Chapter 177: 177
When the group awoke, the number of yawns instantly put everyone on alarm . They instantly realized that no one had stood guard, leaving them completely defenceless except for the presence of their theoretically neutral supervisor .
Phloria and the others felt greatly embarrassed, but nothing could compare with the exhaustion and disgust that still lingered on their minds . Despite using darkness magic to cleanse their mouths and teeth before going to sleep, they could still feel the taste of puke and blood .
"How do you guys feel now?" Phloria asked .
"Like a dirty rag . " Friya answered, causing the others to agree .
"Good gods Lith, do you really do stuff like this for a living?"
"Yes, it's part of the job . " He nodded . "And soon it will be part of yours too, except maybe for Quylla . Friya, Phloria, you are Mage Knights your swords aren't made to scare or protect, but to kill .
Yurial, as a feudal lord and a Warden you'll have the lives of both your enemies and allies in your hands . Quylla, even if you choose to become an academic, like Professor Marth or Manohar, you still need to know how to defend yourself . "
The group pondered on Lith's words and on the implications of the test . They had trained for years on dummies or with sparring partners, never fully understanding what their skills were meant for .
Linjos was forcing his students to put them into practice, to experience the consequences of their choices up to that point, before deciding what path they wanted to take in their future life .
"Before we move out, is there anything else Quylla and me need to know about our new weapons?" Friya asked . There was no blame or resentment in her voice, but Phloria felt guilty anyway .
"Sorry for not telling you before . " She blushed in shame .
- "Gods, I'm so stupid . " Phloria thought . "Now I am supposed to be not only their leader, but also their elder sister . Not teaching them about the Ernas's custom blades was a major blunder on my side . " -
"It's just that my… I mean our father's gifts and this exam left me so dumbfounded that I completely forgot . Our weapons have been forged and enchanted using a secret technique of the Ernas family .
It makes them unnaturally sharp, allowing even a light weapon like your rapier to cut as well as to pierce . You are no longer limited to stabs . As long as your opponent doesn't wear heavy armour, you can also slash .
It also makes them sturdy enough to cut through rock without a scratch . Last, but not least, they have a limited ability to change size to adapt to confined spaces without hindering their wielder . I don't know the details, though . I'm no Forgemaster .
Quylla, your long knife can turn into a short sword if you need extra range in battle . "
Quylla nodded, trying out the weapon for herself . Her movements were awkward, but the blade was light and easy to use, giving her a sense of security .
"Can I see it, please?" Lith extended his hand to Friya, who passed him her rapier .
Lith used Invigoration on the weapon, studying its complex pseudo core . He was no swordsman yet, but even he could appreciate its workmanship . He used it against a small rock, that was easily pierced producing a silvery sound .
The blade was unscathed, and with Fire Vision, after giving his back to the bonfire, he could see the whole blade turning green for a second .
"I don't know how your father achieved the mass displacement, but I have an idea or two about the rest . The weapon is enchanted with air magic, making it vibrate on hit and enhancing the edge's effectiveness .
Also, I don't think it's actually sturdier than a normal blade, more like it absorbs impacts and dissipates their energy as heat via earth magic . "
Lith was amazed by the effects forgemastering could apply . Kinetic shields and vibro-weapons were things he had only read about in sci-fi books .
"Well, duh!" Phloria replied . "Everyone knows they are enchanted with air and earth magic, but not how . Also, I didn't understand a word of the gibberish you just said . "
Lith sighed, he couldn't explain them what kinetic and potential energy were, nor how the vibration frequency could affect solid matter . They were all terms that did not exist in the new world .
It would have been like trying to explain the television to someone that didn't know about electricity or waves, so he dropped the matter and returned the weapon to Friya .
"I have something to say . " Yurial chimed in .
"Since we are in a dungeon, it's better to avoid using fire magic . There isn't much air to begin with, so we could suffocate if we consume too much of it . Also, despite fireballs are a mage's best friend, both the flames and the noise could bounce off the walls .
Just the noise could deafen us, not to mention that only the caster would be immune from the spell's direct effects, while the rest of the group would suffer from the heat . That's how the term 'friendly fire' was coined, after all . "
Yurial felt that he had to prove useful to redeem his honour . So far he had been as helpless as Quylla, but she was just a healer with no specialization . Not to mention she was three years younger than him with .
"Those are all good points . " Phloria nodded . "Now we need to coordinate our actions, we cannot repeat the earlier mistakes . "
The group spent the next hour making plans and preparations for the rest of the trip .
In the new formation, Phloria would walk in the middle, ready to block any incoming enemy . Quylla was tasked of holding the map, and to keep note of their movements, since she was the only one beside Lith that could write with water magic .
Friya and Yurial exchanged their position, allowing her to easily assist Phloria or protect Quylla . It didn't take long to meet another group of goblins, but this time things went very differently .
Phloria ignited her tower shield blocking their path, while Quylla and Friya used tier one magic to slash and stab their assailants with ice shards and air blades . Some of the creatures had slings and bows, but their projectiles were easily deflected by Yurial's air shield .
They managed to cleanse the corridor right after the fight, but Friya and Quylla puked again nonetheless . The wounds made by magic were even more gruesome than those made by the swords, and they had yet to get used to spilled guts and bloody stumps .
As for Phloria and Yurial, their pride was stronger than the nausea .
In the following hours, they met more and more goblin's nests, getting better at every encounter, to the point that not an enemy managed to reach Phloria's shield anymore . Yet Lith was disappointed .
They would always make a mess of the cave, needing several spells each to get the job done .
"Let me give you a freebie, guys . "
Thanks to Life Vision, Lith knew they were about to meet another nest composed of about twenty goblins, so he took point .
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