PART XIII - LITTLE CONSOLATION

NETHER HOLD

Fynisse formed the command in her mind and for the first time in her life, Nether poured from her body, tendrils of its energy snaking from her hand, wrapping tightly around her target. In this case, it was Vanis’s turn to be the target. Trainer Terrin stood by to help break the spell if something went awry, but so far his student’s casting was very well-crafted and controlled.

It took but a moment, and Vanis was fully cocooned. The constriction was absolute, and stiffly he fell sideways to the ground with a grunt. Fynisse held the confinement as long as she could, but within seconds her mana plummeted and she had to quickly break the channeled casting. As she did, the tendrils of Nether evaporated into a puff of purple smoke. Now freed, Vanis slowly rose to a sitting position, rubbing his elbow.

“Wow!” the Catkin said, holding a paw to her head, before her legs finally gave out and she fell with a thump on her rear. “You weren’t kidding, Vanis. That mana usage is intense!”

Terrin started to rush to her side, but she waved him off. “I’m okay. That was just … surprising, even with your warning, Vanis.”

Terrin nonetheless handed the recruit a small, purple potion. “It’s one of the most mana-intensive spells we get at Iron Tier. If you cast from within a Circle, it will be much easier and you’ll last longer, but when starting off, even that won’t be enough. Practice is the only way to improve yourself, and all of you are free to practice this spell on your own against a target dummy, as long as you don’t hold it for more than five or six seconds or so, and don’t do it from within a circle. You’ll learn faster if you don’t have that additional aid. Above all, whatever you do, do not push yourself past mana exhaustion!”

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All of Trainer Terrin’s recruits had quickly learned the basics of Ritual Circle, and as a reward he allowed them to try out another spell under close supervision, before taking a break and returning to Circle drills. Each recruit had taken turns being the target, to get a feel for the effects, as well as being the caster. Now, Dunni sat leaning against the shelter wall, only partially recovered from his casting, and Fynisse wearily scrambled to sit next to him, downing the Rejuvenation potion and making a sour face. Vanis had fared better this time with his casting, and managed to at least stay standing with his spell, cutting it off before the drain hit.

“Have a snack and rest for a bit,” Terrin ordered, “then we’ll get back to work.”

Vanis joined the other two recruits in the shade of the shelter, and fished jerky from his backpack, handing a piece to the other two. Fynisse gave a purr of appreciation as she took the salty snack, thumping her head against the wall with a strong exhale of exhaustion.

“Tomorrow, we’re going to work on curses a bit,” Terrin said, a warning tone in his voice. “I’m afraid it’s going to be rather uncomfortable, because each of you will be subjected to the effects of both Curse of Fear as well as Curse of Weakness. Neither will harm you, at least physically, but mentally you need to be prepared.”

“Why do we need to be the target?” Fynisse asked, her voice slightly shaky.

Trainer Terrin sighed slightly, taking a seat on the ground opposite. Vanis offered a piece of the dried meat to him, which he accepted. “The unfortunate truth is that being afflicted by a curse helps your understanding of the curse’s effects and construction. More importantly, once you understand how battle curses work, you will be able to use your Combat Decurse skill to remove those curses far more effectively, not only from yourself, but also from your allies. It’s a … gauntlet … we all regrettably have to pass through. I’m telling you now so you have some time to prepare. Just remember, the fear isn’t real, and the weakness can’t actually hurt you.”

“Well, that only makes me slightly less terrified,” Fynisse said sarcastically.

“I agree,” Dunni added.

“I must agree as well,” Vanis echoed. “Sir, I was politely informed yesterday that Warlocks have an image problem and could be perceived as, and I quote, ‘evil and creepy’. Your encouraging words are doing surprisingly little to alleviate that perception.”