Chương 104: [2.30] The Icy Witch (Part 3/3)

[Puck Lv. 4] She went ahead and spent her wages since they were literally just one above what she needed for the next level. Now it was exactly another 400 to go until she got that last needed growth point, gained Identity Fraud, and could meet with her mother before the woman lost her patience. There was still a bit more Essence to receive for her current Contract too, because… soon it would be time to say goodbye. But first, there was the matter of the roughly two-dozen ice axes she'd made.

It felt like it'd be rude to just leave them lying around. Maybe Adora didn't go outside often, the cottage or the barrier, and wouldn't be bothered by or even see them until after they melted. With how cold they were, though, and not knowing what the current seasons were like in these woods, that could be quite a while. Perhaps she was overthinking it, and the witch could just wave them away, but it was still discourteous to leave her mess for someone else to clean up.

Glancing around, she didn't see any sort of dumpster or well. Maybe there was a lake or pond nearby she could throw them into. That still felt like a pain to cart them all even if there was. Maybe she could load them up in Second Stomach, then dispose of them back in her world if she couldn't find anything here. But just looking at the axe she was holding, and all those scattered around, even if most were half the size, no way would they all fit in her metaphysical tummy. But what about her other, real, stomach?

Maybe if she combined the space of both, it could work. Would it be fine to eat that much ice? Well, her first roommate in college munched on ice like it was candy, annoying Angelica day and night with the constant ear-rattling chomping. And it hadn't done anything negative to her, besides making her an insufferable prick. Thankfully, they had parted ways after just a few weeks. Not because Angelica had forced her out. Instead, the girl had been caught plagiarizing literally all of her assignments.

This wasn't normal ice, though, it was magical ice. Would it be safe to eat? Well, Poison Eater should solve any of the immediate problems, but the coldness could upset her organs. Maybe a small bite first to test. She attempted to break off the bottom of the axe handle, but found it much sturdier than expected. It felt like it'd give with a bit more strength. Her Imp mouth could probably chew it just fine.

Before committing to that though, which would make her slip out of her dress, she needed to check another concern: the taste. No way she was scarfing it all down if the ice tasted nasty. So she held the top of the axe head up to her mouth and nommed it like it was a big lollipop. Except… her mouth didn't open again. It had immediately frozen shut. After a lot of mumbling, and blowing as much hot air as she could, Angelica managed to pry her lips free.

Thank goodness they weren't real lips or they'd be chapped to all scuff after that. Still hurt like hell tho. And she wasn't really free yet, because her tongue was still tethered to the weapon. [Cold Resistance Lv. 7] [Vigor increased] [Glacial Attunement increased] Well, at least she had that going for her, but it didn't make her any less unstuck. However, when she was trying to free herself, carefully using her teeth as a vice so she could get proper leverage, the system took pity on her.

Or as she'd try to delude herself later, maybe it got what she was going for and rewarded her clever and creative way of thinking. The axe in her hand dissolved, glittering away into magical particles before vanishing entirely a moment later. [Trait: Salvager Lv. 1 unlocked] Hey, finally a Trait that didn't sound like an insult. Though she actually probably deserved it this time. [You're a friend to the environment, and have gone beyond just remembering to sort your recyclables. You've had insight to reuse what you've created instead of manufacturing more garbage in the world to be used once and thrown away. Objects you create can be destroyed and converted back into MP so you can manifest something new. MP recycled scales with power remaining in object, Trait Level, Creativity, and Fabrication Attunement. Salvaging range and potency scales with Trait Level, Might, and Destruction Attunement] [Compatible with any items whose core components were produced via Demon Skills. By default, you can only salvage your own creations. However, when outside of combat, items created by others may be open to salvaging if the original holds no ownership by claim or dominion] Yeah… that hadn't been at all what she'd been going for when trying to eat it. The DGS must have thought she was attempting to use the ice as sustenance instead of using herself as a transport container. But heck, she wouldn't complain. This was amazing!

It sounded like it ran in the same vein as Manufacture since it applied to the same types of items, and there was a good chance she wouldn't have received it without having the Combo Skill prior. Those were also some interesting restrictions placed on the Trait. Obviously, it was so she couldn't just rob people of their own manifestations, or just go around deleting their houses if they used something like Gawk's Ton of Bricks Skill.

And the combat restriction was undoubtedly so she couldn't poof away another Demon's weapon in a fight if they didn't think to call dibs on it, making it their own. That sadly removed a lot of potentially hilarious opportunities, but kept things more fair and balanced. But now it was time to test! Though her enthusiasm was temporarily put on hold because she hesitated slightly about leaving the barrier. Would it let her back in? Well, it let her axe back in, so she had no reason to assume otherwise.

Still, it'd be sad if it didn't, since it meant she'd have to depart back to her world without a proper farewell. Just to check, as soon as she stepped outside, she hopped back in with no problems, to her relief. Delete. Delete. Delete. Delete. Delete! Angelica honestly had way too much fun cleaning up her axes. Watching them sparkle away brought her a disproportionate amount of joy for the act. She could do it from a few feet away too, not actually having to touch the cold things.

Meaning, if she did accidentally send an axe flying at her own body again, she could just Salvager away the threat. The story has been taken without consent; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident. [Salvager Lv. 2] [Might, Creativity increased] [Fabrication, Destruction Attunement increased] Likely a lot of her enthusiasm was boosted by the knowledge that the annoying chore was vanishing with the weapons, plus the added bonus of gaining some MP back. Frankly, it wasn't much, though.

Maybe ten percent of what she spent, probably because there wasn't a lot of power left in them once made besides the added cold factor. Perhaps, if they were poisoned, that would give more, but she doubted it'd be a lot. At the very least, it meant she could use poisoned ice with abandon now, as long as she was a responsible citizen and cleaned up afterward. So what could she make that would be considered to have a lot of power?

Runes felt like the obvious answer, yet likely didn't count since she wasn't making the core components of the catalyst, which sadly meant she couldn't use this Trait as a way to remove them from her body. Hmm, what about an ice axe enchanted with a Rune, though? Would magical ice make a good catalyst? Sadly, she didn't really have a good Rune in her bank that would do much for a weapon. Didn't mean she couldn't try another, but it meant she could save the test for later. Many more tests.

Always more tests and no time to test them. For now, though, she only had one priority, and that was to head back inside to do what would be much harder than the fight she'd just finished.

"Gelic, is that you?" A tired voice called once the Demon entered the now-dark cottage, sounding like she hadn't quite fallen asleep, but was halfway there.

"Yes, it's me." She made her way over to the bed and knelt down next to the side, preparing herself because she could guess what was coming.

"I took care of the Malignants, so you should be able to sleep peacefully now."

"Thank you," Adora yawned.

"Are you going to be here when I wake up?"

"Uhm, no… I'll be heading out soon…" Angelica had a lump in her throat saying that. She really didn't want to go, knowing that there was a good chance she'd never see the witch again. Honestly, part of her wanted desperately to adopt the woman as her grandmother, forge some sort of permanent connection, but she knew that was not the intent of the Contract. Stay until you are ready to leave. Kind of cruel in a sense, but she understood the necessity. It was up to Angelica to tell herself that it was time to move on.

[Contract complete. Remember to take your payment]"I understand. And please, keep the outfit. It suits you much better than me." The woman smiled at her one last time before it twisted into a more somber expression.

"So are you going to do that Demon thing, then?" This wasn't her first time experiencing it, at least. Undoubtedly, both the witch and Contract were referring to Soul Suck. While Adora had never negotiated the terms, at least not with Gelic, she was still expected to uphold them as the technical Summoner.

"I'd skip it if I could," Angelica answered honestly. But she knew that was unavoidable, and could already feel the obligation beginning to take hold of her. If she didn't do it on her own, the Demon Growth System would force her to do so. That didn't stop her from worrying, though. With the woman's age and poor constitution, couldn't draining her like that be a real danger? It had sapped her last victim dry, and he was a relatively healthy, much younger man.

"Don't worry about it," Adora smiled.

"It helps me sleep." That could just be considerate words, but it did help spur her into action. Angelica gently grabbed the woman's hand and activated the Demon Curse. She tried to hold back the power as much as she could, if that did anything at all. [Gained 200 Essence] Really, that wasn't much at all, especially coming from such a powerful source. Though if she was using magic regularly, not much should be stagnated, and as far as she knew, Soul Suck wouldn't steal straight from someone's reserves.

Or maybe it could, and the witch didn't process it regularly like a trained Summoner would. That, or there could just be a cap on her specifically. Since it was a nice round number, that felt plausible, something to keep the Skill from draining her beyond recovery. Adora fell asleep immediately. Thankfully, the steady breathing alleviated the immediate concerns. Angelica made sure to tuck the woman in properly before saying another silent send-off.

She held back a few tears as she returned to her apartment, racing over to Cherub to snuggle him and comfort herself before remembering what she was wearing, not wanting to get cat hair all over her gift. Well, it was a good excuse to test the disrobement capabilities of Second Stomach, then. When she tried it out, there was a bit of a strange feeling. It wasn't like her mind or System was outright rejecting the act, more like it was just a bit puzzled by what exactly she wanted.

So to emphasize the outfit being eaten, she lightly bit her sleeve. After that, the concept was accepted, and the whole dress was consumed. And since an understanding was reached, the shoes and hat were stored without argument. Before she could relax, though, it was time to try the reversal. And… it sort of worked. The hat was slightly off kilter, and the shoes had to be wiggled a bit. Her dress was almost entirely backwards and in complete disarray.

So, the spirit was there, but it would take more practice in controlling the transfer. Maybe it would be her turn to teach the DGS a lesson, one on human anatomy and just how clothes worked. [Second Stomach Lv. 5] [Vigor increased] [Famine Attunement increased] After storing the outfit again, she checked her phone and sighed. As expected, there was an impatient text from her mother which she elected to ignore for now.

Angelica then turned into a cat, needing the extra deluxe snuggles after everything, able to justify the MP spend thanks to the Salvaged axes and the fact that she'd probably just go to bed right afterward. It actually wasn't as late as she thought, only bedtime for a normal person, which she definitely didn't qualify for. The world hopping and time-zone shenanigans of the earlier Summons had made the actual passage of time feel much longer.

She'd get the last two hundred Essence needed tomorrow, then still try to push the meeting with her mother a bit longer so she had time to psyche herself up. Maybe finally do some art to calm down, even if it was without Auto-Color. The next morning didn't go quite as planned, however, because just like a few days prior, she was woken by a sudden voice in her head. Well, this was more an intent to speak with her than a direct call. [Incoming Transmission from Accomplice: Gawk. Do you accept?]"Uhh, hi Gawk."

Hopefully that didn't come out too sleepily. The mouth normally betrayed someone who had just gained consciousness, but she didn't know if that applied to mind talking.

"Gelic!" Well, he was definitely awake, basically shouting in her head with way too much enthusiasm, as to be expected.

"Hey, I found a Cult who's willing to give us a shot, but we'd have to join as a pair. So what do you say? Are you free now and willing to check them out with me?!"