Chapter 85 - Vol. 2 - 50

Ash

After the fight against the snow troll, Ash placed both of her points into her Int stat, as she knew she'd be learning more spells soon and she wanted them to pack a heavier punch.

Level 18

MP: 100/100

STR: 18

DEX: 14

CON: 10

INT: 12

WIS: 10

L: 100

EXP: 50/200

The walk to the Site of Power was quiet, on Satsuhiro's end. Ash noticed that, understanding that if it weren't for Kaori's occasional remarks of, "oh, look at that weird glowing tree", or "oh, check this weird spear-shaped fruit out", things would be painfully silent. 

Kaori tripped next to her and quickly, Ash helped her get up to her feet. 

"You okay?" Ash asked. 

"Yeah," Kaori smiled. "Walking through snow feels so weird." 

"Honestly, I don't think I'm a fan of this place." 

"Eh, I kinda like it," Kaori stated. 

"Really?" 

"Mhm. After all, I can do this." 

And then, Kaori reached up with her hand and mushed a pile of snow onto Ash's face. The half-demon snorted, swatting her hand away. 

"Pfft. What the fuck?" Ash asked, between chuckles. Kaori shrugged and the two caught up to Satsuhiro, continuing the walk. 

Still, Ash noticed that he seemed off. 

What's up with him? Ash thought.  All I did was use a spell. 

"So..." Ash said, trying to see if she could get Satsuhiro to say more than three words. "How close are we?" 

"We'll be there soon." 

Uh... I guess that's a success? 

"Satsu," Ash started. 

"Mhm?" Satsuhiro hummed as he looked down at the map. 

"What's up with you and Vermia?" Ash asked.  I mean, shit. If just me using a spell from her was enough to give me the death stare, something had to have happened. 

At that, Satsuhiro's eyes narrowed slightly. He was silent for a brief moment before answering.

"Vermia is a necromancer," he said. 

"Well, no shit, I'm asking..." 

"That means," he continued, cutting her off, "that she is someone who rips souls away from the afterlife to serve as her personal slaves. Evil or good, man or woman, recently diseased or long-dead, no soul is sacred. Not even that of other Saviors." 

At that, Ash raised a brow.

"Other Saviors?" 

Satsuhiro nodded. 

"Yes. So, don't trust her. In all likelihood, if a demon is about to stab you in the back when a fight comes, she'll probably let it happen." 

Seriously? 

In that moment, the group heard a piercing, shrill screech coming from up ahead. Ash turned to face the sound, her eyes set between a set of trees covered in snow. It was an animalistic sound the likes of which Ash hadn't heard before. 

"Uh, that's kind of scary," Kaori said. "What was that?" 

"... From that sound, I'd guess that was a reaver." 

"Oh... That, uh, monster you were talking about earlier?" Kaori asked. 

"Yep," Satsuhiro looked down at the map, and then looked up. "Shit." 

Just by that mumbled curse, Ash could tell what he was thinking. 

So... The reaver is probably in the direction of the Site of Power, isn't it? 

"Okay, listen up." Satsuhiro turned to face them, with a serious expression on his face. "It looks like we'll have to go through a reaver to get to the Site of Power. A young one, I think. The thing about them is these creatures are relentless. One reaver is enough to wipe out a squad of soldiers of equal level. The young ones differ from the older reavers in that they're about twice the size of a person, whereas a fully grown reaver is almost as big as a drake."

"How do we fight one?" Ash asked. 

"You have to keep your guard up at all times, a reaver can close the distance and cut your head off with its claws in an instant. Keep your distance, outlast it." 

"What can it do?" Kaori added. 

"Rip into you with its claws, and that's the only option it needs, trust me." 

As he said this, the wind picked up and another screech sounded off.  Well, I'll give it this. That's one terrifying roar.  Ash thought.  Whatever though. We need this buff. 

"Ready?" Ash asked Kaori. 

"... Doesn't really matter, right? We need to go through there anyway." 

"I guess." 

"Then, yeah," Kaori nodded. "Let's go." 

However, Ash thought of one of the blessings she'd learned and held a hand up. 

"For Light of grace to reach those in need, Lumina, allow our faith to dictate the power of our words. Let no prayer we utter be left unheard. To this end, show yourself in our actions and let your brilliance be seen."

She recited the incantation for  Empowered Light, the spell which heightened the effects of Light magic. Ash checked her mana. 

Level 18

MP: 60/100

That's a costly spell,  she thought,  but I don't think I want to risk losing it against this kind of enemy, so I'll mostly just be using Light magic anyway. It's probably worth it. 

"Just in case," she said. "Okay," she looked at Satsuhiro. "We're ready." 

---

Silently, they made their way through the trees until later, they found a stone building up ahead. Abandoned and run-down, the snow almost hid it from sight. Ash could just barely make out a statue in front of it, depicting Magia and Lumina. 

What the...? 

The statue featured the both of them, holding each other in a way that Ash could only describe as romantic. 

Her attention was taken away from the statue quickly though when she saw the source of the earlier screeching. And, it was every bit as frightening as the sound hinted at it to be. The monster was a humanoid creature with no eyes, a round head with a large mouth full of long, sharp teeth. It was hunched over, but Ash could tell it was probably somewhere between two and three meters tall. Its legs and arms were bulky, both ending with long claws. From its elbows and its knees, its bones protruded, clear to see. Finally, it had two small brown wings at its back. 

Ash could hear a faint clicking sound coming from it. 

Level 20

MP: 10/10

No spells needed, huh?  Ash thought as she saw its mana. It continued clicking as it stalked the grounds in front of the building. 

Satsuhiro glanced at Kaori and Ash, whispering:

"Whenever you're ready." He stepped aside, to give them space to fight. 

Ash looked over at Kaori. The blonde nodded. Ash did the same, and she stood up. 

Transforming her Lust into a bow, she decided she didn't need to change strategies that had some merit to them. If starting off fights with a few arrows continued yielding some slightly positive results, then she'd keep doing it. So, she prepped one arrow, pulled it back, and let it loose. 

And the reaver dodged it. 

Though the reaver had its back turned, the creature actually ducked under the projectile, hissing and turning around so quickly that Ash flinched. 

"What?" She asked aloud and instantly, with a screech, the creature was charging towards her. 

"Ash!" Kaori, who had transformed her Savior's Weapon into a swordstaff, stepped between Ash and the monster and the reaver tackled her, launching her back and making her collide with Ash. 

The two fell back. When Ash got her bearings, she found the reaver already over them. 

And then, a ball of flames collided with its back, searing it. The monster gave a pained screech and turned around instantly, only to find a second sphere hitting it. Kaori rolled off of Ash and tried to stand up to fight the creature, but a third fire attack finished the reaver off. 

Its head was disintegrated, and its body fell lifelessly in front of the two girls. 

Satsuhiro walked up, staring down at the reaver. 

"T-That was level 20!?" Kaori asked. Satsuhiro nodded.

"Some creatures, reavers being one of them, are stronger than their levels would indicate. Their behaviors, their perception, their ruthlessness. It all contributes to form an enemy far stronger than its level should have it be." 

He helped Ash stand up and gestured at the Site of Power. 

"Come on, let's get this done." 

"Yeah." 

Ash snuck a glance at the reaver's corpse.  That was... Holy shit,  she thought.  It caught me off-guard. Can't let that happen again, she noted. 

As Ash looked back ahead, she found Kaori was also staring at the monster. 

"That was... Something." 

Kaori nodded. 

"I hadn't expected that kind of aggression," Kaori replied. "We'll, uh, we'll be ready though. Next time." 

"Yeah," Ash nodded. "Sure." 

As the three Saviors all walked up to the Site of Power, Ash and Kaori were both surprised by the fact that they didn't pass out immediately. 

The gods must not be feeling talkative today, I guess. She thought. 

The inside of the building was just as desolate as the outside, if not more. Ash saw old crumbled barrels and benches, sticking out of small hills of snow that had seeped in through the broken ceiling as they walked forwards.

Ash felt Magia's pull get stronger with every step, which was a good sign, she figured. When she reached the altar, she placed her hands on it. Kaori did the same. Then, the altar began to glow white and a pair of messages appeared above both of them, as Ash felt divine power flood the area. 

Updated Trait: Quick Learner

Old Description: Proficiency, attunement, and attribute EXP increased by 200%

New Description: Proficiency, attunement, and attribute EXP increased by 300%

Nodding, Satsuhiro said: 

"With this, we can make even faster progress for the both of you. However, I suggest you make a choice." 

"What do you mean?" Ash asked. 

"Remember, the EXP system works on a benchmark basis. This means that as you reach different heights, it'll get harder to raise your attributes through leveling, which is the easiest way to increase your stats. Even with this massive buff, there will come a point where you're struggling to get to the next level, be it now, or be it when you reach level 60. By then, the attributes you've assigned will inherently lock you into a certain style. At least, if you want to be good at something, instead of just being  decent  at everything. Understand?" 

"Not really." Ash shook her head.

"I'm saying that, once you're at the higher levels, you might look back on the points you've assigned and think, 'oh, I would have rather had this'. For instance, Ash, you've been using magic more and more lately, right? What if you end up only relying on spells, but you wasted 10 attribute points on your Strength? That won't feel good, will it? You may end up regretting what you've assigned. Up until now," he continued, "I have pretty much just let you level up whatever you want. This is done so that you can get a feel for every style available to you, but now that you'll soon be approaching the mid-levels thanks to this buff, level 30 or so, you should commit to something." 

He shrugged. 

"At least, that's what I think. I've never really seen someone try to level everything at once and have that work out for them. If you two think you'll be the first ones to do so, then, by all means, go ahead. But, I'd say, you should think about what it is that has gotten you the best results, what you think you could do to be useful in the future, and focus on that." 

He turned around, starting to head out of the church. 

"You don't have to choose right now, right this moment, but think about it." 

And with those words marinating in their minds, the two followed him out.