'Thank you.'
"Okay . . . okay . . ." She muttered to herself. "Freaky, freaky."
"So theses skeletons aren't part of the demon list?" Genevieve asked, eyes widening at the sight of what Valeriana did.
"One becomes a demon when the soul becomes corrupted." Rowe told them. "In this case, only their bodies are being controlled, but their souls are not affected in anyway. My guess is that this is a mix of necromancy and puppetry—the partial resurrection in order to animate the movements of a body which no longer have a soul, making it much easier for it to fall under control. They're dolls."
"Puppetry?" She swung for the next skeleton.
"The strings you talk about." He answered. "There are other ways, but this is the most unusual. In order to animate dead bodies, you have to put a part of yourself into their own—that means sacrificing a part of your soul." Rowe kicked a skeleton away that came at him. "It serves as a connection." He grunted when another clung at his shoulders and attempted to pull him back. "But cutting the strings cut that connection."
"What in the world is this—" Tamara was able to evade the slash of a sword in time. "Now they're wielding weapons!" She exclaimed before blocking the next swing with her own blade.
"Troublesome." Brindon commented.
"Enough chitchat and explaining already!" Courtney hissed. "I'm not interested in the mechanics of how these things work! What I want to know is how to put an end to them! This isn't a class!" Whirlwinds appeared on her palm. With a swift shot of her hand, she blew all the skeletons away—literally.
"They just . . . keep on coming! Is there no end to this?" Zevlin inquired as he took on three at once.
Corvan frowned. "I'm done. What should we do? How do we cut the strings?" He asked.
They all turned to Valeriana, looking at her from the corner of their eyes while they continued combat. The girl was frantically throwing random strikes in the air that they doubted if she was even thinking about she was moving.
"Well . . ." Another skeleton crumbled at her feet. "I . . . cut the strings!"
"How reliable." Courtney huffed.
A few sighed. The others groaned.
"The strings resemble the appearance of a thread. But this thread is not normally seen at all." Rowe flipped through the air. "It cannot be touched, it cannot be seen. Because it is made up of a person's soul."
"So Valeriana's the only one who can do this?" Corvan looked annoyed.
"It isn't exactly impossible." Rowe answered. "I've suspected the presence of these strings since I myself did not sense any malice I normally sense from a demon."
"Then how?"
"It will take a great deal of power to momentarily be able to tap into the realm of the spirits. For even though those strings existed right here, right now, they are someplace else which is out of our reach. For me to accomplish it, I'll have to leave my body."
"That's not good. Agh." Genevieve said, kicking away the weapons that the skeletons carried before grabbing the skulls of the two that attempted to attack her. With a cry, she smashed their heads together. "I don't think it's advisable."
"You aren't the only one who's getting tired!" Keelan shouted, hearing her statement. "I'm hungry . . ."
"Mind your food later, you idiot!" Elfre screamed at him. "Can't you see we're in a situation here? These guys may be weak, but we can't go to the city if we don't go through them first!"
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Legend | Celeste Academy Series BK #2
Fantasy|Celeste Academy Series BK #2| The Twelve has left the academy walls to explore the the Larkovian continent, seeking the enigmatic brother of the king. While getting the archduke to come with them was easier than they'd hope, his conditions pose as...
