Chương 102: [2.28] The Icy Witch (Part 1/3)

"Malignants?" Adora repeated the word.

"Oh, right, I remember now. That's what you all call those weird little creatures that try to bust in here every so often. You don't need to worry about them. There's a barrier around the cottage. They'll bash on it for a while until they tucker themselves out. It can be a bit noisy, but after a few days, they'll give up and move along."

"You don't, erm, kill them?" Angelica tried to play the idea softly, not wanting to sound like a crazed Demon out for blood if the witch was inherently against the idea.

"Oh, I used to, but I found it's more trouble than it's worth lately. My strength isn't what it used to be, so I'd rather not waste the energy on clearing out the little buggers when more are just going to show up eventually. It just means a few days without peace while they make a commotion. Well, that's fine. I'll just have to stay up reading until I can't keep my eyes open any longer."

"I can take care of them for you!" Angelica offered, wanting to give something back to the woman after all she'd done.

"You relax. I'll clear them out and be back soon."

"Well, if you insist." Adora didn't put up much more of a fight, letting out a yawn.

"Then if It's alright with you, I'm going to get ready for bed. I've already stayed up much later than I typically would."

"Sure, rest well." Honestly, the Demon didn't want the day to be over, but she had basically robbed the woman of her expected plans. She clacked in her new shoes to the front door and slipped outside, quick to close it behind her so that the witch could have her peace without worry. Wow, it really has gotten late. When she'd arrived in this world, there had been plenty of light drifting in through the cottage windows, but now it was pitch black. The time had just blitzed on by.

It made her feel all the more guilty about being a greedy guest, making her host go along with all of her whims, especially without taking Adora's age into account. The woman had been a good sport, but the rejuvenation elixir had probably been a bit too deceptive, hiding her exhaustion underneath. Then let's get rid of these noisy neighbors so she can sleep peacefully. But first, Angelica had to take a moment to appreciate the scenery.

The windows had been pretty high up, so she could only catch a glimpse of the tops of trees earlier, but now she had a much better view out on the porch. She found herself deep in the heart of a forest, with no signs of civilization in any direction, just trees and other foliage as far as the eye could see. And these trees were wider and more jagged than the typical fare, suitable for hiding a witch in the woods.

They'd likely be better appreciated in the daylight, but most of them had luminescent mushrooms at their bases, providing just enough light to properly discern each one, keeping the trees from fading away into the backdrop of darkness. While there wasn't much else to see, Angelica found her head craning upward to the night sky, staring up at the stars. Most was obscured by overhanging branches. But from what she could see, the color of the stars were different, not the usual whitish yellow.

Instead, they were more of a turquoise. Yes, it was definitely a night sky different than she was used to, not that she saw hers often, due to the light pollution of Vulgrest. The itch from her Malignant Tracker spiked, so she focused on it. While they were still definitely a good distance away, they were drawing closer quickly. She tried focusing on the individual distinction of each one, to get a count of their number. [Malignant Tracker Lv. 3] Hmm, thirties?

Quite a few indeed, but they didn't feel very powerful from what she could tell. When they drew close enough, but were still obscured in shadow, she used Scrying Eye in an attempt to pierce through the darkness. Ugh, damn. Bunch of Lv. 1s and 2s. That made sense, with Adora being the only decent source of mana around, they wouldn't have the opportunity to grow much beside what they could feed off the land, and it explained why they were regularly attracted to her.

Hopefully, they at least had some Essence, though, to be worth her time. While each individual would be paltry, maybe their abundant number would make up for it. Little… tree things? That was the best way Angelica could describe them when they got closer and she could make out their forms better in the fungal light. Actually, with the way they lumbered—heh—perhaps it would be apropos to call them stump zombies. And her first instinct with how to deal with aggressive wood was to chop it down with an axe.

That was definitely something she felt she could make with Manifest Ice, a crude axe that would splinter these Malignants no problem. But her mind lingered to Adora's earlier advice. That would be the Demon way of dealing with things, but not the artsy way. If she wanted to become an art Demon, then she might as well start now. While the act likely wouldn't change much, it didn't mean she couldn't add her own style to it. She held out both hands and primed her Skill, thinking about what she wanted to make.

There was a clear visual in her mind of an elegant axe made of ice, slender and sleek, forged to perfection and fit to her build, with intricacies that served no practical function besides looking fabulous. Yes, the picture was perfect, but when it came time to put it into practice, that's where the hangups came. All she'd made thus far besides crude armor and spikes was a spoon, resulting in her stumbling a bit when it came to sculpting the ice manifestation to her specifications.

So she gave herself an Order to help things along. The tale has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident. Bring your imagination to life. [Order accepted | Current Contract: Craft a worthy weapon] Like the time she first created an ice lance, Angelica focused on her intent, what she needed to make to resolve this situation, but took it a step further.

She mentally deconstructed the axe and sketched it from scratch, focusing on how each component was built, how it integrated with the weapon, even if they were just nonsensical decorations. Through her hands, the ice began to crystalize, stronger, colder, than any she'd ever made before. When it was ready, she plucked the manifestation out of the air and introduced it to the world with a resounding slash.

A small jingle resonated from the icicle-like chimes dangling off the back of the axe's head, which was bevelled with a design akin to a snowflake along the flat of the blade. She felt the weight in her fingers, the air shifting through the decorative frozen lace that weaved around the top of the handle. Yes, it was perfect, just as she'd imagined. Perhaps a bit more of a savage weapon for a witch, but in a way, it would be her first staff. [Contract complete] [Manifest Ice Lv. 12] [Competence, Creativity heftily increased] [Glacial Attunement vastly increased] [Glacial Attunement has improved from Embraced to Intertwined] It was worthy indeed. So worthy in fact that everything related had jumped a ton. Except, there was one teensy problem. Ahk! The icy thing was too cold for her to hold. Sadly, her new witch outfit didn't come with gloves. Maybe she could wrap the droopy sleeves around it? But that could ruin her borrowed outfit. Oh, that could work. [Frost Touch Lv. 4] [Might and Creativity increased] [Glacial Attunement increased] When using Frost Touch, she didn't actively feel the cold at the emission point, only when the frost was created and touched afterward. A weird solution, combating the cold with more cold, but hey, it worked, and the trail of mist leaking from her hands only made her new ice axe look all the more mystical. She stepped off the porch, and began gliding slowly across the grass, taking slow steps so as to not trip and tarnish her garments.

But the methodical movements only added to her imposing appearance. The icy witch wielding the frozen weapon came across more like a cool-headed reaper on her way to slay her enemies. Sadly, it was wasted on the Malignants, who didn't even really register her existence. They were still racing toward the front of the cottage, and when they rushed past the tree-line, Angelica couldn't help but flinch when some of them suddenly rebounded off the previously invisible barrier.

As she'd been informed, the little monsters seemed to have no shot at actually breaking through the magical protective bubble that covered the cottage and a good chunk of the surrounding area. So that was good. Adora was in no real danger. Well, if she was the one sustaining it instead of a Rune, then it could still be draining her. And more annoyingly, each time one of the stump-kin banged against the pseudo glass, it did cause a resonating thump that would definitely be heard from inside.

If it were repetitive and consistent, like drops of rain, then it could possibly be soothing. But their rhythm was purely chaotic with no ounce of peace to be had. So Angelica responded with a sound of her own. Once she got close enough to the barrier, just a few feet away from the many mini monsters, she reared her axe and sliced forward in an arcing crescent. [3 Malignants defeated] [Swipe Lv. 1 unlocked] She chopped through them effortlessly.

Either her opponents were just that weak, her new weapon was that sharp, or she had become that strong. Sadly, the initial pleasant thunk when cutting the first Malignant's wooden exterior was replaced with a familiar and unpleasant squish as the blade continued through the more fleshy interiors. Angelica repeated the action a few more times, clearing the front lines of the attacking wave, before the rest wised up and retreated a ways.

Out from their heads, branches filled with leaves sprouted, almost like fluffy afros. Frankly, with the change and their short stalky bodies, they went from looking less like stampeding stumps to more like bumbling broccolis. The leaves began to fire forward in an endless barrage, banging up against the barrier before they fluttered gently to the ground. Their earnestness despite the futility of their attacks was kind of endearing in a way. Poor things were probably starving and desperate to get any sustenance.

But she couldn't think that way. They were still a blight to be purged. She kind of wanted to test what sort of damage those leafy bullets would do to her bug armor, but that would mean disrobing from her witch-wear, and she wasn't quite ready for the joy it brought to be over. Plus, it'd just be straight foolish of her to leave the complete safety of the barrier, so it was time for ranged attacks.

One time, Angelica's cross country team had gone axe throwing during an overnight trip, part of team-building and all that. She'd been pretty terrible at it, so it was time to see if she'd improved at all. Uhh, nope. The throw was a straight whiff, and the axe began to tumble and bounce along the grass. But before it stopped entirely, she mentally snagged it with Seeking Projectile, built up its power once more, and launched it again. The axe head embedded itself in a Malignant, killing it instantly.

But that had left her without a weapon. Part of her wanted to just launch a volley of biting hailstorm and sweep this up quickly, but that lost to the desire to keep pushing herself in what she could do and keep testing.