Chapter 67 : A Pair Of Witches
"Um.. I'm not so sure about this…." Agni said as she stepped out of a nearby boarding room. Both she and Katrin were led to this place by Gigi upon agreeing to become members of Mystic Tower with the express intent of getting them dressed to "fit the part" of magic users.
"OH, you two look great." Gigi said as the pair stepped out of the room and into the nearby hallway. Agni nervously tugged at her with apparel. It was little more than a black matching two piece covered with a maroon colored witch's coat-- complete with a hood and black, thigh high boots. Although Agni loved the way the fabric clung to her skin, she felt much more exposed. She kept pulling down the fabric of the long sleeved coat which barely covered her thighs. She rounded out her outfit with a pair of long, stocking style gloves which were embroidered with various types of floral designs as well.
Katrin's outfit was a little less revealing. She wore a traditional witch's dress, green in color with silk-like fabric. Her dress was also short with the styled tattering of the edges falling just above her kneecaps. She also wore a traditional witch's hat, pointy and tall with a golden sash around the brim. Unlike Agni, her footwear was only ankle high boots.
Gigi was practically beaming as she watched the two fidget and adjust to their new clothing. Somehow Agni was beginning to think that Gigi was using them to live vicariously.
"All of your gear is magic enchanted for resistance. Of course, it's loaner gear but it's well maintained. Perfect for what comes next. By the way, let's get the formalities out of the way." Gigi instructed as she smiled broadly and lifted her left hand, revealing her Systema mark. Agni immediately noticed that it looked a bit different from her own. All Systema marks had a different insignia, based on adventure class, but what was strange was a second circle meeting the edge of the larger systema mark.
The mark began to glow as an alert appeared before both make-shift witches.
[You've been invited to join the Mystic Tower Chapel as a Temporary. Do you accept? Y/N]
Upon accepting they were both met with a few alerts.
[You've received the blessings of Mystic Tower according to your Chapel ranking.]
[Mana Regeneration +20%.]
[Mana Recovery Rate +10% {Home} / +5% {Outer}.]
[Mana Efficiency Buff +5%.]
[You are now protected by the Mystic Tower's zone effect.]
[Would you like to set your spawn point to the Mystic Tower Altar? Y/N]
"What does 'Home' mean?" Agni asked upon inspecting the other benefits bestowed upon her.
"Home refers to the chapel itself. By the way, please set your spawn points at this time. Basically, you'll return to this building next time you're defeated. But such a thing wouldn't happen to either of you, am I right?" Gigi said.
From this answer, Agni surmised that 'Outer' referred to being outside the chapel, which meant all of the other benefits were constantly active.
After setting their spawn points to the Mystic Tower Alter, Gigi then led the two young women to one of the sparring rooms within the chapel. Unlike the training area of the Trainer's Chapel, this room resembled a forest -- complete with dirt, grass, shrubbery and trees.
"This is one of our enhanced training areas. It can be configured according to those who want to utilize it. For now this seems suitable, based on your skillset right Katrin?" Gigi said as she led them into the center of a wide space which reminded them both of a woodland clearing.
"While you're within this Chapel, you will be protected from the effects of first or second death. This chapel is designated as a safe zone by the Chapel leaders so while you can still feel the weight or pressure of attacks, you won't suffer any physical harm. This makes it perfect for trying out magic." Gigi explained.
"Before we get started, show me a little of what you can do."
She motioned to Agni first, who pulled down her rising coat once more and lifted her hand. Of the energies she felt most comfortable using, Agni decided lightning might be a more impressive showing. She created a growing spark of blue lightning energy which crackled and popped outwards as it expanded. After a few seconds she ceased the demonstration and placed her hands to her side.
"Hmm. Is that all you can do?" Gigi asked.
"No.."
"Great. Then show me, don't hold back." Gigi said.
Agni decided to use a fireball this time, thus she conjured a ball of flame about half the size of a basketball and used her control over mana to fling it three meters into the distance.
"Better. But.. there's a lot of problems with that. We'll address those in a minute. Katrin? You said you have a Grimoire. Have you awakened it yet?"
"Awaken?" Katrin asked as she called forth her Grimoire. It was a rather plain looking book and if agni didn't have the system to mention otherwise, she'd have thought it was a dictionary.
"Yes! Oh this is exciting. It's been a while since I've seen anyone use a Grimoire." Gigi remarked as she stepped forward and began to explain the process to Katrin.
"Grimoires are considered living weapons. They are a particular category of weapon that can be binded with the user so that no one else can utilize them. In exchange, the item will grow along with the user in various ways. The process of preparing such an item is called awakening. And it's rather simple, you simply need to share your DNA with the object while infusing it with some of your mana."
"You mean...like...blood?" Katrin asked.
Gigi chuckled, " You could use blood if you wanted, but something as small as a hair will do." In one quick movement Gigi plucked a hair from beneath Katrin's hat and then beckoned to Katrin to hold the book with both hands. She placed the hair on the cover of the book and stood back as Katrin began to activate her mana. A dull blue light radiated , enveloping both Katrin and Agni in an almost fluorescent glow as the plain looking book began to float. The hair sank into the cover of the book and the energy surrounding the Grimoire pulsed several times before it's cover opened.
The pages began to turn on their own several times, front to back before the book finally hovered near to Katrin and lingered in the air. To Agni's eyes the book seemed to have grown larger and aged, as if it was a favored novel to be read at every chance. The brown color of the cover turned more reddish and cracked with age, while the corners of the book were capped with silver metal ends.
"I never get tired of watching that. It's so damn cool!" Gigi said, stars were apparent in her eyes.