It was late into the night.
lisa had one of her illuminating runes lit up as she flipped through page after page of the book she'd gotten that Illuminate spell from.
[Co on,] she thought, glaring at each word. [Co on, sothing... Sothing...]
lisa tried. Her eyes strained, her head moving from side to side like she was on crack.
[Co on, there's got to be so kind of offensive spell in here. Fireballs, lightning bolts, magic missiles, anything!]
No luck, though. She ca up empty.
It seed that this particular book was more focused on practical, everyday magic. Light spells, spells for warmth, spells for nding broken objects.
It made sense, lisa supposed. Why would the average nim need fancier, more demanding spells? But it was very inconvenient.
[Damn it! Co on, couldn't you have at least one spell for soone to turn soone to dust!?]
She slamd the book shut, her mind racing.
[Okay, think, lisa. You're a programr, right? You said it yourself, programs are just bits of code, put together in the right way to make sothing happen.]
She looked down at the illuminating rune, an idea sparking to life.
[Spells are kind of like that too, aren't they? Just pieces of magic, woven together to create an effect.]
She grabbed a piece of paper and a pencil, sketching out the spellsign for Illuminate.
[If I can just break this down, figure out what each part does... Maybe I can recombine them, make sothing new.]
It began.
She worked like a woman possessed. One spell after another, she drew their spellsigns, cross-referencing the Illuminate spell with others in the book, jotting down incantations and diagrams as she went.
[This part seems to be about creating light... And this bit, from the fire-starting spell, that's about generating heat and energy, even though you can't throw it at anything.]
Hours ticked by. lisa worried she'd be seeing the sun co up soon. The rune on her table slowly dimd as lisa poured over her notes. She could feel the Essence inside her draining away, the magic she'd absorbed from Lily's kisses slowly burning out.
[Gotta hurry. Don't know how much longer I can keep this up.]
She scratched out another failed attempt, growling in frustration.
[Co on, co on... Just need to find the right combination...]
And then, suddenly, it clicked. A pattern erged from the chaos, a sequence of signs and syllables that just felt right the way the lines flowed into each other.
lisa's heart raced. She carved the new spellsign into a fresh rune, her hands shaking with excitent.
[Please work. Please, please work...]
She held up the rune, taking a deep breath as she focused what little Essence she had left.
"Illumi, nerca, var fal!"
For a mont, nothing happened. Then, with a whoosh of displaced air, a brilliant blue fla burst into life above the rune.
lisa yelped, nearly dropping the stone in surprise.
[Holy shit. I did it. I actually did it!]
She stared at the fla, srized by its dancing light. It wasn't a normal fire. It looked like pure energy, a concentrated burst of Essence-given form.
[Could this hurt soone? I need to test it out.]
She walked outside, into the garden, rune in hand. She looked around and found a tree with so fruits that resembled lemons.
[Sorry, kinda-lemon tree. I need you to take one for the team.]
She aid her right hand at the tree, holding her rune in the other.
"Illumi, nerca, var fal!"
A flaming, blue sphere shot out from her right hand.
Upon touching the tree, the tree was burned. Rather intensely. That part was predictable, what wasn't predictable was the way the tree crackled as if it had been electricity that lisa shot out, not fire.
[AGH!] lisa looked around, trying to see if she'd woken her parents. It didn't seem like it.
She sighed with relief, and then, a grim smile spread across her face.
[Yeah. Yeah, this will do nicely.]
Sothing else ca to her mind, though.
[So, I can cast spells without runes too, right? As long as I have the Essence for it. I'll probably need to be able to, anyway, if things go south.]
---
lisa walked out into the streets.
It was so cold. The twin moons hovered in the sky like a pair of eyes watching lisa as she made her way down the dirt path.
She was looking for any place that might resemble an inn.
[A guy like that for sure doesn't actually live in this village. My guess is he must move from one place to another, collecting money all the while.]
lisa only had a few offensive runes to rely on here. Outside of that, she'd be using the remaining Essence in her body and another rune for her getaway.
She could almost see her breath, crashing into her scarf. A few guards up ahead walked lazily from one place to another.
[Not a whole lot of security. I guess not much cri happens in a town this small.]
She walked and walked...
But, soon, she saw that she didn't need to find Striker. Destiny must have delivered him personally, because, soon, he was walking up, flanked by two friends.
"... every single one of the fucker's teeth out," Striker muttered casually.
lisa exhaled deeply.
She raised her scarf and lowered her hat, trying to hide her features as much as possible.
[On the off chance the results are different, no harm in protecting my identity. How many little nim girls are there in this village? Even if he does survive, what is he gonna do, kill us all? No. Everyone's got their limits. This village wouldn't just let that happen.
I hope, anyway.]
As the n drew closer, the mont of truth ca.
"Huh?" One of them went. "A kid?"
Striker's eyes narrowed.
He walked up.
"The fuck are you doing out here? You lost or so shit?"
He wasn't quite close enough yet. lisa didn't want there to be even the slightest chance she'd miss.
"Hehehe... You guys think we should get this boy to his family?"
The way Striker was smiling really didn't make it seem like he had any intention of that.
lisa inhaled slowly.
[Not yet.]
"What do you think? Actually, how about we give 'im a new family? Could use soone to carry our shit."
[Not yet.]
"Yeah, boy, co over here, let show you-"
He took two steps forward.
[NOW!]
"Illumi, nerca, var fal!"
She raised her rune.
A flaming, blue sphere launched out.
It struck the man and, as she predicted, it burned him.
"AAAAGH!"
Striker fell back.
lisa stared for a mont.
She'd never even been in a fight before. She'd never hurt anyone like this.
His friends walked forward.
Using her own Essence, lisa cast the sa spell a second ti. This ti, at the guy next to him.
Sa result.
"AAAAOOOH!" He too fell, the blue fla chipping away at his skin.
"You little...!" The last one ran up.
[Last trick up my sleeve. Co on...]
"Illumina, car ei!"
She activated the second rune right in his face, hoping for a specific effect, given how bright this thing was.
And, it was achieved.
"FUCK!" The man fell back, montarily blinded.
That was all the space lisa needed.
She turned and sprinted.
"G-Get back here!" One of the n yelled. It didn't matter who it was, the point was one of them was clearly okay enough to at least see her running. She needed to move.
[Make so distance, slip away, get back ho. That's all I need to do.]
She darted between houses, trying to keep the buildings between her and her pursuer.
[Just gotta break his line of sight. If he can't see , he can't catch !]
She risked a glance over her shoulder and imdiately regretted it. It was Striker himself, head half-burnt off, running at her like a damn zombie.
lisa's eyes widened and she tried to move faster.
She zigzagged through the alleys, her small size and nimble feet giving her an advantage in the narrow spaces.
[Okay, I think I'm losing him. Just gotta keep this up a little longer...]
She turned a corner and found herself in a dead end.
[Oh, co on! Seriously?]
She could hear Striker's heavy footsteps getting closer.
Panicking, lisa looked around for an escape. Her eyes fell on a stack of crates against one of the house walls.
She scrambled up the crates, her heart in her throat as they wobbled beneath her feet.
With a final leap, she grabbed the edge of the roof and hauled herself up, just as Striker rounded the corner.
"Where are you? I'm gonna wring your fucking neck!"
lisa flattened herself against the roof, hardly daring to breathe.
[Please don't look up, please don't look up...]
She heard Striker curse and kick sothing, then storm off, still muttering threats.
lisa waited a full minute before daring to peek over the edge of the roof. The alley was empty, no sign of her pursuer.
She let out a shaky breath, her whole body trembling with adrenaline.
[Holy crap, that was way too close.]
She climbed down from the roof, her legs feeling like jelly.
[Okay, new plan: get ho, hide under the bed, and hope he's too injured to co for us tomorrow.]
She took off, sticking to the back alleys and side streets as she made her way ho. Every sound made her jump, every shadow seed to hold a lurking threat.
[Almost there, almost there. Just a little further...]
Finally, her house ca into view. lisa put on a final burst of speed, practically flying up the steps and through the front door.
Just as lisa thought she was ho free, a hand grabbed her from behind, yanking her back with a yelp.
She found herself face to face with Striker, looking back at her with murder in his eyes.
"Thought you could give the slip, did you?" he snarled, his grip tightening on her arm so much she worried it would break. "I had a feeling it was you, you little cunt. Saw you skulking around last ti I paid your dear old dad a visit."
lisa's heart dropped into her stomach.
[Oh no. Oh no no no. This can't be happening!]
She tried to pull away, but Striker's hold was like iron.
"L-Let go!" she cried, hating the way her voice shook.
Striker laughed.
He leaned in closer, his breath hot and foul against her face.
"I don't think so. You're comin' with . I'm gonna introduce you to all my n. We could use a bit of fun."
lisa's mind raced, desperate for a way out.
But, at that mont, a voice rang out.
"Let her go, Striker. Now."
They both froze.
lisa's head snapped up, as did Striker's, her eyes widening in disbelief.
There, standing in the doorway, was listair, fists clenched at his sides, eyes narrowed in Striker's direction.
Striker sneered, his grip on lisa tightening.
"Well, well. Look who it is. The man of the hour himself."
listair took a step forward, his eyes never leaving Striker's face.
"I said, let her go. This is between you and . Leave my daughter out of it."
Striker laughed again, a harsh, grating sound.
"Decided against havin' her fight your battles for ya? Sha, she hurt more than you ever could," Striker cackled. "But, nah, I don't think so. See, your little girl here did sothing unforgivable. I think if she gave this," he gestured at his face, "it's only right I-"
Striker raised his hand, about to punch her.
lisa flinched, bracing herself for the blow.
But it never ca.
She looked up, her jaw dropping in awe.
listair stood over Striker, holding the man by his wrist.
listair shoved Striker back.
The loan shark stumbled, his face a mask of shock and disbelief. lisa, too, could hardly believe her eyes.
Her father walked forward.
lisa had only known listair for a few days. Most of that ti, he'd spent toiling away at the mines.
To her, he was a gentle, kind man.
Physically, he wasn't exactly the peak of masculinity or anything. He was thin and were it not for the few muscles he'd developed from what were likely years of hard work, he'd look more like a librarian than an MMA fighter or anything.
But, in that mont, to lisa's eyes, he was standing as tall as a giant.
"You will not touch my daughter," listair said, his voice ringing with a authority lisa had never heard before. "And you will leave my family alone. For good. I gave you your damn money. I'm not giving you a single other sun."
Striker's shock quickly turned to rage.
With a snarl, he charged forward, his fist cocked back for a devastating blow.
lisa gasped, her heart in her throat. But listair didn't flinch.
He ran forward the sa exact way, eting that punch with one of his own.
The two n clashed like bulls locking horns.
Striker punched listair's abdon and listair dealt him an uppercut in return.
They were quickly trading blows with a ferocity that made lisa's blood run cold.
Soon, it beca clear that Striker was the more experienced fighter, though.
"Agh!" Even now, injured as he was, he dealt listair a punch to the gut that brought him to his knees.
[li... Dad?]
listair spat out so blood. And, listair...
listair wouldn't stay down.
"AAAAGH!" He ran back in.
He looked faster all of a sudden. Stronger even. He pushed Striker back!
Now, for every hit he took, he returned one of his own, his eyes blazing.
Striker's friends soon arrived, probably following the sound of the commotion. The fight wasn't interrupted. They were too shocked at what they were seeing to do anything.
lisa watched, awestruck, as her father battled on. His nose was bloodied, his eye swelling shut, but still he pressed forward, driving Striker back.
Bam, bam! Two hard punches to Striker's head saw teeth fly out, gleaming in the purple moonlight.
listair inhaled and exhaled, his breaths strained. Striker was reeling, looking like he could fall over any second.
".... AAAAAAAA!"
And then, with a final, mighty roar, listair landed one more uppercut, directly to Striker's chin.
Striker's head snapped back, his eyes rolling up in his skull.
For a mont, he teetered, suspended on the brink. Then, like a falling tree, he crashed to the ground.
listair stood over him, chest heaving, fists still clenched. Blood dripped from them.
The guys, his friends from earlier, walked over and picked Striker up, who regained consciousness quickly.
"You..." He spat out blood. "I'm gonna fucking kill you!"
"You won't do anything," listair replied. "Not unless you want this village to beco your grave."
"What!?"
"You go after again, after I paid up, you think the people here are just going to let you go?" listair shook his head. "Unlike you, Striker," he glared down at the man, "I never abandoned this place."
[Huh?]
Apparently, there was so history here lisa didn't know.
"The people here won't let you leave if you do," listair promised. "Everyone here's my family... But, then again, you don't know what it's like to have one, do you?"
Striker clenched his fist, gritting the teeth he had left.
"Agh!" He pried himself away from his allies' grasp and turned away, walking off into the darkness.
"Uh..." His friends walked away with him.
Things were quiet for a mont.
Then, listair turned around.
Slowly, he turned to lisa.
All that anger, all that venom he'd just used to fuel his punches was gone. All that was left was a smile spreading across his battered face.
"Are you alright, sweetheart?" he asked, his voice so soft all of a sudden.
lisa couldn't speak. She could only stare, tears welling up in her eyes, at the man she thought she knew.
Her father.
Her hero.
With a sob, she ran forward, throwing her arms around him. listair embraced her, holding her tight as she cried into his chest.
He laughed.
"Ahhh, it's okay, it's okay. Got good, the bastard. But, it's alright," he murmured, stroking her hair. "It's over now. You're safe."
lisa clung to him, her heart swelling.
Was this what having a family was like? A real one?
She had no idea.
[My dad,] she thought. She had no trouble stating that at this point. [My dad is the best.]
"Now," he pushed her off gently, looking into her eyes seriously. "I'm gonna need you to explain why Striker's face was burned like that. What did you do?"
lisa laughed nervously.
"I... Uh..." She thought about it. "You're not going to believe if I tell you."
"Try ."
"Okay... Tomorrow," lisa said.
"No, I need-"
"Dad," she cut him off, "I want to show you but I literally can't do it right now, but first thing in the morning. Okay?"
He breathed in, staring lisa down.
"Alright, I trust you. Tomorrow."
And, with that, they walked back indoors, leaving all thoughts of loan sharks and debt behind them with the fallen teeth on the street.
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