Chapter 59 : First Death (1)
*I -I can't believe it. She got me. Ha… ha ha ha.* Fargo would have spoken the words if his defeat would not have been so immediate. Still, despite the pain of a large lance of earth gouging his body, he allowed a bloody smile to spread across his lips. In that moment, after the surprise fell away and his anger subsided, he felt truly grateful to his enemy.
*Well, at least it wasn't boring. I can't say I look forward to what happens next….but… at least this much was enjoyable..* He gazed down at Katrin only to notice a smile on her face as well.
*Ah, I see. So you enjoyed it too. That's...good…* These were Fargo's last thoughts as the light of life left his eyes. The pair of adventurers were ravaged, both taken out by the ferocity of Katrin's final strike. She was careful to infer to her enemy that she could only create symbols by using both hands together. It was a skillful trick she used to manipulate her foe however slight, thus the moment her right hand was pinned she used the time to trace a Scribe script rune against the ground and reinforce it with all of her remaining mana.
The result was a spire of earth which easily pierced her body and Fargo's heart. Because of her already low health, this blow was enough to instantly relieve Katrin from her own labored pains and separate her foe from his own lifeforce.
The use of the inventory sealing item was a double edged sword, allowing her to strike a fatal blow to an already wounded opponent. Now matter how powerful an adventurer one was, critical blows to the body resulted in losing massive chunks of health. Whereas normal people would instantly die, as long as an adventurer had enough health remaining they would not die right away.
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The next thing Katrin knew, all was dark. Her body felt quite light, as if she was drifting along in an endless sea of nothingness. It was dark, but not devoid of light -- a strange mixture that caused her senses overwhelming peace.
In the instant it happened she felt free, from the pain that ravaged her body as well as the tension that gripped her mind during the final moments. She hadn't felt such calm ever before, not even during her death in her previous life. This sensation seemed to last a short time, though she felt she couldn't accurately perceive time. It felt fuzzy, passing quickly, yet each moment was stretched to the utmost.
She could see random flashes of memories, both from her previous and current life until finally she was face to face with herself. At least, a version of her old self. She remembered it well. Olive colored hair, cut short in a business style. Her business overcoat was long sleeved over a blouse while her pencil skirt clung to her petite frame.
This was a stark contrast to her current form. Now that Katrin realized it, she was completely nude, though this didn't alarm her in the least. Her round mounds of E-cup breasts rested on her chest as she gazed down at the length of her body. She was slightly taller than her counterpart by several centimeters. Her bust was vast by comparison, as were her curves. Even her body was more fit.
Now that she thought back on it, her current body was much more shapely than her past one, in a way it matched more closely the ideal of what Katrin had always wished for herself. Borderline C-cup breasts, in a word she used to be so "smol". Timid as well, the alternate version of herself seemed to fidget thought she wasn't moving at all. Instead, red, box-framed glasses covered her face which was cast downward as if she attempted to hide from any gaze levied her way.
Katrin couldn't help but feel sad for the one that used to be her, so she extended her hand with a smile, remembering all the painful moments that caused her to develop such a complex about the beauty that was herself. She also resolved in that moment to let them go.
The two aspects of Katrin grasped hands and in a flash of light merged into one as a bright light enveloped all that Katrin could see. The next thing she knew, she was opening her eyes to the afternoon sun in a familiar place. She found herself floating in a pool of water which she quickly remembered to be the spawning pool of the Wilderness Tabernacle.
She took a few moments to enjoy the sensation of the water against her bare skin before moving to the edge of the pool to get out. Unlike her previous spawning in the area everything was quiet and still. She could hear the peaceful nature of the place as birds chirped in the distance and a calming, gentle breeze carried the scent of earth along its wind.
"Welcome, young one. I didn't expect to see you back here so soon. Troubles?" Katrin turned to her right upon realizing she was not alone. There, sitting on a nearby rock was Wayla, guardian of the Wilderness Tabernacle. Her bronzed, weathered skin and stern expression was both reassuring and simultaneously disheartening as she finally realized that she was miles away from her teammate who was currently locked in a life or death battle.
Now that the water's buoyancy no longer surrounded her, Katrin felt very heavy. Her body was sluggish as if she could barely gather enough strength to even walk.
"I'm surprised you can even move. First Death will do that to you." Wayla remarked as she got to her feet and handed Katrin a towel, along with a fresh change of clothes.
"First Death?" Katrin said as the feeling of disorientation slowly faded away and the events of her last moments replayed in her mind vividly.
"Yes. First Death. Come." Wayla said as she walked towards the familiar direction of the Guardian Statue.