Chapter 38 : Intens(er) Training
Katrin and Agni watched as the Stag sank down on all four of its knees, it's head falling to the ground as magical flames consumed its body. They were both injured, and in this case Agni was spent from the ferocity of her last attack. Katrin felt sure that her rib cage was fractured, as a constant stream of blood was now trickling from the corner of her mouth. Still both women stood before their fallen foe, eyes transfixed as they heaved deeply. Both were possessed by a look of unbridled aggression which they could not hide even if they wanted to. The battle had been that intense in the short amount of time it took to play out. They half expected the creature to rise and continue the battle, thus they could only relax after seeing the XP reward.
[450 XP]
Agni's adrenaline rush prevented her from feeling the sting of her stab wounds but now a dull pain was beginning to take hold. The pink light of lust faded from her eyes as the tension slowly began to leave her body -- for a moment.
"That was intense." Agni whispered as she gazed over at Katrin. The luxury of being an adventurer was that wounds easily healed, even those which might be problematic for others. With constant regeneration, however slow it may be, the act of regaining health would begin to stitch wounds and close gashes. This was already happening across both of their bodies from head to toe with each passing moment.
"Yea." This was all the response Katrin could muster. It was the kind of experience that was mentally draining more so than physically. In fact, they both started to feel a sense of relief as they realized the worst was over.
That is until more siren lights in the distance gave them reason to reconsider. As another of the Fulger Stags stepped into view Agni gritted her teeth and quickly refilled her mana before the next battle began in earnest.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
With the intensity of the battles both of the adventurers leveled up, and though they didn't get 450 XP for each enemy defeated, they did notice it was significantly higher than regular Stags. After engaging with five more of the creatures Bracha stepped forward to put an end to the day's training.
"You've exhausted all of your restorative items. It would be careless to press on under these conditions."
"SC : Recall." Bracha then said, casting the spell that would send them back to Grenvale. Agni felt her body grow warm as a strange sensation began to drift upwards from the tip of her toes. If she had to liken it to something, it reminded her of the feel of carbonated water. This feeling made her feel light, yet itchy all in the same moment. It intensified until finally all was a white flash of light. The last thing Agni saw was the sight of Katrin fading away into tiny orbs of light.
The next thing she knew she was standing at the South Western Gate portal.
"Great job today. You handled your baptism well." Bracha said as she smiled at both young ladies.
"Baptism?" Agni raised her eyebrows as she replied.
"Yes. It's what adventurers call a trial-by-fire. It's one of the tests we use to determine if someone is suited to the adventurer's life. In both of your cases, you passed with flying colors."
"As you may have guessed by now, in order to keep the shards from expanding and taking over territory someone must venture inside. Only by dealing with the enemies can we avoid the worst case scenario -- world sync."
"World Sync?" Katrin asked, suddenly growing more interested.
Bracha nodded, then continued her explanation as the trio of women walked towards the Trainer's Chapel.
"World Sync is when a shard expands and manages to break the barrier between this world in the next -- causing the two to completely overlap. You may have noticed, the creatures within that shard were much stronger than the normal creatures you've been dealing with. Inside that world, the Grimlock are protected making them difficult to kill. If a shard expands causing a world sync then those creatures will be able to pass through at their full power, uninhibited."
"You mean, that strange barrier?" Agni asked.
"Barrier? Well I guess that's one way you could put it. Once the creatures absorb a certain amount of magical damage, they become vulnerable to attacks."
Agni thought back to her use of Succubus Vision during the battles. She was certain she'd noticed the thin veil of rippling energy surrounding the Stag Grimlocks. Was this something not apparent to others? Regardless, Agni was slowly coming to understand the threat represented by the Grimlock.
"Has a world sync event ever happened?" Katrin asked eagerly.
"Yes. It's happened just three times in the history of Adventia. The results were catastrophic. Entire regions of the continent turned barren and dark. Even now, these places are only fit for the strongest of adventurers to travel."
After returning to the Trainer's Chapel and relaxing for a bit, the trio retired to the bath. This had become a nightly ritual for them. In fact, it was one of the portions of the day which Agni looked forward to the most.
Bracha's body was toned and fit, while Katrin's was soft and curvateous . She couldn't help but ogle at all the ey candy before her. What's more the two had become so comfortable around Agni that they often bathed side by side. The sensation of nipples brushing against her arm was electric, each time it happened Agni found herself biting her lip.
This evening was no exception, except the moment was completely spoiled by Bracha's sudden declaration.
"For the rest of the remaining week, you will spend two hours a day inside the PUD shard we visited earlier. It will be good for your preparation, yes?" Bracha said casually as she squeezed a sponge, releasing trickles of water down along her bosom.
"Huh? W-why!?" This was Agni's knee jerk response, one that she practically shouted. Realizing that her reaction made her look somewhat uncool in the eyes of her mentor, she cleared her throat and slowly sank down into the warm water.
Although Katrin felt the same way, she didn't voice her displeasure. A part of her wanted to shy away from the challenge, after all the pair only used five battles to burn through their entire stock of restorative items. These five battles only lasted roughly twenty minutes -- max.
*Ten times that amount of 'training'? She's trying to kill us.* Agni thought to herself as she cut her eyes over at Bracha who seemed not to have a care in the world. Bracha was preoccupied with washing her body, so much so that she didn't immediately answer.
Finally, after several seconds she then replied, "Only by taking part in battles that expose your weaknesses can you hope to gain the type of strength you need to succeed in this world. ".