Chapter Forty Six - 046He didn't manage to level any more spells before Harn returned, fresh from beating Atar into the ground. Felix almost felt bad if the kid wasn't a huge dork. Still, he felt some grudging respect as he saw the mage keep getting back up. Harn got right back into with Felix, starting up the same sort of weapons training as before, pushing him into spar after spar until time blurred.
It was late, though no one seemed to be settling down. Too much work to be done, too much to prepare.
Not that Felix had the time to think about it.
Harn came at him again, his two swords moving in opposite directions. Felix twisted sideways and used his bronze blade to catch one sword even as the second sliced open his hip.
"FUAAAA!" Felix kicked out, catching Harn's bicep. Harn shifted backward, not so much shoved as flowing with the momentum, spinning into a new set of strikes. Felix flailed, golden sparks rising from his Crescian blade as the steel swords caught and flung it from his grasp. He stared after it a moment before springing into a backwards roll.
Acrobatics had become increasingly easier, his body more flexible due to his Dexterity and Agility, but his fights with Harn was pushing him to a new limit.
"No retreating!" Harn came after him, swords striking deep furrows into the solid stone floor. Felix tumbled three times, each revolution ending with those blade closer and closer to his face. On the last, he pushed up onto his hands and twisted his body into an awkward round off.
Acrobatics is level 22!
It was weird and looked bad, but it was effective. Harn's blades once again barely scraped against Felix's skin, though still managing to draw two gouts of blood into the air. Gritting his teeth, Felix reached down and grabbed the axe resting against the wall. As Harn came in again, Felix swung the axe in a low arc, intending to catch the bastard on the knees. And he did.
The axe clanked dully against the armor, not even scratching it.
Faster than he could blink, the two swords crossed and came to rest against his neck. Felix swallowed audibly.
"Ya lose," Harn smirked. "Again."
Felix stood up as the warrior retracted his swords, sheathing them in a single fluid motion. "Again," Felix said.
"Yeah again," Harn smirked as he turned to walk away. "That was the sixth time ya lost. I'm startin' ta think yer throwin' this on purpose."
"No," Felix said, his voice firmer. "Again."
Harn half turned and eyed him up and down. Then he grinned.
"Oh you got it, kid."
Twenty minutes later, Felix was exhausted. He laid out on the ground, the stone cooling his sweaty body. Harn sat down heavily next to him, his armor clanking dully on the floor.
"Siva's eyes, where'd that last bit come from?" Harn asked.
Eyes closed, Felix smiled. He'd managed to catch Harn off guard in the last bout, using Shadow Whip to grasp and pull the man's weapon just slightly off target, letting Felix get close enough to land a single punch. For the first time all night, Felix heard Harn gasp, though he doubted it was from pain.
Still, it was music to his ears.
"That was some clever Skill use. Didn't expect the spell. What was it?"
Felix cracked open an eye, looking at Harn from where he laid on the floor. Felix was covered in sweat, blood, and no small amount of bruises, while the burly human was still in his near pristine armor. Small scratches covered Harn's armor, but it wasn't from him. "Shadow Whip."
Harn grunted. "Interestin'. Next time though, no spells. Can't learn weapons proper if ya have a crutch."
Felix frowned. He'd been proud of using his new understanding of Shadow Whip to get one over on the walking suit of armor. "It's a good spell, though."
Harn held up his hands. "I'm not sayin' it ain't. Can see a lotta utility in somethin' like that. My point is, weapon mastery'll get you more over the long run. Spells are...well, they're gimmicks. Level to level, Skill to Skill, ain't no mage is gonna hold up against a true warrior."
Felix chewed on his lip, considering the words.
Harn shook his head and smiled as he stood up. "Yer a weird one, Felix. Take a rest for the night. I gotta focus on the other kids." He walked off.
Frowning at being included with the term "kids," Felix took a breath and cleared his mind. His hip still hurt from where Harn had sliced him earlier, though it was nearly healed over by this point. After thirty seconds, he checked his notifications.
Acrobatics is level 23!
Parry is level 8!
Physical Conditioning is level 22!
Armored Skin is level 21!
Axe Mastery is level 5!
Blunt Weapon Mastery is level 8!
Long Blade Mastery is level 14!
Small Blade Mastery is level 13!
Staff Mastery is level 9!
Thrown Weapons Mastery is level 13!
Blind Fighting is level 19!
Mantle of the Long Night is level 3!
Even Blind Fighting jumped up? Felix was impressed, though his body wasn't. Aches and pains littered his flesh, and though the worst of it was dulled, it certainly wasn't a picnic. He'd sure as hell worked for those gains.
I could rest now. Take a nap by the fire...Felix eyed one of the side rooms and huffed a small breath. He stood up.
Too much to do. He had come up with some training ideas, and now was as good a time as any to try them out.
Pit, he sent to his nearly asleep Companion. Can you watch over this doorway, bud? Squawk if anyone comes near.
Felix could feel the tenku's grudging assent over their connection, though the lazy bird didn't rush. Felix could sense him take a long luxurious stretch, flexing his wings out in a show of not being hurried. He grinned before ducking under one of the cloth covered archways. This was where the "magic basin" was, and the room was filled with several bench-like objects. Like the basins themselves, the benches were somehow carved from the stone itself, as if the entire room was chiseled from one piece of rock. Or someone had a Stone Shaping spell.
Felix walked over to one of the unused basins, a waist high pedestal carved with pale figures along the four corners. It was deep enough to submerge half his body were he to jump in, and was one of many that had a non-functioning lever and still caked with dust. No windows dotted these rooms, unlike others, though there was a drain in the floor and odd holes bored into the ceiling. What they were for he wasn't certain, though the entire set up looked like some sort of communal shower.
Regardless, anthropology wasn't why he had come in here, no matter how fascinating all of this stuff happened to be. Felix held out his arms, raising them above the basin.
Acid Stream.
Two orbs of green acid bulged in his palms, suspended by some strange aspect of magic, before jetting a concentrated stream directly into the basin itself. He paused, letting the acid bubble and burn for a while. He didn't know if it would eat through the stone or not. When the bottom of the basin didn't fall out, he cast again. Felix had to stop and regenerate his Mana twice before filling the entire thing. By the end of it, he felt a little light headed due to Mana loss and the pungent odor of the acid which was an acrid tang on the air. It was gross and reminded him viscerally of the copse grubs and their pale, wriggly bodies.