The Runic Alchemist

Damian did not have any more useful scrolls left and neither could he afford any dip in his mana anymore. He was already feeling the effect of low mana in his body. Damian knew that the princess was a mage, so maybe he wouldn't need it.

For this few minutes Damian did not care about anything else, the knights that might come or the captain of the king's guard that might chase him down, only the opponent in front of him mattered.

Getting his short sword Damian breathed in and out taking the stance of a crouching tiger, the princess also changed her form to something that Damian did not recognize. With one cold breeze of salty sea hitting both of them, they moved forward.

Damian leaping forward with his controlled footwork and aggressive changing sword style, the princess using both her swords with so fluid momentum and flexible style Damian was socked to see someone capable enough to use two swords at knife and a fork level of harmony.

No, she was no amateur. She was better than her brother in skills.. far better and in strength too. Damian only realized that after receiving a backswing blow to his chest from an angle Damian didn't even think could be considered an opening at all. The butt of the sword hit Damian with so much force he was sent flying and crashing down on the hard wooden floor.

Damian got up by leaning hard on his sword and groaning with pain, looking at his so called 'teacher' in a completely new light. Having no other choice Damian used last bits of his mana to do something efficient, something that could give him an edge here. Raising his hand up Damian drew the hidden sword art runic circle and connected it to his short sword.

A black fire immediately covered the cold iron, cutting the sea winds in half.

"How.. How in the hell do you know that...?! And how did you do that without chanting..?"

"Stole it..."

"Goddamn.. such heart, intelligence, silent chanting and talent that could shame any so called 'genius' noble brats that I have met in all my life... Submit to me Maximus, you are born to be a warrior. An exceptional one at that... I promise to teach you things that you never in your wildest dreams might have thought possible of..."

"See... that's the difference between us princess... I am no warrior.. I am a scholar..."

"Scholars don't save people from prison buildings filled with hundreds of enemies kid..."

"I am a different kind of scholar..."

"Clearly..."

Damian stepped forward thinking that the new spell might give him an advantage with his overly skilled opponent but once again his hopes were washed dry by the cold sea water.

Before Damian could take a proper position and angle to release a slash, the princess's twin swords also showed two mini runic structures behind it and in seconds the white sword glowed with a pure golden light and the dark purple was covered with ominous dark blue.

That was not all though, Damian's and the prince's spell made their sword coat in their aura but it was like a fire, uncontrolled and out of shape. The princess's both sword aura were like a solid structured sharp layers of her swords.

Once again she was better.

Not risking to go near her, Damian took another dip in his mana and drew another runic circle in a fastest way possible. She was just standing there maintaining the distance without moving at all.

In seconds Damian activated a spell that formed a transparent box surrounding the Faerunia's princess. She was confused as to what happened for a while but the reduced sound made her suspicious and she slashed forward with her twin swords making a super fast X slash. But it only crashed against the inner wall of the box, without leaving a single scratch.

Damian had tested it many times before and it was only breakable from outside, he tried and tried but could not find a way to break it from inside at all.

"What is this..? What did you do..?"

"A desperate last try..."

The princess punched the invisible wall for some minutes before finally settling down. Damian really did use the spell as last ditch effort, the oxygen in the box was limited and even if he was on his last leg he did not want to kill anyone. But he could get a breather for some minutes before she would need to be let out and think something.

However just as Damian sat on the wooden floor crossed legged, something weird happened. Something was off about princess, and then it hit him. The blue runic circle following her everywhere was finally gone. Damian focused some more and saw her clutching on some kind of emblem or circular metal pin type thing, then she threw it lightly on the floor, looking straight up at Damian.

Her hair slowly changed from pitch black to dark blue, her eyes glowing in pure white. She looked like some kind of spirit with her hair moving on their own. More of a monster spirit than the good kind.

Damian was confused as hell as to what she was trying to do, but his instincts told him it was not something good at all. Suddenly the cool breeze around Damian picked up some real speed, The princess turned towards the open sea and deeply breathed in and out and then released it.

"What in the hell...?"

Okay, now that makes some sense. The runic emblem that she threw and which was the root of the blue runic circle was not a weapon of some sort or a trap. It was a tool to keep her mana in control. And she really needed it, Damian's senses were going wild over the thing he was feeling.

The princess was surrounded by mana way above what normal second ranker should have and it was thick as hell Damian could see some of her mana constructing a blue liquid form and falling all around them like water droplets and being evaporated just as it hit the floor. Damian had only felt the liquid mana in his body, never in his wildest dreams was he able to make his mana that quality heavy.

'It looks like as if... As if... She is... Oh hell no...'

Damian immediately turned around and saw a huge body of ocean water coming directly towards them. Damian looked back at the princess, the water from below the deck was also turning half solid climbing up trying to reach the princess.

"What in the hell is she...?"

Before things could get any more out of hands Damian broke the transparent box himself, it was just as strong as the mana Damian provided and he was pretty low on that so with just a few black sword slashes the invisible box broke from outside. Princess seeing this, stopped summoning the ocean water and settled with just few tons of water that surrounded her from the deck below.

She made some 10 giant water blades with it, keeping them hovering in the air and rest she used to make a throne of half solid water in which she sat like a queen. The dark purple sword in her right hand melted like a liquid metal and transformed into a dark purple crown resting on her head with bright blue lines in it which was a result of running ocean water.

"Now do you submit..? Or do you want further demonstrations..?" The princess of Fearunia said from atop her watery throne.

Damian was at the end of his rope. He did not, at any cost want to serve under any lord or king.. but wanting something was a wish and only those who had power, overwhelming power like her could wish for things. Those without had to serve and obey. Even though every fiber of his being screamed against it, this was it. There was no other choice.

"Fine.. Damn you. Leave them be... I.. I will come with you." Damian relented falling down on his knees.

The princess finally eased up. Letting the watery throne return back to the sea, she got up beaming with joy and picked up her runic emblem. Resealing her mana once again. The giant water blades were still there though, hovering atop her.

"Come on now Maximus, this is a start of your new life. Smile a little.."

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