Chapter 10 Finally, Over.
“It’s almost time.” Lenna told Isaac. The two hadn’t stayed at Izen’s birthday banquet for long because of this very fact. They were now back home and in their basement training area.
“Are you sure you don’t want to put it off until the beginning of the month?” Isaac questioned her for the fifth time that day. “Or at least upstairs near the bathtub?”
“Actually, the bathtub would have been a good idea but… it’s happening. I won’t have enough time to make it up there.” She told him as the heat started to rise within herself.
‘Shamesh, get me a bucket of ice water and a cold wet blanket. Lenna is leveling up. Get the girls to help you if you need to.’ Isaac sent to his retainer with his mind and intent alone.
‘Immediately.’ Shamesh replied as he got to work.
“Lenna, it is too close to the new moon.” Isaac repeated, again. “Just let go of your aura before the level up takes hold.”
“No.” Lenna replied. “I won’t have many more opportunities to train for this. He will definitely show up on my twentieth level up and I need to be prepared.” She explained.
Isaac sighed and knelt beside her. “Shamesh is on his way with some stuff to cool you down.” Isaac told her.
Lenna nodded. She looked like she was about to respond when she tensed up in pain as her mana pathways ignited inside her body. The searing pain was far worse than the last time that she had been conscious for a level up. Her aura burned itself into her mana pathways, her core, her very soul as it passed the invisible threshold and into its supposed final form. Lenna’s jaw was clamped so tightly that she had to consciously keep from cracking her teeth. Steam started to waft off of her as her body temperature spiked to utterly ridiculous levels. One benefit of her Oathbreaking showing itself in a fire based way was the intrinsic resistance to temperature that it gave her as a byproduct. Every level up tempered her more and more which made her more resistant to the next one. That was why she was even still alive. Many Oathbreakers died from their level ups without incredibly specific magical interdiction because they lacked a building resistance to the building intensity of their level ups.
“Breathe.” Isaac reminded her as he tentatively touched her shoulder. He immediately yanked his hand back in pain. ‘Shamesh.’
“Here.” Shamesh spoke as he literally flew down the steps and into the training room.
“Water.” Lenna gasped.
“She’s dehydrating.” Isaac explained to Shamesh. Shamesh handed him a bucket with a thick comet shaped block of ice in it. “Did you shoot ice magic at the water?”
“Yes.” Shamesh replied. “It was the fastest way.”
Isaac nodded and started rapidly spiking his boosting ability. He grit his teeth and then launched a knuckle strike directly into the block of ice with enough power to cause it to burst into a hundred pieces. He ignored the small amount of blood, that mixed with the water from his temporarily split open knuckles, and grabbed a piece of ice that looked like it would barely fit inside Lenna’s mouth. He held the ice at Lenna’s mouth. “Eat.” He ordered her and she struggled to open her mouth wide enough to chomp down on the ice through the pain.
Shamesh draped the cold blanket around Lenna’s shoulders which helped her loosen up a little. She was able to get the entire piece of ice in her mouth and was able to drink it down as water after only a handful of seconds. “More, ice.” Lenna whispered in pain.
Isaac grabbed another piece of ice and put it in her mouth before he dumped the rest of the bucket on top of her and the blanket she was now wearing. “Shamesh, we need a lot more. I have no idea how long this will take.” Isaac explained. “I’m going to try to get her into the bath. Ask Celeste if there is anything that Lenna can use for hydration that has a higher boiling point than regular water. If anyone would know, it would be the fire sorceress.” Shamesh nodded and took off back up the stairs while he reached out telepathically to Celeste for assistance.
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“This is, much worse, than I, expected.” Lenna confessed. “Why is it, so bad?”
“Probably because you were tempting fate.” Isaac scolded her and scooped her up in his arms while using the blanket as a buffer.
“Don’t, I’m too hot.” Lenna warned him but didn’t have the strength to protest.
“Gods you are stubborn.” Isaac swore and raced up the multiple sets of stairs to get her to the master bathroom’s large tub. Without his boosting skill he wouldn’t have made it, and even with it, by the time he placed her in the tub his arms were in a constant state of healing through light burns. Isaac tapped the metal plate that activated the spigot causing cold, freshly conjured, water to come pouring out onto Lenna and her steaming blanket. “This is about as bad as your double level up was but this time you are conscious.” Isaac told her with a frown.
“Not, quite.” Lenna replied. “Because I’m still conscious.”
Isaac nodded. “Sure, but it is still awful.” He agreed and Lenna nodded. A moment later Shamesh entered the room. “What did Celeste say?” Isaac asked immediately.
“Diluted fruit juice and salt.” Shamesh replied. “She said that she always had a fever when she leveled up as well and that helped her rehydrate.”
Margaret burst into the bathroom right after Shamesh was done explaining what he had learned to Isaac. She took one look at Lenna and her eyes went wide. Thankfully she took in the situation quickly and processed what Shamesh had told Isaac just as fast. She turned around and ran back down the hallway towards the stairs that would lead to the first floor and the kitchen. “Madie! Mar! I need you in the kitchen!” She called out while taking the stairs two at a time.
“How much should we try to cool you down?” Isaac asked Lenna while kneeling next to the tub.
“I’m, fine.” She said through gritted teeth. “I need, to let it, temper.”
Isaac nodded. “Shamesh, can you keep the water at that temperature?”
“I can try.” Shamesh replied and touched his hand to the still rising water. It was rapidly reaching the point where it would overflow if left to run any longer. The water was warm like a cup of tea that was left to cool down for too long. “I do not have any gentle ice spells at my disposal.” He confessed.
“Do it.” Lenna told him and he nodded.
Shamesh loaded his middle finger like he was about to flick something and mana stirred as an icicle tried to form in front of his finger inside the water. Once it was fully formed he flicked the icicle. The icicle was three inches around at its widest point but only six inches long, because of the water medium of the spell causing the icicle to bulk up, which fired into the bottom of the tub and burst apart. The small ice explosion rapidly stole all of the heat from the general area of impact. He felt the temperature of the water drop slightly but it soon returned to its old temperature.
Isaac turned off the spigot and watched as Shamesh fired icicle after icicle into the bottom of the tub only for no ice to ever last more than a few seconds. Margaret arrived a few minutes later with a pitcher of watered down fruit juice with some salt in it. “Is she going to be alright?” Margaret asked after Lenna downed a glass with gusto.
“Yes, it looks like the worst has passed already.” Isaac replied. “It was just intense instead of long lasting.”
“It felt, feels, long lasting.” Lenna grumbled from her position like a drenched cat forced to take a bath.
“It has been twenty seven minutes since I was informed of your level up, my Lady.” Shamesh explained.
“The next half hour or so should just be her body getting used to the changes. She’ll have a fever for at least that much longer.” Isaac told Margaret. “Shamesh, thank you for the help, you may go. I’ll call you if we need anything else, oh and can you thank Celeste for me?”
“Of course, my Lord.” Shamesh replied and bowed. “Then I will take my leave.”
“Is there anything else I can do?” Margaret wondered as she looked at her savior still in mild pain, fully clothed and wrapped in a blanket, in the bathtub.
“No, but thank you, Margaret. Let the eavesdroppers know that she’ll be fine in a little while. And warn them not to make oaths or vows that cannot be kept, especially ones to or related to people.” Isaac told her.
“I will, my Lord.” Margaret replied and bowed out much like how Shamesh had. That left Isaac and Lenna alone while they waited out the latter half of her trial of fire.
“This hurts.” Lenna told him. It was the first time that he had truly heard her complain about the pain from something and it broke his heart. Isaac squeezed her hand but had to let go after a short moment from how hot it still was.
“You haven't passed the worst of it, have you?” He asked her. “You just passed the fire portion.”
Lenna nodded. “Yes.” She replied. “The, hatred, the black flames of vengeance, it is their turn.” She got out slowly. “They burn warm but deep. Not hot, and bright.” She finished with a wince.
“I’ll be here.” Isaac told her and stroked her cheek.
“Juice?” She asked him and he smiled warmly at her.
“Of course, my Lady.” He replied as he poured and handed her another glass. ‘Shamesh, we’ll need you again in a little less than half an hour.’ He sent to his retainer without Lenna knowing.
‘I’ll be right outside the door.’ Shamesh replied. ‘I live to serve.’
Unfortunately for Lenna, Isaac’s prediction was wrong. Instead of a measly hour of pain, as her body was forcefully adapted to the increase in aura continuity and maximum mana reserves, it was four. Every half an hour she would switch from a boiling fever to just being miserable. The rage from her ancestors at her broken oath switched to her ruthless hate and desire for vengeance against Dri’El and then back again. After four cycles the pain finally bled away and she was left aching but cool and leveled up. Her final words before exhaustion took her were: “Finally, over.”