Chapter 38: Intens(er) Training (1/2)

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.

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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.