The sand elemental formed up behind Mul, the creature towering over him as it pulled in more and more sand to increase its bulk.

Before it could collapse onto the unsuspecting brawler, exploding into a blanket of sand in an attempt to smother him and give the other two elementals that Mul already faced an opening, Nar was there.

His sword cut through the creature's back, its aura disturbing the elemental's aetheric hold over the sand, and ripples formed across its surface. Although it was not enough to destroy it outright, it managed to drag the elemental's attention away from Mul. However, searing air filled Nar's nostrils, scorching down his throat and setting his lungs ablaze.

"Shit…" he half-cried in a strangled voice, covering his mouth and nose.

His eyes teared up in the intense heat, and he jabbed the creature with quick thrusts until he found its core. Then, he leaped away from Mul before the destroyed elemental fully collapsed into a now innocuous pile of sand.

"Are you alright?" Mul growled.

His fists blazed with roaring flames, and before Nar could reply, Mul delivered a devastating punch into one of the creatures. A mute bang sounded across the dunes as a bright flash of an explosion blasted the elemental's vaguely humanoid shaped chest, core and all, and

smoke rose in the wake of the brilliant yellow and orange flames, which the cool, perpetual morning wind of the dungeon blew across their battle besides the crashing waves.

"Damn…" Nar muttered.

"Are. You. Okay?" Mul shouted at him again.

"Oh… Yeah. Yeah! Don't worry about it," Nar said, and cleared his throat. "It was my fault for getting too close to you anyways."

Mul blasted apart the other elemental, then exhaled heavily, shaking his head and clenching his fists. The flames coating his gauntlet fizzed and flickered, fighting him, but eventually they dissipated.

"It. Was… My fault," Mul said, grunting the words. "Should… Pay… Attention!"

"Bit by bit," Nar said, keeping his distance from the brawler. "You've come this far already. You'll get the rest soon."

Mul nodded harshly, and more elementals sighed out of the sands, forcing Mul to contend with them.

"Go. I'm. Okay!"

"Got it!" Nar said.

Flames erupted from the brawler's fists again as he faced the group of three elementals that glided along the shore towards him. Even standing over 15-feet from the brawler, Nar could still feel the remnants from the combined scorching heat of Mul's aura coated fists and his instances of [The Roaring Fire Within]'s AOE effect.

Crystal, he thought, as Mul proceeded to pummel the first elemental that reached him. That's something…

In the three weeks since they'd reached the cluster of dungeons, Mul had made huge strides towards finally getting his rage under control.

First, he had eventually managed to channel his aura in order to turn his hands into weapons that were proving to be every bit as lethal as his knuckle dusters had been, if not more. Then, he had slowly been allowed to release more and more of the suppressor in battle until at last, his mighty, raging fire passives became available to him.

Mul punched the third and final elemental, and roared at the crashing waves lapping gently at his feet. Not even the water soaking through the last elemental's sand body had been enough to deter the potency of his searing path… However, Nar grimaced as Mul dropped to one knee, breathing hard as his fists raged out of control, sizzling angrily against the cold sea water he dunked them in.

The lengos gasped for air, alternating between heavy panting and grunting, and he punched the water in anger, slamming his fist down again and again, until it eventually went off.

When he focused on the second one, trying a more subdued way to control the flames, another group of elementals rose from the sands and dashed for him, forcing him to start all over again.

Grimacing, Nar left him to it, and glanced behind his back.

The large, dune like and shrub covered sand elemental boss was still raging about, kicking small gusts of sand around itself. While it stood, the ads would keep spawning to attack them, but that was all part of the training.

Gad had it firmly under her control, and as he watched, he caught her glancing towards the core of the party, where Kur, the ranged and Jasphaer huddled together.

An elemental had sprouted behind them, and before Rel turned around to deal with it, the creature zipped past them and headed straight for Gad.

Nar couldn't help but grin at her success. Nice! Good job, Gad!

Their tank was, as usual, impressive in her resilience and hard work, and once she had made her decision to go for the controller path and signed that contract, she had spent every waking moment that was not occupied by classes or lectures in that mysterious Controllers Hall. And just like Mul, the results spoke for themselves.

Rel downed the add elemental with a few arrows, taking her three of them before she finally managed to hit the rotating, stony core that shifted across the creature's body, and the elemental collapsed a few steps away from Gad, who had already turned her attention back to the boss, keeping its mighty blows of compact sand at bay with her smaller, but still perfectly functional shield.

The new shield might not be as big as her first one, but it was still more than enough for her to expertly block the sand monster's barrage of blows as its arms formed from its body one after the other, wiping down to slam upon the tank in a blur of sand.

The few that she couldn't block or dodge from, she awkwardly tried to destroy with her flail.

"Oof!" he said, wincing.

She still had a good while to go with that new weapon though, and one of the blows connected against her side, sending her tumbling across the sands. But she was a tank, and she was on her feet in moments, plus, she had managed to keep the boss's aggro on her. Her recently gained skill, [Pull of the River], continued to show its value, allowing her a much stronger and more controlled taunting capability than she had ever managed before.

It definitely lives up to its rare rank, Nar thought, just as he caught sight of Jul moving with a measured surety amidst another group of sand elementals.

Her fear debuffs might not work against them, but she was using them as an opportunity to continue honing her understanding of the four new weapons that she now wielded, and he watched bring down a war pick with an almost too slow movement. Instead of following it up with the wakizashi on her second left hand, she instead jumped back from the elemental she was fighting and raised the same war pick again.

The weapons required a completely different move set and approach compared to the daggers that had, up to recently, been her whole combat experience, and even the much more similar wakizashi, arguably short swords or long daggers, required modifications to her positioning, thought process and attack patterns.

Jul struck the elemental again, and this time the blow was sure and quick, and managed to pierce to the side of the elemental's core.

Practice makes perfect, Nar thought, smiling. He could only imagine the happiness beaming on her face under that helm of shadowy aura.

Leaving her to her practice, he took a deep breath, tasting the fresh, salty air.

Behind him, Mul was smashing through elementals with fiery abandon. He had managed to get that bit working, and was even having good success in gaining instances of [Burning Anger] and converting them into [The Roaring Fire Within] to boost the already mighty devastation of his fire aura even further.

And from the quick glances that Nar threw at the brawler's HP once in a while, he was now also managing to keep the increase of his rage under control. The first few times he had nearly burned himself up, forcing his suppressor to kick back into control and Jasphaer to spend a few precious hours healing the burns and restoring his HP. However… Nar made a face and looked away in case Mul caught sight of it.

That [Heart of Loss] though…

The brawler had managed a solid grip over his enraged status effect generation, but he was still struggling with controlling himself in that state. His active skills were still blocked from him, only allowed in the presence of his instructor, and that meant that he had nowhere to dump the instances of [Burning Anger] that he gained. That made for a very heavy debuff at the hands of [Heart of Loss] at the end of his every battle.

"Don't worry," Mul had told them that first time, his tone weary and his shoulders hunched. "Making sure I don't go too far is part of the training. It's my own fault if I don't control myself."

Still. It was a heavy sight, and Nar hoped that soon the brawler would be able to make use of his active skills.

"We all just need to be patient," Kur had told them a few weeks back, after a particularly crappy day for them. "We didn't Climb in a day, and we won't build our paths in a week either. So, everyone, let's take it nice and slow, and make sure we get it right."

And it had been a testament to their patience and resilience that they had made it that far…

Nar clenched his jaw and swallowed the startled scream that nearly ruptured past his lips.

Ah! For Crystal's sake! He thought, swaying in place.

He resisted the urge to stab his blade into the sand for support and did his best to remain calm and on top of his pain. He breathed heavily in through his nose and out through his mouth, and eventually, an unknown number of seconds later, the sharp blades retreated from his legs. He groaned as they slid from his flesh, and the dark gray horizon swam before him.

"Are you okay?" Viy shouted.

Nar looked up and saw her rushing towards him, and from all around, concerned expressions turned his way.

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"I'm okay! I'm okay!" he said. "Don't worry! All good!"

Viy stopped at his side and rested a concerned and comforting hand on his arm. "Are you sure?"

Nar winced but nodded.

"All good. Seriously! I'm used to it by now," he told her, marshaling a smile onto his face. "Just need to heal up. You know the drill."

"Hmmm," she said, her expression neutral.

He however, knew very well what she thought of Tys' most recent addition to Nar's training.

"Just take it easy, alright?" Viy said. "I'll keep an eye on you and Mul while you heal."

Nar shook his head and gently pushed her back to her place on the other flank of the party.

"You need to train yourself, Viy, and fighting while healing is part of mine," he said. "Go on. Don't worry. I won't let anything hurt Mul. Well, not too much at least."

She pursed his lips at his attempt at a joke.

"Fine," she said. "But I'm keeping my eyes on you!"

"I know. Thank you!"

"Hmph!" with that, she sauntered off, muttering something under her breath that sounded awfully like a curse aimed at Tys.

Nar chuckled and shook his head. The telltale purple, heavy aura of her [The Weight of Guilt] erupted in a tight circle around the halberdier, and Nar's eyebrows rose at the sight. Viy pulled the circle in closer to her as she dashed past Gad and Jul to retake her position on the left flank of the party, then the circle quickly expanded once she was clear. Despite her guilt hallucination effect not working with the elementals, the slowness did, and the skill drew the aggro of several sand elementals that had just formed, and would've no doubt leap for either Jul or the core of the party.

Hard to believe she got all that in three weeks, Nar thought. Crystal.

Whatever the Master of Emotions was doing with Viy was reaping tremendous results! The second, and surprise, Ascendant on board had managed to not only stabilize the girl, but return to her a vitality and energy that Nar had never seen on her before. He almost hesitated thinking about the word, but Viy seemed… Happy, and freer of her burden, whatever it was.

He had always suspected that she needed the care of someone who knew their stuff, and it seems that he had been right. The Master of Emotions had Viy well on the path to recovery, and not only had Viy gained her [Halberd Aura] in a record week, she was also managing tremendous leaps in bringing up her [Mastery] and [Aura Pathways] with their dungeon gains.

Those were slow, coming days in between them, but they still came. And not only Viy, but the rest of them had also slowly made significant progress.

Cen now cast her [Aura Projectiles] with an expert ease. She formed them in the air around her, her gestures stable and smooth, and then she directed them with pinpoint accuracy at their enemy, and they didn't even need to be in the same location or direction.

Tuk was working on a secret skill that he swore he had come up with himself. He was keeping it all hush-hush in order to, in his words, bedazzled them all with his genius, bUt from what Nar had seen from his attempts thus far, it seemed to entail throwing his rings one after the other in a line.

While Nar wasn't entirely sure what the trugger was aiming for, he had the sense that the ring tosser was close to achieving it, and he had managed to reach such a ring tossing level that most of the time his arms looked like a blur. Even to Nar's [Sight].

At his side, Rel kept her focus on making sure nobody got hurt.

She kept a vigil over the party, and when it seemed that someone was going to be overwhelmed, or when someone missed an enemy, her arrows would be there, stopping the danger before it could even mean anything.

He knew that Rel spent half her time between the Rangers Hall, improving her archery and working on that monstrous bow that the Master of Rangers had given her, but the other half was a bit of a mystery to everyone in the party. He knew it involved poisons, and of the non-lethal variety she had been quick to stress, but he still wasn't sure what she did in that laboratory with her new Shadows instructor.

I should ask her about it, he thought, keeping his expression pain free.

While he had roamed his eyes across the party to distract himself from the pain, he had set his aura to its usual cycle of healing.

His aura now continued to heal him for a few heartbeats longer after he let go of it, and while it didn't seem like a major achievement by any major milestone, or anything to be proud off… But he took pride and joy in the fact that the circular stab wounds caused by the devices that Tys had given him were healing faster and faster as the days dragged on.

"These nasty things are called a cilice," she had told him.

Nar took them from her hands and frowned at the light, but thick, flexible black bands in his hands. At first glance, they looked just like stretchy bands of cloth.

"From now on, and until I tell you to take them off, you will keep these around your thighs or your arms, depending on what I tell you," Tys told him. "Go on, try them on."

With a sigh, Nar did as she ordered. He didn't even bother turning around or questioning her, and she didn't bother averting her gaze either when he pulled down his pants and slipped on the two dark bands.

"A cilice is something worn by some of the more… Hardcore members of the Church, and it's especially popular amongst the members of the penitent orders," she had explained, as he took off his boots and then his pants.

Penitent? Does that mean Rel?

However, he quickly shook away the thought of the archer and whatever craziness Priestess Aedina was teaching her.

"They use it as a demonstration of extra devotion and repentance," Tys said, twisting her lips at the words, just as Nar finished putting on the second band. "And its use is simple. At random times of the day or night, it will…"

"Ah!" Nar cried out in startled pain.

Round blades had materialized from the black bands and sliced mercilessly into his flesh.

"Do that," Tys said.

"Crystal…" Nar said, through his gritted teeth. "Wait! Are these laced with aether?"

"They are," Tys said, her expression dark. "And they will stay inside you for also a random amount of time, though no more than a minute. That would be a bit much, eh?"

Nar rolled his eyes at his teacher. Then he inhaled sharply as the blades withdrew from him.

"And now you heal," Tys said, crouching before him, her eyes on the blood running down his thighs.

I got that part! Nar thought, clenching his jaw as he pulled on his aura.

"The aether's interference won't be as high as when I inject you, but it should still do the trick, and this will extend your training hours by a lot."

"Did your teacher also do this to you?" he asked.

He didn't manage to resist the sardonic question, but Tys only shook her head, unbothered.

"She did worse. She had me for the entire days and nights," she told him. "Something you can look forward to when your apprenticeship is finished!"

Nar snorted as his aura got to work healing him, and he managed to keep his expression neutral when he once again had to interrupt the process.

"You… Didn't say if I could take it off when I sleep."

She had only stared at his wounds. "No. I did not, did I?"

And that was that.

The first few nights had been torture, and on top of the other torture he already endured every night, plus its subsequent healing, he wasn't sure how he managed to get through his daily schedule, as sleep deprivation added a whole other layer to his "training" … So, it had been rough.

Sometimes, while in the shower, he would feel a sudden onset of an aching grip clutching over his chest, or of a wide and gaping hole forming where his heart should be… And he wasn't sure whether it was due to his brutal training or the memory of his dad, and if he cried, he didn't realize.

All there was, was the steaming, relief inducing water, and the red dirty swirls at his feet that he stared at with a distant look.

But he had endured.

Now, when the cilices woke him up in excruciating pain, he managed to keep his mouth shut and not freak out the other guys in the room. He just got up, hobbled to the toilet, grit his teeth and healed. Then, he would clean himself up and go back to sleep. Tys had at least given him another set of the dark clothes that he could sleep with, and it helped him keep from making a mess.

Sometimes the cilices cut him three or more times a night. Other times it was less, but it was never less than twice. Eventually, it became a routine. Something for him to beat and get through, just like everything else he had surpassed thus far, and he had simply adapted and powered on.

Now, as his wounds closed and his aura angrily devoured the last of the aether from his body, he knew that this too, he would overcome, and he would earn those passive skills, pain resistance and passive self-healing.

Eventually… he thought, making a face. Just need to take it a day at a time.

He closed his eyes, letting the sound of the waves wash over him, and inhaled deeply, rejoicing in the fresh but damp, salty air.

We'll get through this, he told himself. And it will be worth it.

He had to believe that much at least.

*********

"Are you sure you want to do this?" Gad asked.

Cen glanced behind her and Nar followed her stare towards where Kur and Jasphaer sat with her brother. Mul was staring out into the distant, hazy gray horizon with an empty look,

and Nar pursed his lips and looked away. Sometimes the brawler cried, and he didn't want to disrespect his privacy.

That debuff is horrible, he thought, clenching his jaw.

For all the power that [Heart of Rage] gave him, the subsequent [Heart of Loss] was gut wrenching to watch, and Nar had the nagging feeling that the debuff did more than just make Mul feel drained, sad and melancholic.

As the Master of Aura said, there was always a pro and a con, always a price to be paid in order for balance to be maintained… And speaking off, he glanced at Viy, who was staring at Mul with a tight expression.

There's always a price to pay.

What was Viy paying for her sudden and near miraculous recovery and progression? What price had the Ascendant One extolled from her in exchange for the solution to her issues? And what more would Viy pay once she became the Master of Emotions' disciple…

Crystal knew he was paying for all the promises of power he had been made, and Crystal and All the Radiants, yes it was heavy, and he didn't even know if that was the worst of it yet.

"I know… But I want to," Cen said at last, turning back around to face the boss before them.

It was a massive bird with white, gray and black mottled feathers, and around it, smaller beasts of the same kind nested in a sprawling gathering of loud, chirping, squawking and fluttering, discarded feathers.

The boss had thus far ignored them, as they hadn't stepped close enough yet to trigger the encounter, but they were about to get his attention.

"Everyone is doing their best to grow and for the party. And this… This is something I need to face," she whispered.

"Already. Go on then. We're right beside you," Gad said, leaning down to squeeze her shoulder.

Cen offered the tank a grateful and brave smile, and took in a deep breath, frowning her neon yellow eyes. She raised her hands before her, perpendicular to the sand at her feet, and cycled aura into them.

Nar glimpsed at the boss. Other than its occasional scans of its surroundings, it seemed focused on feasting on the massive fish that it stood on, its clawed, orange feet digging into fish's flesh.

Cen took another deep breath and Nar focused back on her.

"[Orb of Erasure]," she whispered to herself.

A shiver ran down his spine as he tracked the orb's slow trajectory.

The boss bird looked up, fish flesh dangling from its powerful, black beak, and that moment of confusion, or hesitation, cost the boss the battle.

The orb exploded into a vortex of aura, engulfing it. Cen ignored the panicked shrieking that arose from below and with a groan, she spread her arms, keeping her hands clutched around an invisible object.

Below, the vortex exploded into a howling of sand-like aura, and while the boss squawked a warning from within the vortex, it was too late. The entire boss area was engulfed in that aura sand-storm, and Nar did his best to keep his expression composed as the beasts caught within did not die quickly. Nor quietly, or easily.

"That's enough, Cen," Gad whispered. "We can finish it."

Cen only shook her head, tears glistening down her face.

"It's part of me, and I need to master it," she whispered. "One day, it will save our lives."

Nar had no doubt of that, even though he wished that the caster was never forced to call upon that skill ever again.

After a few, excruciatingly slow minutes, silence descended again, and no more shrieking came from the softly sighing aura. It even sounded just like sand in the wind.

First the rain, and now the sand, Nar thought. Just what is her affinity?

Was it something small? Something that came in large quantities, but of a small size? He couldn't tell, and so far, neither could Cen.

The caster inhaled sharply and brought her hands back together. The raging aura compressed back down into an orb in an impressive display of aura control, then, it returned to Cen, and she absorbed it back into herself.

"Only…" she swallowed, wiped at her face. "The initial forming of the orb takes almost all of my aura, but controlling it doesn't actually take that much, which is good… It means I can pour a lot of aura into it without worry."

"That was amazing," Tuk said, who had thus far remained silent. He looked pale, but he offered Cen a bright smile of encouragement. "And I feel better knowing that you have this skill."

Fresh tears shone in her eyes and she too smiled, nodding at him with obvious gratitude. Besides Tuk, Rel grinned at her, and Jul stepped forward to kneel down and give the caster a tight hug.

"Don't give up! It's your path! And I know you can make it whatever you want!" she whispered in Cen's ear.

The caster gripped her back. "I know, but this is part of me. And I… I need to understand it too."

Jul nodded against the side of her face.

"Whatever you want, Cen. Just know that we are all with you."

"Thank you. That means a lot."

Again she smiled bravely and cast a glance at the party around her, and Nar nodded at her when their eyes met, and the short caster nodded back, fresh tears shining at the corner of her eyes.

Looking down again, Nar considered the devastation below. There was nothing left but bloody bits and broken shells and nests.

A rare caster skill… And one that is still incomplete.

Only the Crystal knew what the complete version would look like.

"Alright. That's the end of it, everyone," Gad said. "Time to go home."

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