"Can you believe that I felt at ease with the man?! He truly mastered the art of deception."Maisie exploded, holding the river apart.
"Yah, yah," Bonney replied absentmindedly. The voodoo mage lifted the corpses from the river and onto the ground, using levitation magic.
"The gall to feed us and welcome us like that!" Maisie continued her rant. "I want to rip him apart."
"Totally, can you move the water more to the left?" Bonney instructed. The elf did as she was told, moving the water to the left. She then decided to halt her complaining, noticing that Bonney was more focused on the corpse than her useless complaints.
"Why did you stop talking?" The red-haired mage asked, turning her head around and staring at Maisie through her blindfolds.
"Oh, I thought you'd want to focus on the task at hand," Maisie said, with a surprised look sprawled on her face.
"Don't worry, I'm focused," Bonney replied, moving her arms around as she lifted another corpse. Without having to be asked again, Maisie continued complaining. The sun then finally rose, providing much-needed light. Maisie had seized her rants and decided to sleep, sitting down and leaning on a nearby tree. This left Bonney to deal with the lined-up corpses. The red-haired woman picked up a stick and proceeded to draw a row of zig-zags on the ground.
"Free the curse, Omniana." She whispered. The zig-zags began to glow purple before a wall of purple flames grew from them. This awoke Maisie, and she watched in awe as the flames encompassed the young women's and girls' corpses. The dark mist that surrounded the corpses slowly disappeared, leaving behind nothing but rested spirits. Bonney thanked Omniana, then grabbed a matchbox from her pockets. She lit a couple of them and threw them on the corpses, watching as their bodies went up in flames.
"I see you were able to break the curse," Seikichi said, raising the two women's guard. There he stood in his patchwork yukaka and his cane, with the same kind smile on his pale face. Only this time, it felt sinister. Maisie and Bonney looked at each other, mutually understanding that they had to feign ignorance as to who he actually was.
"It's all done, sir," Bonney replied, pointing at the massive bonfire by her side. Seikichi nodded. The tension in the air was thick, almost unbreathable.
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"Good, good. Well, folks, I don't have much to give you in terms of money; business hasn't been the same." He explained, adding a small chuckle at the end. Maisie and Bonney continued to stand there awkwardly. Seikichi wasn't stupid. Their attitude towards him had changed, and his cover was obviously blown. "Let's not beat around the bush, shall we?" He threw away his cane, and the women watched as he grew into a henchman. His yukata now reached just below his knee, and his mana was suffocating.
"If you're this powerful, why didn't you just break the curse yourself?" Bonney asked, not that intimidated by the display of strength.
"I don't specialise in that stuff." He disappeared, then reappeared behind Bonney, clasping his hands together and bringing them down on her like a hammer. Bonney vanished and appeared next to Maisie.
"Let's go." She spoke, dragging Maisie.
"Why aren't we fighting?" Maisie asked, confused.
"Too lazy to fight." Bonney simply replied. They continued running down the forest before entering the stoned road. The girls could feel Seikichi's mana approaching them at high speeds. They continued down the now-almost-busy street, filled with young geishas. kamuros and courtesans. Maisie and Bonney swiftly navigated through them, their eyes focused on the visible exit.
Once they exited the town, Bonney made a line at the entrance with her foot, creating a purple barrier. They watched as Seikichi ran through the crowd, eliciting screams of horror.
"This is the good part," Bonney said, with a wide grin plastered on her face. The old man collided with the barrier, which was forcibly pushed back. Seikichi tried again, but to no avail. He screamed out in anger, his voice sending waves through the village centre, prompting people to run away and protect themselves.
Maisie finally relaxed, rolling her shoulders back. The beginning of the journey was already filled with so much stress that she'd hoped whatever side job they took next would be easy-going. She then looked up at the older woman, who was looking at her nails, and spoke up.
"Can anyone learn Voodoo?" She asked. Bonney looked at Maisie and nodded.
"It's the only other type of magic that isn't bound by possessing a certain type of mana or magic type." The red-haired woman answered.
"What's the other?" The elf asked, intrigued.
"Necromancy." The voodoo mage replied. Maisie's eyes widened. She had heard stories of necromancers being among the enemy's army in her previous life. However, she brushed it off, not believing that such magic existed.
"Do you know a necromancer?" She then asked. Bonney nodded, laughing a little, which greatly confused the elf.
"Isaiah."
"Huh, Isaiah's a necromancer!?" Bonney nodded. A chill went down Maisie's spine when an image of Isaiah propping up a corpse and laughing filled her head. She shook her head rapidly, brushing off the dark thoughts.
This world was truly filled with unique wonders.