Again, Darius experienced the fleeting sensation of molecules being transferred from one place to the other. Lara appeared immediately beside him.
"Clearly these next trials are just for us." She said as she looked around their surroundings. Since the ranking for their tests was equal, Lara and Darius would be taking the exact same ones.
For some reason, the fact that they had been plunged straight into the next trial didn't phase Darius for a moment. If anything, he couldn't wait to find out what it was. This feeling was highly uncharacteristic of him. He wasn't sure what was happening but in the moment, the rush of adrenaline was like drugs. The feeling of imminent danger was ecstasy.
They were standing on one island in a small chain of desert islands. She knew a few things about Spirit Knights and their powers. So to her, the feeling she had wasn't much. Her short navy blue hair blew softly in the wind as she tried out out her new power. The spirit she'd slain was the two-headed jaguar that for some reason had six legs and two tails. It was one of the twin spirits, among the hardest to find and kill. Although she hadn't been able to land the killing blow thanks to Darius the creature must've still died from the brutal wounds she had inflicted.
Like Darius, she could feel some of the Dantian's more passive effects taking hold inside her. She was more aware of her surroundings. It was as if she had two separate brains inside her head. As she unsheathed her sword she noticed the most subtle of changes. Her left hand was no longer dominant. She was now ambidextrous. With her two brains in one it didn't take long to come to terms with what was happening. But Darius on the other hand was a different case.
Lara had studied spirits and their energy before and realized what was happening to Darius. His demeanour had completely changed. He wasn't oblivious to the danger but for some reason, it didn't seem to phase him at all. Then it began to make sense to her.
The spirit he had defeated in the cave was far more vicious and bloodthirsty than others. Particularly its willingness to do anything for a kill and how eager it was to dive into battle. Before Lara had simply attributed this to it simply being a possessed creature and its own general stupidity but now she realized exactly what class it had been.
"Indomitable," she muttered under her breath.
Darius had been scanning the water, waiting for anything to reveal itself.
Usually, he would have been terrified but for the second time in the same week, he had changed. Not sure if it was for better or worse but what he was sure of was that whatever was in those waters was soon about to have the battle of its life.
Darius felt stronger, faster, tougher. His senses were heightened as his hazel brown eyes could see farther, he could smell the sea, the air and everything it was made of, he could even taste the salt. He could hear the sound of Lara breathing a few meters away from him and the ripples the spirits made as they glided through the water. Although this wasn't exactly new to him he felt as if one of the spirit energy's side effects was that it unlocked his full potential.
Lara watched Darius, she knew that if she sat this one out he would almost certainly die. To some, the ability of the indomitable was both a blessing and a curse. It could free one from all fear, unlocking their potential with pure bravery and courage. While at the same time, those with the ability were often brash and acted irrationally. The ability came with a certain cockiness towards fighting. Fearlessness often led to demise.
The indomitable skill was extremely rare and powerful. The last person known to have it was Lady Farah of the desolate wastelands. These were the vast deserts that lay to the south of the continent of Valar. She was one of the greatest Spirit Knights to ever live and had died over a hundred years earlier defending the southern boarders and their inhabitants from a spirit hoard the size of which had never been seen. She was said to have laughed in the face of death and had the ability to draw energy from allies who fell in her presence, be they fellow Spirit Knights or civilians, and would use it to fight all the harder in their names.
In the battle for the southern borders she had been the first to arms and the last to fall. Without her, however, the southern borders have become infested. The blitzkrieg they created still rages on to this day.
Lara could let Darius get himself killed, but something about him made her want to keep him alive. And besides, this would be a great chance to test out one of her abilities. She closed her eyes and began to concentrate. Using part of the twin spirits' energy and focusing it just under her ears. It took some time but with her enhanced brain power, she figured it out and was able to mould the spiritual energy into what she wanted. A second pair of arms in the form of pure energy!
At that moment, a supply drop fell from the sky, landing right in front of her. It was a long black case with her family's insignia engraved on it. It was two dragons entwined together in a sort of dance.
She opened the case to find two more swords, identical to the ones she already had in their scabbards. Clearly a reward for her newfound skill. Strapping her scabbards on her back she saw something else, but it wasn't for her.
Meanwhile, Darius could see two Jade sea serpent spirits headed his way. One of which had two heads, while the other one had it eyes locked solely on Darius. Its intentions were clear from its gaze, it was out for blood.
Darius could tell even his intelligence had improved to suit his new attitude. Before all he could think of in a situation like this was just how he could run away and hide somewhere, but right now the only thing that went through his mind was just how he would win.
"These are for you" Lara walked up to Darius with her hand outstretched. She had a new strap for his hammer, courtesy of her family.
As soon as Darius looked at her she took a step back. The way he looked at her was different. She felt quite small and insignificant in his gaze. This man before her resembled nothing of the whimpering coward she had almost died in the cave with. Even the lust he had had nigh completely disappeared. Now she felt like a sentient rock, an object whose only purpose is to speak at times and merely exist.
Darius raised his hand to receive it. His face was cheerful yet something about him still seemed somewhat menacing, yet ambivalent at the same time.