Renher, his mind already formulating a plan, his earlier observations solidifying into a strategy, began to press his advantage. With the stage now set for him to dictate terms, he fixed Aydra with a steady gaze.
"So, how would you rectify it?" Renher asked, his voice calm but firm, the echoes of the earlier chaos still ringing in the air.
Aydra gave a helpless look, a flicker of uncertainty crossing her usually serene face. She looked at Renher, her expression a mix of resignation and a hint of desperation. "We can alter the conditions and overall ability of some of them, so that they are not completely biased. We can reshape their potential, their limitations..."
Renher gave a satisfied nod, his mind already racing, contemplating the powers at hand, thinking about ways he could subtly, yet significantly, improve each one to his liking.
He saw the subtle shift in Aydra's posture, the almost imperceptible tightening of her jaw, a slight smirk that betrayed a grudging acknowledgment of his strategic maneuvering.
He knew he had outmaneuvered her, at least for now, but also that she was trying to rectify the situation.
Aydra, her starry expression now blank and unreadable, a mask of forced neutrality, said, "What specific changes do you propose?"
Renher leaned forward, his eyes gleaming with a calculating light. "I will take the Pyromancer card, but I will 'rectify' it a little."
Aydra's brow furrowed slightly, a hint of apprehension in her gaze.
Renher began, his voice measured, "Give the Pyromancer card immunity over water-based attacks, and..."
Before Renher could complete the statement, a sharp, emphatic "No" came from Aydra, the finality of it cutting through the tension in the room.
"Why is that?" Renher asked, his tone deceptively mild, probing the boundaries of her resistance.
"It would change the dynamics of that power completely," Aydra replied, her voice firm, the goddess of balance asserting herself. "We cannot fundamentally alter the underlying principles of any world, any force. There must be limits."
He went again, testing her resolve, "Then give the Swords-master card resistance to magical spells, a warding against enchantments."
Again came a swift, unyielding "No."
He went again, pushing further, "Give me the Elemental Archer card, but any damage made within a five-meter radius of the target will deal only half the intended damage, a sort of splash-back effect."
Aydra, without a second thought, her patience clearly fraying, said, "Never. You continue to sound insane. Your requests are not adjustments; they are fundamental rewrites."
She paused, taking a deep breath, trying to regain her composure. "Next time, give me a better option, or else I will see to it myself what to give and rectify. This is not a game."
With this, Renher gauged the extent to which he could push, the types of changes he could demand, and the degree to which Aydra would bend. He was mapping the terrain of this negotiation, understanding the limits of her flexibility.
After weighing all the pros and cons in his mind, calculating the potential ramifications of each power, and considering his long-term survival, Renher gave a final verdict to himself, a silent commitment to his path.
Aydra, her patience stretched thin, her small frame radiating a palpable tension, said, "Now, give me a reasonable option so we can reduce wasting both our time and finalize this arrangement."
Renher, deliberately taking his time, drawing out the moment, trying to subtly increase Aydra's frustration, spoke once again, a faint smile playing on his lips, his gaze serious and unwavering. "I will take the Beast Tamer profession."
Aydra, now showing visible interest, her eyes widening slightly, understood that this was the time for serious business, the crux of the negotiation.
Renher continued, his voice steady, "I will take the Beast Tamer, but I would not be restricted by a single beast as my partner. I would have the capacity for multiple contracts, a diverse menagerie."
Aydra sharply interjected, her voice firm, "I will not allow it. That would unbalance the very nature of the bond."
"Give me a minute here," said Renher, his tone reasonable, his eyes fixed on Aydra, gauging her reaction. Aydra, her expression now inquisitive, her anger momentarily forgotten, leaned forward slightly, listening intently.
Renher continued, "You give me one restriction on the type of pet itself, a limitation you impose, but allow me to contract more than one pet. It's a compromise."
Renher watched as a slow smile spread across Aydra's face, a complex expression that held both amusement and a hint of something significant, a silent promise of a resolution.
"Good. We could proceed now," Aydra began, a sense of finality entering her voice, ready to finalize the agreement, when suddenly...
A loud sound of shattering erupted from outside, a cacophony of destruction that echoed through the chamber. The air exploded with a sharp, shattering report.
A monstrous tentacle, dripping with some viscous, otherworldly substance, tore through the castle's defenses, a grotesque appendage of some colossal being. The very walls seemed to groan under the force, ushering in an ominous figure and a suffocating darkness that swallowed the remaining light.
Renher was violently shaken from his seat, the very foundations of the room trembling with an unnatural force. A bone-deep tremor pulsed through the chamber, and then, as if a curtain had fallen, darkness descended, plunging the room into chaos.
The smile on Aydra's face vanished, replaced by a grim determination. She turned sharply towards her silent angel, her voice commanding, "Prepare for retaliation."
Aydra then left the room with a speed that defied human comprehension, a blink of an eye, her angel following close behind, a whirlwind of motion.
They were outside the castle, facing the encroaching darkness and the monstrous entity. Renher, watching from the shattered window, saw Aydra and her angel confront the ominous figure.
Aydra stood slightly behind her angel, who held a longsword that radiated a palpable holy energy, a beacon of light against the encroaching gloom.
Both of them were enveloped in a shimmering, circular shield, a protective barrier that covered them but did not seem to hinder their ability to move and battle.
Renher felt a strange sense of familiarity emanating from the ominous figure, a faint echo in his memory, but he couldn't quite place it.
The room inside, where Renher was, was dead silent, the only sounds coming from outside: the clash of energy, the guttural roars of the Outer God, and the desperate cries of Aydra and her angel. It was a symphony of chaos and destruction.
Renher, inside the room, saw Aydra's small back, a figure that radiated unwavering confidence, a defiant stance that, paradoxically, prompted Renher to pick up a fallen sword, a surge of adrenaline coursing through him. The small back was a source of unexpected strength, a symbol of defiance against the encroaching darkness.
The battle was going in our favour with everything going seemingly perfect , That is what Renehr had thought. Even before he could process anything further
Suddenly, the tide of the battle shifted in a matter of nano second , a speed that defied human perception. Renher, watching from the window, could not even blink before the entire situation had taken a sharp, disastrous turn.
The angel was thrown aside by the force of a tentacle strike, sent hurtling through the air like a rag doll. The ground shattered where he landed, a crater marking the impact. His usual elegance was gone, replaced by a brutal, broken sprawl.
Cracks were visible in his once-pristine armor, and a golden, ichor-like liquid flowed out from within the cracks, a testament to the raw power of the Outer God. The protective shield that had enveloped him had shattered, its fragments dissipating into motes of light.
Aydra, her voice filled with a desperate urgency, shouted, "Are you alright?" She was in the midst of conjuring a powerful spell, her hands glowing with celestial energy, and could not immediately go to his aid.
Following the brutal victory over the angel, the Outer God seemed to become more agitated, its tentacles throbbing more wildly, pulses of dark energy visibly surging through them. Black smoke, acrid and suffocating, billowed around its form, a sign of its escalating power.
The room inside which Renher was watching the scene unfold had its spine gone cold. He felt a primal fear, a sense of utter helplessness in the face of such overwhelming power.
The chamber shuddered, a bone-jarring tremor that ripped Renher from his seat. He tumbled to the floor, his head striking the cold, hard surface with a sickening thud. Dust rained down from the ceiling, plaster crumbling around him.
The air itself seemed to vibrate, a low, guttural growl emanating from the very foundations of the realm. Then, as abruptly as it began, the tremor subsided, leaving behind an eerie silence.
But the silence was short-lived. A suffocating darkness began to creep in, swallowing the remaining light with terrifying speed. The vibrant hues of the room, the shimmering light that had bathed everything in an ethereal glow, were replaced by an oppressive blackness, thick and suffocating.
Renher scrambled to his feet, his heart pounding a frantic rhythm against his ribs. He could barely see his own hand in front of his face, the darkness so profound it seemed to press against his very skin.
Aydra, who could not complete her magic on time, was also enveloped in this large-scale Assault.
Panic clawed at the edges of his composure. He reached out, his hands groping blindly in the suffocating darkness.
Aydra, her form now a mere silhouette against the encroaching gloom, gasped, a sound caught in her throat. The serene atmosphere of moments before was shattered, replaced by an aura of dread and impending doom.
The silence was broken only by the frantic beating of Renher's own heart and the low, guttural growls that seemed to emanate from the very depths of the chamber.
This darkness, unlike any he had ever encountered, was not merely the absence of light. It was a living entity, a suffocating presence that seemed to seep into his very soul, chilling him to the bone.
Aydra, her voice a mere whisper in the suffocating darkness, spoke, "This... this is not natural."
From a hidden vantage point, a shadowy figure watched the unfolding battle. Renher, his face a mask of horror and helplessness, observed the goddess's desperate struggle.
He was powerless to intervene, a mere spectator to the cosmic horror that unfolded before him. He could feel the darkness emanating from the Outer God, a palpable wave of malevolence that threatened to consume everything.