Chapter Seventy Four

Joe woke in the late night right around midnight once again. He sighed. Man… I guess I’m going to have to get used to this. He had too many hours of sleep and so ended up waking up in the middle of the night. Still, waking up and laying for an hour or two in bed wasn’t his idea of fun. He spent some time looking over his status, but soon grew bored and found himself falling asleep once again. His slumber was wonderful while it lasted and he woke in the morning quite well rested with the sweet pressure of Kilniara rested against him.

He moaned and shifted, smiling as he woke and turned his head to look down. Kilniara snuggled into him and felt him shift so looked up to match his glance.

“Morning.”

“Morning to you too, sleepy head.”

Kilniara giggled, “Sleepy head?”

Joe chuckled, “A saying amongst my people.”

“Mm… it’s a good saying.”

Joe smiled at that and rested in her embrace for a few moments before sighing and turning to his mana training. Their morning went quickly this time, unlike other mornings, and the two were able to focus almost entirely on their mana training, Joe adding in the additional attempts using the mana from cores as well, which proved very easy to the point that Joe actually disregarded it from that point on. He made note to check it again in the future, but for now, he wanted to focus on his own mana and mana points.

He did find something rather interesting in that he was able to stretch his mana points a bit. He could actually feel them expand just a tiny bit. He ended up adding in squeezing and stretching a lot as well, now that he felt that there was a difference. In a moment of epiphany, he also began trying to see if he could affect the mana in the area and forcing into his mana points. He was less confident trying to stuff it into his body, uncertain how it might affect him or if he could ‘burst’ his mana organ. His mana points, however, seemed to be limited in how much they could hold. He was able to push it a bit shoving mana into the point and overfill it by quite a bit, but even just a few seconds after overfilling it, the mana began seeping out of the mana point and it came to the point that the amount of mana he was able to shove in was basically equal to the mana that was seeping out. Or, at least as best he could guess since the mana cloud dispersing from the point didn’t increase by any amount. It was either a limit to the amount of mana he was able to push in or the amount he was able to control.

The stirring of the boys broke him from his concentration and Kilniara’s slither from the bed awoke him the rest of the way. They then headed downstairs and out to the courtyard for their morning practice.

“Practice your forms for now, then we’ll practice without system stamina.”

The other three accepted, although Zilnek grumbled quite a bit. They went through their first form and a bit of their second form as well, although they were still focused on perfecting their first forms. Joe practiced his forms, making his way through one of his martial art’s forms first before stopping to help the other three in their practice. Joe spent a good ten or fifteen minutes correcting and helping them.

“Right, let’s empty stamina and get our bodies fit.”

All three groaned at that, but began to practice, Joe returning to his own practice as well. Kilniara and Garnedell maintained their efforts, although they did get ever more exhausted and slower. Zilnek, however, quit quite quickly.

“Zilnek. Come on. You can do it. Keep pushing yourself.”

Zilnek groaned, hiding a grimace badly that Joe saw easily but did not respond to. He kept laying there and Joe continued to encourage him.

“Zilnek. Get up!”

Zilnek grunted and stood, returning to his practice but did so with very poor attitude. He didn’t even finish a single form before collapsing on the ground once again. Joe let him rest for a few moments before once again calling him back to practice.

“Come on, Zilnek. You can’t rest too long or you’ll not get any useful effect out of it. Get up!”

Zilnek stared at him, anger easily seen on his face and Joe ended his form immediately and turned to Zilnek, easily recognizing that this wasn’t a moment to take lightly. He turned and kneeled before Zinek even as he tried to decide the best course of action: stern rebuke or quiet concern.

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Joe stared at him for a bit before responding, “Hey. What’s going on? Talk to me?”

Zilnek’s anger didn’t abate, seeming to only grow, and Joe found himself at a loss, “Why do you teach us this worthless shit!”

Joe blinked, surprised, unable to respond. Zilnek didn’t really give him much time to do so either, continuing quickly.

“You keep having us do this worthless prancing and leave us with nothing. Why don’t you do anything?!” Zilnek ended with a shout.

Joe stared at him, shocked and Zilnek simply stood and stomped from the courtyard. Joe didn’t move, staring after Zilnek when he felt Kilniara’s hand on his shoulder as she quickly came to his side.

“Please. Be kind to my brother.”

Joe sighed and shook his head, “Of course I will. I’m just … frustrated myself as well.”

Kilniara seemed to blush at that, shrugging but not responding. Joe looked up at her and continued, “Should I go talk to him?”

Kilniara quickly shook her head, “No. Let me go.”

Joe nodded, “OK. Please let him know I’m good. I just wish… I don’t understand why he’s been so angry lately. I mean… I understand the… thing, but… ”

Kilniara shrugged at that but didn’t respond and Joe just sighed. Kilniara took that as her cue and she left, flitting after Zilnek. Garnedell stood behind him and Joe looked back.

“Did I fail Zilnek in some way?”

Garnedell quickly shook his head, “No, Joe. He is… just very angry.”

“Angry? Why?”

Garnedell frowned at that and shook his head, “I don’t know, Joe. He has been angry with me as well. More than... I expect.”

"Even with his... situation?"

"It seems too much..."

"Hmm. Then, at you?”

“Huh? Oh. No. Just angry when we are together at … many things. It seems strange, even if,” Garnedell cocked his head and stared at Joe with a meaningful gaze before continuing, “… that, yeah. It's too much even with that. He is just… very angry. Something deep is really bothering him.”

Joe thought of that for a bit before sighing and standing, “Hopefully I can help him a bit. I’m not really surprised. Kinda in a hard place. His parents are dead and he had to fight really hard to protect his sister. Then, suddenly, he’s kind of safe again and his sister is freed from the jerk and… yeah. He can afford to relax and deal with the ‘old’ issues… huh…”

Joe paused at that and relaxed, feeling much more comfortable, like a puzzle had been partially solved, “Man, I’m an idiot. Of course! He’s been able to decompress finally… and now the emotions are coming out a bit…” Joe shook his head and his words turned to more an internal monologue, quieting to mutters under his breath, “Shoulda thought of that. I’m an idiot. Toss in the crim… uh… other thing, and he’s going to have his emotions going a bit wild ‘cause he doesn’t have to be strong right now. Right. Let’s call it a day. Oh. Where is the healer? Chulnan should be here by now?”

Garnedell suddenly stilled at that and Joe frowned, “OK. You know something. Let me know.”

Garnedell looked up at Joe then collapsed into a resigned sigh, “The healer will not likely come today.”

Joe raised an eyebrow, “And… why?”

Garnedell stared up at Joe a little longer before shaking his head and beginning, “Zilnek… did not treat the healer well.”

Joe frowned, feeling a bit of anger rising up within him, subtly more than he would have expected, “And…”

Garnedell ground his teeth, “He… was quite arrogant to Chulnan and belittled him… a bit.”

“A bit?”

“Hmm… more than a bit?”

Joe considered for moment, seeing that Garnedell was trying to protect Zilnek, but Joe really wanted to know his side of the story so he could understand how to deal with the situation, especially since it seemed he would have to go back and find the healer and talk it out. His thoughts wound through options before he finally came up with a less than satisfactory option.

“How would you have reacted if you were his master and he your apprentice.”

Garnedell frowned at that, “I would have beaten him, badly.”

“Why?”

“Because he cost me the healer.”

Joe already had the next question ready when he suddenly froze, feeling disbelief shudder through his heart even as it flowed across his face. His thoughts came to an abrupt stop while he quickly schooled his face and felt his mind kick into overdrive, struggling to see where he could go from here.

“Um… OK. Then… huh,” Joe found his thoughts skittering across ice unable to find purchase and he took a moment to take a deep breath before continuing. Right… time to shift to Garnedell, then… yeah… let’s try that…

“And if it did not cost you the healer?”

Garnedell frowned at that, noticing Joe’s consternation, but obviously unable to find the reason behind it, and grew more cautious in his reply, “I… it would be fine?”

“You would not beat Zilnek?”

“No…? We did not lose the healer, so… no,” he finished with firmer certainty.

Joe found himself at a loss, his mind struggling to find any option before finally sighing deeply, “Right. Let’s have a conversation. Can you tell me exactly what happened? I’m not … I shouldn’t be angry at Zilnek, but we will need to have a discussion.”

Garnedell seemed to relax at that while also growing serious, somehow coming to attention. Joe almost decided to have Garnedell relax, then realized that this lesson was just about as important as anything else he could teach and he began.

“Hmm… I did not want to get into this aspect of my training quite so early, but there is a common philosophy that comes with my combat training. It is common amongst almost all martial arts, and it is taught vigorously. What we learn makes us… strong; very strong compared to our friends and those around us. It is easy to use that strength against others, to dominate and be … arrogant. So, can you tell me what happened with Zilnek.”

Garnedell nodded, standing straight and tall as he replied, “He had the healer speak to him as his superior.”

Joe found his eyebrows spazzing between knitting and relaxing as he struggled to understand, “Did he mock the healer?”

Garnedell grew uncomfortable, “A … bit.”

Joe frowned, “If he had done the same to me… to you?”

Garnedell immediately grew serious, rage smouldering in his eyes and Joe nodded, “And that, right there… that’s all I need to know. Would it be acceptable for him to do it to you?”

Garnedell firmly shook his head, “No, Joe.”

“Why?”

“I am first apprentice!”