16 - Tundra Training (Patreon)

New Quest: Tundra Training

Time to test your mettle.

Objective: Defeat ten Crystal Caste monsters.

Reward: Rare Crystal Caste cloak.

“Oh, c-come on!” Phoenix said through chattering teeth as she read the message her book offered up. “It’s f-freezing… I c-can barely f-feel my hands let alone s-s-stab s-something with them!”

It had been about two weeks of traveling, aura training, and learning to meditate “properly” after leaving the small town when the terrain gradually turned into an icy hellscape that chilled her to her core despite the heavy fur coat she bundled around her. Her boots kept her from getting too hot but it didn’t do anything for the cold.

Her protector had announced that they were now in a Medium Rate Crystal Caste biome and the monsters that would be spawning on average should be something she could handle with him making sure she wouldn't get poorly matched or overwhelmed.

Paul chuckled after reading the book over her shoulder, “Time to fight, young one,” he said as he patted her shoulder then nudged her towards the small hissing monster a few meters away.

She didn’t recall snakes ever being able to withstand such cold temperatures and could only assume its blue scales were infused with some sort of magic. She summoned her dagger with a thought and a second thought unleashed her aura from the reigns she was getting more comfortable handling.

Phoenix tried to take a calming breath as the wind whipped against her face, tossing her hair into it haphazardly. She used her free hand to remove it for the hundredth time, reminding herself to find something to tie it back with later, and then she charged.

It did not go well.

She managed to kill the creature that dissolved into white ash as soon as it collapsed to the rocky ground but it was not without cost. She clutched the dripping puncture wound in her calf as she tried to staunch the bleeding. Paul was kneeling beside her in an instant, holding what looked like a thick pad that reminded her of gauze directly over the wound to help halt the bleeding as he chastised her, “Sloppy.”

She gritted her teeth to try to keep them from chattering, “I know.”

“Heal it,” he ordered.

She didn’t argue as she touched her leg above where he held and incanted, “See the dawn,” activating the low cost version of the spell and feeling the same healing sensation trickle through her calf as when she drank a potion.

Paul wiped away the remaining blood and commanded, “Again,” as he pulled her up into a standing position and moved her closer to another of the snakes that he had been holding back with his own terrifying aura.

“S-s-seriously?!” She barely managed to shout as Paul retracted his aura from it and the snake launched itself at her and she brought forth her dagger once more, dodging and striking as fast as her half-frozen limbs could manage.

As she managed to plunge her dagger into the reptilian eye, and it began to dissolve into more ash on top of her, Paul was next to her in the blink of an eye again, helping her back up to her feet. “Better,” he assessed before dashing her hopes once more, “Again.”

Four more Snow Snakes and three Frost Foxes later, Paul paused to give her a slightly more in-depth assessment, “You’re improving quickly.”

“My body s-started to warm up when f-fighting for my life,” she said with a bit of sarcasm between heavy breaths. She was attempting to tame her wild curls into a more manageable and restrained braid that went down the side of her head and over her left shoulder. She would be ready for this current hunger game she had been thrown into.

“You still have a long way to go to be at the minimum of AOA standards.”

Phoenix only nodded then asked, “M-my book m-mentioned Spirit Gems could be used t-to unlock class abilities. Would m-more powers help fill in m-my weaknesses?”

Paul thought for a moment, choosing his word carefully, as they walked to the next area that the Emerald Caster had sensed a monster for her at, “They might. You should be able to pass the AOA assessment without them, though. I think you undervalue the power of four Aura abilities. Right now, all four of them help you last longer in a fight than most others of your Caste. The main hole I see currently is that you're not weaving the combat techniques I've shown you with the powers you've already unlocked.”

He paused, then gestured towards what seemed like a fuzzy boulder sitting in the middle of their path, “This fight should make those weaknesses more apparent for you. If you don't use your abilities, you won't win.”

Then the boulder moved and turned to face them and Phoenix instantly thought she had finally seen an abominable snow monster. It was almost as tall as the gods when it stood and let out a deafening roar.

Phoenix’s wide eyes sought Paul’s as she asked incredulously, “That’s Crystal Caste?!” He only nodded then took a few steps back so the monster directed its ire at her. She groaned and conjured her weapon once more.

She had been using her [Night Blade] power this whole time but she realized now that she hadn't turned back on the effects of her aura which she quickly remedied. She tried to think of what other combat oriented things she could do but wasn't sure how useful an Illusion would be against the towering beast.

The Astromancer tried anyways though, whispering the required incantation under her breath, “Let dreams become reality,” however, the Tundra Yeti didn't seem to care as it plowed through the semi-transparent illusory wall she created between them.

Out of the corner of her eye, she noticed Paul put his face into his hand in exasperation and couldn't help pausing to think incredulously to herself, 'Did he just facepalm at me?!' That thought cost her dearly as the monster slammed a massive paw into her, shattering her glittering [Sun Shell] in the process, and she could hear the crack of her ribs as it roared at the inconvenience of being blinded.

It was almost instinct when she triggered the [Push] variant of her [Ruler of Relativity] ability to put distance between her and the creature. She felt the mana drain from her as she moved but it stopped as soon as she did. She raised her dagger once more but the yeti was much faster than she had expected.

As she reactively took a step back, she slipped on a patch of ice and fell forward onto her face. Before she could catch her breath, a heavy weight slammed into her back.

Phoenix heard it first, as the massive foot of the monster cracked her spine, then the pain flooded her upper body. She couldn’t feel anything below the point of impact and panic added to the pain. She thought her death would be next, as the monster would completely crush her, but suddenly the weight vanished and Paul was at her side.

She screamed as he turned her body and tried to get her in a position she could drink in. Tears burned her eyes as they flowed freely and she could hardly register the worried expression on Paul’s face as he shoved the potion into her mouth, not even attempting to have her heal it herself. She barely managed to down the sweet liquid before the pain claimed the last of her consciousness.

Quest: Tundra Training

Objective complete: Defeated ten Crystal Caste monsters.

[Snow Shroud] has been added to your collection.

Quest completed.

10 [Crystal Mana Bits] have been added to your collection.

Phoenix frowned at her guide book that was floating above her as she awoke in the tent bed. She knew that she hadn’t defeated that yeti monster but her quest still seemed to count it. She very slowly sat up after verifying she could feel all of her limbs.

When she exited the tent she discovered that Paul had moved them into a cave and had a fire going to warm up the space. She still pulled her coat on and sat by the fire trying to warm her hands more.

She moved her book around in front of her to read the description of her new item; since it had trailed behind her as she had moved, like it was prone to do. Paul sat next to her, taking his now familiar spot to read alongside her.

Item: Snow Shroud

A versatile cloak made from the fur of a tundra yeti.

Caste: Crystal.

Availability: Rare.

Type: Apparel, cloak.

Effects:

- Become harder to detect while in snowy terrain.

- Keeps the wearer from becoming chilled.

- Use a [Mana Bit] to shift the cloak’s form into a temporary shelter for 8 hours.

“I feel like I don’t deserve this,” she admitted quietly as she conjured the cloak into her lap, running her hand against the incredibly soft white fur.

“You fought hard, even if you didn’t land the killing blow,” her mentor reassured.

“It broke me…” she said in a whisper, “One mistake and I would have died if you hadn’t interfered…”

“I should have interfered sooner,” he stated firmly, “I apologize for my miscalculation. You should never have been injured that severely.”

She met his gaze and pointed out, “You won’t always be there to watch me.”

He shifted a bit uncomfortably and acknowledged, “True, but by that point you should be able to handle yourself better and be able to properly calculate the risks involved yourself,” he  said and gestured at the cloak, “Despite the danger and unknown risk, you never backed down from the challenges. You earned that.”

Phoenix nodded, contemplating his words, then threw the cloak around her shoulders and sighed in relief at the instant warmth it provided. She then leaned her head against Paul’s arm and whispered, “Thank you.”

“Don't thank me just yet,” he said with a wry smile, “There's a very angry Rabearus outside this cave who's just waiting for me to leave.”

She slowly looked up at him, “Please tell me that you plan to take me with you when you do instead of leaving me to fight it off,” she replied with narrowed eyes.

He just shrugged and said, “I think you can take it.”

“I just got snapped in two like a twig!” She protested incredulously.

“And now you're all better,” the merciless Adventurer pointed out. “This time I'll even give you a bit more advice,” he promised as she crossed her arms and glared.

“Weren't you supposed to do that before I broke my spine?”

To his credit, Paul looked down with chagrin and said softly, “Again, I apologize. I'm not used to teaching others nor do I always remember that you didn't grow up in a world like this one.”

He glanced towards the mouth of the cave where she could barely make out a hulking silhouette, “You have the tools, and I believe you also have the abilities, to take out this monster. You were close to utilizing one of your strongest powers last time. If you hadn't slipped, you may have very well found the answer and won.”

“You know,” she interrupted, “You were all blunt and single-word answers when we first met and now that you're training me it's like you're beating around the bush,” she observed, raising an eyebrow at him.

He shook his head and gave her a genuine smile, “You're right. I might owe you another apology. I've been trying to train you like my father trained me but he and I are very different people.”

Phoenix returned his smile and leaned her head against his arm again as she said, “You're forgiven. Just tell me directly what to try doing and I'll fight that Rabearbear in the morning.”

The ex-paladin chuckled as he corrected her, “Rabearus. And I guess that's fair enough. Eat some food then get some sleep, young one.”

She complied and in the morning felt much better about her chances as Paul explained what he wanted her to focus on.

“While I know it says it's a utility ability, I want you to try using [Ruler of Relativity] as though it were a movement ability,” her mentor explained as they both ate some breakfast. “Push and pull yourself around the battlefield to control your position and gain the advantage.”

The Astromancer nodded as she thought about it and practiced a bit in the cave with the cave wall as her target to get used to the feel of the ability siphoning her mana as she channeled it.

Using it for mobility was tricky in multiple respects as she had to become accustomed to directing her mana with her will to determine the amount of force she was increasing, which translated to speed in practical terms. The faster she wanted to move, the more mana she had to pour in.

Once she decided to try it on the Rabearus, which amounted to a pissed off polar bear monster with three heads, she noticed another issue with her gravity ability that she had to account for.

The increased speed also came with timing issues since the larger of the two of them would be moved by the ability slower. So while she barely moved when pulling her dagger that was just lodged into the creature’s flank towards her, she had practically flown towards the large beast while it seemed to only be nudged slightly across the floor.

Phoenix had been thrown back by the massive paw of the bear after landing that minor puncture wound and now took a moment to glare at the dagger that she had just pulled to her. She was frustrated with how inadequate it felt at that moment. She knew now that the short thin blade would do little against the hulking monster's thick hide.

As the beast turned back towards her, she knew that she needed to fight smarter, not harder. Paul had challenged her to use her gravity ability to take down this monster and she wasn’t about to give up.

Her gaze roamed the hulking mass of fur, looking for weak points, but she didn’t see anywhere on the massive body that didn’t appear to be protected by muscle or teeth. Except its eyes, but she didn’t have a ranged weapon, just a dagger.

If she could get close enough to stab it there, deep enough to strike its brain, then it might be enough to take it down. The only problem was its sword-like claws that would savage her before she could get in reach. Even if she managed to dodge those, she’d be landing in a maw of razor sharp teeth.

‘Smarter not harder,’ she mentally recited. Then an idea clicked and she grinned.

As the monster began to charge at her, she lifted the stiletto in front of her, aiming it carefully at the monster’s eye, then poured her mana into triggering her other variant: [Push]. The dagger shot out like an arrow and buried itself deep in the middle head's eye socket and lodged itself into its skull.

The Rabearus seemed to stutter in its charge and roared in anguish with its remaining two heads. Before it could charge again, she reconjured her dagger and sent it flying towards another healthy eye.

When her aim proved true, and another head went limp, she gave a whoop and couldn't help tossing a fist in the air in her excitement. The beast wasn't giving up though and charged at her once more in what seemed to be a last ditch effort to bite off her head.

That time her newly conjured dagger went straight into its gaping maw and the monsters’ momentum carried it forward as it stumbled to the floor. Then it quickly began dissolving into white ash as it was automatically looted into her collection.

“Good,” Paul said with a nod, causing Phoenix to smile at the approval despite her exhaustion from using so much mana during the fight. He then gestured to the cave opening, “Next one is not far.”

Then he pulled a well-made gold-embellished dagger from his belt and raised it up for her to take, “Here. Try using two next time.”

The Wayfarer gave a small groan then dutifully took the proffered knife and followed along behind him.

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