an old camera flash fired point-blank in the darkness of the forest.
— ARGH! — The man screamed, bringing his free hand to his eyes, vision suddenly white.
Window of opportunity open.
I took advantage and threw all my body's little weight against his nose. He fell to his knees, crying while trying to stop the intense flow of blood from his broken nose.
— You witch bitch! — I looked and saw the coachman approaching with the club. He saw what I did to the other one and was attentive. He didn't seem to underestimate me.
Damn, this one will be complicated...
I retreated, heels slipping in the mud.
That was when the forest exploded in motion.
Lucian Vane.
He wasn't on a white horse. He wasn't wrapped in a ray of sacred light. Still, the damn prince could learn a thing or two from him about how to make an impressive entrance, and not just weird.
The Shadow Duke lived up to the nickname; he was a silhouette coming out of the darkness of the trees, moving with the lethal precision of a trained assassin.
He was without his coat, white shirt stained with mud, but wielded a thin sword — a rapier he always kept with him.
— Stay... away... from her.
The coachman ground his teeth, swinging the club. Lucian wasn't a brute like him; his movements were full of grace and technique. He dodged the broad and heavy blow of the club with a fluid lateral step and thrust.
The tip of the sword pierced the coachman's shoulder. It was a clean movement. Elegant. Cold. The enemy roared and retreated and... smiled?
Behind Lucian, a third bandit was already approaching sneakily.
His stealth skill must be pretty high to have stayed off our radar until now!
— Lucian! Look out! — I screamed.
He spun and parried the dagger blow, blades clinking in the night. He kicked the man in the chest, gaining space.
He is good, I analyzed.
The duke was panting, clearly exhausted from the run there. The first bandit (the one I blinded) recovered his vision and fury. He joined the fight.
The three attacked him at the same time. He turned and retreated, movements always economical and precise.
His clearly superior technique allowed him to block, deflect and sometimes counter-attack, but three simultaneous attackers were too much for him alone. The coachman, ignoring the pierced shoulder, landed a heavy club blow on Lucian's ribs.
I heard the sound of bone breaking. He grunted and fell to his knees in the mud, the sword slipping from his hand.
— Hold him! — ordered the coachman. Two bandits jumped on Lucian, immobilizing his arms, forcing his face against the earth. Seeing the noble immobilized, he approached with a dagger clearly ready to slit his throat.
But then, I saw his look.
Face in the mud, immobilized, bleeding... not defeated.
Lucian's red eyes fixed on the dagger descending towards him.
He didn't try to break free physically. He stopped fighting against brute force. He just stretched a finger, lightly touching the boot of the man holding the dagger.
A visual distortion, like a mirage on hot asphalt, flickered around the bandit.
— Solid to liquid. — His voice was a hoarse, but absolute whisper.
The ground under the bandit's feet gave way instantly. The firm earth turned into thick and deep mud, swallowing him up to his knees and unbalancing him. The dagger missed Lucian's neck and stuck in the mud.
Lucian took advantage of the shock of the other two. He touched the arm of the man holding him by the left. — Temperature. 37°C to 100°C.
— AAAAAHHH! — The bandit screamed, releasing Lucian as his skin boiled instantly at the contact point.
Lucian stood up, staggering. The third bandit, terrified by the "witchcraft", tried to run. The duke picked up his own sword from the ground and just threw it. The blade flew and hit the fugitive's leg, bringing him down.
It was brutal. It was efficient. It was terrifying. But the cost was high. Lucian staggered, bringing his hand to his head, nose bleeding from excessive mental effort. He fell to his knees again, exhausted.
The coachman, however, had recovered enough and was almost finished freeing his second leg from the mud pit.
— No! — I shouted.
Lucian didn't react. He was dizzy.
I didn't think about fleeing. Hate ignored limits of fear and exhaustion. I squeezed the dagger hilt and launched myself against the bandit trapped in the earth. It wasn't an elegant blow, but rather a suicidal collision.
I didn't hesitate. With a guttural scream, I drove the dagger into his temple. Once. Twice.
Definitely a critical hit.
The man stopped moving. Enemy down.
Silence returned to the forest, heavy and humid.
I dragged myself away from the body, crawling to Lucian. He was moaning, trying to support himself on his elbows.
— Lucian... — I called.
He blinked, eyes trying to focus on me. A weak smile, almost drunk, touched his lips.
— You were amazing Shizuo... fought well... — he murmured, voice slurred. — Optimization... of resources...
I felt a wave of pride. We won. GG.
But then, the adrenaline dropped.
Wet.Why is my belly so wet?
I looked down. The black dress hid the color, but the fabric was heavy. I touched the side of my abdomen. My hand came back dark and shiny.
Ah.That first blow. When I was really too slow, after all.
Pain came suddenly, stealing all the air from my lungs. The world started to spin.
— Oh... — I whispered, my voice sounding small. — That is a lot of blood.
Vision closed in a tunnel. The world tilted. — Shizuo? — Lucian's voice sounded urgent, but distant. He was trying to get up, reaching out to me.
I fell forward. Felt trembling arms hold me.
— Du... duke... — I whispered against his chest, consciousness fading. — I think... I need a nap...
And then, the screen went black.
Connection lost.