--Vile casts Electrical Arc! Squire suffers 10 point(s) of damage! Squire's HP is now 161!
--Vile casts Electrical Arc! Squire suffers 12 point(s) of damage! Squire's HP is now 149!
--Vile casts Electrical Arc! Squire suffers 12 point(s) of damage! Squire's HP is now 137!
I had earlier assumed that wasn't a particularly powerful spell, but it was stronger than I realized. Before, she had just sent a single spark my way, but now it was continuous, repeatedly surging through my body, dealing significant damage. I collapse, panting, fur singed, hints of smoke rising from it.
"Get up." Vile says with an annoyed voice. "Endurance training isn't just about taking damage, it's mental resistance as well. You need to stay upright and will yourself to accept it, no matter how painful it is."
"It hurts..." I whimper as I awkwardly rise to my feet, legs still shaking.
"Oh, please. This is nothing compared to what I do to Slave. I thought dogs were supposed to be tougher than cats?"
I look to the black feline, sitting upright in the distance (well, not much distance, as the dome is far from massive, but still giving us as much space as she can), who gives a nod of agreement. I know full well that I can't hold myself to her standards for enduring punishment, but it still does leave me feeling ashamed. If Slave can endure far more than this simply for recreation, clearly I can suffer through a little bit of pain in order to save all of our lives. I stand back upright, take a deep breath and close my eyes.
"You are going to be taking a lot of attacks from all sides." Vile tells me, "Ideally, we would be training your agility to help you evade as many as possible, but I can't think of any feasible way to do so within this enclosed space. Instead, we'll focus on both strength and endurance. Ideally, you'll be able to take out many of the death weavers at once with a single divine strike, and I will continuously wear down those coming from behind. I'm not sure exactly how much difference a few days training will make, and we can't afford to remain much longer, but every little bit that we can reduce the damage of each individual attack, the longer you'll be able to keep fighting, and the greater our chances of survival will be."
"Got it." I reply, finding myself motivated once again. Even putting necessity aside, I have to admit that this is far less stressful than the math quizes.
"Good. Now, stay upright, don't cry out, don't try to guard yourself and only heal yourself when necessary. As I said, it's not about taking damage, it's about enduring it. Overcoming it."
I'm about to answer affirmatively, but it's a good thing I didn't. Otherwise, I might have bitten my tongue.
--Vile casts Electrical Arc! Squire suffers 11 point(s) of damage! Squire's HP is now 126!
--Vile casts Electrical Arc! Squire suffers 13 point(s) of damage! Squire's HP is now 113!
--Vile casts Electrical Arc! Squire suffers 9 point(s) of damage! Squire's HP is now 122!
--Vile casts Electrical Arc! Squire suffers 10 point(s) of damage! Squire's HP is now 112!
--Vile casts Electrical Arc! Squire suffers 12 point(s) of damage! Squire's HP is now 100!
--Vile casts Electrical Arc! Squire suffers 11 point(s) of damage! Squire's HP is now 89!
--Vile casts Electrical Arc! Squire suffers 10 point(s) of damage! Squire's HP is now 79!
--Vile casts Electrical Arc! Squire suffers 12 point(s) of damage! Squire's HP is now 67!
--Vile casts Electrical Arc! Squire suffers 10 point(s) of damage! Squire's HP is now 57!
--Squire uses Lay on Paws! 102 HP recovered!
Technically, I could have waited a little longer to use it, but with the ability of the spell to strike multiple times within a single round, I didn't really want to take any chances. Vile didn't seem to mind, anyways. While fairly strong, it was clear that the spell had little range, with the rat coming just short of touching me. It could still be useful in a fight, if used by a somewhat sturdier attacker, but I could scarcely imagine a situation where it would be considered viable for her to enter melee range with an opponent.
This continued for quite a while. As it did, not one of the countless arachnids encircling us moved so much as an inch. Eventually, I have no idea just how long it had been, as it's difficult to judge time while being constantly electrocuted, I finally was able to enjoy the fruits of my labor.
--- Base endurance has increased by 1! ---
--- Base hit points have increased by 2! ---
I was both excited to see the text appear, and relieved for the opportunity to take a break. I looked to Vile, smiling proudly, only to be met with an annoyed frown which immediately dampened my enthusiasm.
"It's not enough." The rat says, "This is going way too slowly."
"I'm sorry." I meekly respond, ears lowered.
"Ugh, stop apologising all the time! I swear, even my slave doesn't apologize as much as you!" she grumbles.
"I'm sorry." I say, forcing a bit of a smile in order to pretend that I was in on the joke. In reality, I had said that purely as a reflex, but didn't wish to disappointed Vile any further.
"Training is a slow process. It can take a while. Achieving such gains in only a few hours is quite impressive." Slave says, speaking up in my defense.
"It doesn't matter how impressive it is. It matters if it's enough. At this rate, Squire will end up cut into ribbons within a few rounds, and we'll all die." the rat says, looking me up and down in a way that makes me very uncomfortable. "We'll need to ramp up the training."
I'm unable to question her logic, as I'm sure she has a greater understanding of the situation than I do, but I still can't help but whine as I rise back up to my feet.
"Lie down. We're going to try a different approach." Vile says. I'm happy to do so, the muscles in my legs still cramping from the earlier electricity which surged through my entire body. "Rest your head on the ground and open your mouth wide."
Confused, I make no objections, even as I fear the worst. I do as instructed, opening my mouth wide, and am shocked when the rat steps forward, into my open mouth, crouching down beneath my upper fangs, and stands upon my tongue, I nearly gag from the foul taste on it, but I know that biting down isn't an option. It is all the less so as she drapes her long, furless gray tail across my teeth. I look over to Slave expecting some sort of encouraging or understanding expression. Instead she looks horrified.
"Hitting you with stronger spells won't do any good." Vile says, her voice echoing somewhat within my mouth. "Instead, we'll focus on the self control aspect. If you bite down, well... I won't die and can be healed, but I'll be very, very unhappy." the rat says. I'm not so sure. I mean I'm sure she'll be unhappy, but I'm not so positive that she can live through the situation, or that she won't suffer damage beyond her tail.
Electricity hurts, but beyond that, it also makes every muscle in your body tense up, including your jaw, of course. I want to object, but a natural effect of having a rat standing on top of your tongue is that it makes talking impossible. This is crazy! She's putting her life in my hands, and for what? Well, for the survival of all of us, I suppose. Sure, maybe I'm the one feeling pain, but clearly she's willing to take a risk in order to keep us safe as well. Clearly she is willing to trust me with the safety of her tail, which, again, I'm not the least bit confident that my healing ability could regrow. I had no intention of letting her down. I make a little thoaty noise which I had hoped sounded like agreement, and braced myself.
--Vile casts Electrical Arc! Squire suffers 12 point(s) of damage! Squire's HP is now 198!
Just a sudden quick flash of it as a test. I'm glad I didn't have to endure a long surge at once. Every instinct screamed for me to clamp my jaws down and grit my teeth against the spell, but I dared not move, not relax the locked position in the slightest. I panted through my open mouth, trembling all over.
"Good girl." Vile says, reaching over to stroke a tooth. I couldn't help wag my tail in response. "By the way: Your breath smells terrible."
I can't deny that I was just a little bit hurt by the second comment. Not nearly so hurt as I was by the torrent of energy which came later and just refused to stop as she pressed her paw down against my tongue. Even aside from my rapidly aching jaw, it proved far more painful than it was when focused on my paw.
--- Base endurance has increased by 3! ---
--- Base hit points have increased by 6! ---