D.E.M.O.N.S: Getting Summoned Weekly isn't so Bad

“I am afraid young mistress, that you have an upcoming match,” explained the butler with a calm that seemed rather at odds with Bing’s chaotic looking struggles.

“Can’t we delay it or something? I want to see Lian fight! I didn’t even know she’d be in this arena! Please!” begged Bing again.

The butler didn’t stop though and they were already rounding the corner, “I am afraid not young mistress. I was order to get you and I cannot refute those orders at this time,”

“Wait but what about-” started Bing but before Kat and Sue could hear the end of the conversation the door slammed shut, blocking the sound from the hallway completely.

The three left in the room just sort of stared at the door for a few moments as they ignored the announcer hyping up the contestants in the background. “Is it weird I feel a little bad I didn’t help her?” asked Sue.

“I mean… I feel the same even though if she really wanted to get away, I’m pretty sure she could have,” answered Kat. Lily gave a solid nod, to show her agreement as well.

“Yeah… I wonder if the butler dude was stronger then her… or if she was just being dramatic about it…” pondered Kat.

“Could be either, maybe both?” suggested Sue. “I’d if I had to pick one she was just being dramatic,”

With that confirmed everyone turned back to the arena where the fight had already started. Lian had taken to sitting on the floor while ‘Solo’ the one-armed swordsman glared at her from afar. There was an obvious black circle around Lian and much less obvious patches of darkness that seemed to have sunk into the arena. There was also a general haze in the air that seemed to not really be doing anything. Lian had her hand on the instrument, and Solo had their sword at the ready.

Lian plucked at the strings of her zither, playing a morose tune as black dots seemed to flow from her place on the floor. Solo growled at them before slashing through one that passed nearby. It split harmlessly and dissipated as the fragments continued to fly past. Moving forward carefully, Solo tapped the patches of darkness with the tip of his sword and they all seemed to pop.

Gaining confidence, he continued moving forward at a walking pace, sliding quickly to the side whenever Lian sent a new wave of black dots after him. It looked like whatever Lian’s plan was, it wasn’t working as Solo reached a few steps away from her seated position. She hadn’t made a move to retreat or advanced… when suddenly a discordant note wrong from her instrument, as if one of the strings had snapped.

The arena shuddered, and Solo went flying backwards. His clothing had somehow been shredded and his arms were covered in little holes, dripping blood. Solo wasn’t going to let a little injury like that stop him though. He slammed his sword into the stone arena halting his backwards momentum.

Right as his feet reached the floor though, another sour note rang out, this time he was thrown into the air. Not willing to just go along with things, Solo flipped and seemed to kick of the air shooting straight towards Lian. She looked unworried even as Solo sword headed straight for his neck.

Lian played a harmony of three cords right as the sword reached the line in the sand. The notes rang like a gong out across the arena as Solo seemed to freeze in the air. Lian didn’t show any joy at this, nor any fear when the barrier around her started to crack. She simply kept playing notes one after the other, building to something big. Solo glared, and his aura flared up the tip of his sword shone and he pushed on.

The shield cracked. Yet Lian didn’t falter. One last strum of the zither and Solo dropped in place like a puppet with no strings. His sword clattered to the ground as blood exploded from the numerous holes he already had in his body. Lian turned to the announcer and waited for him to call the match.

He said nothing, and she whipped around to see Solo gritting his teeth and struggling back to his feet. Lian quick as a flash smacked him over the head with her zither and he collapsed back into the ground, going still.