The Daughter of Cursed Steel Chapter 18: Chapter 18: Strength Through Suffering

Read chapter 18 of The Daughter of Cursed Steel by Ashfell on NovelPedia.

Chapter 18: Strength Through Suffering Rachel followed after the four fairies as they led her to the first training area in the room. They stopped in front of two large magical sigils drawn into the floor, each one surrounded by five smaller magic circles. Elyndra pointed toward the two larger sigils. "These two magical sigils were created by Rafflesia. These are gravity sigils." Elyndra floated downward and pointed at the first one. "When you step into the sigil, the spell will activate. This first sigil increases the gravity around you. So if you step into it, gravity will increase by a small amount." She then pointed toward the five smaller circles beside it. "But if you touch your foot against any one of these five smaller sigils before stepping into the main one, it will increase the amount of gravity cast on your body even further. At maximum, it can increase your weight up to five times normal." Elyndra then gestured for Rachel to step toward the main circle. "Just for now, step into the main sigil." Rachel carefully stepped into the magical circle. The moment she did, the sigil beneath her feet started glowing as gray magical light enveloped her body. Rachel immediately felt it. Her body suddenly felt slightly heavier. She stepped back out of the sigil before looking down at herself. "How long does this last?" Rafflesia fluttered toward Rachel and spoke. "As long as you're inside this room, it will last for about an hour but..." Then she pointed toward another sigil nearby. "You see that sigil over there? If you step on that one, it will remove the gravity spell from your body and everything will return to normal." Rachel walked over and stepped onto the sigil. A flash of golden light burst from beneath her feet. The heavy feeling instantly disappeared from her body. "I see. But what do I use this for?" "Strength training," Elyndra answered. "If you want to fight, then you need to grow stronger. Step into this sigil and it will increase your weight and the gravity on your body." She spread her arms out toward the massive room. "And this room is large enough for you to jog around in, do push-ups, sit-ups, or whatever else you need to do to increase your strength and endurance." Elyndra then turned toward the second sigil. "Now this one right here is another gravity sigil that Rafflesia created, but its effects are completely different." Rachel stepped toward it and stopped right in front of the circle, preparing to step into it. "No, don't step into it yet," Elyndra quickly said. "Let me explain first." Rachel stopped moving as she felt a chill run down her spine from the way Elyndra had suddenly told her to stop in such a panicked tone. Elyndra looked toward the second sigil. "This one is also a gravity sigil, but instead of increasing the weight of your body, this one causes gravity to push against you from all directions like it's trying to crush you." Rachel's expression stiffened slightly. "Doing so will cause the amplification damage curse on your body to activate, which means you will feel extreme pain." Elyndra then pointed toward the five smaller sigils beside it. "And just like the other sigil, these smaller circles can increase the intensity of the gravity, which will make the pain even worse." She then floated slightly away from the circle. "But unlike the other gravity sigil, the moment you step out of this one, the gravity effect will immediately disappear so the moment you pass out and fall out of the arcane sigil, the spell will end." "All right, let's move on to the next training ground," Elyndra said as she pointed toward the edge of the room where a giant magical sigil had been carved into both the floor and ceiling. But then she noticed Rachel staring down at the sigil with a stiff look on her face. Elyndra then called out to Rachel. "Come on. There is more to show you. Let's keep moving." Rachel then shifted her gaze as she followed after them. As they got closer, Rachel noticed the countless wooden