Azimuth: The Elden Throne (New Version)

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"... Urg…"

Amidst his chaotic thoughts, Dale frowned deeply as he struggled to come up with an answer to Kuddan's offer.

He opened and closed his eyes, clearing battling himself to open his mouth.

"Hm?... Is something wrong?" Hina asked as she noticed Dale's pale expression

"I… I'm okay… Okay… Yeah…"

"..."

'He's definitely not.'

"I… Accept. Let's do it." He said as he bit his lips

Deep down, he felt his soul leave his body as he finished those words.

When he first experienced the pain of the Ritual, where it was not for the help of the Spirits, there would've been an almost sure chance he would've died due to shock.

But now, he would have to do so alone…

Of course, both rituals can't and shouldn't be compared to one another.

Tina's Vermin's pot ritual was about absorbing the Vitality of the Greater Devil and infusing it onto his body. Because of the Devil's characteristics, the Ritual almost failed as he was forced to hunt it down himself.

Even if he was in a half-berserk state due to a multitude of reasons, the pain was still ravaging his body, and once his adrenaline levels decreased, he felt everything at once, if even for a split second.

Now… Who would be helping him relax and survive this hurdle?

In the end, he could only count on himself…

"Good."

"There are a few things we need to resolve first before we begin." He said as he moved to the table where his box was placed

He began taking a few things, one by one, placing them atop a thin cloth gently.

"First… I've heard many details from the others regarding your strength and characteristics, that much you should've already figured out."

Kuddan did not participate in the fight against the Greater Devil, so everything he said so far about it he heard from others over the following days.

Some details he took for what they was, others, however, he had to interpret…

"With your improved body following the ritual, we'll need to take some precautions to prevent things from going awry."

"... May I ask what those things are?" Dale asked with a frown as he took a deep breath

"For once, we need to weaken your body's healing factor."

"If we wish to see the Ritual completed, then we must carve the pathways precisely. We can't have them be healed over due to your strong resilience."

"Second, even for us, the ordinary process of tattooing our flesh come as painfull and it's not unusual for our kind to be unable to resist the pain."

"Although complete reduction is impossible, I can soothe the pain you'll feel." Nôv(el)B\\jnn

"Really? That's… Great to hear." Dale said with a thin smile as he felt the urge to cry a single tear

"Is it? I wouldn't be happy yet if I were you… Cough…"

Kuddan walked to the side, taking a few extra items from his box.

Plants and pots… He began to mix them together quickly, adding water and other unknown substances before putting them over a small fire he ignited and watching it boil.

He did that for several pots, he mixed those pots together, and in the end, he was left with a few pots of strange substances.

"Here, drink this one. It'll help you calm down and suppress a portion of Prime Origin." Kuddan said as he passed Dale a uniquely blue liquid

It glowed faintly, it was… Alien to say the least.

"... Looks tasty." Hina said with a curious gaze as she looked at wooden bow of ethereal blue liquid

"... You have some… Weird tastes…" Dale said with a frown as he looked back at the bowl

"..."

/GULP!/

After praying for his Goddess and all of the divinities above, Dale gulped down as hard as he could…

"Hm… Actually… It tastes like… Mint?" Dale uttered with some surprise as he smacked his lips together "Humph… Now I want some too… Can I have a bowl too please?" Hina asked as she turned to Kuddan

"Of course! But you won't be waking up for the next few weeks after! Hohoho!... Assuming you'll live afterward…" "..."

As Hina's face turned dark, Dale's expression tensed as he felt the 'kick' of the concoction.

"Arg… I can't… Breathe…" He said as he touched his neck

"Calm down calm down, you can breathe, that's only a side effect from the potion."

"All of your senses are being numbed to mere fractions of what they were before, which makes it seem as if you're not breathing because you can't feel air passing through your throat and lungs, but it's still there. Focus, and you'll feel it."

"..."

'Right… Despite everything I said, I don't feel…'

As he thought about his senses, Hina placed her finger before Dale's nose, saying:

"Yup, you're breathing."

"... Thanks for the confirmation… But it doesn't seem like I can move my body…"

"You can, for the same reason as before."

"But why is it that I can speak?"

"That won't be the case for long, but it's a similar process to what I said before."

"It doesn't take much to speak, but soon enough, you'll struggle to move your tongue and make facial expressions."

"... How long will this last for?"

"At best, a day. At worst, a few hours. But with your body, I'm afraid it won't last much longer than an hour."

/Tap tap…/

As he said that, Kuddan finished another potion bottle.

"Young gal, I'll request your assistance from here on out." Kuddan said as he turned to Hina

"Oh?... Yes!"

As she replied, a Quest window appeared before her, and after so long, she finally felt included in this adventure.

Finally, it was her time to shine.

"I'll need you to help me apply this concoction on his body. This one will reduce his skin's healing rate and protect it from diseases and dirt."

"Time is of the essence here, and I need to finish the last potion before it's too late."

"It has to be like this otherwise, the effects won't be the same. The potions must be applied sequentially and on time as they aren't stable."

"... Wait… Like… On his entire body?" She asked as her expression changed a little

"Correct. I'll need your help in taking off his clothes. You may put him on that table over there. It's a shame, but we don't possess a special resting table that suits his size. So you'll have to put a bit more work on it."

"I…"

Hina was greatly embarrassed by the prospect, and Dale noticed it. It was too much to ask a girl to help him like that. After all, not all girls asked boys to help them apply lotion. Much less… On the entire body.

"Just help me apply on the back, I can do the rest." Dale said with a focused expression as he slowly moved his arms

'It's a bit difficult, but I can move them. I should be able to apply the lotion.'

"... No. I'll do everything."

"What?"

"Excelent. Once I'm finished here I'll help as well."

""...""

Hina said nothing as she approached Dale.

She crouched next to him and held his shoulders before pulling him up.

"..."

But he didn't budge.

"... Need help?" He asked awkwardly as he looked at her sideways

"Urg… Why are you this heavy?"

"I'm not very heavy, also, aren't you already Level 20? Do you need to be that dramatic?"

"I am a lady! I am very delicate." She said with an embarrassed smile as she looked away

"..."

She quickly pulled him up, embarrassed by her own joke.

With slow steps, Dale walked to the table, where he sat down and waited.

""...""

Both of them looked at each other for a few moments, with Hina thinking what to do next…

"Need some help? This isn't my first time…"

/Bonk!/

"... Stop being a dunce." She said with a frown as she held his shirt

'... What does he mean by that?... He's as stupid as my brother… No, that guy's worse.'

Outside, Hina was focused, and for a moment, Dale saw her grandfather in her…

But inside, she was fuming!... From both embarrassment and a bit of anger…

/Pull…/

She slowly pulled his shirt, revealing his body.

"There's no need to apply much, just a little should be enough, too much and it could compromise the skin." Kuddan said as he turned around momentarily

"... You heard him." Dale said as he smiled… Or tried to as his mouth was getting numb

"... Shut up."

Hina held the bowl and took a little of the concoction.

It was black and wattery, albeit considerably more viscous then water.

Still, it was thin enough to pass by her fingers without much resistance.

/Pass…/

With a focused but rather red face, she weakly passed a small amount on his shoulder, but even after half a minute, she wasn't done, prompting Dale to say:

"We won't be done even by nightfall at that speed, you'll have to be faster." He tried to be serious, because deep down, he was also embarrassed. And he knew that making this anymore awkward would help no one.

They had to have this done with.

"... Phew… Alright."

Hina took a deep breath and began to apply the lotion on his body, and with each stroke of her hand, she became better. Faster. Smoother…

His right arm was done in the blink of an eye, then his left… Neck… Back…

She avoided the… "Embarrassing" areas first, focusing solely on getting used to the feeling first before doing anything "daring".

She also seemed to be buying time, waiting for Kuddan to finish with his brewing…

However, there was one thing she didn't know… Something only Dale knew as he could look at Kuddan from his angle.

"..."

'That old fox…'

Kuddan was laughing!

He finished his preparations long ago! Everything he said was a damn lie!

Erile was so focused on her task she forgot to turn around. Had she done so she may have realized she was being played with.

At this poing, Dale couldn't do much, he couldn't speak very well and his tongue was now so numb he could barely feel it moving around his mouth.

It was a bit scary given he could choke on his saliva or tongue if things continued like this but with Kuddan next to him, he wasn't that afraid.

As for Hina, she finally breathed deeply, helping him pass the lotion on his face, chest, stomach, and other areas. A crimson hue on her face as she finished with his foot.

But when it came to the areas hidden by his boxers, she turned around, shaking her head.

"I-I-I can't…"

"Ho… That's okay, leave the rest to me." Kuddan said with a smile as he walked past her

It was clear to Dale was their gazes met that Kuddan was trying to smile, but Dale could do little but stare at him blankly in response.

"I'll take it from here… I suggest you wait outside."

"I c-c-can wait…"

She tried to breathe in and out, but she couldn't keep a straight face when looking at Dale anymore.

She was very pure despite her attempts at seriousness, very much like Erile.

He found it very cute… But that was but a moment of happiness in the face of what he was about to experience.

"No, wait outside. It's for the best."

"Also, don't stay on the first floor, it's too dangerous for you to remain there alone."

"Now… Please."

"..."

In the end, Hina nodded before leaving. She wanted to say something else but Kuddan's words were absolute and it was evident the old man wasn't going to bend at all.

And thus, now alone, the Ritual commenced…

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