It was a long journey, but Earle had finally made it. An excessively long journey. This was way too much space for an Earl's estate. The gates to paradise lay before him now. An imposing sight, it was. A massive structure of steel, embossed with runes of bronze in a spiral around each picket. On each half of the gate was a drake made in a similar manner, a steel body and bronze runes, staring each other down. Their eyes were blue orbs that peered into his soul. Just standing before it was crushing him with its presence. Literally. Earle was being crushed by a spell implemented when Mayid tightened restrictions on travel to the outside.
"Ah, I'm very sorry, Master. I forgot to remove the spell."
Snap. In a display of mastery, Mayid removed the spell with only a snap of her fingers. It was curious how she could use one gesture for so many different forms of magic.
"Fuc- I mean, oops! The security breach spell is activating! This one will take a little longer, so I suggest you take cover, Master."
"Huh?"
The drakes turned their heads toward Earle, their eye orbs glowing ominously. They were getting brighter. He was about to get beamed down by his own gate! He turned to run the opposite direction, and yelped in shock. The void beast was standing behind him! Was it following him the whole time? Then... the gate wasn't targeting him, but the void beast! Perfect!
"Make way, intangible void monster that only I can see!"
Mayid broke her concentration for a moment to make a comment.
"It's name is Rami, Master."
"When did it get a name!?"
Earle ran straight through the void monster while yelling, using his newfound knowledge that it could do him no harm. He would be safe as long as he got some distance from it. Rami, none the wiser, followed behind him. It didn't want to lose its only source of nom noms.
"No! You stupid be-"
"Rami, Master."
"-ast! Stop following me! Please!"
Hadn't Earle suffered enough already? He lost his bed, he was forced to eat eggs, he was hit by a void spell, he was assaulted by a void monster, and now he was going to die to his own defenses! 4 shots flew over his head in quick succession, passing through Rami with no effect. Brilliant design! The shot timing was staggered such that downtime between shots was minimized, forcing the intruder to dance! In this case it didn't help much, though! It also didn't make much sense for the beams to be so close to hitting him when Rami was so massive. Until Earle remembered a vital piece of information. Rami was an intangible monster that only he could see! The gate was aiming at him!
He sped up, zigging and zagging, back and forth, but Earle couldn't keep this up much longer; he wasn't very physically inclined, already nearing the point of collapse. Only the fear for his life fueled him this long. And collapse he did. The outside was way too dangerous, but Earle had no regrets. He would die with honor!
K'Zarin! K'Zarin! Take over his body! Quickly! Or we might really die this time!
You never told me the key phrase you doofus!
It was, uh, it was-! I can't remember! I can't remember the phrase, K'Zarin!
Earle got a sudden and unexplained urge to yell out between his huffing breaths, "HUFF, VOID- HUFF, VOID HYPNOSIS!"
That! That was it! VOID HYPNOSIS!
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Fa'Rinia, you buffoon, if you say the phrase, then you'll be the one taking over!
OH. OH NO.
"K'Zarin, I think we're going to die!"
Listen, for now, just infuse his legs with the residual void mana in his brain, and start running!
"What if his legs explode!?"
No time to worry about that, just do it!
"O-OK!"
Fa'Rinia guided the leftover mana from her brain tinkering escapades down to Earle's abdomen, and split it off evenly between the both of his legs, letting it diffuse. A beam flew by his (her?) head, blasting off half an ear.
"Ow! Why can I feel that!?"
Leave it for later and hurry the FUCK up Fa'Rinia!
"Ahhh, screw it!"
Fa'Rinia forced the mana to spread with an explosive force. Earle's pant legs exploded along with nearly all the skin from his thighs to his calves in a bloody mess, leaving bare muscle to the open air. She took a step, and the world blurred.
"Ow, ow, ow, ow!"
Stay focused! It's still tracking you! And stop running in a straight line!
The warning came a tad late; just as K'zarin told Fa'Rinia, a beam was headed straight for the back of Earle's head. Just before it struck, a shield materialized in its path. Mayid was done taking apart the spell, and started making her way toward Earle.
OK! Fa'Rinia! Crisis averted! Now get the hell out of there, because the maid does not look happy!
"Great idea, but I have no idea how to!"
I'll do it for you then, but forcefully cutting your connection will hurt. Like, a LOT.
"Ah, no, I'd rather not do that, I'll just figure it out on my ow- ACK!"
Mayid arrived just as Earle collapsed. Her usual smirk was nowhere to be seen, sporting a veritably chilly expression in its place.
"Hm... Was it just my imagination?"
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Earle's woke up to sticky legs and an empty feeling on the right side of his head. With a blank look, he inspected his legs. Then felt the side of his head. The searing pain hit him the moment he became aware of his circumstances.
"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH! MAYID! MAYID! WHAT HAPPENED TO ME!? MY LEGS! MY EAR!"
His pants were now short shorts soaked in blood and his legs were skinless.
"Apologies, Master, but I am incapable of casting any form of healing spell. All I could do was stop the bleeding with a compressed field until you woke up."
Earle would've gone into shock if not for Mayid's efforts in maintaining her usual expression. It helped to calm him down. And so easily did his resolve to not receive aid from the spirits of life dissolve.
"Sp-spirits of life! Grant me your power! Ack! Deliver unto me an eternal life! Immortal Constitution!"
It took not even a second for Earle's legs and ear to heal. He was thankful that the ear healed. He'd never had to use the spell for missing appendages before, so he wasn't sure if it would.
"Are you starting to have doubts about leaving the mansion, Master?"
"No, Mayid. Something of this caliber is not enough to stop me. And if the world outside is even more dangerous, then so be it. Let any challenge come my way! I will overcome it regardless!"
"But Master, all you did was run...?"
"It matters not! I overcame the challenge, and I am in one piece!"
"But you lost half an ear...?"
"I am currently in one piece!"
Earle pushed forward. To the gate once more, which was hopefully much safer now.
"Master, are you sure you don't want to go back and change first?"
"Mayid, you will be unable to compel me!"
Earle did his best to ignore Mayid. She was only trying to prevent his departure. To force upon him a life of comfort and eggs. He would never give in. Never. It was a lot harder ever since he received that backlash, however. He felt the need to obey her every word, to let her tread upon him so that she would not have to step foot on the filth of the earth, to live with only the purpose of her satisfaction.
"GAH!"
It was more painful than losing the skin of his legs. This wouldn't do. This absolutely would not do. He needed to fix this.
Mayid was a maid. Mayid was older than his great grandfather. Mayid housed a shadow monster ate people in a disgusti- CUTE manner.
"GAHHH!"
Mayid, Mayid, Mayid, Mayid was- Mayid almost got him killed! Mayid was keeping him confined! Mayid was feeding him eggs every day! She fed him everyday. She kept him safe in the confines of the mansion. Mayid saved him from dying. An absurd thought popped into Earle's mind. Did Mayid like him?
Earle's face flushed once more. And he lost the battle. It was an inevitable defeat. The budding feelings bloomed for his bombshell housekeeper in the poor Earl Earle's heart, existing only to be squashed by a harsh reality yet to come. But that reality was, of course, yet to come. For now, Earle lived in a sweet delusion.