The witch's tower: The last witch's curse

Spellcast 7: The silver knight 2

The night had hit the inn and the time for the contractors to come grew ever nearer as Arthur lay down on the bed, staring at the ceiling, his mind asking an array of questions about how his past day had been... Most nights he would be sat here seething about the woman he was now partnered with, yet right now... There was a small sound of knocking at the door and a small muffled voice as Arthur sat up and turned to face the door with a frown.
"What is it...?" he questioned grouchily as Rosalyn gave somewhat of a annoyed sound.
"What is it? Open the door or the contractors will really come to kill me!" Rosalyn stated as Arthur gave a dull look to the door.
"Good, I just hope they don't leave too much of a mess in the morning" Arthur replied as Rosalyn tutted.
"Very funny, but need I remind you, that if I die before reaching the tower, they'll be after you to restart time too!" Rosalyn told him, Arthur shrugging at her words.
"Eh, to see panic just the once isn't such a bad thing to pay the price for..." Arthur stated, giving a shrug, leaving them both in a short moments silence as Rosalyn seemed to struggled for a comeback... That was until...
"You know, I'll have interesting things to tell your princess when time restarts..." Rosalyn uttered, looking up at the ceiling above her as she sat before the door casually. Her words were shortly followed by the sound of something moving around in a rush, as Rosalyn smirked to herself at his reaction.

Arthur opened the door as there was a slight clatter from before him. He looked down, an agitated look on his face, to see Rosalyn now lying in her back, still in the same curled up position with a victorious grin on her face.
"Seems as though this little crush of yours can be used to my advantage when it needs to be..." Rosalyn stated as Arthur remained stern face to her words.
"Didn't our contract say matters of the heart can't be brought into this..." he pointed out as Rosalyn shook her head, raising her finger up to him.
"Firstly, that's as a weapon against you, not light teasing. And right now we are counted as allies, so this certainly wouldn't be counted as an attack" Rosalyn answered as there was a sound of flapping come into the room as Ciel flew past Arthur.
"I must say Sir Arthur, you really can be cold hearted when you want to be..." Ciel stated, somewhat relieved of the thought of not having to face the contractors again as Arthur gave a stiff smile at his current loss.
"Yes, well if she wasn't such a prude, I would have left you both for the contractors for definite..." Arthur stated, going to turn around when Rosalyn spoke up.
"Don't think it matter's either way right now..." she stated, catching Arthur's attention as there was a small panicked 'Oh no' come from Ciel.

Before the door was a large contractor, raising up its scythe over Rosalyn, who just stared back up at it dully, not flinching at its appearance.
"Mi-Mistress Rosa-!" Ciel cried as Arthur went from staring at its random appearance in a daze, to narrowing his eyes, as he leaned over to Rosalyn, dragging her back quickly just as the Contractor's scythe went to hit her, the large metal scythe clanging against the stone floor below rather roughly. There was a few tense seconds pass of complete and utter silence as it seemed as though everyone tried to make head of what just happened... However these passing seconds of quiet were broken as Arthur then grabbed Rosalyn, looking at her with an angry look in his eyes.
" Why didn't you move out of its way?!" Arthur snapped at her sternly; a few seconds passed before Rosalyn looked up at him to smirk at him a little.
"Eh, I thought you wanted to let me be killed by the contractors...?" Rosalyn reminded him with a casual sigh, a comment which only seemed to pull at Arthur's strings even more.
"This is not even funny, what of time restarted?!"
"Hmm? So what if it did?"
"Rosa-"
"I-I don't mean to interrupt but... That thing is still here..." Ciel stated nervously as both Arthur and Rosalyn looked to the contractor which slowly lifted itself back up with a slow and gargled groan... It was at this point in which Rosalyn wafted her hand about in a casual manner with a small scoff.
"Relax Ciel, the thing can't get in here, all requirements are set-"

CLANG

Rosalyn gave a rather surprised expression, as she looked up to see the contractor's scythe meet up with Arthur's blade as he blocked it's next blow for her with a defensive glare. After a passing moment of the blades locking onto one another, the force from both ends sent both Arthur and the contractor several passes back once freed.
"I don't know, that thing seem pretty determined..." Arthur mentioned as they watched the contractor slowly steady itself again. "You sure you were correct when you said that being in this room was the only safe place?"
"O-Of course I am! If I was wrong, then there would be many more right now, we wouldn't be alive to talk right now!" Rosalyn exclaimed as the creature charged for the room again, as Arthur went to block its attack again.
"S-So what's wrong with it?! Seems pretty pissed off to me!" Arthur stated as he and the contactor found themselves battling it out with one another, it taking several more blows each time for Arthur to make the creature step back.
"I have no idea..." Rosalyn replied, sort of baffled herself as she began thinking to herself in puzzlement. It was then that Ciel flapped onto Rosalyn's shoulder, in a rather anxious way.
"If I may suggest an idea... I don't have a lot of experience with contractors, but from what I remember, it was said that contractors are quite prideful creatures..." Ciel stated, watching Arthur fight as Arthur simply raised an eyebrow at the idea.
"These creatures have pride?" he questioned, not seeing how such dead like creature could have any sentient feature about them.
"Why of course, they are demons afterall. I have no doubts that there nature is influenced by the cardinal sins, pride being one of which." Ciel replied as Arthur found himself being taken an few steps back.
"Okay, so what hurt it's pride...?" Arthur questioned as Ciel lowered his head with a stiff tone.
"Well I'm afraid that'd be mistress... By saving her there, you did just stop it doing it's one job... She did sort of tempt it by just lying there..." Ciel explained as Rosalyn twitched at his words.
"So the thing is annoyed at me..." she commented, her tone sounding sort of cold as though she was looking down on it as Arthur made another block against the contractor.
"Don't cause many problems do you? Well you heard the bat, get out of here and face your punishment..." Arthur stated as Rosalyn gave a shocked expression to his words before furrowing her brow quite a bit.
"Need I remind you that if that thing kills me, then contractors will come after you to restart time too. Whether I stay or leave, you stand a high chance of being punished as well!" Rosalyn stated, Arthur about to make a comeback to her words when quite suddenly he was bashed back quite roughly by the contractor itself, winding him slightly.
"S-Sir Arthur, please pay attention to your opponent" Ciel stammered as Arthur found himself brought to his knee's a little.
"Rather than judging how somebody else fights, why don't you try helping out huh? You stupid bat..." Arthur stated, trying to catch his breath, as Rosalyn took a passing glance to Arthur... Before looking back to the contractor, watching it try to enter the room again, before she then sighed, getting to her feet.
"This is getting pathetic..." Rosalyn stated, walking over to the Contractor, fetching her blade out.
"Mistress Rosa, what are you-" Ciel began as Arthur gave her a sharp glance.
"Hey, that's not a good idea if that things after your head!" Arthur stated as Rosalyn faced off the creature, the rose coloured gem on her sword glowing against the moon light as she gave the contractor a dull look.
"Please, this sort of thing is easy, you think I wouldn't come prepared for such circumstances?" Rosalyn inquired as the contractor give a long gurgled sound, sounding like a hissed screech, rising it's scythe above its head as it ran towards Rosalyn.
"Mistress Rosa!"
"Great..." Arthur sighed, preparing for his much undeserved end again as Ciel panicked...

However Arthur was met with a surprise as the stone of Rosalyn's sword began to glow rather brightly, the contractor almost seeming to stop in its track upon seeing it, as Rosalyn smirked to herself a little upon seeing it's reaction.
"Why don't you go back home and stop being a pain!" Rosalyn stated sharply as whisked he sword in an X like pattern before the creature, a few moments later a bright pink cross like wound appearing around the contractor as it gave a small screeched like sound, a dark portal appearing beneath it, dragging it downwards in a mix of darkness and a slight pink pigment...

There was a few moments silence after it vanished, as Rosalyn put her sword back into its sheathe casually, both Arthur and Ciel seeming somewhat surprised by what they just witnessed... Before Ciel gave a joyful cheer, flying over to Rosalyn happily.
"Mistress Rosa, that was amazing, what was that?!" Ciel announced, landing upon Rosalyn's shoulder as she petted his head. And Arthur could only stare with a somewhat bewildered expression... That was a question... What was that really? Rosalyn looked back to Arthur with a curious expression, as though she was checking to see what his reaction was, her white hair almost sparkling against the moonlight as in those few moments it seemed that he was genuinely sort of amazed by her presence... However this moment was quickly cut short by Rosalyn then giving a small frown to him, tilting her head at him.
"What are you still doing on the ground? Don't tell me it already rendered you useless with one hit?" Rosalyn inquired, as Arthur's eyes narrowed at her.
"I thought you said you have no magic..." Arthur pointed out, a little suspicious as Rosalyn had to give a moment's thought as in to what he was on about, when she then raised her one hand off her sword, looking down to it.
"Oh, this wasn't magic..." she told Arthur, catching him off guard with her words... Then if it wasn't magic. "It's very similar to the Iscara stone..." Rosalyn stated, pointing at the light blue gem on Arthur's sword, before she then point at the pink gem on her own. "This is a rare stone known as the Castion stone, it blocks against black magic and creatures of the dark more specifically" she explained as Arthur looked to the Iscara stone from the Castion one as Rosalyn gave a thoughtful expression. "To fulfil the knight's side of the contract, I needed to come the same as the knight, meaning I needed a protective stone. Though I obviously couldn't use and Iscara stone as it would nullify the fate switchers spell... So I went with a Castion as I wasn't using any black magic... Besides, you already had an Iscara stone, so I figured it would be useful to use something else..." Rosalyn then went on as Arthur got to his feet, still not quite getting it as he looked back to the Castion stone... The way she was saying it made it almost sound as though she was trying to make up for a blunder of sorts, though he couldn't deny, the stone did seem to have its uses... Though it still left him with the thought, that once again it seemed that Rosalyn wasn't using any black magic, despite that at first being his thoughts...

"Anywhom, I am wiped, why don't we call it a night huh, Arty boy?" Rosalyn stated, stretching her arms and walking over to the bed when quite suddenly Arthur put his hand in front of her to stopped her. "Huh- what's wrong-"
"One of us are going to sleep on the floor aren't we...?" Arthur began when Rosalyn gave a puzzled glance at first... Before she saw Arthur's expression and gave and jumped a bit.
"H-Hang on a minute buster, I got rid of that contractor for you, you can't seriously be suggesting for me to sit on the floor!" Rosalyn cried as Arthur looked away from her coldly, cleaning out his ear.
"But what was the reason the contractor was here in the first place?" Arthur asked her as Rosalyn gave a slight scowl at his words, going to argue more when Arthur went on. "And the one who I had to teach to ride a horse, and the one who decided to be a knight in the first place, oh and the one who put a curse on me?" Arthur listed various reasons down, each word he spoke making Rosalyn's face become redder in defeat as she then pointed at him.
"Come on, I'm a lady, this is common courtesy!" she then argued as Arthur simply jumped onto the bed.
"Courtesy denied..." he stated, taking up all of the beds space much to her shock. Arthur then looked at her with a victorious leer. "Oh come on, don't look too disheartened. I thought you were willing to prove any lady could be a knight? Don't tell me you're afraid of a little dust?" he then questioned as Rosalyn threw her gauntlet at the wall behind him as Arthur found himself quite enjoying his petty revenge plot.
"Yeah, yeah, I get it..." she grumbled, going to sit in the corner of the room.