Eternal Rest

"The primary focus of your upcoming training exercise will be to advance Soul Barrier as much as possible and raise your levels in Soul Magic," Hugo explained, his tone serious. "The outcome of the training will be entirely dependent on your abilities and how much you can endure. We can halt the exercise whenever you feel necessary."

"And I'll be facing only wraiths, nothing else?" Bones inquired, seeking clarification regarding the nature of his opponents.

"Not exactly," Hugo replied, his response eliciting a puzzled expression from Bones. "Let me clarify. I want you to engage with the Lesser Wraiths, which specialize in soul attacks, now that you're weakened, without fighting back. These wraiths are all below the second tier and won't pose a real threat to your life, but they'll provide enough of a challenge to push the boundaries of your Soul Barrier. Until now, you haven't had many opportunities to level the skill, apart from your encounters with Silva. However, Soul Barrier, while offering protection from direct soul attacks, is your only defense against light magic. It's crucial to advance this skill as soon as possible, and your weakened state will stress the barrier to its utmost proficiency."

"You want me to just stand and take a beating?" Bones questioned incredulously.

"Of course not," Hugo clarified. "I want you to utilize Quick Dash and do your best to evade the wraiths while dealing with constant pressure from the risk of your soul being devoured."

"W-what? Why are you saying it like that? Is there a chance of my soul being devoured? Just how many wraiths are you expecting me to engage?" Bones fired off, his concern evident in his tone.

“No, at their level, the wraiths aren’t strong enough to pose an actual threat. The Reaper will be on standby, so you will be completely safe. It is the most effective way currently to forcefully raise your levels in Soul Barrier and Soul Magic while they are still in the basic tier,” Hugo reassured Bones, emphasizing the safety measures in place for the training exercise.

“So…” Bones began, his mind still processing the training strategy devised by Hugo. “Alright, I think I understand. This means I will be commencing my training without my golems, right?” Hugo nodded, confirming Bones's assumption. Bones then inquired further, “Do I need to know anything else about the wraiths? Seeing their incorporeal form, I take it they are immune to physical damage?” Once again, Hugo nodded, adding that spells do work against them, as does soul magic, but cautioned against its use due to Bones's weakened state. Bones assured him that he had already learned not to use soul attacks while in this condition. Satisfied that they had reached a consensus, Hugo signaled for Bones to continue observing as a particular scene unfolded before them.

As one of the unfortunate wandering undead skeletons strayed too close to a roaming wraith, it caught the spectral entity's attention. With swift and eerie grace, the wraith descended upon the unsuspecting skeleton, its ethereal form closing the gap in an instant. Its hand extended unnaturally, reaching out to drain the power source from its hapless victim. Despite the skeleton's feeble attempts to defend itself, swinging its weapon in vain, the wraith's spectral touch rendered the iron sword useless, passing through it effortlessly. Gradually weakened by the draining assault, the skeleton fell to its knees, powerless to resist. With a final lunge, the wraith plunged into the skeleton's body, consuming it from within. A blinding light engulfed the skeletal form, piercing through its bones until it shattered into fragments, leaving behind only the insidious wraith, its hunger unsatiated as it continued to scourge the area in search of its next victim.

Appalled by what he witnessed, Bones once again voiced his concerns about whether he might suffer a fate similar to the undead they had just seen. Hugo chuckled in response, acknowledging Bones' concerns and reiterating that the lesser wraiths weren't strong enough to harm his soul. Furthermore, Hugo emphasized that Bones' soul far exceeded what any wraith in the first or second tier could handle.

With Bones' mind set at ease, Hugo began to delve into the intricacies of wraith behavior. He described them as roamers, constantly moving from one place to another in search of souls to devour. While entities like Soul Wisps were adept at evading them, more common inhabitants such as the undead and mutated beasts often fell victim to these troublesome foes. Considering all he had heard, Bones reasoned that wraiths must be at the top of the hierarchy in the Ghastly Fields. However, Hugo hinted at an even more voracious and formidable adversary lurking in the shadows.

"The Wraith's relentless pursuit of souls often renders them oblivious to the dangers posed by their prey. One such adversary is the Ghoul, a creature with which you are already familiar. In their encounters, both wraiths and ghouls rely on draining the life force of their opponents, resulting in a fierce battle of soul consumption. From my observations, it is the ghoul that consistently emerges victorious, feasting upon the very essence of the wraith's soul..."

"While we talked, I had the Reaper inspect the area for any creatures in the second tier, and I just got confirmation there aren’t any. We can begin your training, Bones," Hugo announced.

Bones gave him a sideway glance. "When did you send him off?" he inquired. He had been keeping a watchful "eye" on their escort, but couldn't recall any interaction between them regarding this matter. Hugo explained that he could instruct and issue commands telepathically, as the Reaper was his master creation. However, he admitted that he never quite got used to non-verbal communication.

“Ah… “, Bones exclaimed, adding that he could relate to Hugo because he too, most often than not, talked to his golems. So far, it had been a one sided communication but Bones hoped one day he would incite the conversation from one of them.

Despite still having lingering doubts creeping behind his mind, Bones expressed willingness to start the training immediately and hopped off the bough. Hugo stayed perched on the tree and instructed from a distance.

“There’s a wraith fifty meters ahead of you coming your way!” He shouted. Bones looked ahead and relying on his perception sensed his target right where Hugo said it would be. While his training dictated using evasive maneuvers and avoiding frontal confrontation, Bones wanted to experience what awaited him after being attacked. With that in mind, he rushed out to meet it head on. He quickly closed the gap and reached the location of his target, but the wraith was nowhere in sight and his senses failed to detect it either.

Undiscouraged, Bones turned in place, searching for the wraith. He had witnessed the way the wraith lunged at its prey and expected the same for him until he felt intense coldness from within. Involuntary, he hunched over and grasped his head - his mind still and his thoughts suspended. Soul Barrier trembled for a split second but remained firm, protecting Bones’ soul from the invader. The wraith’s attempt bounced off the barrier and the entity was expelled from Bones’ body, following a shrill that reverberated, then faded into the night. For a brief moment, the two paused, as if contemplating who would make the next move first before the game of cat and mouse began.

After experiencing the wraith’s cold touch, Bones anticipated and avoided the next few attacks with ease but the previous shrill attracted more wraiths and soon, three wraiths chased after Bones with more heading to his location. For a while, Bones managed to outrun his pursuers but something unexpected happened when he approached one of the ominous looking trees. Before Hugo managed to warn him, the tree sprung to life and smashed Bones’ sides with its branch. Bones was sent flying, crashing to the ground hard and was immediately assaulted by the wraiths chasing him.

One after another, they lunged into him, bouncing off the barrier but giving Bones no respite to respond to their relentless attacks. Three wraiths became five, then seven and soon, dozens of wraiths assaulted Bones in intervals. Crawling up to his feet, Bones attempted to escape but every direction he turned, a wraith blocked his path. The frequency of attacks increased and so did the number of his assailants. Hugo was on the verge of calling the training off and had the Reaper intervene when a powerful Mana Blast obliterated the wraiths in one fell swoop, leaving Bones heaving, out of mana and enraged.

The sound of roots being unrooted rumbled and Bones cast a glance in the direction of the tree, identifying it.

Corrupted Treant, lvl 49

"Corrupted... Treant?" Bones muttered, then turned to Hugo, his arms outstretched in confusion, seeking clarification.

Ahem, my apologies, Bones. I neglected to warn you of immediate dangers. Hugo's voice resonated directly into Bones' mind instead of being spoken aloud.

"Any other 'dangers' I should be aware of?" Bones asked, uncertain about how the telepathic exchange worked between them. Hugo replied that he wasn't entirely sure; perhaps corrupted insects or centipedes, but assured Bones that they shouldn't pose a significant threat. He then reminded Bones to focus on the imminent danger at hand.

Bones extended his senses and detected a fresh wave of wraiths, which also seemed to sense him and were closing in. Meanwhile, the corrupted Treant remained stationary, using its wide range of motion to deter anyone from approaching. Bones steadied himself, relaxed his posture, and prepared to resume his training.

Over the next few hours, Bones endured the constant chill of the wraiths' draining touch. His Soul Barrier held firm, just as Hugo had assured him it would. Also, Bones discovered that his own soul seemed to attract the wraiths, akin to moths drawn to a flame. During brief moments of respite, Bones yelled to Hugo that he had leveled up his Soul Magic to twenty-one, alongside the expected advancements in Soul Barrier and Quick Dash.

At the ten-hour mark since the training commenced, Hugo summoned Reaper to intervene and disperse the swarm of wraiths, effectively halting the session. He gestured for Bones to join him atop the tree so they could review his progress together.

After assessing the results, they found that Soul Barrier had gained four levels, reaching level eleven, but still had a ways to go before advancing a tier. Quick Dash, a general movement skill, had only leveled up twice, receiving reduced experience as a general skill, and was now at level thirteen. Additionally, Soul Magic was expected to level up again shortly after the next training session began. While the results were satisfactory, they fell short of the goals they had set. Undeterred, Bones decided to ramp up the intensity of the training, determined to push himself further towards his objectives.

Looking down from the tree where he perched, Bones exclaimed, "I'm going!" and leaped off. He dashed in a random direction, swiftly disappearing from sight. Moments later, he reappeared with a couple of wraiths trailing behind him. This pattern repeated several times until, on his fifth appearance, Bones had amassed a following of wraiths numbering close to twenty. The second round of training lasted as long as the first and proved just as beneficial. Bones earned a level in Soul Magic, bringing it to twenty-two, and made progress in Soul Barrier and Quick Dash, though not as significant as in the previous round.

As skill levels increased, more experience was required for each subsequent level. By the end of the third round, Quick Dash had gained only a single level, while Soul Barrier had reached level sixteen. During a well-deserved break between rounds, Hugo informed Bones that approximately a day and a half had passed since they began training. They were now halfway through the allotted time before they needed to depart for Necropolis if they intended to return on schedule. Bones was relieved to hear this news, as the intense pace of training had taken a toll on him. He requested a longer period of rest to allow himself to recuperate from mental exhaustion.

"Honestly," Hugo began, "I don't think I've ever encountered anyone else capable of this type of training, except for you. I could feel my soul chill just from witnessing the sheer number of wraiths surrounding you. Their draining touch—what does it feel like?" he inquired.

"Just as you might expect," Bones replied briskly, with a scoff, before elaborating. "Their ethereal forms emit an intense coldness, especially when they delve into their target. Their touch feels like a persistent tug, as if they're attempting to tear my very essence from me. Fortunately, as you said, my soul is resilient, whatever that may entail, so aside from being unpleasant, their touch didn't have much impact on me."