[Leela] Chapter 2: Contract

Throndir · November 30, 2018, 11:32:01 PM

You saw both Zavan and Abi at the hallway before your room. Abi looked excited, while Zavan calmly held in his hand what looked to be a scroll of parchment, and a knife.

"Master Leelasama, are you ready for the contract? The process is simple. An essence from each of you need to be shared with the other, in this way, a contract is formed. It is a two-step process, first, the both of you are to sign this contract." He pointed the knife to the scroll. "Then next, you are to continually share mana with each other... It is imperative that you continue the process during the course of at least 4 hours. There is a problem however, once you run out of mana, you will naturally fall asleep."

"Master Leelasama! Leelasama, we get to form a contract!" Abi said joyously as she bounced around in front of you.

Ella · December 02, 2018, 12:37:40 AM

Leela Steading

Leela eyed the knife in Zavan's hands. Would she have to put a bloody fingerprint on the parchment? Or worse, cut open her palm and slap it to Abi's bloody palm like one of those "blood sister" kind of things? Leela was not sure if she could go through with that... The idea of self-inflicted pain or wounds made her feel wrong.

"What essence? How do we share mana? How much mana does a person need for it to be successful?"

Throndir · December 02, 2018, 12:28:47 PM

"The essence within each of us, that would be mana. To share mana, first you must be able to sense it... Once you do, you simply take it out to use it. Redirect that mana then to a target of your choosing. As for the mana required, it varies between each individual in the contract. However, as a summoned hero, you should have plenty of mana to spare."

Ella · December 02, 2018, 02:32:18 PM

Leela Steading

So the contract signing was probably with a bloody finger print... Well, at least she wouldn't need to cut much of her skin to get that blood. Just a prick to the finger.

"I can sense it." Leela said, remembering that it was one of her blessings. She hadn't yet played around with that part yet... Perhaps she should. She imagined herself seeing auras around Zavan and Abi, the color of their auras representing their mana, hoping that would bring the skill to life. If visualization worked, then maybe taking it out and using it was like manipulating it with her mind?

Throndir · December 02, 2018, 03:31:33 PM

"We'll have you try it then. The best way to start is be closing your eyes, and clearing your mind. Once you've done that, look inwardly in yourself, imagine a large pool within there. Once you do, imagine as if you were cupping your hands into that pool, and pulling it out. After that, redirect it to your hands."

QuoteFeel free to describe this part yourself, once you open your eyes you will see faint wisps of light on your hands.

Ella · December 04, 2018, 10:09:10 PM

Leela Steading

As Leela imagined that she could see Abi's mana via an aura around the imp, color began to faintly emanate from the imp's body. Hers was not just one color, though. It seemed that either Leela's mind projected the imp's eye colors into her aura or the imp actually did have an aura of both red and blue. Turning her gaze to Zavan and doing the same, his was more of a silver-grey color.

The young woman closed her eyes as Zavan recommended. She remembered one of her meditation sessions during high school when she had guided herself through the maze of her body to find her core. It had been a beautiful blue color that she could not name. She had not been able to see it since, even though she had really wanted to. Clearing her mind as she used to for meditation, Leela imagined seeing her core once again. Zavan described it as a large pool, but Leela felt more like it would be a large glowing ball of energy. And there it was. A glowing ball of beautiful blue. Imagining a little bit of that blue to move into her right hand, Leela opened her eyes and held her hand up. Indeed, her hand had faint wisps of blue light around them.

"Its so pretty!" She muttered in awe of the color before releasing it.

"Okay. I am ready."

Throndir · December 04, 2018, 10:27:40 PM

"Next time you pull the mana out, move that mana from your hands into Abi... In the same way you moved it to your hands in the first place. Likewise... you can think of Abi as the target, and that would do the same. Though, generally you want to do this when she is close enough to touch, as some of the mana dissipates when travelling." As he said this, you noticed that he watched your hands intently, as if he had seen the vibrant color of your mana.

Abi suddenly poofed in front of you as a cloud of smoke appeared.

"Master Leelasama! Leelasama, hold me!" Abi said giddily.

Ella · December 05, 2018, 09:29:31 PM

Leela Steading

Not expecting the imp to suddenly poof in front of her face, Leela's body moved on its own. Both of her hands moved up, but not to catch the imp as she fell. Instead, her reflex had been to push away whatever it was that had threatened to invade her personal space so suddenly.

"Ah! I'm sorry, Abi!" The young woman exclaimed as soon as she realized what had just happened and rushing to retrieve the imp. "You really shouldn't poof in front of people so suddenly like that!" She scolded once she had Abi in her arms.

"I don't want to waste any more mana that might be necessary to make the contract successful, so I will do as you have instructed after we've signed that scroll and gotten started." Leela turned her attention back to Zavan. He said she should have enough for the contract, being a hero, but she still wanted to make sure. Better to have more than enough than to find out she didn't have enough and then have to try all over again.

Setting Abi back on the ground, Leela opened the door to her room and moved over to the desk so that she and Abi could sign the parchment.

Throndir · December 05, 2018, 09:39:02 PM

Abi had almost started crying, but you quickly recovered as you grabbed her back. She instead sniffled a short bit, but instead tried to hug you instead. After that she was content and simply clung to you. Once she was placed on the ground, she followed you into the room.

"We get to form a contract too! I remember this! I remember this!"

Once the two of you were at the desk, Zavan followed suite and placed the contracts in front of you. He handed you the knife as well, but then he paused.

"Forgive me, I forget that you aren't a demon... They've always preferred signing contracts with blood, but it's not actually required..." He seemed to reach into his coat pocket, and pulled out a quill pen, along with an inkwell, that surprisingly, had ink.

The man then stepped back.

Reading the contract, you realized that you were able to read and understand the words. The characters would look different, but you understood them easily. The contract seemed to be worded longly, but the general gist of it was that the contract seemed to hold for 100 years. There were a few things that would break the contract, it seems the death of either one of you would end it prematurely.

Ella · December 05, 2018, 10:12:18 PM

Leela Steading

'They've?' Leela caught the word that made it sound like Zavan did not consider himself one of the demons. Then she realized the first part of his sentence. 'Forgot I am not a demon? How does one just forget that a human who looks obviously human is not a demon? Poor Zavan, he must be stressed from overworking himself.'

"Thank you, I would prefer that." She replied, accepting the quill pen and inkwell and handing back the knife. 'Yay! No self-harm today!'

Reading over the contract, she voiced her questions for clarification as they came up. "So, if Abi were to die and be reborn in the way that imps do, would we have to reform the contract again?"

Once all of her questions were answered to her satisfaction, Leela signed the parchment. It was a little difficult to write with a quill pen instead of a regular pen, but she somehow managed it.

Throndir · December 05, 2018, 10:30:31 PM

Zavan nodded.

"That is true. If they die, the contracts breaks. They will be reborn in a new and identical body, along with a recollection of their previous life. But you will have to re-form the contract again at that point."

Once you signed the contract, Abi signed it as well. The moment you both did, the scroll magically burst into flame.

"Don't be alarmed, the contract still exists, though, not here in the physical realm. You can think of it as existing as a bond between you and Abi. The next part is to finalize that contract. Think of this as strengthening that thin line connecting you to Abi." With that, Zavan bowed low, then moved to the door to exit.

"Shall I close the door?" Zavan said confirming, planning to close the door when you gave him the word.

Abi was giggling.

"Master Leelasama! Leelasama, we get to make a contract!"

Ella · December 05, 2018, 11:18:15 PM

Leela Steading

Leela nodded in understanding at that answer. That meant that it would not be a good idea to form a contract with more of the imps. Maybe from each group in the future, for in case something happened to Abi, but more than that.

She would have been more concerned about the burning contract catching other things on fire, but it seemed not to be affecting anything. If it would have, Zavan probably would have been prepared to take care of it...

"Yes, please." The young woman replied to Zavan's question. If she and Abi were to fall asleep when their mana ran out, then she would prefer to be lying down on a bed with the door closed. Once he had closed the door behind him, Leela picked Abi up once again.

"Let's go lay on the bed so we don't wake up all stiff on the floor." She said to the imp, placing her on the bed before crawling on herself.

"I'm going to hold your hands to make it easier for the mana to flow, okay?" Grabbing Abi's hands in her own, Leela closed her eyes and imagined her mana core once more. She imagined herself tugging at a thread of the energy to pull it out and send it down one arm to pass from her own hand into Abi's in one long continuous flow. She was not sure how much was needed to send through, so she started off with a small amount.

"Is it working?" She asked the imp, continuing to keep her eyes closed so she could concentrate on the process.

Throndir · December 06, 2018, 11:23:54 AM

At first Abi tensed when she felt your mana flow threw her hands, but then she started to relax.

"It's ticklish!" Abi giggled. "Okay, it's my turn!"

Unlike you however, Abi started off with a larger stream. The effect was immediate. You felt a warmness flow from your hands to your body, and to that invisible core. It was a tingling sensation, but warm at the same time, comfortable warm. It also felt stimulating, and in a strange way was slightly pleasurable.

Eventually Abi had fallen asleep, still holding to your hands, she kept up for as long as she could, but eventually you noticed the stream of mana slow down to barely a trickle, and she herself sounded snoozing.

QuoteAssuming this continues the night, feel free to break the actions. Unless broken, my next post will probably be the morning scene with a new chapter.