-Arlett-
"So, ready for the only part of this night I had planned?" Miki asks with a much lighter mood than earlier in the night. Arlett, having caught her breath from the events of the dream, is sitting in the grass as her patron stands up and explains. "Of course, master, I always look forward to it!" She responds enthusiastically. Miki starts floating in place, her tail swaying about playfully, announcing "I wanted to show you a certain ability of mine. It's nothing much, but it should be really helpful with your upcoming encounters." She sticks a finger to the sky, as a glass ball starts floating where she points. Arlett, cautiously excited, smiles as she watches the ball.
"Look at the ball, okay?" Miki requests as she moves from her spot in the air. The glass orb stays where it is, even as the demon floats away. Arlett watches it intensely, as her master sits in the grass beside her. "What do you see?" Miki asks. Arlett responds with as much information as she can, "You pointed a finger up, creating the glass ball, then you came over here and it stayed in place." Miki snickers, "Observant, aren't we? Well what I'm about to give you should make your time a whole lot easier. Keep watching the ball."
The demon shuffles over towards Arlett, gently pressing her hand on the mark on her servant's neck. "Draw out some magic, and move it with my hand, okay Ari?" Miki instructs. Arlett nods, relaxing her eyes to help her focus. Miki's hand and magic flow together, up the neck and to the temple, then over Arlett's eyes. "Look at the ball again, darling." Miki asks, removing her hands from the warlock. Opening her eyes, Arlett tilts her head and leans in, as much curiosity as ever. "It's glowing purple!"
Miki giggles, flying back to the ball, "Now, come grab it, see what happens!" Arlett stands, and reaches for the glass orb before her, only for her hand to pass through it. "An illusion? The ability is an illusion detector?" Arlett thinks aloud to her patron. "Not only that, darling!" Miki starts, "Take a look at my hand." The demon holds up her hand, open and palm facing her warlock. Arlett looks to see a red glow, brighter red than Miki's magic tends to be. "It's glowing red, so does that mean something else?" Arlett asks, a hint of amazement in her voice. Miki nods, grinning more than before, "It means a buildup of energy, like with the blast of power I taught you on night one."
Nodding in understanding, it takes the warlock a moment to connect the dots. Arlett's eyes widen as she hastily jumps to her patron's side, out of the way of whatever blast of energy is about to emerge. Sure enough, a hum starts to sound as a beam of pure magical power rushes from Miki's hand. A beam not unlike the one Arlett used the night prior, but the demon's is on a whole other level. To be standing as nearby as she was felt like the beam engulfed her, despite not making contact. Dropping her arm loosely, Miki starts explaining with no regard for the feat of power she displayed, "Red glow means energy. Could be harmless, could be healing, usually wants to kill you though."
Arlett's jaw dropped at the being before her, seeing Miki use destructive magic for the first time really put perspective into her own abilities. Without a doubt, Arlett knew now better than ever, she could never hope to hurt her master. To try would be a death wish for anyone in this world. "Oh that?" Miki starts, having read her servant's very clear expression of awe, "That's nothing to get shocked at. Just a basic burst of magic, as simple as it was for you." A moment passes before the warlock can conjure up more questions, but she does nonetheless, "What other colours will I see, master?" Miki begins counting on her fingers as she recounts the full list, "red for energies, purple for illusion, orange for protection, green for creation, sky blue for divination," she switches to her other hand, "aqua blue for alteration, yellow for mind manipulation, and black for life manipulation. You'll memorize it eventually, don't rush it."
Arlett runs through the list in a mumble, looking to Miki as she recalls the list to herself. "So, the ice armour would glow orange?" Arlett asks her patron. Miki nods, "That's right, darling. And if you could look at yourself while you used this magic, your eyes would glow a sky blue. See?" The demon's eyes glaze over with scarlet for a brief moment, as her eyes start to emit a bright sky blue glow. "Are you using the spell too, master?" Arlett wonders aloud, staring with her usual curiosity filling her voice. Miki giggles to herself, waves her hand to dismiss the illusory orb, nodding as she responds, "I am, it's quite a useful ability. Illusions become virtually useless against it, and it can help you see through the tactics of the enemy."
Hearing Miki's assessment, the warlock gets an idea. "Master? I have a request, if I may..."Arlett starts, cautious about making any sort of demands or asks of her patron. Miki's smirk grows, as she leans in a little to answer, "Go ahead, Ari." Arlett takes a deep breath before continuing, "You have greater magic than I've ever seen or heard of, so I was just wondering if you could give me a practice fight against an enemy that will have the powers of whoever the other warlock will be? I don't know anything about them, but if you do, this could be a great way to train!"
Miki stops her levitation, landing gracefully on the grass before her servant. "You couldn't have asked at a better time, darling. We're in a dream, and just as I can enter, I can shape it. I haven't yet, so everything except me is part of your original dream. Let's make a plan, your suggestion isn't too bad." The demon waves her hands at the air to her side, creating what can only be described as a blank canvas of a human. Faceless except for a simple nose, hairless, featureless. Just a textbook definition of a human body. Its height matches Arlett's, and its figure seems to me more towards a male build than female. Miki starts to explain to her amazed servant, "I'll tell you what I know. I've actually talked with the enemy's patron. We'll call them my rival for now, okay?" Arlett nods, as she relaxes her eyes to focus on Miki, letting the magic slip away.
The demon continues, beginning to shape the blank person as she describes them. "To start, we're looking for a man. Secondly, he'll likely use a sword to fight. The reason I know that? Well..." Miki points to the canvas of a man, who is now holding a sword that completely contrasts the blank nature of its wielder. The sword is the size of a broadsword, one sided, being held with one hand despite there being enough space on the handle for two hands. The blade is seemingly made of steel, with a few teeth carved into the blade near the handle. The craftsmanship is incredible, unlike anything Arlett had seen a guard or adventurer carrying.
Miki interrupts her warlock's inspection, "That's him. My rival. He's a powerful soul trapped in a sword. He can still float around, and still has magic to use for himself, or give to a warlock of his own, but in the end he is definitely limited by his lack of body. He's at his strongest with someone to wield him, and that fact is what started this competition in the first place." Arlett looks up to her master. A sword who could grant someone powers? She's heard legends of items like that, but very few ever mention the sword having a soul inside it.
Miki continues, shaping the model again, "I also know the enemy has combat experience, or at the very least knows how to fight. Also, they're physically strong. As for magic, knowing my rival's taste, he's likely tried to force them to use spells that compliment a close range battle. My coin's on a shield spell, it's his favorite." The model now faces Arlett, pointing the sword towards her face. With a wave of the demon's hand, Arlett's brush appears in its owner's grasp. Miki starts floating again, moving to spectate, announcing, "Get ready, Ari. Let's give this a shot. Don't forget, we won't know all of his tricks, so don't assume anything."
Arlett starts cautiously walking back, making some space before the fight really begins, but not taking her eyes off the enemy. A faint breeze picks up in the field the dream conjured, as the model enemy starts to take a stance. A moment passes before any movement, as Arlett takes the initiative to surround herself with frost for armour. Tensing her body, breathing and focusing on the cold she felt protecting her from the fight with the lemure... a faint mist surrounds her body, not making contact, but forming a complete shield.
As she focuses back on her opponent, she realizes that he's already began closing the distance. He's running, and at a much faster pace than expected. Arlett holds her brush forward, preparing to blast a burst of energy into the model. Red sparks flicker as the iconic scarlet beam streams forth. On impact, dust kicks up, but before it manages to clear, the model comes sprinting through, unphased, sword prepared to swing. The distance keeping Arlett safe is trampled, with a possessed blade being swung at her stomach. She attempts to jump back, but gets caught by the tip of the sword, which collides with the mist armour.
Both combatants are knocked back, and even though the enemy's swinging arm was coated in frost, Arlett can tell from both the pain in her stomach and the soft dripping sound that she didn't block the whole attack. On the bright side, there was a little distance between her and the sword, so she still had a chance. Another beam from her brush cracks through the sky, impacting with the model's offhand, causing it to stagger. Arlett stands back up, inspecting the damage dealt while preparing another shot.
When the enemy catches himself, his arm is limp, bruised. A sign of a successful attack, giving the demon's servant incentive to release another. A wave of the brush, and a second beam rushes through the air, only for the model to leap to the side, evading the beam completely. Sparks start to come from the enemy's offhand, as he swings it forward. In an instant, a line of lightning jolts through the air, reaching for Arlett. The electricity seems to coil around her, akin to a rope or chain. Her arms are forced to her sides as she tries to break free, but to no avail. The lightning starts to pull as the model gives it a yank, forcing Arlett in the direction of the enemy.
The lightning dissipates as another swing is initiated, aiming for her core. She can't dodge it entirely, as her momentum is headed towards the sword. She puts her shoulder to take the hit, being forced to endure the blow. As the edge starts to dig into her upper arm, a scarily familiar red fire starts to burst from the gash, sending the model and his blade flailing away in a morbid dance of searing flame. Catching her footing, Arlett holds her brush to ready another strike. While the model tries in vain to put out the fire, Arlett ends the battle with a perfectly shot beam, which strikes the model's chest, pushing through it, leaving a hole that no human could survive.
The model drops onto it's back, letting the blade fall to the dirt. Arlett's body gives in to the exhaustion, dropping her to her knees. She looks to her body, assessing the damage. A small wound on the stomach, and a deeper one on her left arm. They hurt so much, especially given that it's all a dream. She's felt pain before, her real body was aching when she went to sleep. This was another reminder that her master was right. 'I can't get hurt anymore' Arlett starts repeatedly thinking to herself.
Miki lands on the grass before Arlett again, looking down at her warlock. "How do you feel?" She asks, having watched the fight attentively. The warlock looks up, wincing a bit, "I'm alright, I feel pretty good about the fight. I'm getting the hang of using-" Miki cuts her servant off, "Don't act tough, darling. It hurts to get cut, doesn't it?" Arlett nods, wincing much more now. Miki puts a hand on her chosen one's head, as all aches and wounds fade away, remarking, "You're lucky this is a dream, I can actually heal you here..." Her tone jumps to a tease, starting to rub Arlett's hair, "I can also make you feel other ways if I want, but maybe I can show you another time, hmm?" Arlett's face goes bright red, but she nods very faintly.
Miki snickers before taking her hand back, "Another nice part of controlling a dream is that I can pick when you wake up. I think you've earned it tonight, what time would you like to wake up, darling?" Arlett looks up at her master, slightly caught off guard by the offer, responding, "I'd love to get up early, I have a lot of painting I need to finish before my next shift, so if there's time, an earlier morning would help." Miki giggles again, before waving her hands about, making various patterns through the air. "Before you go, darling..." Miki starts, smirking, "That spell I mentioned? The one that made you obey my every command?" Arlett tilts her head in acknowledgment. "I wasn't using any magic. You did it all just because I said so, darling." Miki teasingly announces to her now confused and flustered servant.
Arlett's eyes open, and she's in a bed of sweat. She pulls off the blankets, kicking her legs over the side and sitting up. Her arm is still bandaged, the bloodstain still present. Her arm is more sore than anything else. It's functional, not broken or torn. Flashbacks of the scene start filling Arlett's head, remembering the flame, the look of Miki's eyes as she was burning, and how she crawled onto- Arlett cuts her thoughts short, getting up to get into some day clothes. Looking back at her bed, a small red spot is left where her arm rested. A hint of panic starts to set in, the sheets were practically ruined, cleaning out a bloodstain is practically impossible.
A moment passes where the artist ponders her options. Looking outside shows the sun hasn't come over the horizon. Miki woke her up at the perfect time, there's at least a few hours before she'll be needed downstairs. An idea pops into her head. Miki. Magic. Maybe there's a way to use the magic she has to fix the sheets. She remembers a time with Faythra, when they were much younger, and her mystical friend spilled the meal they were sharing. Somehow, she had a spell to clean the messes off the floor and table. Something like that might work. Holding her hand out to the stain, letting her master's magic deep out from the mark on her back, flow through her body and out of her hand, magic seems to envelop the blood on the sheets.
A moment passes, as Arlett tries to focus on the goal she has of removing the stain, the blood begins to disappear from the white blanket. Amazed, the warlock continues, watching the mark completely vanish. In fact, the section where the blood once was is the brightest and freshest she's ever seen the bed. She practices on the rest of her room for some time, starting to understand the feeling and methods behind the spell. After making her bed, the room looks to be in near perfect condition. Not a spec of dust, dampness, or anything in between. She even managed to clean paint splotches off the floor. The purple drips from night one of her new life. Shivers go down her spine as she thinks it, but this is how things are now. Miki's not too bad to work under, even if she has some.. interesting ways of having fun. Flashbacks start to fill her head. Of the dream she shared with her master. And unfortunately, of the panic attack she had. She snaps herself out of the daydream she started, looking to her easel and brushes.
On the easel is a painting she wrapped up just before she met her new master. Behind it, leaning on the wall, a blank canvas. The group of four, who asked with gold for their scene to be finished by the end of today. That's the task for the morning. Moving the completed painting to the side, she sets the blank canvas in place. Preparing her brushes and paints, her mind starts to fill with visions of the land she's painting, just as it always does. As if she were there, she can feel the grass, hear the flocks of birds above, smell the pine from the trees. Watch the water's ripples from a dragonfly landing on a lily pad, only to zoom off when a fish swims by. It's lovely.
Time passes more than she realizes, by the time she wraps up the bulk of the painting, the sun is up and awake. Only four parts left. The adventures themselves. Silhouettes typically work for the purposes of the scene, allowing black to be used to paint over the landscape. One inspecting the pond, one watching the birds. One consulting a map, and the last one looking at a frog on the path. It's been so long since Arlett could truly get lost in her art. So much has happened in the last... only two days. 'It's only been two days? It's felt like so much longer, but I guess magic can really change the world. From cleaning a room to entering dreams, destruction or healing, it's so amazing just imagining it. Thank you for showing me this world, Miki.'