> [Undying Resilience] - 5th circle spell.
>
> Element: Underworld.
>
> Type: Soul.
>
> Classification: Support. Curse.
>
> Target: Self.
>
> Allows the body to resist otherwise fatal injuries without risk of death. The enchanted soul will not depart the body for any reason. Mana cost to sustain the spell is based on the severity of injuries. Healing magic effects are greatly diminished while this spell is in effect. The spell can be removed only by the caster or with a higher circle curse removal. If caster runs out of mana while still suffering from mortal wounds the spell will feed upon the caster's soul to sustain itself.
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Aidan filed the tongue lashing session he received from the girls under personal improvement. And it was not over yet.
"But there is one point that still worries me. Aidan was distracted during the goblin assault, he was distracted while dueling the captain. But weeks before all that, Dawn fought and won against that wolfkin slaver without a problem." Pearl pointed out.
"What is the biggest difference between these cases? I wasn't in the dungeon." The elf pouted.
"Aidan was asleep when the slavers attacked. During the goblin raid, was Dawn awake?"
"Yes, she was awake," Pearl remembered it all too well.
Aidan just let them drivel on. It was not because he was too intimidated to talk but because he was getting important pointers from them and the girls' mood improved quite a lot. He hadn't seen them this lively ever. But also because they would completely ignore him.
Sora was weary from the year she spent watching over his recovery. Pearl was back to her old merry self from before the expedition and now that the barriers between them broke, being true to herself. Cythrel... Cythrel dropped her little girl act and was now behaving her age. Mental age, not apparent age.
"Girls, Aidan is giving us the stink-eye." Cythrel pointed.
"Yes, you have been awfully quiet all this time, dear Aidan. What are you thinking? Or maybe the stress from being locked in this carriage with the three of us is too much for you to bear."
"Nothing like that. I'm just watching the beautiful forest outside." Aidan answered with fake disinterest.
"Outrageous! He is not even paying attention to us! Here we are giving our best to improve him and he just ignores us and shifts his mind..." Pearl paused. "Hold for a second. Shift his mind! That is it!"
Aidan understood where she was getting to after a few moments. He used the duel to experiment with his dual vision. It saved his life in the end but it also hindered him during the duel. With too much to think about, his focus was lost. His way of dealing with the sensations of both bodies was to tune out one of them at a time.
"Are you saying that his other half is distracting him?" Sora asked.
"Yes. Cythrel was right, Aidan is too smart for his own good. He needs to learn how to sort his thoughts and feelings between his bodies, not shut one off while he uses the other. We should have him do some exercise. And I know just the thing."
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The camp was ready, Gurf was making some game soup with wild vegetables Lola and Deb gathered around the surrounding hills. Out of his hearing range at the sunny side of the hill, the carriage conference plus Dawn were having an argument.
"C'mon, it is just a sparring session. Why are you getting clammy over sparring with yourself? You are in control, we got potions, you have healing magic and that undead spell."
"Undying Resilience. It is a dangerous one."
Aidan brushed aside Pearl's crazy suggestions. Her current plan was to make him and Dawn spar against each other. Or he against herself.
"But it uses up mana before doing damage to you. And believe me, I remember the values of your mana pools that Shinji appraised."
"You need to work on controlling both bodies at once. And we don't know what will come next. Besides, it will be a good exercise."
"Fine, Sora. I'll do it."
Aidan picked up one of the knight's longsword. His old one was scrap metal. Dawn drew her rapier. She saluted himself and he returned her own courtesy. It felt staged because it was. The four knights bound under the tree were watching the scene unfold.
They began with slow, choreographed movements. It felt more like a clumsy dance than a proper sparring session. Aidan gave time for the other side position themselves. Having himself and everything around in his field of view was very confusing. Seeing his own face as he swung the sword, knowing how and where the sparring partner would be. He could only make stiff, jerking motions as if some animator would freeze one body to move the other before continuing. In Earth terms, it felt like an old stop-motion movie.
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"Boring!" Cythrel complained.
"Be quiet, darling. You can go play with Deb if you can't stay here."
"Humph." She jerked her head away.
The exchange continued. Every move felt telegraphed, executed slowly enough to give the other party time to respond.
"I can see when he shifts focus between them, Pearl," Sora commented.
"Faster. Go a little faster the two of you or we are going to grow roots in here."
After several minutes, Aidan was growing a little confident. He was no longer dizzy from seeing the entire hill and his movements grew just a little less stiff. His mind tried to wander off and think of the carriage, how he missed his opportunity with Sora...
"First blood!" Pearl cheered.
Aidan felt a sting in his right arm, no, Dawn's right arm. His swing was poorly parried and he nicked her below the wrist. The knights shouted, after all, he wounded the princess.
He stopped to make Dawn use magic.
"Minor Healing."
The wound vanished, leaving just a small blood stain on her arm and hand.
"Yeah, that is the problem. We could see your eyes losing focus, your mind wandered off. Aidan, you need to control yourself. Find your focus." Sora cheered.
"And don't stop for every minor cut. The blades are clean, I can assure you there will be no scar in Lumina's body whatever you do."
Aidan and Dawn kept their sparring session for as long as her body stamina could endure. The sun already painted the sky in orange and red when they were finished. His mind was also tired. He felt the same dizzying headache he did back when he was first active in both bodies in Elmhill. But he had results. Their movements flowed into one another, it was still looking artificial and choreographed but the stuttering, the jittering pauses were no longer there. Their sparring flowed one blow after another, it was beautiful. And the fact they were aware of their facial expressions made them avoid doing those grimaces people usually do during fights.
A couple of healing light spells for each one and they were done.
Dawn sheathed her sword and wiped her face with a towel. She was barely able to stand up.
"Your Highness, Deb told me to tell you the water for the bath is ready." Lola came to let them know. "We just need Lord Aidan's magic to make the private area now."
"Excellent news, Lola. Let's get ready to have a bath. Lord Aidan, can I bother you with that task once more? I'm going in with Lady Sora, we have a lot to discuss." Pearl glanced at the squirrel-kin.
"Do we?" She was not convinced.
"Oh, yes! We do, milady. I have a lot of things to talk to you. We should even give Lumina the honor of going in first because we are going to take a really long bath." Pearl answered and then grabbed Sora's arm, whispering in a very low voice. "Oh, don't look at me like that. We are just going to soak and talk. I'm not aiming for you, Sora. Or anyone else in this group. The one that should be getting some action is not me if you know what I mean.
Cythrel grabbed Dawn's hand. "I'm going in with Lumina then. I must make sure she is pristine for her great return home."
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Aidan made a bathtub big enough for three people and lifted walls for an open-sky bath. Gurf carried the barrels with the water Deb conjured and purified during the afternoon and he heated the water and the stone with magic. Privacy wards in place and the bath for the princesses was ready.
Dawn entered the bath with Cythrel and as expected the elf girl had a completely uninteresting, childish body. What Dawn didn't expect was the respectful and graceful way she behaved in the bath. She entered the bath already steeled to endure some harassment, innuendo and block the small elf's advances. But everything Cythrel did was to help her wash Lumina's ridiculously long hair, check carefully the places where she was hurt for any scarring, brush the hard-to-reach places, compliment Lumina's beautiful figure and make pleasant small talk. She also washed the elf's hair. It reached her shoulder blades. when fully stretched.
After that, it was Pearl and Sora's turn. The beastkin came out of the bath blushing behind a triumphant Pearl. She didn't speak about what happened in there even when probed later.
Dawn gave goodnight to everyone and retreated inside the carriage for a nap. She was dead tired and the bath only made it worse by allowing her to relax.
Deb and Lola went next and it was time for Aidan, Gurf, and Skippy.
And the friendly neighborhood hunter with a heart had his two cents to offer Aidan as well.
"The Lord is really close to her Highness Lumina, right?"
"Yes, we are forced to stay together ever since the attack."
"Let me tell you, her Highness has no romantic interest in you whatsoever. I believe she sees you more like a sibling than anything else. It would be better to focus your efforts elsewhere."
"I'm well aware of Lumina's opinion regarding me. And I wouldn't dare court her. She is betrothed to the Crown Prince of Heath." Aidan said dismissively.
"Oh, is that so?"
"Yes, ah..."
And it erupted. It was like something exploding inside him, as if all of his blood wanted to flee from inside the body, a thousand needles digging his skin from inside out. Aidan coughed blood, droplets splattering and staining the bath water. He felt blood dripping from his nostrils, from his ears. He retched and vomited pure gastric acid. His legs failed and he dove back first in the water. Skippy roared and
Gurf rose and picked up the boy before he could drown. He felt warm. A tingling sensation from his skin, as if it were electrified. Gurf had no magic but he could feel the power convulsing and oozing from the body. He yelled for help but there was no answer. They were inside a privacy ward. He placed Aidan over his shoulder, thew a towel over him, another to cover his privates and ran outside.
"Help! Lord Aidan is ill!" He shouted. The girls were sitting around the campfire, watching the soup simmer in the cauldron and chatting.
Sora leaped up, her tail almost hitting the campfire as she turned around. She ran to get a bloodied Aidan from Gurf's shoulder.
"Deb, go and wake up Lumina. Hit her with cold water if you must, I don't mind and neither will she." Pearl commanded. "Lola, get clothes from the Lord's luggage and some blankets."
Cythrel picked up Skippy and held the dragon in her arms, soothing it. Agitated dragons tend to get fiery as some old elven saying had it and she was not too keen to test it.
Dawn awoke with a splash of cold water to the face, dizzy.
"Forgive me, your Highness!" Cried a very scared Deb.
Dawn's world spun. She could still feel the repulsion, the revolt happening in her male side's soul. She focused to take in her surroundings. She was inside the carriage and Deb was on the verge of tears. Dawn tried to smile.
"Deb, it is fine. Thanks for coming to get me." She managed to speak, groggy. "Help me move."
"Your Highness, it's Lord Aidan. He is ill."
"I know. Help me get there, I'll heal him."