The Calling of Wrath - Chapter 16 - Recovery

                                                                        Cassandra
                                                        Year 819 | Month 1 | Day 6

Almost as soon as I wake up from the dream, I jump up to a sitting position, only to pause halfway and fall back down with a groan as I feel pain all over my body.

This is becoming a habit.

Wait, what? Didn’t a few escape though?

Another note appears in my vision asking me if I want to use the Tier 3 Random Item Draw now or later, completely ignoring my question.

Guess the System doesn’t care.

I select to wait for later before I look down to find myself still fully clothed, but with my clothes being soaked in blood at various locations.

Damn, I guess the wounds don’t magically heal up when I shift back…

I look around the cave for a bit before finally relaxing again as I find the barrier still holding strong at the entrance.

Why do I keep having so many dreams lately? I normally don’t dream very much.

Could it have something to do with the changes? Or am I just homesick?

I consider it for a moment before shaking my head.

Probably either coincidence or something to do with the changes, because I’m not the type to get homesick.

Although I am a little curious about what that old sacred beast is up to right now but considering how strict the sacred beasts are in their isolation, I doubt he’ll be doing anything to help the kingdom. Aside from guarding and taking care of the World Tree Root, that is.

And that’s assuming he wasn’t summoned to the World Tree itself, since from what I’ve guessed, that’s what the invaders’ true goal is.

Now then. Putting those thoughts aside for now… how am I going to heal myself?

Several seconds pass in silence as I stare up at the ceiling.

Eventually I decide to just push through the pain and get up with a groan.

Once I get to my feet, I begin to walk over towards the barrier while glancing at the skin of my forearm.

Just how much blood have I lost to be that pale…?

The wounds themselves didn’t look too bad when I saw them in the water…

Wait…

There were dozens of tiny wounds on my body as a beast. More than enough to cover my entire body in my much smaller humanoid form…

That’s annoying.

It doesn’t help that I was out for who knows how long while bleeding.

Once I get out of the barrier, I look around, only to surprisingly find a direwolf sniffing at one of the direwolf corpses.

Without wasting a second, I immediately use siphon to drain out as much Wrath as I can from the direwolf, which unfortunately isn’t all that much when using a skill at level 2 against something that’s not even enraged. But regardless, it still ever-so-slowly begins to heal me once the thin stream of black and red energy touches my forehead.

I let out a sigh of relief before backing up into the barrier again as the direwolf begins sprinting over towards me.

A few seconds later, the direwolf slams into the barrier, only to bounce off and hit the ground outside of it.

Taking advantage of the situation, I grit my teeth and quickly move out of the barrier to swipe my claws at the direwolf, tearing gashes across its side.

The direwolf yelps in pain while trying to rush to its feet, but as my wounds begin to slowly heal themselves, I begin to regain more and more of my prior strength, allowing me to rush forwards again and tear another string of bloody ribbons across its body. I then jump onto the direwolf’s body, straddling it while grabbing its muzzle to seal it shut before using my other hand to rip through more and more of the creature until I finally feel the last of my major wounds close.

By that point, the fight in the direwolf has already died down to almost nothing, so I get off of it before stabbing my hand straight through its already-shredded throat to finish it off.

I let out a breath of relief after seeing the direwolf finally stop moving, only to immediately turn around once I get its EXP to head towards the river. All while using my arm to block my nose so as to not smell the disgusting gore scattered everywhere out here from both this battle and last night’s reaver assault.

As if the gore wasn’t disgusting already, it’s probably not going to be long before it starts to rot. And that will just make it smell even worse.

But at least it’ll keep the monsters away once it does. Even if it makes me want to stay just as far away.

Safety before my sense of smell, after all.

Once I reach the river, I jump in and begin cleaning myself off. All while inserting some of my MP into my outfit to get it to repair and clean itself.

As I’m doing all of this, I focus on the tiny little symbol in the corner of my vision.

Outside of the first time that I noticed this, I haven’t actually done anything with it, but I kind of want to check on my Tier Breach Mission’s progress, so…

I select the symbol – which looks like a circle with a tree in the center of it – before a System note appears in my vision.

Looks like I did complete one of the objectives.

I select the Spread the Wrath mission, and another note appears next to the Mission List.

So objective 2 was completed, and I can’t use the beast transformation power of The Calling of Wrath again until after I finish this mission. Not unless I want to restart that first objective. Or I somehow manage to time the activations of the skill perfectly and manage to use it four times in these four weeks.

But that’s not likely, so…

As for the optional objective? If I run into a Tier 2 creature out here, I doubt I’ll be able run away from it anyways. So I might as well try empowering my fangs or something. Or maybe that Wrath Infusion skill.

Although I’m not sure what that skill would do if I infused it with The Calling of Wrath’s third effect.

Wouldn’t I just be putting all of my emotions into a skill that puts all of my enemies’ emotions into my body as pure power? That just sounds confusing.

Either way, I’ll cross that bridge when I get to it.

I finish cleaning myself before swiping my hand through the Tier Breach Mission’s description, getting out of the river, and walking over to the cave while plugging my nose with my clawed hand.

As I’m halfway there, I pause in place for a few seconds, only to begin walking away from my cave entirely.

Maybe it would be best if I went somewhere else to cook my food… even if it might attract monsters in the process.

While I’m walking, I select the words ‘Claim Mission Rewards’ in the Mission List note.

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Table of Contents

For those of you who can't read the image:

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Mission Complete!

Title: Reaver Threat!

The reavers have appeared at your doorstep!

Wipe them all out!

Rewards:

2000 EXP and 1 [Random Item Draw]

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Dark Forest Escape has purple text, while Spread the Wrath has black, and Claim Mission Rewards has red text.

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Mission List:

Dark Forest Escape! Objectives Completed: 0/1

Spread the Wrath Objectives Completed: 1/3

Claim Mission Rewards

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Tier 2 Breach Mission

Title: Spread the Wrath

Objective 1: Use all three of the skill The Calling of Wrath’s effects over the course of four weeks. 1/3rd completed. Objective will reset in 3 weeks, 6 days, 8 hours, 10 minutes, and 18 seconds unless completed.

Objective 2: While transformed into a beast, kill at least ten beings.

Objective 3: When using the second effect of The Calling of Wrath, spread Wrath to at least 15 beings.

Optional Objective: While empowering one of your skills or basic attacks with the third effect of The Calling of Wrath, defeat an opponent one Tier above yourself.

Reward:

Tier 2 unlocked

Optional Objective Reward:

2000 EXP, one [Random Item Draw], and one [Random Skill Level Card]

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