The next morning, Lily woke up before the alarm went off. Mia was still fast asleep, one arm hugging her girlfriend gently. There's no way for me to get up without waking her, not with her face pressing against my chest like that, Lily realized as she looked down at the raven haired beauty lying next to her. She could now understand Mia's decision to let her sleep in yesterday, for she had no heart to wake her up today.
They spent some time like that, Lily feeling Mia's every breath through her thin nightgown, until the alarm finally went off. Its shrill sound roused Mia from her sleep, and she quickly moved to silence it, finally releasing Lily from her embrace.
"It's a shame we have to get up, I've never slept so comfortably before," Mia said as she sat up on the edge of the bed.
"I wonder why," Lily said with a smile as she too got up. "We better get ready quickly, don't want to be late."
"I respect you taking your duties so seriously, but you don't need to worry, we have plenty of time to make it to the temple," Mia replied as she got up and slipped out of her nightgown. "In fact, there's enough time for you to join me for a shower," she said, giving Lily a suggestive look before going into the bathroom. There was no way Lily could decline that invitation, not when it came from her half naked girlfriend, and she quickly followed Mia in.
One not so quick shower and breakfast later, they were on their way to the temple. This time Lily wasn't really interested in the outside world, instead focusing on a book in her lap. It was a sort of general history of the Avatars, a list of their appearances and achievements. The part that interested her, talked about Invoke Divinity. It was a skill that all Avatars shared, regardless of the god sponsoring them, which made sense. It allowed the user to draw power through their connection to the patron deity at the cost of mana, but it wasn't as easy to use as a regular skill. A connection had to be established with the realm of the god in question, which explained why it was easier to use inside a temple; the "veil" between worlds was thinner there.
That wasn't the only issue though, because an inexperienced user had to be careful not to be overwhelmed by the intense emotions and potential physical changes that came with the increase in power. The author included several examples of otherwise experienced Avatars hurting bystanders after their Invoke Divinity leveled up, and they gained new abilities like flight. It wasn't as big of a worry for Lily, since the level cap was so low now, but it was something to keep in mind. The final note on the skill was that it could only be used once per day to start off, which meant that Lily had to be careful when she used it. According to Mia, such restrictions on skills were not unusual, although mana tended to be the bigger barrier to skill usage in dungeons. That was another reason why even mages, like Mia, trained with bows and swords, as a backup.
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Lily didn't notice when they arrived at the temple, and Mia had to tell her it was time to exit the carriage. Time for hands on practice, I suppose, she thought as she put the book down and entered the temple grounds. They made their way to the reception desk quickly, and this time the priestess there was expecting them.
"Your Grace, Lady Mia, if you would please follow me, I will take you to the chamber we prepared for your use," she said, and they nodded. She led them through several hallways to a small open square surrounded by buildings on all sides.
"These are all quarters for the priesthood, built before the Deluge, when our numbers were greater. These days we don't use all of the space, so the Head Priestess ordered us to convert one into the training space you requested, Your Grace," the young woman explained as they crossed the square. "Some of the living space was kept intact, and is available to Your Grace, should you ever need or want to spend a night in town."
"That's very considerate of you," Lily replied. She doubted she would spend time there often, but having the option was nice.
"Your trainer, Rick, made the final arrangements earlier this morning, and is waiting for you inside," the priestess said as she reached the wooden doors. The old hinges squeaked, protesting the abuse, and they entered inside.
"We had to demolish several walls which once separated different chambers to make enough room, that's what took so long," the priestess explained as Lily surveyed the area. The space seemed large enough to her, and she saw Rick setting up some archery targets at the other end. "I'll leave you to your training, Your Grace," the woman said with a bow, before leaving.
Rick noticed the girls and quickly approached. "You are early," he said, smiling. "From what Mia told me, you want to try using a skill for the first time? She mentioned something about it being potentially hard to control?"
Lily briefly explained what she knew about Invoke Divinity, and Rick thought it over for a minute before nodding.
"So basically, it is a general buff skill that potentially includes a loss of control. I've worked and trained with some Barbarians who had something similar, and from my experience practicing with dummies is not very useful. To learn to control yourself during such a skill, a human opponent is best, so I will be your sparring partner today," he explained. Mia was about to protest, but he waved her off. "Sorry My Lady, you two have the same level, making the chance of injury much higher if something goes wrong. I, on the other hand, am level 5, meaning that Lily has little chance of hurting me even when buffed. There will be time for you two to spar again once Lily masters her skill."
Mia had to accept that he was right, and she stood back as Lily put on her armor and picked up the practice sword. It was wooden, but a powerful skill enhanced strike with it could still break bones, so caution was in order, which is why Rick wore armor of his own. It was a well worn piece of plate armor, heavier than Lily's mail.
"Try using the skill whenever you are ready," Rick said, and Lily nodded. She focused, reaching for that place deep within where mana flowed. She tried to get it to flow all throughout her body, but it wasn't easy to get it right. She attempted using the skill, and she felt a strange pull as purple light slowly filled her vision. There was an intense feeling of heat that broke her concentration, and the light dissipated.
"That was a good first attempt. Remember, channeling is all about staying focused on your soul, drawing enough mana until the skill activates," Rick said, encouraging Lily to try again.
She followed his advice in the next attempt, trying to ignore the rising heat and pressure by focusing on the mana flow. This time, the pull got stronger as the light filled her vision, until for an instant, it felt like all the mana left her body.
It returned a split second later, and Lily yelled out Invoke Divinity as the purple light spread, engulfing her completely. Her vision went blurry for a moment, and then she spotted Mia standing off to the side. An overwhelming feeling of need and lust and hunger pushed out all other thoughts and emotions as she dashed towards her girlfriend with incredible speed.