Alice opted to undo her disguise spell once again and assume her demon form. She didn't hesitate to slice a bit of her palm skin with a sharp finger nail. Blood flowed out gently. With just a whim of thought, she drew her blood out and it took the shape of a big scythe. Its blade curved down and tapered elegantly. The long handle was shaped ergonomically and well balanced.
Alice put a finger on its center of gravity, the scythe was leveled perfectly.
"So, this is your second innate ability?" Lady Hanako studied the blood scythe closely.
"Yes. It's called [Claw of Blood]. I could shape and harden my blood to a certain extent. It grants me critical hits to my enemy, but the scythe is still fairly weak and couldn't be used for a prolonged fight just yet. I need more blood to harden its structure. That's why I will not use this ability in real combat unless it's guaranteed a win."
"A Bloodmancer, huh? It's been a while since I saw one. Your abilities are so unique." Lady Hanako complimented. "May I?"
"Sure." Alice gave her the scythe, and she put the disguise spell once again.
Lady Hanako further investigate the scythe's
"How did you know about Bloodmancer?"
"The Vampire Clan use blood as their means to get stronger by absorbing the life-force within it. Usually, they turned their blood into tentacles behind their backs during the fight or catching their prey. A troublesome bunch, but their combat prowess is among the strongest in the demi-human's world. But this is my first time to see somebody have full control of the blood, not just an extension."
"Hmm, does it mean that one of my parents is a descendant of a vampire?"
"Probably… Vampire Clan is almost as old as Demon Race after all. But most vampires lived amongst humans and their ranks. While the others lived in solitary. It's quite hard to track them, their lineage is very elusive."
"Hmmm… Intriguing." Alice rubbed her chin. "Well, it doesn't matter. Speaking of which… How many days will it take to forge my scythe?"
"I am about to do it right now."
"Pardon?" Alice was puzzled. There was no furnace or any forging tools in the room. How would she forge the scythe?
Momo stood up, urging Alice to leave Lady Hanako alone.
"Well then," Momo purred, "let's move to the porch while having some sweets!"
"Err, okay." Alice's hand was tugged while being escorted outside.
Momo left the little demoness outside while she brewed the tea and returned with a tray full of sweet rice cake.
"You do like those rice cakes, huh?" Alice chimed. She couldn't avert her eyes from Momo's cute cheeks.
"It's given! I am a Fox Spirit after all! And rice is my main source of energy! Fufufu."
"Hmm…" Alice hummed, gazing at the bright blue sky, wondering about Momo's childhood. "How long have you known Lady Hanako for?"
"Since I was born, I guess?"
"I see…" Alice refrained from asking about Momo's parents. She didn't want to trigger Momo's sad memories. "Anyway, I'm more curious on how Lady Hanako would forge my scythe. I don't see any forging tools inside."
Momo giggled. "As a Pioneer, Lady Hanako had mastered many Adventurer Classes. One of them is Blacksmith. She could forge any weapon from raw materials at will! Well, I don't really know how it works, but Lady Hanako is able to forge a weapon out of thin air!"
"Huh? Then how about the herb shop? It doesn't fit her class, at all."
"Oh, that… She just loves tea and herbs in general, they help her to meditate. Fufufu."
"Sure it does… She seemed very wise and… Ancient."
Alice stopped asking questions and enjoyed the beautiful sight of the flower garden before her. She soon understood that the flowers grew lush and beautiful due to the strange energy that enveloped the building and the soil around it.
'It must be Hanako's doing…' Alice thought inwardly. 'No wonder the herb plants inside the store stayed fresh and lustrous.'
Momo, on the other hand, was inching closer to Alice. She flopped her tail onto Alice's lap, demanding to be brushed in silence.
Alice gave a lazy side gaze to Momo. She sighed, and brushed the fluffy and fuzzy tail gently with her fingers.
"Is it good enough?"
"Em, I love it! Nothing beats your gentle touch, Alice." Momo threw her face to the other side, her ears perked up high, and red on their tips.
Alice actually knew that Momo's tail is very sensitive and also the fact that Momo could be turned on if she went any further up, especially on its base. But it's just so hard to hold the urge to tease the fox girl.
Alice smirked, her natural instinct of a prankster kicked in. Her fingers trail further up, and she grabbed the tail firmly.
"Ahn~" Momo jolted with a lewd moan. She immediately covered her mouth with a hand.
The little demoness couldn't stop giggling joyously.
"Alice, you tease!"
"Fufu, I'm so sorry, I just can't help it!"
Momo, pouted her cheek. "Hrng… Gimme yours!"
"Nope, you can't." Alice hugged her succubus tail closer to her chest.
"C'mere!"
"Never!" Alice sprang to her feet and ran away.
"You, little—"
"Ahahaha! You'll never catch me!"
The two ended up running around the herb store like two innocent kids. But their fun was short-lived. The two halted immediately while hugging each other as Lady Hanako slid the door open, her menacing aura oozing out while still maintaining her smiling face. L
"In… Both of you."
"Momo…" Alice's voice was shaky. "S-save me!"
"It's no use, Alice. We're doomed!"
Slap!
Slap!
Both of them ended up with a shore pair of butts. Well, they deserved a little bit of spanking for messing around at Lady Hanako's flower garden. The cat lady couldn't care less about Alice and Momo's background. If one becomes her disciple, it's her duty and responsibility to teach them by any means necessary and the rest matter less.
"It's your fault, Alice." Momo said meekly.
"No, it's yours too." Alice refused to be blamed one-sidedly.
"Silence, both of you!"
Tak! Tak!
Each of them got their foreheads flicked by the cat lady.
"Ouch! Ouch! Ouch!" Alice rolling around the tatami mat. "It's just a flick, but it's so painful!"
"Have you learned your lesson?" Lady Hanako stood tall before them, crossing her arms below her chest.
"Y-yes, master." The two nodded.
"Good." Lady Hanako finally calmed down, she lowered her aura. "Alice, come closer."
Once she did, Lady Hanako calmed down and summoned the scythe out of the thin air.
The scythe was around 6'5'' tall overall. Meanwhile, the blade was around three feet from the tip to its base. It was dark in color except for the blade's bevel that glowed in bright red as Lady Hanako had infused Alice's blood scythe into the blade's tip.
The cat lady tested the scythe's balance, inspecting every inch of it with her keen eyes. She sighed a long breath while reminiscing about the distant past.
"A thousand years ago, I vowed to God and my Ancestors to never forge another Sacred Weapon, an instrument of destruction that would bring chaos upon this land. And now I have broken that very vow… To bring balance to this land once again."
"I can tell you with no ego… This is the finest weapon I ever forge."
"So beautiful! Is this really for me?! A weapon of this calibre could be considered as a national treasure!"
"Of course." Lady Hanako ran her fingers on Alice's head. "You are my pride and joy. I would never forge a half-assed weapon for my precious disciple. And now, this scythe is yours."
"Thank you, Master." Alice said quietly. Her body was trembling as the scythe's handle landed gracefully on her hands.