Chapter 10: Chapter 10. The Lowest
Layla was waiting in her room, holding onto her weapons tightly. She was scared by the sounds she heard outside, which were definitely the noise of fighting. More than scared, she was worried for her comrades whom she had called to save her.
"I hope they are okay," she muttered.
She was afraid that the hyumans would attack her friends, but then she remembered that they shouldn't be in danger. Both of them classed up once, passing the awakeneer class long ago. Orgus, especially, who was close to his second class-up, should be able to easily handle this.
Soon, her door opened, and the skinny guy entered with a wild smile on his face.
"Hello, princes," he greeted.
"Took you long enough," Layla replied.
"Sorry, the locals gave us some trouble. The language barrier is quite annoying." He raised his hand towards her. "Shall we? Orgus is getting impatient."
She grabbed his hand and walked out of the room. In the church's main room, she could see Orgus sitting on one of the benches, playing with a knife.
"Finally. I was getting bored," Orgus remarked.
"Sorry, big guy," the skinny man said. He put his hand on Orgus' shoulder, and in a white flash of light, they found themselves on the platform above the clouds.
"Seriously, Layla, how the hell could you have been so dumb to go there alone? Have you not been paying attention to everyone who is telling you not to do it?"
"I am sorry. I thought it was going to be an easy job since I have all these skills and all."
"I told you even if you finally classed up from the hunter, it was still too dangerous to go down. People who were in mid-class have died there. Even High-class bearers don't dare to go to the lower parts of that place."
As they walked towards the tower, the three of them saw a big group of hunters gathering around and seemingly fighting amongst themselves.
"What is happening?" asked Layla.
"Some of the hunters got a little full of themselves. They say that they should push out all the hyumans and take over Dis. Oh right, I forgot to give you this."
The skinny guy gave a silver knife to her.
"You wanted one right? It's cheaper than ever, so I bought one for you."
"Oh, thanks." As she held the dagger, an idea took root in her mind. "Taking over Dis... doesn't sound like a bad idea."
****
I was lying in my bed, looking up at the ceiling as the sound of the rain could be heard outside. It had been three days since the knights came to us. Since then, things had changed. The nun looked defeated and shocked as things turned for the worst. She now kept to herself, drinking wine.
Not to mention, apparently the higher-ups somehow got word of what happened here, and they weren't happy. Knights were holy figures, and them fighting us meant something to them; we were automatically in the wrong. I didn't know the details, but I heard that there might be some sanctions coming to us, like budget cuts. All I could get out of her was that a representative was coming to us soon to thoroughly talk and investigate us, and based on what they found, we would receive our punishment. I didn't know much about politics, but even I could tell that we were in trouble.
It was a shame really. I really liked my small house, but no way in hell am I getting my ass beaten up again, especially by priests. As for me… I wasn't in good shape either. The fight with the knights left me crippled. I could walk, but very slowly and I needed to lean on something to move. I was only in my mid-twenties and had the same speed as an old man. These days I kept to myself as well, staying in my room, but not because of despair.
No, I felt no despair. It was overshadowed by the boiling rage in me.
Those knights, hunters, or whatever they were, looked at me like I was nothing. Like I wasn't even human but a small animal or object to be used. I will show them. I will bash their skulls in if it's the last thing I do.
"I am going to kill all of them."
I slowly got off my bed, leaning on my still-broken shovel, and moved my table. In the three days, I had been preparing, moving, and buying stuff even against the pain I felt in my body.
Thanks to the pouch the knights left, which was filled with gold coins, I could have lived lavishly for a while, but now I had another goal.
While organizing the materials, I double-checked the requirements in my book.
"Okay, we are ready and good."
I kneeled before the lit candle and placed my hand on the quartz crystal.
Yup, I was ready to do the ritual to acquire magic.
I had been thinking hard about what magic I wanted to awaken. If my understanding was correct, I could awaken all of them, but I thought it was safe to start with only one since I had no idea what I could do with it.
And with the lack of experience, I narrowed it down to three possibilities: Holy magic, Pact Magic, and Demonic Magic.
The demonic magic was already out because… well, I didn't want to become a mass murderer.
Yet.
Holy magic was tempting since who didn't want to have the powers of a god, but I scratched that as well. I was working for a church, and yet this happened. So it only leaves me with pact magic. The book warned me that I would become a lapdog of an otherworldly entity, but I was willing to take this risk.
I sat down before the unlit candle and placed the crystal before it.
Slowly breathing in, I lit the candle and looked at the flame, trying to focus on its heat, light, and movements.
Then I slowly poured out the vial of pure water and held it above the quartz. Closing my eyes, I recited the chant.
"Ancient echoes, magic's embrace,
I call upon the powers that grace.
By flame, by stone, by water's might,
Open the path to the mystic light."
I opened my eyes and looked down at the quartz.
Maybe it was the trick of the lights, but I could swear I saw something slightly glowing in the stone.
As the droplets fell on the stone, I tried to imagine the water fusing with the stone as the book instructed.
When I was done, I looked at the candle again, my eyes glued to the flames.
As I looked at the flames, I somehow felt like my body was getting hotter, my blood heating up in my veins. I closed my eyes and concentrated, muttering the incantation again and again, focusing on the heat in my body.
At first, I felt like it was everywhere in my body, spread out evenly.
But as I breathed in and out, I could feel that I was wrong. In my chest, I could feel a condensed amount of heat, somehow beating next to my heart.
It was… pushing something through my body, I couldn't describe it well. It was an alien feeling to me. As if I found a new muscle in my body I never felt before. I breathed in and out, feeling the rhythm of the beat, as I realized that there were roots, maybe veins would be a better way to call them, spreading out from that place and throughout my body. When the heat was slowly fading away, I opened my eyes.
Then I could see the gray world, but I also saw lines. Lines shining in the light of rainbows appeared and disappeared around me.
"Is this magic?"
I blinked a few times and looked down at my own hands. I could see green lines coursing on them, pulsating as I moved them.
"This is my magic."
Smiling, I closed my eyes, and when I opened them, the world returned to normal, except for the green square that appeared before me.
[You have awakened your mana]
[You can use mana more easily]
[You gained skill [Minor Mana Sense]]
"Great, now onto the next one."
Quickly to not lose the feeling of the magic in me, I opened my book and flipped the page to the part I needed.
"Okay."
I grabbed the extra candles and lit them all up around me, making a circle. As I did this, I put a pot in the middle where I put several herbs and incense and threw my match into it, while holding my charged stone over it.
Breathing the smoke from the pot, I started the chant.
"In realms beyond our mortal ken, I seek your presence, otherworldly friend. By fire's light and whispered rhyme, I beckon you from a distant clime. From the starry void, you shall descend, With wisdom vast, and secrets to lend. In shadows deep, our fates entwine, As I speak this ancient sign."
As I finished speaking, I tried to imagine a door inside the circle while inhaling the fumes.
"Oh, keeper of mysteries, heed my call, In your power, I humbly fall. Grant me knowledge, grant me sight, As we share this realm tonight."
As I inhaled more, I could feel that the image of the door in my head somehow felt more and more real.
Details slowly appeared on it, like the green paint on the wood, the golden symbols carved on its frame, or the knocker in the middle of its body.
"By this pact, our bond we seal, With word and deed, I make it real. Guide me through the mystic dance, As we merge in this ephemeral trance. Hear my plea, I yearn for might, Enchanted strength, to join the fight, Against the hunters, I'll rise above, A power vast, with magic's glove."
The image of the door in my head felt like it had become real, and it was slowly opening from the inside. I opened my eyes and behold, I saw a door before me, placed right before the pot.
When the door finally opened, I saw a gigantic dog with ashen black fur and glowing green eyes. At the feet of the door, I saw a humanoid figure sitting on what I could describe as a wooden stool.
Their body was too hard to describe or understand, but I was almost sure they had a straw hat and a wooden cane, items I saw regularly on the farm fields.
Following the book's instructions, I kneeled down and spoke the last sentences of the ritual.
"As above, so below, we decree, In this sacred space, so mote it be. With gratitude and honor, our spirits align, In harmony, in balance, till the end of time."
I looked up at the figure. It stayed motionless for a while then it reached out with its cane and touched my forehead, the wood growing leaves and branches as it reached out. It was cold, and when it touched me, I felt like a burning cold sensation rushed through my body.
After a few seconds, the figure's cane retracted through the door which closed without a sound, and then dissolved into dust. Following the ritual's instructions, I blew the candles clockwise and stood up.
"Thank you for your blessing." As I said these words the green rectangles appeared before me.
[You made a contract with [????] ]
[Your mana has been tainted with ???? power.]
[Your mana pathway has been rewritten.]
[You received skills: [Basic Magic Aptitude] [Ritualistic Magic Aptitude] [Summon Familiar] [Guiding Can]]
[Your rank has been increased to F]
[Several entities are complaining to the gods.]
[The gods have turned away from the entities' complaints.]
[Several entities now see you as an enemy.]
[An entity put a curse on you]
[You received the curse of [Untell]]
[Your status window has been updated]
****
At an unknown location, a group of people gathered around, all wearing either capes or masks to hide their identities. The air was dense with anticipation as a few of them had a tight grip on their weapons and kept their eyes on everyone around them.
Soon, stepping on a pile of crates was a woman, her face hidden behind a white mask.
"People, thank you for coming here so soon after being called."
Weekly Power Status
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Ranking 
-- Power
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