“What do you mean you can’t help?” Asked Sera through thin lips and a womanly look that said he didn’t have a chance at survival without a good reason.
“Simple. I can explain the concept to a capable healer and even help them develop a proper theoretical counter even while injured, but even if it is something like what i use, the not so strong variety that works on a lot of things, i will still be unable to directly heal him without draining an absolutely disproportionate amount of vitality from some kind of source.” He explained. "It's more a 'it will take time' situation then one where I can snap my fingers and fix it, and I can't even begin to suggest anything without first seeing and analyzing the patient."
"That sounds like a whole lot of nothing." Frowned the prince.
"True. Which is why I need some painkillers and a teleportation. Rev up the contract thing and let's go, I want those credits." He said, already seeing the natural treasures coming his way.
"Shameless." Scoffed both siblings at the same time.
"I love you too. Contract?" He replied, snapping his fingers at them with an unimpressed look. Those treasures were absolutely necessary to getting back to full health. Or killing himself more awesomely.
The taller one was clearly not as used to such blase attitude, but soon enough he was following his sister out of the room.
With no one in the room, he started looking at nothing in particular and focused, eventually half closing his eyes as meditation set in and he dove into the pain.
Everything was going so slowly he really couldn’t bear to just wait like normal. He wanted to move, he wanted to scream, he wanted to not feel like he’d practically crippled himself AGAIN!
But unfortunately he had.
Despite growing used to the current level of pain, this despair was exactly why his path was so vast, so uncompromising in it’s need for growth. It was a wonder it didn’t manifest in more beneficial ways, but he WAS forcing it with his constant abuse of self and avoidance of physical conditioning. Hopefully he could one day stop using this weird system, but for now, he was not strong enough of heart to go through.
He’d have to make it a momentous choice, unfortunately.
Opening his status page, Aki distributed three of his free points to strength, dexterity and endurance each. Immediately, he felt the warmth flood him, his mind paradoxically being cleared by a cold feeling as it connected to the new developments of his body.
With an increased pool of vitality and it’s corresponding physical changes, it mattered less that he was not whole, but it was still not like he started regenerating again, though perhaps he would be able to heal past a certain point. Not that losing health wouldn’t worsen his situation or basically fusing himself to a half baked matrix so he could fight above his league while using his body as a receptacle to the spell.
HP closer to full, the pain lessened, though it was still there to some degree. With a slow circulation of both mana and vitality he could reach an eventual fix to his current problem, and there was no reason to not do so while awaiting for opportunity, but ultimately, he knew that wasn’t how things would go, even actively looking forward to it.
Still, he was tired. Even by constantly needling himself with mana and trying to focus through it, it was like he had spent three days without sleep instead of in a coma. So it was only as a soft finger poked his cheek that he awoke from his impromptu meditation session.
Blinking rapidly, he turned his head to see hanging peaks barely showing themselves as they led to his handler's nape and face.
"Alright, we ready to go? You made the circle, mana, whatever ingredients you used?" He asked, trying not to sound too impatient.
"We have, but you will be firming the contract with me this time." Said Karz from his other side. Turning to face him, Aki was happy to note that his neck complained like it'd been in a bad position for long instead of like it was being torn and cut.
Despite the obvious tension of the royal siblings however, he easily put in the necessary significance in the related contract formula, strengthening his contract to protect the country’s interest and affirming his identity despite the lack of proper professional opinions on who he was.
Not that a more experienced mind mage from the empire would be much safer than their prince while in his psych. The place was pretty fucked up, and he technically counted as a path breaker as well, while psionics having a sudden crisis of faith in the middle of the job would not end up much differently then a possibly breached tech-priest in the 40K universe.
Luckily he didn’t have to deal with that blood in his hands yet.
…………….
*Spluergh* “Damn you all.” He cursed before quickly starting to gag again, nothing coming out of his stomach after the second wave of vomit. “Scum eating, half blooded no good lineages of mindless savages that would fuck anything moving.” Nope, apparently there was still something inside as he managed to vomit insults at the bastards that looked absolutely fine despite so many pieces of him coming wrong from the rip in the fabric.
“... Did he just call us human?” Asked the royal that was more used to the spirit’s antics.
“Yes.” Replied a suddenly tired Kirian.
“This is an order, get up and explain.” Said a suddenly serious princess who was getting strange looks from the rest of the delegation arriving at the royal nexus.
“Urgh. Fuck you, if you don’t already know about the sucubi and the inferni then i’m not taking that awkward talk from your dear parents.” Snickering, Aki forced himself up to deliver that line, then used mana to get his body and vitality to bend it’s knees slightly and shove his elbow into the neck of the guy that tried to hit him from behind, with all the force he could put into it on the movement and a disrupting wave if mind mana, something which made the man unconscious immediately. "Get over yourselves, you stupid knights. If neither royal is overtly bothered with my manners it's because I have tactical agreement. Decide amongst yourselves who will carry the failure there."
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His follow up seemed to stun the heavily armored people that looked like they wanted to dice him up. The grunts of the royal scions sealed the deal however.
"Aki, why can't you explain?" Asked a clearly irritated princess.
"Because it'd cause a sociocultural shock on figures of importance for the nation's future and cause no positive change on the present or most likely future scenarios." He mouthed off, taking his place behind the two royals. "So the contract makes me physically unable to tell you."
And he really wished that was true enough to stop him from even bringing an issue like this one onto himself, but no, he hadn't the intention or even much direction for his cursing, so the contract didn't so much as twitch to stop him, the lousy ass thing.
It's quality was exactly why he could go ahead with his plans, but it did have disadvantages.
Foot to mouth moment assise though, he still had to deal with checking into the royal palace. Which was also an incredible pain that required several more magical contracts to be applied on top of his main one, though luckily he could tell that none cost too much of his significance.
He was, after all, a walking chemical bomb capable of creating memetic agents with his mere presence and also not the most mentally stable person, nevermind the half hour that it took for the present politicians and mages to design the preliminary action plan for dealing with a holy mage gaining an audience with the demon king.
While he had not practiced it much, he did have to explain his capability to use it due to his contract, and a short promise to give some classes on it's use later, he got Sera to vouch for him and speed things along. Not that he had ever planned to not explain it to them, as his contributions would necessarily give him credits he could use to buy some good shit.
Something which he made sure to point out to the room filled with panicking idiots. Who still didn't seem to believe that they could possibly learn to use holy magic.
Not that he hadn't seen that coming and already prepared a solution to teach anyway.
Increased number of people ready to stab him aside though, it was merely very boring to get to treating the demon king.
A man who was admittedly very much on top of his game, only a few gray hairs propping up and giving him a look of a silver fox that gained more wisdom and power as his age progressed, his dark golden skin like a polished armor that could be considered both defense and ornament as it somehow perfectly framed his hard lined face and musculature while serving as a contrast to his ebony hair and crown like horns.
Clearly a Pride.
So when they approached the throne, he was even more sure of his following actions. As all but the royals kneeled, he stood straight, head high as he exposed his neck and chest, and although everyone else was surprised by his actions, he did not stumble in his greetings.
"Long live his majesty the Demon King, glorious golden hope of the empire!" His voice, filled with mana and vitality, filled the room, only for a golden and black slash to come for his throat, so fast he could not see anything but the afterimage.
Leaving it perfectly okay, to the surprise of all present.
"Your greeting is witnessed spirit. Few remember the old ways, but I do." Nodded the Demon king, his voice even more powerful despite the regular volume and the fact he only infused it with essence. "Welcome back my children. I see and hear you have done well on my orders." He nodded towards the princelings.
""Thank you, your majesty."" Replied both the royals as they held a fist over their heart and gave another short bow to their father.
There was a short pause and then the man gave the order to be at ease. A few simple reports were given, but soon enough he was given permission to examine the king and his wound. Which wasn't so readily obvious due to his jacket and the man's stoic contenance, but you could very well smell the blood still as long as you were close.
Much in the same way, he needed very little to determine the nature of the bane keeping the man's gut half exposed behind his bandaged abdominal.
"Well, good and bad news. It's not as bad as it could be, but the bane is still rather specific, targeting whoever is the Demon king. Meaning it will take copious amounts of effort to get rid of so long as that remains to be his majesty's title." He explained while dusting his pants, though the floor had been rather clean as he kneeled.
"Neither retirement or conquest would change that so long as he is still thought of as the demon king by people however, so that line of action is not so useful. Rather, I'd suggest extensive physical care from doctors specialized in surgery and post surgery care plus spending several hours per day inside of a black box where no magic can enter to starve the bane bit by bit, preferably as his Majesty relax in a modest environment and manner, avoiding his job to distance himself from the targeted essence." Despite his tame suggestion, no one looked especially happy at the news.
"And if I don't follow the second half of said treatment?" Asked the patient.
"Then your majesty remains as you currently are, fighting against the Bane magic until there isn't enough of it to survive your body's natural capacity for renewal. My first estimates would have this fight to end in about a decade from now if the current rate of degradation is kept."
And weren't the reactions between his answers varied this time? While their king remained impassive and expressionless, most of those in the room seemed suddenly very relieved. Except for the doctors that'd been taking care of the man currently sitting down in the room's most impressive chair.
Aki just shared a glance with the two head doctors and then the king. They, and perhaps Sera, seemed to realize the part that remained unsaid. Though the last one seemed to only suspect it.
The king was not strong enough to survive a decade with the effects of an ever opening gut wound, especially with healing magic being less effective against the wound.
"Preparing the sealing room will take a while. While I have the theoretical knowledge and have begun to enchant, this is not something easy to create without making the whole thing into a deadly trap. Depending on available materials, it will take a few weeks to three or four months, though neither extreme is very likely to happen unless there is already a material that does not need to be enchanted to create such an effect."
"There's too little of it to coat even a small room." The king shook his head. "Though you are welcome to study it's samples. Now, how long would this method take?"
"A year or two, depending on how much the Bane has firmed itself upon your body upon beginning of the treatment, though it is not like your majesty would be stopped from proceeding with other treatments to further reduce the time while following this one so long as they are timed correctly, so I highly recommend it."
"Good, it will be our first priority and you will be the main advisor of the team supposed to build such a room. What other treatments do you suggest?" Sighed the king.
"Of the few that come to mind, I would suggest a frequent blood and healing combined casting ritual where your majesty would shed bodily mass to directly reduce the concentration of Bane in your body, with time being given between iterations so as to avoid taxing your body to exhaustion. In the meantime, it is for the best that your majesty keeps his physical training to a bare minimum, focussing on developing your spirit and mind so as to personally reduce propagation of the Bane, to which end I highly suggest attending my future classes on holy magic, which I'm sure could be easily fit into your repertoire."
"... Holy magic?" Asked the monarch as some of the knights present tensed their hands over their weapons as he suggested their liege be butchered. The healers just seemed conflicted however, clearly understanding the need to consider all the options.