I felt it, a slight disturbance. After carefully watching the pair of them fight, with me as the tool, I had grown very used to Alysia’s moves. While Octius was focusing on what I would do and how I’d deflect each attack, I could concentrate on everything Alysia was doing, and how it ended up being conquered. It was like watching someone else play a video game. Things they missed because they were in the moment, hidden chests, secrets, useful skills, could be easily picked up by the objective viewer.
That it was my own battle to the death that was being objectively viewed certainly put a pressure on me to learn quickly, and as Alysia’s entire body glowed while she executed a skill I didn’t recognize, I saw a blind spot in her movements. However, my body was being pulled in a different direction by Octius, who was picking an easier decision.
A feeling of certainty swelled in my body. I undid Slave Master and then equipped White Mage. Octius let out a cry as his strength was suddenly cut down. However, the true threat here was Alysia, so I couldn’t be stingy on what I knew would work. I immediately cast Blinding Light, a level 35 skill.
My attack went straight to her blind spot. I was struck on the back, and the attack was brutal, but I was already casting Strong Heal. The pair of us ended up sliding down a hill, heading to the edge of the cliff. I returned back to Slave Master, hoping it wasn’t too late for Octius to defend himself.
“Create Water! Wind Gale!”
I slammed my sword into the ground to stop my movement, but I sent a waterfall going on past me. Simultaneously using Miki’s Create Water, Celeste’s Wind Gale, and a little bit of Terra’s Earth, I created a mudslide, pushing Alysia down and off the edge. The mana was costly, but none of these were mana intensive spells so I was just able to pull it off. By the time my eyes could see again with blotchy purple spots, I had stopped sliding, and she had gone right off the edge and to the waters below. This wasn’t where the girls had been jumping earlier, but another area that fell into a rocky, more dangerous cropping below.
“Alysia!” The girls cried out.
But their distraction at seeing Alysia fall from the cliff was their downfall. Not only had their synchronized attack not downed Octius, but he rebounded and delivered his own skill. It shot silvery light like a shockwave, knocking down all three girls like their legs had been cut out from under them. The girls tried to get back up, but they were unable to do so.
Just as I was letting out a breath of relief that we had won, a hand came from the edge of the cliff. Alysia, now half covered in mud, a breast completely bare, but also hidden by mud, jumped up from the cliff.
“Octius! Let’s finish this!” I yelled back to my ally, and then I raced at her, taking advantage of Octius’s Puppetry.
“Eh? W-wait!” Octius called out.
She was ready for me, and our blades struck once again. My attacks moved savagely, and for a moment she started to feel fear.
While in the moment, I didn’t notice Octius fell to the floor.
“Eh, aren’t you going to help him?” Lydia asked nervously.
“Hah… he took off Slave Master when I used my skill to block those girls. That had a backlash. I’ve exceeded my abilities now. I can barely stand.”
“Ah! S-so you can only control him with Puppetry I see…” Shao suggested.
He smiled bitterly and shook his head. “Puppetry isn’t so easy. I was taking advantage of the Slave bond to use it, but typically even a small resistance would cause it to break. After all, being able to control your enemies with a snap would be far too cruel an ability. The second he fought against it, he broke the control.”
“What are you saying…”
“Deek… he’s fighting on his own!”