The Demon of Blades raised one hand and...
Gave me a small wave?
The rag-dolled bandits were slowly picking themselves off the ground as the Demon approached Katiana's carriage.
Several of the bandits swung at the Demon of Blades - and their swords...
Bounced harmlessly off the Demon's night-silk robe, barely leaving a wrinkle behind.
Katiana leaned out of the carriage window and shouted at the Demon of Blades.
"Hey D.O.B.! These goons - mind catching them all?" [Katiana]
The Demon paused a moment then did a thumbs up - and the sky above us darkened with swirls of magic circles.
This didn't look good - magic circles are not supposed to appear just anywhere - certainly never up in the sky.
I started running back towards Katiana, but before I even took two steps, several dozen giant multi-eyed S+ rank slimes in all colors of the rainbow fell from the magic circles - many directly onto the still standing bandits, engulfing them whole.
I almost felt pity for the eaten attackers - drowning by slime juice has to be one of the more embarrassing ends.
The slimes that landed behind and in front of the bandits unfurled countless thin tentacles and quickly subdued the attackers.
Within moments, peace.
I was still only a few steps away from the Earl's carriage - the Demon of Blades vanished from behind Katiana's group's position - and reappeared next to the fallen Earl's guards.
The Demon crouched down to one of the guards and lightly placed its gloved hand onto the guard's head.
An uncomfortable pressure weighed on me accompanied by a low, deep hum - just below even my sense of hearing it was more felt than heard.
From the Demon's hand a golden specked glow spread out in all directions in an ever expanding sphere, the unheard hum becoming audible as its frequency changed.
When the golden waves passed thru me, it felt as I was being softly buffeted by a kind and warm wind, the hum petering out as if the universe itself gave a sigh of relief.
And... I remembered being comforted by mother after I hurt myself when I was three - no, this was not just a memory - for just a heartbeat, I was physically re-living that very moment, smelling my mother's perfume, feeling her cool hand on my face.
The precious moment passed as the golden wave spread out past Katiana's carriage, past my two elite commanders, and past the bandits.
All the Earl's guards had been damaged to some degree during the fight against larger odds - the ones that had fatal wounds sat up and looked around in bewilderment.
"Eh? I thought I was a goner - felt like my liver had been pierced..." [Guard 1]
"Hey, how is... my old scar from five years ago - it's gone!" [Guard 2]
"You think that's strange? Look, my eye grew back that I lost last year!" [Guard 3]
"Eh, look, this bandit I pierced through - he's healed up too..." [Guard 4]
"Yeah, let's tie them up before they regain their wits, tho...." [Guard Captain]
This was a sacred healing from the legends!
The only other recorded case of such healing I knew of in recent times was used by the co-founder of the empire - the first Duchess.
Although in that documented event, the records didn't mention lost organs or limbs being replaced, so this spell might be something even more awe inspiring and unexpected.
Without a sound the Demon of Blades approached the carriage.
The window had now opened and a young woman - the Earl's oldest daughter, if my memory served - lent out a bit to see why things had gone so quiet.
"Oh, hello there mage... ah or priest? Thank you for healing my poor guards - what can I do to repay you?" [Earl's eldest Daughter]
The Demon of Blades looked up at the Lady - no words could be heard but from the Lady's expression something was being communicated - she nodded a few times, her face changing from disbelief, surprise, to happiness.
"Of... of course! I will take care of that - it will be my pleasure! Thank you again, preist... mage?" [Earl's eldest Daughter]
The Demon of Baldes nodded once to the Earl's daughter then moved towards me.
I had barely noticed this before, but now that the Demon was so close it became obvious - when the silk-night robed figure moved, there was no agitation of the robes around the legs - if this being had legs, they were not using them.
The Demon of Baldes' movements were artificial over all - and it dawned on me how the movements reminded me of a perfectly controlled string marionette.
First the left upper arm lowered to point down at 45 degrees, the lower arm then in turn moved up to 45 degree, the hand then swiveled to stick straight out, palm facing right, with all finger stretched out.
Starting with the smallest finger, each knuckle in turn bent towards the palm, one finger by one finger, leaving just the thumb sticking out - ending with a thumbs up.
The Demon of Blades did not speak to me, so I could not experience what the Earl's daughter had - it just stood there with its thumb up for a moment.
Being so close to the Demon now, I noticed a very faint scent of salted black liquorice - it smelled a bit stale though.
Looking deep into the faceless and eye-less mask of the Demon of Blades, my trusted instinct kicked in - this was no human.
And they were ancient - at least as ancient as that certain ancestor of mine.
But I could not even start to guess what exactly was hiding within the heavy night-silk robes, and why this Demon of Blades was helping us, and how Katiana seemed to be familiar with this being.
Not being able to look into that void of a mask longer, I closed my eyes for a moment.
When I opened my eyes again, the Demon of Blades was pointing down the road towards the Ducal carriage with its right arm - its left arm was still stuck in the thumbs up position, as if it had forgotten.
I followed the Demon's pointing - the huge slimes were busy tieing up the subdued bandits.
And the slimes that had swallowed some of the attackers whole were now spitting them out - and also restraining the now mucus soaked and coughing crooks using ropes and various shackles and chains.
A soft wind blew past me - looking back to where the Demon was, all that was left was the air rushing into the space where it had been standing.
I turned my head back to look down the road as soft "pops" sounded from around my carriage - the slimes vanished one after the other, their work having been completed.
"Well, that is something I've never seen before - how about you, my Lordship?" [Earl's eldest Daughter]
While I had been distracted, she had exited her carriage and was now standing slightly behind me.
I was getting déjà vu - just like Katiana, this young woman had gotten close to me without me even noticing.
If this goes on, I will start getting paranoid - before I met Katiana, there had been no-one I hadn't detected.
Maybe, just maybe, I'm getting rusty?
Both the Ducal and Earl's guards were clearing up the fallen trees around the Earl's carriage.
Katiana had joined the Earl's daughter and myself, while my two elite commanders were pulling all the tied up bandits into one spot on the road.
"Hi Hildy! You are safe and sound, yes?" [Katiana]
"Katiana, it has been a while! Is this glaring Duke really your fiance?" [Earl's eldest Daughter, Hildebrand]
Katiana grabbed my arm and clung to me.
"Yes, and I am not sharing, so don't even think about it." [Katiana]
"Hahaha! Don't worry, I prefer handsome sparkling men! Oh, I shouldn't have said it that way..." [Earl's eldest Daughter, Hildebrand]
"No, my Lady is quite correct, I am well aware of my visual deficiencies."
"Pffttt... Dont mind her - she just hasn't realized yet that muscles are where it's at with real beauty! And man, do you have nice muscles, hubby of mine, mrwoar wraor grr grr... WOOF!" [Katiana]
Katiana made large eyes at me as she bared and gnashed her teeth.
"Hwell, each to her own, I suppose... Oh look, our path is clear - do you want to ride with me to catch up on things?" [Earl's eldest Daughter, Hildebrand]
"Oh. Kay! Why not! Sorry my dear muscle uncle - your job is still driver of the ducal carriage." [Katiana]
"I did bring that onto myself, I suppose.. ."
"You did - and I'll leave Jeannette and those two - pfffttttt - 'pages' to you too, for company." [Katiana]
I suppose Katiana decided this would be a bit of mild revenge for me tagging along unannounced...
"What are we going to do with those? "
I pointed behind me with a thumb at the bandits.
"D.O.B. said they would inform the city watch back at the capital - they are all knocked out for now for a few hours by that cool goldy shiny spell, so we could just leave them here with a couple of our mounted Ducal guards for now, yes?" [Katiana]
"Good plan, my dear wife, let us proceed that way. You and you, you heard the Duchess."
I pointed at two of my mounted guards - they bowed and maneuvered their horses to stand near the now grouped prisoners.
Katiana had by this time retired into the Earl's coach with his daughter, so we continued our journey to the Marquess' estate.
