Clarissa always considered her blindness a blessing and a curse. And right now, she was hoping it was a blessing she couldn't see what made both Melody and Valentine fall straight to the floor.
"Marvelous! Absolutely spectacular!" Lord Charget marveled. "Exactly as promised, the light simply knocks assailants unconscious! Stupendous! Except, hm. Why aren't you on the floor?"
"Lord Charget, what are you rambling about?" Clarissa asked, at a loss for words.
"Hm. Because you can't see the light, you are thereby unaffected. Quite an odd anomaly...This is completely spectacular!" He cheered again, or as close as a giant dragon can come to cheering and squealing like a little girl on Christmas. "And after so many decades! To think I sent assassins after Jennal because I thought he withheld this little stone from me...I hope he's still alright, no one's heard from him in at least three decades...oh well. Just extraordinary! To think, all my enemies, fallen to the ground like babies! Unless of course that idiot on the other side of the valley decides to recruit a horde of blind recruits, but they would end up running into each other anyway so it's not even an issue."
"Sir?" Clarissa spoke up again, trying to follow the dragon's long monologue without success.
"Hm? Oh yes, blind girl. Speak."
"What happened to my sisters?" She asked with a nervous laugh.
"Ah yes, yes. Them. Well, you see my dear," He began, and Clarissa felt a hand place itself on her arm and guide her to a sofa.
"Thank you, Lord Charget." She nodded appreciatively.
"Ah, please my dear, no formalities, you can just call me the Supreme Ruler and Emperor of the Universe." He chuckled.
"That might be just a tad to long, your lordship." Clarissa replied ruefully.
"Ah yes, yes, my apologies. I did render your sisters unconscious, so you may call me Aiko. That's what all my friends call me."
"Mr. Aiko, Sir, what did you do to my sisters?" Clarissa shook her head, her mouth slightly agape as she remembered hearing them hit the floor with a thud.
"Ah, yes, your sisters. They were the first test subjects, guinea pigs if you will, of my Ultimate Weapon!" He exclaimed gleefully. "I have waited such a long time for that ruby to come in, you wouldn't believe how many people I've had to torture and behead because of it." Aiko sighed, and Clarissa knew the lord was shaking his head like the whole torture and beheading thing was a normal occurrence in his neck of the woods. "And after all these decades, to finally see it! Oh just splendid! Splendid indeed!" He said happily.
"You see, my sword was forged by an expert craftsman in the fiery mountains that surround our lands far to the east. It was a quite a while before I saw my blade, you can imagine. And after it was imbued with mystical energy, I was quite ecstatic. And then the Great Daimyo of our land said I needed a permit." Aiko seethed in annoyance. Clarissa just gaped, wondering how the irritable dragon she'd encountered only minutes before had turned into the average teenager. "But of course, I worked something out with him. Instead of a permit, make me as low as the peasants would you?," He grumbled, more to himself than his audience of one. "we decided it would be best to simply add a safeguard to the weapon.
"The ruby, brought all the way from Mt. Fuji if you can believe it or not, acts like a connecter piece between the magic in the sword and the wielder. Without the gem to act as a medium, the wielder cannot tap into the magic the sword naturally has, and in this case quite a powerful magic!" He exclaimed eagerly, and Clarissa wondered what kind of guy she was sitting with. He definitely had a personality disorder...
"Sir-"
"And there's more than a simple flash of light, oh yes there is!" Aiko continued, ignoring the blind girl's words and plowing on. "It also contains a psychological aspect as well...or so I was told. Imagine, not just rendering armies useless, but also damaging their psyches as well! It is an unimaginable weapon, wouldn't you agree?"
"Wha-" Clarissa gaped.
"Isn't it amazing?" Aiko seemed pleased with himself, and Clarissa's shock was slowly turning into anger.
"WHAT DID YOU DO TO MY SISTERS?" She shouted explosively.
"My dear-"
"I am not your 'dear', got that? Now you are going to fix my sisters, and are not going to leave them mentally scarred, got that?"
"My dear-"
"I told you." Clarissa ground out, feeling her eyes narrow menacingly. "I am not your 'dear', got that? My name is Clarissa. Claire-Issa." She enunciated, daring him to contradict her. "Now, you could do the right thing, and help my sisters, or..." She trailed off, leaving him to connect the dots. Clarissa heard him gape, and knew he was floundering for a reply.
"But, my- Clarissa," He corrected himself. "my weapon, it brings up doubt in a person's mind. It causes them to second guess themselves, think they're crazy, that they were wrong all along-"
"Your point?" Clarissa snapped.
"Waking them up could be a disaster!" Aiko exclaimed.
"Try it. Like you said, they are the guinea pigs after all." Clarissa said, a hard edge entering her voice. She heard Aiko sigh, and knew she was going to win. "Fix them. Now." She practically growled, and waited patiently while her host left the couch to call for some servants.
"Do your best to wake them up, but don't allow any injury to either girl." Aiko murmured to his staff, and Clarissa crossed her arms over her chest expectantly. "And do it quickly." Aiko conceded. The sound of the staff's movement alerted Clarissa to the departure of her sisters, and then felt the seat beside her dip down as someone sat next to her again.
"Was that satisfactory?" Aiko sighed wearily.
"Actually, yes, yes it was." Clarissa smiled with an approving nod. "Now, would you like to tell me how you are going to help my sisters and I enter a heavily fortified castle?"
"Excuse me?" Aiko replied, and Clarissa could swear he blinked. He forgot his end of the deal... She wanted to scoff.
"Your exact words were, 'I believe we can be of assistance to each other'. Well, we helped you, and now it's your turn to help us." Clarissa said calmly, giving Aiko a long stare. One of the best techniques Clarissa ever had trying to get her way was The Stare. She was blind, she couldn't technically see. But The Stare was a very useful weapon in her arsenal. She couldn't see, but she could stare right at him, making him think she saw absolutely everything, and she would know if he made even one wrong move. It was creepy, but it worked. "And if you don't," She added for emphasis. "it might just slip to the other lords of the land what exactly you have in your weapons vault." She smiled secretively.
"You are a very good extortionist, Lady Clarissa." Aiko conceded.
"Eh, I took debate for a while. I was the captain for a reason, your lordship." She smirked.
"Sir?" A meek female voice spoke up, and Clarissa turned her head in the voice's direction.
"What do ya want?" Aiko growled out threateningly. "I told you not to disturb me! Can't you follow any instructions, you worthless peasant?" He demanded.
"Aiko!" Clarissa snapped. "Shut up." The room was suddenly quiet, very, very quiet.
"You dare," Aiko began slowly. "you dare to speak against me?"
"The servant, where is she?" Clarissa asked pleasantly.
"Here, ma'am." The timid voice said, shaking slightly.
"Come here, please." The sound of footsteps registered in her mind and then she felt someone at her side. "What is your name?" She asked kindly.
"Who cares what her name is? She's just a stupid servant." Aiko snapped.
"Your name, please."
"I-I'm Sora." She said softly.
"Lovely name, Sora. Just beautiful. Now, what did you come here to tell us, Sora?" She asked patiently, sweetly.
"T-The Ladies Valentine and Melody have awakened." The little servant stuttered.
"That's wonderful news, thank you so much, Sora. Now, you might want to run along before Lord Charget here bursts a blood vessel." She smiled, and the quick footsteps of Sora let her know she was once again alone with the lord of the manor. "Now, you were saying?" She asked sweetly. The dragon seemed to be pouting, but he growled out a response.
"I guess I should help you." He allowed.
"And?" She prompted him.
"I know how to get you into the castle."
"Lovely." Clarissa smiled brightly.
"The reign of the new Daimyo is coming, and there must be entertainment." Aiko said slowly. "And so there must be entertainers. And what could be more curious than a group of three, each under an unusual curse?" Clarissa felt a smile tug on her lips. This could work...