Blessing

He called them "master" with every breath, yet this madman never once glanced at Vel'th, who lay on the ground wailing in agony, even though Vel'th held the contract that controlled their lives and deaths.

Perhaps, to a savage destroyer by nature, a life-binding contract was nothing important.

The felguard grinned maliciously, as if the smile said: You can take my life, but you cannot stop me from doing evil!

Of course, Vel'th now desperately wanted these two troublesome fellows to wreak as much havoc as possible. That was probably why the two villains were temporarily obeying his "orders."

Tally seized the chance to plant another Trapping Totem. With the enemy shifting between light and shadow and Carl badly wounded, she could not make a rash move.

Sandresa might have been somewhat crazy, but she was certainly no fool. With a raised hand, the brilliant mage summoned a wave of solid ice that covered the field in an instant, destroying the totems Tally had placed.

Tally had never fought a mage before and had not anticipated this at all, but her combat instincts were exceptional.

When her ears once again caught the tremor of a blade slicing through the air, she immediately raised a mana shield around her husband, rendering the rogue's chain of slashes useless.

Amid a flurry of clanging sounds, ripples spread across the barrier, yet not a single crack appeared.

The rogue withdrew the instant his attack failed. A massive sulfur fireball brushed past him and slammed straight into the barrier, exploding with tremendous force, as though Sandresa had no fear of harming her ally.

When the smoke cleared, the intact barrier stood before the demons.

"Looks like native magic has its merits after all. Azresok, what do you think we should do about this red turtle shell?"

No one answered. The rogue remained concealed in the air.

"Very well."

Sandresa licked her lips, revealing a bloodthirsty smile. "It has been a long time since I played cat and mouse. Let us be good little cats and quietly wait for the disobedient mice to come out of their hole!"

Meanwhile, inside the barrier.

"Hang in there, darling. I'll cleanse the poison right away!"

Tally slowly removed her husband's heavy plate armor, then drew a small knife from her clothes and gently cut open the sweat-soaked lining. She quickly spotted the tiny wound and sucked in a cold breath.

The wound was hidden amid his tawny fur and was quite inconspicuous. There was no pus, no blue or purple discoloration. Carl had been poisoned without anyone noticing.

Wiping the sweat from her brow, Tally's expression turned grave. She used her knife to make several shallow cuts around the wound and squeezed out the remaining poisoned blood. Then she planted a Cleansing Totem, gently pressed her palm, blooming with white light, against her husband's back, and began separating the toxins from his circulating blood.

She activated Elemental Sight and carefully made a small incision beneath Carl's collarbone. Then, with absolute focus, she separated the venom, doing everything she could to stop it from reaching her husband's heart.

For every Shaman, Cleansing Technique was a required skill. In this art, perhaps only druids, who had yet to appear, could rival them. Both were masters of natural magic.

As the poisoned blood was filtered out bit by bit, Carl's complexion gradually improved.

The cleansing was soon complete. Carl finally stopped groaning in pain, and his breathing gradually steadied. Yet the damage the poison had done to his body was the real issue. If it could not be restored, he would be unable to fight again anytime soon.

Exhausted, Tally let out a long breath. The rogue had struck with ruthless precision. Not only had his timing been flawless, but he had kept himself hidden from beginning to end. What a cruel, patient, terrifying enemy.

Her wariness toward the rogue rose another level.

Tally wiped the sweat from the top of her head and anxiously watched Carl's rising and falling chest. He was still unconscious, and his coarse shirt was drenched through with sweat.

The Shaman picked up a waterskin and fed Carl some water, then struggled to lift her husband's heavy body and wipe away his sweat.

The poison had been dealt with. What should she do about the treatment that came next?

Restoration Shamans excelled at summoning life-filled streams to heal others' wounds. This magical water could not only mend external injuries but also restore the injured person's strength. But strength was not something that could be replenished quickly; recovery took time.

Naturally, Tally understood this. She did not summon Healing Water again. Instead, a thread of red energy gathered in her palm before slowly flowing into the warrior's body.

Under the healing glow of that red light, Carl soon woke up.

Carl painfully lifted his head. The agonizing pain was still stabbing at his mind in waves, as if knives were cutting him apart.

"I'm sorry, darling. This is all I can do."

Seeing her husband in such pain, Tally apologized dejectedly. Her ears drooped, making her resemble some pitiful little animal.

Carl took a deep breath, shook his head, and laughed heartily.

He stroked his beloved's head and said gently, "It's enough, my love. It's enough. No matter how many enemies there are, this blessing is enough for me to knock them all down!"

Tally looked at her smiling husband with aching tenderness. He had always been like this. No matter how severely he was hurt, no matter how hard things became, he never wanted to bring it home. He did not want her and their son to worry about him.

This kind-hearted giant was always so gentle that one could not help wanting to share his burdens.

Tally reached out and carefully touched her husband's chest. Then she closed her eyes and lightly kissed his forehead.

"You have to stay alive, you big dumb bull!"

Carl gently clasped his beloved's hand and pressed it against his chest. This tall, wild creature was using this primitive gesture to express his love and tenderness.

"I promise."

He smiled foolishly. "I promise I'll live well. I'll watch our son grow into an adult, watch him marry and have children, watch him become an outstanding man..."

"I'll watch over him properly, for both of us."

Tally raised a finger and gently pressed it against Carl's big, dark nose, smiling as she said:

"Then it's settled. Before you fulfill our promise, I won't allow you to come looking for me so easily! If you break your promise—hmph—I'll fly up and kick you straight back!"

Carl burst into laughter, pulled Tally into his arms, and took a beautiful little white flower from his pocket.

It was the very one Little Windsong had given him. Carl had kept it carefully wrapped in a handkerchief, and it was still as fresh as when it had just been picked.

He gently tucked the little flower beside Tally's small horn, then returned her kiss with a tender one of his own.

"I promise, darling. I promise..."

Having received her husband's promise, Tally smiled happily. She took out another totem and lightly carved a few marks into it with her knife.

The Polymorph the mage had cast upon it had already worn off, and it had returned to its original horn-like form.

After finishing the carving, she took some incense ash from her pouch and sprinkled it over the totem, then carefully fastened it to Carl's belt.

Carl gathered up his scattered armor. After putting it on with practiced ease, he was once more that imposing father, that mighty warrior who struck fear into his enemies.

"Dismiss the protection, my love."

"Let us use this final battle to create a new tomorrow for our people, for our son!"