Training

-27th day of AC, 27.04.1052-

-Time: 8:30-

Travis breathed out a sigh. Gripping Thunder Blade with more ****, he spread his feet a little. Memories flashed before his eyes as he fixed his posture, lifting the sword slightly. Its surface gleamed in the light from Aria's ball of light before he stepped forth.

One step, another, and then, a twirling motion followed by quick slashes. Travis's speed was nowhere near Rimel's level when the man performed those motions, but it didn't mean he was slow.

[You have dealt 147 damage.]

[You have dealt 158 damage.]

Travis made a backpedaling motion, allowing the white-haired woman to fire a quick barrage of icicles. The large lizard had its legs pierced before the man charged with a stabbing motion at its head.

[Critical!]

[You have dealt 320 damage.]

[2,362 experience has been acquired.]

With barely a twitch, the lizard dropped dead. Its matte gray scales became stained with a thickening stream of blood as Travis retreated his blade.

'...it's difficult.' he conceded. 'This style is fluid, but it also feels chaotic.'

Every time he attempted to simulate Rimel, it felt like he was missing something. Perhaps half a step to the side in some places, or a more stable blade motion. Yet, the more he practiced it in fights, the more he realized how difficult Rimel's style was. No matter what he did, whenever he finished what he recognized to be a single technique, his sense of balance felt off. The way his hands moved had to be coordinated, otherwise his footwork would be thrown off. Likewise, he could not be hasty or he'd miss steps or entire motions.

'It really feels like hitting a wall with my hand.'

[Rulebreaker smiles at your actions.]

He sighed.

The man looked at his bottom-heavy girlfriend, who looked behind to ensure they were safe.

"Anything?"

Aria shook her head. "Looks safe," she said while lowering her staff. With an almost absent-minded motion, she reached to the bag by her side, unlocking its seal. From inside, she pulled out a large piece of paper and a charred piece of wood she had wrapped in some cloth - a makeshift pencil. In the dim atmosphere full of rather stale air, she scribbled on the paper, marking the cave's layout roughly.

When she'd done that for the previous dungeon, Travis was sure to inquire her on the meaning of her action. After all, if they were only clearing the dungeons up, there was not much need for them to scribble down their layouts. The woman, however, explained it rather simply.

She had struck a deal with Captain Nimmel. Aria got to keep her position as an Inspector and even received official permission to go around as she pleased on top of gaining the information she and Travis desired. In return, all she needed to do was check on some dungeons on the way. Once they entered a city, she'd give this information to someone in an office.

Travis nodded at the remembrance. Another thing flashed in front of his eyes. It was a piece from Rulebreaker that tried to get a similar point across.

26. The world is full of wonders and secrets not yet unfolded

[Be careful. The world is a huge place, and one cannot truly start to grasp the meaning until one sees it from high above.

Many races of animals are yet to be discovered, plants that have not yet seen the eyes of explorers, and caves that haven’t consumed a single soul.

While venturing into those areas is one big unknown and should be treated with the utmost care, it’s not a bad idea. So long you remember to never let your guard down in an unknown place you’ll live to see another day.

Don’t be afraid to seek places that others have not been to yet. Be cautious, not cowardly.]

Travis didn't need to think much to nod with understanding. He had seen several maps depicting the main continent of Casali. It was a massive place, and truly, even its complete shape was an approximation based on what sailors scribbled. Many spots on the landmass were described in one word: unknown. Likewise, the true size of the massive archipelago west of the Chis Empire - Galgudos Archipelago - was yet to be discovered. To top it off, he had often heard rumors about a second continent in the far south, depicted as a half-frozen wasteland.

His gaze escaped to Aria. A silent whiff of approval left his mouth as he thought about her brother, who went into those territories undaunted. Would he meet that man one day? Would he hear any grand stories of his travels in person? He could only silently ponder.

Meanwhile, Aria had finished her sketch of the cave's corridor and a few points of interest and put the items into her bag. Then, she gripped her staff again and looked at him. As their eyes met, her white brows raised in a silent question.

"It's nothing," the man shook his head gently. "I thought there would be more spiders, given what was on the first floor. What is the boss in this one?"

"A basilisk, level 25 to 30 on estimate," she replied, fixing her hair with a quick gesture. "It's still juvenile, so its power will be limited, and they are territorial monsters, so I think it should be on its own."

"A basilisk?" Travis hummed in surprise. "Are you sure the report is right?"

"Well, the terrain is starting to get mountainous," she nodded. "Since the report was from 3 years ago, I doubt much has changed. Basilisks take dozens of years to mature. Besides, if it were mature, it's likely there wouldn't be many monsters around."

Travis nodded, accepting her explanation. Wiping Thunder Blade roughly, he sheathed it before shooting a Mana Bolt in the distance. The corridor was empty.

They stepped forth. The few spiky formations of rocks in the vicinity were rather small, and the water staining the walls appeared to be a product of air moisture rather than water seeping from above. Aria's hand immediately went around Travis's, their elbows locking lightly as she put her head on his shoulder. He could feel that despite the environment, she felt at ease, her confidence bolstered with his mere presence. A small smile tugged at his lips as they interlocked fingers. Now, this place and situation hardly felt like a hunt in a dungeon. Rather, it felt like...

"...a date," he said quietly.

"Hmm?" Aria turned mid-step, her eyes gazing at him.

"I'm just thinking. It feels like we're on a date, walking around stalls in a marketplace."

Aria's skin gained a visible blush as she turned slightly away. He could tell there were thoughts he sparked that she decided not to speak aloud. However, she held onto him tighter.

They continued down the dark corridor. The occasional beasts that crossed their way had much more bark than bite. The large lizards reminded the man of veherons, and the occasional fights seemed to only confirm that they operated similarly. Therefore, after a few small adjustments, he could freely use them to train.

His steps connected, the sword in his hands marking a small arc. If it were Rimel using the attack, an explosion of mana would've followed, stopping the beasts from approaching too close. For Travis, however, it had no effect, so he promptly stepped forth to connect a slash.

[You have dealt 166 damage.]

[2,123 experience has been acquired.]

Travis released half a breath, rotating on his heels and attacking the other opponent.

The lizard was a tad bit faster and bashed at him. The man raised his sword, attempting to shield himself from the glistening teeth of the beast. However, before the contact, an array of pale blue strings appeared, tying themselves around the beast's body and suddenly pulling. In a split second, the lizard was rendered ensnared, giving the man an opening he needed.

[2,084 experience has been acquired.]

Travis looked at Aria. The woman gave him a sigh of relief, her hand lowering as the mana from her fingers dissipated.

"I don't think I've seen that one before," he said, his brow raising.

"I'm still getting the hang of it. I didn't think it'd work," Aria admitted, half a chuckle escaping her mouth. Then, she sighed. "But it's harder to use than I thought. It almost escaped me."

"Well, I imagine it'd be tricky to learn it."

"No, that's not my point," Aria shook her head as they resumed traveling down the damp corridor. "It's a magic where you express your mana to bind something, but your own strength also plays a role. It's a tricky balance, and I can't seem to get it right. I kind of wonder how Captain Nimmel uses it so easily."

"You got it from her?"

"Yeah. It's a must-have magic for an Inspector. Normally, she'd send me to train with a scholar, but... well, you already know my situation with that," Aria shrugged. "She got me a skill book instead."

Travis's face formed a puzzled expression, the man slowing down to look at Aria better.

"Didn't we just yesterday talk about how expensive those are? Why would she do that?"

Aria looked at him briefly. Noticing his confusion, she closed her eyes as though searching for what to say. Suddenly, she hummed.

"Travis, what do you think is the biggest problem authorities in Forna face?"

'...what's that question all of a sudden?' the man thought. His hand went through his hair as he pondered briefly.

"...the bandits?"

"It's manpower," Aria replied instantly. "There are a lot of things that must be done everywhere, and never enough hands. Of course, the funds are limited, too, but it's easier to spend a little more than to find a new head to dump responsibilities onto. In the long term, it was much cheaper for Captain Nimmel to let me learn it on my own in my spare time than to give me even a week's leave. Even if it would've taken me longer this way, it's better for the workflow."

"I see..." 'Didn't Clint say something similar?' Travis pondered briefly.

"Anyway, it is a little annoying," Aria huffed, lifting her hand. Threads of mana shot from her fingertips, twirling lazily in the air as though they were underwater. "I've already learned how to create and use them, but I feel like they're underwhelming. It's hard to control exactly where they go, and I wouldn't imagine overpowering anyone with them," she formed a strange expression akin to a saddened pout.

Travis reached out to rub her shoulder. "You're doing great, Aria. You just need more practice," he smiled, his tone reassuring. "Even the great Mages of old had to practice first, no?"

She huffed but reciprocated. Her hand snaked around Travis's as they resumed their walk. "Yeah," she nodded. "Even people like Parlan had to start somewhere."

"Archmage Parlan?"

"Oh, you've heard of him?" Aria's brow raised.

"I have an appraisal skill called 'Parlan's Eye'. Its description said it was created by Archmage Parlan. That being said, though, I can't recall hearing much about him," 'Frankly, not even the books I've read in Silvana's library mentioned him, as far as I can tell.' "Do you know anything?"

Aria hummed, her eyes focusing briefly. "He was an Archmage who lived a couple of centuries ago. Those who don't delve deeply into magic might not have heard of him. He is known to have developed many utility-type spells, Parlan's Eye being one of them. He was one of the powers of the continent at one point, together with people like Spear Saint Lin and Sage Quila."

"Was his magic that powerful?"

"There is a bit of a dissonance, actually. There are many accounts of Parlan having used very powerful magic from many sides, friend or foe. One of my favorite stories about him speaks of him creating a microclimate during a fight and raining barrages of meteors on his opponents. But there's a problem. There is no actual record of those spells other than hearsay. Parlan had written books on his findings in utility magic and those have been found and studied, but there is nothing solid on combat magic. Some scholars frown upon his achievements because of that, but others say he just didn't want others to misuse his findings. Nevertheless, he is still revered as a legend among magicians. There are many things he contributed to. It's really a shame his name isn't better known."

Travis nodded in silence, his eyes scanning the terrain around. They had just walked into a rather large room, which both of them could identify to likely be the boss's room. Deciding to cut their talk short, the two stood apart. Travis unsheathed his sword and raised a brow at his girlfriend.

"Only one signature as far as I can feel," Aria replied to his mute question, gripping her staff and pointing it in a direction. "It must be it."

Travis nodded. "Ready?"

Her expression hardened as she nodded. Her hands, lithe on the gray of her staff, gripped it strongly, the gemstone atop glowing faintly.

They entered further into the place. Aria's ball of light, once shimmering faintly to illuminate where they were going, levitated up and above, its radiance increasing drastically to allow visibility in the cavern.

The place was littered with bones. Smaller ones have already long since become faint dust that was roused whenever they stepped. The bigger ones - some nearly the size of Travis's arm - had visible cracks on them, many broken into pieces. Signs of large teeth were evident on their surfaces.

And between all that, the basilisk lay.

Travis wasn't sure what to expect. Given the sizes of the lizards in preceding corridors and rooms, he half-expected the boss to be perhaps about the size of the lizards they had encountered in Penalty Zone. The thing that moved at a small distance, however, was nothing like that.

The basilisk was about the size of a grown bear. Its dull-gray scales had no missing points, and the thorns and horns all over its body protruded as though to discourage using sharp weapons. The beast's tail lay behind it, its length difficult to estimate.

Before either of the two managed to stare for too long, however, the beast's eyes opened. Its gaze immediately found them, and with a loud hiss, it rustled on the ground, lifting itself and preparing to charge.

[The dungeon boss, juvenile basilisk, has noticed you.]

Travis raised Thunder Blade. With a simple nod toward Aria, he strode forward. Gripping the handle tightly with both hands, he inhaled deeply.

'Let's try this...'

He spread his legs a little, taking the base pose and casting Reinforcement. Then, he planted a foot forward while shifting his body weight on it. The movement was followed by a quick motion of the blade as Travis tried to anticipate where the basilisk would strike.

The beast, almost as though on instinct, stopped briefly. Its eye glowed with a bright amber-like color.

[You are partially petrified. Movement and attack speed reduced by 70% for 3 seconds.]

Travis almost clicked his tongue. However, he didn't stop what he was doing. Feeling his body lose balance, he cast Sprint, shooting toward the monster. As the debuff waned, Thunder Blade moved in a diagonal slash.

[You have dealt 96 damage.]

The basilisk hissed, but its scales were hardly touched by the attack. However, before it retaliated, the man backpedaled, and a ball of fire blasted the side of the monster's head.

Travis charged again. With careful consideration of how the lizard moved, he stepped sideways. If one were to see a side-by-side comparison, he was clearly mimicking Rimel's technique. It was imperfect still, but not useless.

[You have dealt 100 damage.]

[You have dealt 93 damage.]

[You have dealt 95 damage.]

[You have received 132 damage.]

Travis hissed, feeling the boss's paw leave a stinging impact on his stomach. Right after that, it followed up, its jaw opening, a row of teeth almost glistening despite the darkness within.

Aria groaned, mana enveloping both the man and the beast.

Basilisk's attack was just barely stopped, its head covered in strands of mana. However, that only lasted half a second at best.

*SNAP! SNAP!*

The sounds informed Travis that there was no time to be standing around. He thrust his sword upward, aiming for the lizard's throat. Thunder Blade met the dull scales of its target and managed to pierce.

[Thunder Blade's option effect is activated, triggering the skill 'Vein Cutter'. Damage increased by 15%. Bleed effect is applied.]

[You have dealt 123 damage.]

'This isn't enough.' Travis frowned. Focusing on the monster, he noticed its health gauge was still nearly 70% full. 'A boss monster is a boss monster, after all. This one seems more focused on defense and debuffs than pure attack.'

[You have been partially petrified.]

[You have received 159 damage.]

Travis let out a pained huff as his leg was bit. Slamming the monster in its head with the pommel of his sword, he caused it to retreat slightly.

'It's smart. It probed me and realized that close range is risky.' Travis frowned at the realization. Then, however, he smirked, his hand raising. 'However, I can also fight long-range.'

As he released a dozen Mana Bolts, a couple of icicles flew past him, joining the attack. Travis glanced at Aria. The white-haired woman breathed much heavier than before, her face visibly red. However, she appeared to not care, mana around her welling up together with bone dust as some wind gathered. Within a few seconds, she shot forth a Wind Cutter.

'Seems like trying to tie the boss down wiggled her stamina down a bit.' he conceded. 'Let's not give it a chance to go after her.'

He rushed forth. With every step, Travis focused on the basilisk more, the world faintly dimming as he searched for irregularities in its scales. Bar the hole in its throat, nothing came up. Therefore, he aimed to hit the same spot again instead of searching for a new one. As the beast avoided his strike, Travis brought Thunder Blade down. Lightning poured from its tip, striking the boss monster. Noticing that it failed to stun, the man followed the strike with another one. As he did so, Aria supported him from range.

The rhythm continued almost unabated. A whoosh, a swipe, a tang, and finally, a stab. The sounds echoed in the spacious place, the basilisk's pained hisses intertwining with the sounds of its scales being ripped from its skin.

...

...

...

It took a little over ten minutes. Finally, recognizing that the opponent's HP was critical, Travis steadied himself. Realizing its dire situation, the basilisk hissed loudly, backing off. Its eyes gleamed.

[You have been partially petrified.]

Travis ignored the notification. His entire focus was on not letting the monster move too much. His legs spread slightly, his body almost automatically assuming a stance.

"Grah!" the boss monster let out a sound, almost like a warning. Then, it rushed at the man. The distance was cut to half within a second or so.

The Apostle, however, didn't even blink. With a shallow exhale, he moved. Lightning danced around him, coating his blade and signaling that it was charged to full. No emotion showed itself on his face. His mind was at peace, and his body was synchronized. It was only for a brief moment, but that was enough.

[Thunder Blade's option effect is activated, triggering the skill '2 Joint Attacks'. The attack repeats one time.]

[Critical!]

[You have dealt 446 damage to the target.]

[You have defeated the dungeon boss, juvenile basilisk.]

[14,704 experience has been acquired.]

[You have leveled up!]

Travis sighed at the notifications. A brief flash in the corner of his vision, like an additional one, appeared, but it vanished before he could catch a glimpse of it. Dismissing the remaining ones, he swung Thunder Blade before taking out a piece of cloth. After wiping the sword's surface a little, he sheathed it.

"Haah," Aria's huffs entered his ears, together with the faint sounds of her steps against the stony floor. The bone dust floating low in the air was almost like a curtain that parted as the woman approached. "Done," she gave him a smile. "Wasn't as bad as last time."

"Yeah," he nodded. Then, he glanced at the basilisk's battered body. 'Much easier when it's only one target.' "Should we take its parts?"

"Do we need to?" the woman asked, brushing her hair gently, but her tone told him she wasn't looking forward to the activity. The sweat on her body glistened faintly, further accentuated as she brought her light orb down.

"Not really, but I think its scales might sell well," 'Well... those that survived, at least.' "Besides, I have never tried basilisk meat. If it's anything like wyvern meat, we definitely can't pass up on it."

Aria sighed. Her motions showed some fatigue as she stepped around the basilisk's corpse.

"Do what you want," she said. "I'll have a look around."

Travis nodded, grabbing Pacifist. Slowly descending to his knees, he began his work. As this was his first time skinning something with scales, he did not do it hastily.

Aria, in the meantime, made her way around the place. Her emerald eyes glistened as she analyzed the many scratches on the walls and floor. Many stalagmites rising from the floor were completely broken to dust, and even some stalactites from above didn't survive.

Fishing the paper and pencil from her bag, Aria quickly scribbled down the cavern's general layout. She was sure to include all the information about the boss she could, as well - including its size and estimated level (courtesy of Travis and RALS). The same went for the cave itself, as the woman made several small annotations about its interior. That process was constantly accompanied by the faint sound of scratching.

Eventually, she hummed, hiding the tools and focusing around once more. Unlike with the previous dungeon's boss, it appeared that there was little of value in this place bar the beast itself. Aria concentrated, mana emanating from her position in a faint pulse. She was scanning the surroundings, mostly to search for any stray enemies, but also to get a better look at the surroundings than her eyes could grant her. It was rather dim, after all.

And that's when something unexpected happened.

"...!" Aria's eyes snapped in a direction. It was faint, but the sensation she felt was undeniably a living being. A weak monster, or perhaps a stray animal. "Travis."

"Hmm?"

"Come here. I found something."

She heard rustling as the man left his skinning tool by the basilisk's corpse and stepped closer. Turning to him, she pointed in the direction she felt the sensation from.

"There's a small room there. I feel something from within."

Travis nodded, a hand going to Thunder Blade as he unsheated it. He nodded at her with readiness, signaling to lead the way.

As they approached, she put the ball of light close to what they finally noticed as a natural-looking arch in the stone, leading deeper. Aria clutched her staff tightly, preparing herself.

However, the room they entered was rather empty. It was a place where the boss monster could easily sleep in, even by a rough estimate. The walls were dry, dust coming off them as Aria brushed her hip against one accidentally.

Her head snapped in a direction. With a slight nudge, she also prompted the man to look in the corner. An egg sat between the stones, almost as dully gray as its surroundings.

"?" Travis's brow raised. "Is that what you felt?"

Aria nodded, stepping closer. Crouching by the stony formation, she reached out to the egg. Shuffling it a little, she felt its chilly surface send a shiver up her hand. It was large, nearly the size of her head, and its weight was rather hefty.

Aria turned to Travis. The mute question hung in the air.

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