Mythica, book 1, Chapter 16.

Chapter 16.

A larger round room faced Sabine as she accepted the extra challenge. At first, nothing happened, but she could see three large chests on the other side of the room. Taking a step inside, she saw another of the ghost-like figures approach. It stopped in the middle of the room and slowly took physical form. The shape revealed an old foe, one that filled Sabine with rage and a bit of trepidation. It was the ogre that had killed her and destroyed the caravan.

Before it could even finish its transformation, Sabine charged the ogre, pushing mana into the weapon as the chain on her flail began to twirl and glow with power. The ogre materialized only to be hit in the kneecap with the flail. Mana seemed to explode off the head of the weapon as if it was taking on a part of Sabine’s rage. This beast had killed her, and she wasn’t going to let it do so a second time.

Grunting in pain, the ogre stumbled only to be hit again in the thigh by Sabine’s flail. Infused once more with mana, the strike caused the ogre to collapse to its knees as it tried to grab her with its oversized hands. Sabine didn’t let up, landing blow after blow on the huge ogre’s legs, never letting it get its bearings and stand. She had been killed by a single kick from the beast and was determined that wasn’t going to happen again. Focused on attacking, Sabine missed one of the ogres’ hands that managed to land a blow, backhanding Sabine across the room, and sending her crashing into one of the chests.

Pain flared across her body, but mana flowed to repair the damage. As Sabine staggered to her feet, the ogre recovered his wits and tried to stand, only to collapse as the damage Sabine had already dished out made his left leg useless. Undeterred, the ogre crawled toward Sabine, using his one good leg to execute a short hop toward her. Still reeling from the impact, Sabine only managed a weak strike to the ogre’s hand as it reached out and grabbed her, slowly crushing her as it muttered in broken common.

“Little tasty human thingy stabded Zoglan in the toe with her knife. Nows I gets to eat her a second time,” the ogre said, grinning as he squeezed Sabine a bit tighter. If she had needed to breathe, Sabine would have had the breath crushed out of her. Instead of suffocating, Sabine just had to endure the pain as her body was compressed further and further inside the ogre’s fist. Her flail was trapped, the hand holding it pinned to the side of her body. Sabine’s other hand beat uselessly against the ogre’s fist.

Mana was draining fast as it attempted to heal the constantly increasing damage. Sabine was beginning to regret her decision to open the optional door. As the mana depleted, she felt her consciousness start to fade. Out of the corner of her eye, Sabine watched as a strange cloud of vapor rose from the shattered chest that her body had crashed into. The vapor drifted over to her, and Sabine’s last thought was one of confusion. Was this really the same ogre she had fought at the caravan all those years ago?

The reward has been chosen. A new ability has been unlocked, Rage of the Revenant.

Sabine felt new power infuse her as a voice whispered in her mind, it was familiar, it was the voice of the woman whose body she now wore. It was full of anger and rage, but not directed toward Sabine. The presence knew that Sabine had tried to help her. Sabine had done her best to right the wrongs that had been committed against the former owner of this body. The rage of the spirit was directed at Sabine’s foe, the ogre.

“When things are most dire, I will return and guide your hand, allow me control and I will defeat this foe,” the voice whispered.

Sabine was fading fast, and she had no choice but to relent. The rage took hold of her body and Sabine could feel her muscles swell with power. Her mana was regenerating at an astounding pace, building upon itself and multiplying despite no ambient mana being available.

It felt like her body was on fire as the power took hold, and with a shout of pain from the forces unleashed inside her, Sabine lost control over her actions. Her body began to move and fight of its own accord. Mana infused the one hand that was free, and the once puny strikes began to slam home with devastating force.

“Ow, that hurts,” the ogre whined as he dropped Sabine from his grip, one of his fingers broken at an odd angle from the powerful blows directed against it. Sabine stumbled forward, the supercharged mana regeneration working to repair the massive damage to her body, but it would take time. Sabine had no time to spare, so she charged toward her foe, mana infusing fist and flail as Rage of the Revenant took control and struck the ogre’s other hand that was reaching toward her.

Though it was as thick as leather armor, the ogre’s skin did little to stop the blows, and the bones of the hand were shattered one after another. Now on the defensive, the ogre tried to scoot away from Sabine, who continued to rain blows down on her foe targeting any part of the monster’s body she could reach. The energy flowing through her burned.

Whatever was regenerating her mana was also tearing her up from the inside. Eventually, the damage would overcome even the incredible mana regeneration rate she was experiencing. It was a race to see who would die first, Sabine, or the ogre.

A bully at heart, the ogre wasn’t used to facing this level of aggression and tried to escape when the fight turned against him. Unfortunately for the ogre, there was no way out of the room, and the rage that infused Sabine would not be denied. Each second, more mana flowed into Sabine, reaching her feet, hands, flail, and even her head as she used every appendage to strike the ogre.

A few blows were sent toward Sabine, but the ogre couldn’t mount an effective defense. Sabine’s limbs were crushed with each strike and the rage-enhanced strength inside her was too powerful for even her improved body to resist. Between strikes, the mana healed the damage that had been done, but the agony was something Sabine had never experienced before as her body literally tore itself apart to destroy her foe.

The pain intensified as her body reached the tipping point. The mana recharge wasn’t enough to keep pace with the damage that her body was inflicting on itself. It had proved to be enough though, as the ogre finally slumped over. His huge body was battered and broken by the rage-infused Sabine. The final blow was a powerful swipe of the flail that crunched into the temple of the fallen ogre. With the enemy destroyed, the rage left Sabine in a rush, and she collapsed to the ground, feeling empty and weak.

Sabine lay on the cold stone floor waiting for her strength to return. Her mana was down to the last dregs, and what was left was being rapidly used to heal whatever damage it could. Several bones were still broken inside her and almost every muscle her body possessed had been stretched and torn in the frenzied battle. She was in no danger of dying at this point, but the last of the mana inside her would be insufficient to repair the worst of the damage.

As she had been taught by Hamish, Sabine had ignored the pronouncements from Gnessos and whoever controlled this place. Now that the fight was over and she was immobile, Sabine had time to review what had happened. She also tried to pull up her status, but something blocked her attempts.

Gnessos’ message when she entered this place said he couldn’t interfere, which might be why she couldn’t even access the status to see his favor. Whatever blocked her, didn’t block information on the reward she had been granted.

Rage of the Revenant. When things are most dire, you may choose to summon the rage-filled spirit of the body you now wear. The ability will flood you with power and generate mana at a surprising rate. This power you are granted is not without its drawbacks, as the forces empowering you also will tear you apart. While under the effects of Rage of the Revenant, you will merely be a passenger in your body, unable to affect it in any way.

The increased mana generation will last for only 60 seconds, but the ongoing damage from your rage-induced actions will continue until the target of your rage is defeated. Rage of the Revenant can only be activated once every 7 days and only when you're facing imminent destruction. Only one target can be selected for your rage, but you will engage any opponents that get within range or try to prevent you from reaching your target. When your target is eliminated, your body will need time to recover and will be vulnerable to other foes for 1 minute.

The reward ability was a mixed bag. On the one hand, it let her deal with a single powerful foe like the ogre. On the other hand, it was far less useful when fighting a group since as soon as she finished off her target, she would be left as weak and vulnerable as she was now. Sabine wondered what had been in the other two chests, but they had disappeared once the one she had been hurled into was shattered. The ogre had unknowingly summoned his own demise due to his bad aim.

All things considered, Rage of the Revenant was a powerful, but situational skill, and one that might save her skin more than once. Losing control over her actions wasn’t a pleasant experience, but the spirit of the woman seemed able to tap into Sabine’s fighting skills and abilities, using them effectively against the ogre. There was also the chance that the ability might improve or evolve as she gained ranks in Gnessos’ favor. She didn’t feel that this ability was granted by the minor god of death, but Gnessos might be able to improve upon it once she was no longer locked in this strange place.

After a minute, Sabine found she could stand once more. She felt wobbly, and her muscles were still not back to normal, but she could move. The sooner she left this place, the better as far as Sabine was concerned. Like the other foes she had fought, the ogre’s body shifted into mist and dissipated once it had been defeated, denying Sabine the satisfaction of stabbing it in his toe once more. Maybe these were just projections from her mind, but if there was even a chance that part of the ogre was present in the form, she wanted to pay it back for killing her.

The door to the room she was in had opened on its own, allowing Sabine to leave. There was only one way to go now, the door at the end of the passageway, which should end the trial for Sabine. She pushed open the door and found herself no longer standing in a passageway but floating in the void. Sabine panicked a bit, but new messages from whoever controlled the trial appeared, telling Sabine what was happening to her.

You have completed the trial set before you and as a result, may choose to return to your previous form. Should you perish again in the physical world, you may, or may not, be offered a chance at another trial. You should know that each trial becomes progressively more difficult, and the only reward will be your survival.

Since this is your first trial, you are entitled to a reward. Choose one of the following.

1. One random weapon that will be bound to you and fit your style of combat. This weapon will have an enchantment that will improve as you grow in your god’s favor.

2. One random armor piece that will be bound to you. This armor will have an enchantment that will improve as you grow in your god’s favor.

3. Random minor ability. This choice will grant you one minor ability suitable for your fighting style.

Sabine considered all three choices, each seemed useful in some way. Weapons and armor, especially those that would improve as she attained new ranks of favor with Gnessos were amazing. A new ability was also intriguing, but based on the description, it would be a minor combat ability. Sabine already had a lifetime’s worth of knowledge in combat, so some minor ability was likely not going to improve her chances that much.

While the ability might not do much, a piece of armor or a weapon could. Between the two, Sabine favored offense so the weapon might be the best call. On the other hand, taking damage directly affected her mana supply, and once that was gone, so was her life. She couldn’t count on repeated trips to whatever this place was when she died, and the messages said the challenge would get more difficult each time. Of the three choices, it had to be the weapon, killing your opponent quickly meant they couldn’t hit you, so she prioritized it over armor.

You have chosen a random weapon. When you return to your prior form, the weapon may be called forth from the realm of the dead.

Called from the realm of the dead? Sabine took a moment to try and figure out what the message meant. She did have a link to the realm of the dead, the one from the pouch where her storage was located. Maybe instead of pulling just coins and treasure from her purse, she could now summon this new weapon? It could also mean that Hamish would bring it with him the next time she called him. Sabine figured she would find out soon enough, as her soul was pulled back to the realm of the living.