Master Of Astral Summoner

His eyes widened when he saw the Doppleshade only a few steps away. He forced himself to his feet, ignoring the pain as he tried to put as much distance between them as possible.

’I-I have to get away from here before—’

"Hey, look this way, you filthy creature!"

Miss Daisy’s shout made Doppleshade spin around. A glass bottle immediately flew through the air, heading straight for the creature’s face. Instantly, a thick green liquid appeared and began to burn the creature’s face, causing it to vanish into thin air.

"I-it worked." Chelsie smiled. "Uhm... Miss Daisy, did you really manage to get rid of that creature?"

"Yes, but I doubt it’ll keep that thing down for long." Miss Daisy glanced toward the rubble. "We need to get out of here before it—"

’Crash!’

"Shaan!"

Chelsie sprinted toward him. She found him sprawled against the ground, blood still running from his shoulder.

"Hang on! I’ll help you!"

Chelsie dropped beside him and placed her hand over the wound. A soft glow gathered around her palm as she began chanting a healing spell. But the wound refused to close. Blood continued to seep between her fingers.

"Che-Chelsie...."

"Wh-Why isn’t it healing?" Her hand trembled. Tears rolled down her cheeks as she stared at Shaan’s pale face. "No... no." Chelsie shook her head. "I’m just not using enough power." She took a shaky breath. "I-I’ll cast the healing spell again." Her trembling hand pressed harder against the wound. "I have to heal you. I have to—"

"Stop." Miss Daisy walked over to Chelsie. "It’s pointless. Your healing spell won’t work on him."

Chelsie frowned and tilted her head. What do you mean?"

"Erm... Let me take a look."

Miss Daisy removed her glove and placed her hand over Shaan’s wound. She closed her eyes and began chanting an unfamiliar spell. A golden light spread across her palm, bathing Shaan’s shoulder in a warm glow.

"The flow of his mana has been disrupted." Miss Daisy examined the wounded area. "That’s why your healing spell can’t work properly."

"Could it be a blood clot?"

"No."Miss Daisy quickly shook her head. Her fingers continued to examine the area around the wound.

"Something else is wrong." She narrowed her eyes. "It feels like a foreign object has become lodged near his shoulder bone."

"Did it hit the joint?"

"No. But it’s close." Miss Daisy’s expression grew serious. "We need to remove it before the damage gets worse."

"B-But how can we get it out of Shaan’s shoulder?"

"Calm down." Miss Daisy looked at Chelsie. "I know what to do."

Miss Daisy reached into one of her pockets and pulled out a small device. It looked almost like a short pen, but its brass casing gave it a much more unusual appearance. A tiny blue crystal sat at its tip, resembling a piece of Manacite.

"Mi-Miss Daisy, what’s that?"

"Resonance Magnet." Miss Daisy tightened her grip around the device. "It’s a small tool that uses mana to pull foreign objects out of the body." She raised it slightly. "Let me show you how it works."

Miss Daisy placed the tip against Shaan’s shoulder and slowly closed her eyes. A blue light flickered from the crystal.

"Shaan, this device will pull the foreign object out of your body." Miss Daisy glanced at him. "Erm... it will hurt quite a bit, so try to endure the pain."

"...."

"Once I remove the object, use your healing ability to repair the torn muscle tissue." Miss Daisy turned toward Chelsie. "Do you understand?"

"Uhm... I understand."Chelsie tightened her grip around her staff. Her gaze sharpened. "I’ll do everything I can to save Shaan."

The blue light flashed faster and faster, and suddenly Shaan felt something vibrating beneath his skin. At first it felt like a slight tremor on his shoulder, but gradually the vibration grew stronger until he began to feel a sharp sensation.

"Ah!"

Shaan clenched his jaw. His fingers curled into tight fists as the pain intensified. He took one short breath after another until finally the object was forced out of his body.

"Clang!"

"Hang in there, Shaan. I’ll heal you right away."

A golden light surrounded Shaan. Warm mana flowed through his body, and he felt some of his strength return. The pain gradually faded. The wound from the dagger began to close, and the bleeding finally stopped.

Shaan slowly opened his eyes and looked at the two of them. "Miss Daisy... Chelsie. Thank you."

"Heh?" Miss Daisy’s face flushed instantly upon hearing Shaan’s words. "I-it’s nothing. We’re the ones who should be thanking you." Miss Daisy immediately handed one of the dual short swords to Shaan. "Without this, the two of us probably wouldn’t have been able to break free from those restraints."

"Uhm... That’s true."

Miss Daisy took a breath and rose to her feet. Her gaze swept across the room. "Um... maybe we should go get that key now before—"

The same Doppleshade emerged from behind a pile of rubble. It approached them. Then its body twisted and reshaped itself into Shaan’s exact appearance. The creature tilted its head slightly. A sinister grin spread across its face as it stared at them.

"Oh, no." Shaan stood up, gripping his weapon tightly. "Miss Daisy, Chelsie, secure the key. I’ll deal with this thing."

"Sh-Shaan, your wound hasn’t fully healed yet." Chelsie shook her head firmly. "We need to treat you properly first—"

"Chelsie, we have no other choice." Shaan glared at her. "We absolutely can’t let that key fall into the hands of the Resistance leader."

"...A-All right." Chelsie hesitated for a moment before finally nodding. "Just be careful."

"Shaan, even though this Doppleshade has mutated, it still has a weakness." Miss Daisy pushed her glasses up the bridge of her nose. "When it lowers its guard, strike its back. An attack there will disrupt its movements and give you an opening to finish it."

"I understand, Miss Daisy."

"Uhmm..." Chelsie fell silent for a moment, then bit her lip. "Please be careful."

Shortly after Miss Daisy and Chelsie left Shaan, the Doppleshade quickly rushed toward him. It unleashed a brutal flurry of attacks, but fortunately, Shaan managed to deflect each one aimed at him.

"Cling! Cling!"

’Damn it. I can’t keep this up.’ Shaan glanced around the room. ’I need to strike this thing in the back. But how am I supposed to get behind it?’

His eyes stopped on a large lamp hanging precariously from the ceiling. An idea struck him. Shaan gathered the last of his mana and began casting a summoning spell.

"Robin Hood, I have a plan to defeat this thing."

He tightened his grip around his dual short swords. "But I need your help."