Emela flew back and slammed into the floor with a grunt, as her sword clattered to the side. Standing a few feet away, Noella looked at her with a contemptuous smile. “Oh come now, dear sister. I barely even touched you.”
That’s what you call barely, you toad.
Emela pushed off the ground and staggered over to her sword as Noella watched on. She was enjoying this; she always did. It was as if she wanted to punish Emela for the simple fact that she was older. Who the hell raised her?
Emela walked forward and got back into position. She didn’t need to ask who raised her, as the apple never fell too far from the tree. The girl was exactly like her trash heap of a mother, Yulara. Emela raised her sword, readying for another round.
All she needed to do was land one hit without getting knocked back. That would be more than enough to hurt this toad’s pride. It might not mean much in the grand scheme of things, but she would have something to smile about tonight as she went to bed.
“Begin,” Shallowcold called from the side of the training grounds as she stood with the two maids.
Emela charged forward, the wind rushing past her ears. The morning sun glinted off her blade, its edge thrusting towards her sister. A burst of mana shot through her spine and into the sword. She wouldn’t hit her using the little knowledge she had of the technique. No. But she could with something Noella wasn’t expecting.
Noella stood with a smile on her face, lightly raising her sword and preparing to unleash her technique again.
But that smile froze as mana raced through Emela’s hand, causing it to buckle with pain as her sword shot forward, darting towards her.
Noella’s eyes went wide as she dived to the side, narrowly avoiding Emela’s blade, which pierced into the ground a few feet behind her.
“Are you trying to kill me!” she screeched, hopping to her feet and leveling her sword at Emela. “If that’s the game you wish to play, dear sister, then I shall oblige you.”
Emela’s eyes went wide as her sister charged at her, her eyes fierce with intent. She was going to stab her, and it wouldn’t be as simple as the spar intended.
But as Emela closed her eyes, a gust of wind tickled her cheek. The clang of metal forced her eyes open. And there, before her, stood Captain Shallowcold. A small dagger rested in her hand as she casually blocked Noella’s blade.
“Are you serious?” Shallowcold asked, her eyes boring deep into Emela. “What did I say earlier about your control of Mana? Now here you are using that in a battle. I don’t know whether to call you resourceful or an absolute idiot.”
Hopefully, a bit of both, Emela thought as she lowered her head.
A smile came to her lips. She’d seen Noella’s face as she jumped to the floor like the toad she was. The girl was scared, and she felt shame. Emela had gotten her goal; at this point, not being run through by her was a bonus.
“And you,” Shallowcold said, fixing Noella with an intense glare. “Were you seriously trying to harm your own sibling? Do I need to inform the master of this?”
“So what if I try to harm her? She is a talentless waste; the family would be better off if she was gone.” Noella said, sliding her sword back into its scabbard and fixing Emela with a glare. “The only value she has to the family now is that of an alliance tool. Don’t forget your place, dear sister, because someone will remind you of it. Don’t forget the lesson our dear brother Drion gave you last time.”
As Shallowcold went to respond, Noella turned around and stormed off across the training grounds. The pathetic maid Matilda scrambled behind, eager to soothe her mistress’s temper as per usual.
“Are you pleased with yourself?” Shallowcold said, stowing away her dagger. Her gaze followed Noella as she passed through the archway before turning to Emela. “I hope you realize that you have just earned yourself twenty laps around the training grounds.”
And it was more than worth it. But she frowned as she marched off to the side of the training grounds to meet up with Nyx.
“What happened? Did you lose control of your mana again?” Nyx asked as Emela set her sword down on the bench.
“No. I did it on purpose this time. I needed a win, even if it was a little pathetic.”
Nyx furrowed her brow but said nothing as she picked up Emela’s sword and cradled it in her arms. Emela wasn’t sure what the girl was thinking, but knowing her, she was evaluating whether it was even a good plan. It wasn’t—the throbbing pain in Emela’s hand reminded her of that.
“Okay, I have to go and do twenty laps of the training grounds now. Would it be okay to ask you to bring me some water?”
“Of course, mistress. It will be here when you return.”
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Hector eyed up his opponent before him. Jodie was in good form today, her ginger hair tied in a bun, her green eyes shining with a fierce light. She was in her prime, but that did not mean much to him. After all, he was her opponent today, and he would not yield.
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“Ready?” squeaked a voice from the dueling mat’s edge. There, with one arm raised in the air, was Able. A short boy with a tuft of blonde hair, he wasn’t much of a combatant. Hector had learned as much when he sparred against him a few months back. The poor boy could hardly handle one punch—it was unknown why instructor Kambel even kept him in the dojo.
He must be his illegitimate son or something. If you squint, they kind of have the same eyes.
Hector threw a quick glance out of the window. His sister stood outside selling her little basket of flowers. He nodded. The fight shouldn’t take too long, and she looked alright. More importantly, Fangdale street wasn’t exactly known for its crime—the fear brought about by the dojo kept most vagrants at bay. Most but not all. The Collar Gang didn’t fear the dojo.
His lips pulled into a tight smile, and he nodded at Able. The boy then lowered his arms, signaling for the fight to begin.
Jodie took a step back. She was starting the same way as usual, always one to analyze and wait for the opponent to make a mistake. But Hector rarely made mistakes. He shot forward; the wind rushing past him as he opened with a punch.
She took a step back again, anticipating the kick he threw a second later. A mere distraction. Hector swiveled on his heels, hooking her arm with his leg and tugging her forward. She reeled as he slammed a fist into her chest, staggering her.
His feet slid across the mat as a smile came to his lips. “You can’t be leaving yourself open like that, Jodie. People like me punish you for it,” he said, sparing a quick glance out the window to check on his sister.
“Oh, shut it. The fight isn’t even halfway over.” She charged towards him, and he laughed. Now was not the time for her to lose her cool. Hector punched forward, aiming for her face, but frowned as he felt a foot in the gut.
With a grunt, he staggered back and narrowed his eyes at the smiling Jodie. He looked to Able, whose mouth hung open—he apparently barely noticed what happened himself. But when was that not the case? “Okay, I’ll give you that one,” Hector said, lowering into his stance and throwing another glance out the window.
His sister had a bubbly smile as she completed a transaction. The hard work she’d put into raising those plants had actually paid off. But it wouldn’t go far in repaying their father’s debt. “Okay!” Able said, raising his arm. “A point apiece.” The boy had a smile on his face as if he was the one on the mat fighting. “Ready—”
The training room door slammed open. Leading a group of students was instructor Kamble. He had a fierce look on his face as he stormed over to Hector and Jodie. “I’ve just heard the news, and I am as furious as you are. We’re going to fix this.”
“What?” Hector said, throwing a look at Jodie. “Who told you?”
“Most of the slum is talking about it, boy. How could I not hear?”
I mean, they did attack us quite publicly. But I didn’t think anyone in the slum really cared.
He looked at the instructor with warmth in his eyes. The old man had more of a heart than he realized, but Hector didn’t wish for him to do anything reckless. “I don’t know what you’re planning, sir, but I wouldn’t recommend getting involved. The Collar Gang are tricky to deal with.”
“Huh? What does this have to do with the Collar Gang?”
Hector frowned. “It was them who beat my father yesterday morning.”
The righteous anger in Kamble’s eyes faded, and pity replaced it. “Oh, my dear boy. I didn’t know about that. Sorry. I was talking about the fact that Dale has reached the journeyman stage with the Phoenix Barrage Kick.”
An awkward silence settled into the room as Hector turned to Jodie, who shook her head and then massaged her temple. He spared another quick glance out the window to check on his sister before turning back to his instructor. “I see. I didn’t even know he was practicing the Phoenix Barrage Kick.”
“Yes, yes, it was news to me as well.” Kamble scratched the side of his neck and coughed. “About your father. I’m sorry to hear what happened. But I fear I won’t be able to help much where it concerns the Collar Gang. A few low-leveled thugs I can handle, but they are a bit different. It won’t mean much to you now, but in the future, you’ll understand.”
I understand that you’re weak and don’t want to get your butt kicked. But I can’t blame you.
Kamble was only in the sixth level of gravity forging realm—to an average Middlecean slum dweller, he was to be feared. But with more organized groups such as the Collar Gang, he didn’t amount too much. So there wasn’t anything he could do to help Hector.
The instructor clapped his hands, and the group behind him dispersed, forming a line at the edge of the training room. “No, Lincoln today?” he asked, looking between Hector and Jodie.
“No,” Jodie said, rolling her shoulders and wiping the sweat off her brow. “He said he had some errands to run for his mother today.”
“Shame,” the instructor said, striding to the edge of the mat and getting into a stance. “I guess I’ll be teaching the new technique to you two, then.” He gestured to the group lining the wall. “That lot will take a bit longer to learn it, and I feel you two will pick it up the fastest.”
Hector glanced over at the group lining the wall and activated his system. It had taken him some time to get into a habit of scanning everyone he came across, as the system was something he hadn’t fully grown accustomed to as of yet. It was there, but he had other pressing issues—but that needed to change. After all, he wasn’t the same Hector he was before.
He had scanned Abel earlier, and he came back with negative results, and sadly, this group did as well.
————————————————
///: No talent found…///: No talent found…///: No talent found…
————————————————
Why is it so hard to find anyone with Talent in this slum?
He had somehow managed to find four yesterday. But today, even though it was still early, he hadn’t managed to find any.
————————————————
///: Sufficient scans have been completed…Upgrade of System now initiating.
————————————————
Oh, maybe I should have been scanning more people. If I had known it would get an upgrade, I wouldn’t have wasted so much time.
“Alright, both of you watch me closely,” Kamble said, steadying his breathing. “This is called Orion Leaping Strike. It is normally used to catch opponents off guard. I’m sure it will give you an edge in the upcoming competition, especially if you face Dale.”
Focused, Hector watched the instructor as he moved around the mat. He analyzed his moves, feet placement, fist placement, where his head went and where it wasn’t. He soaked it all in, committing everything to memory. If he could master this move, then it was one more card to play, especially in the pick-pocketing operation in the coming days.
As the instructor moved, soaring through the air and doing a double kick amidst the cheers and excitement from his fellow disciples, Hector spared a glance out of the window and frowned. A young man was talking to his sister, not suspicious by itself. After all, maybe he wanted to buy something for his girlfriend, but this transaction was taking too long.
“And that’s how you do the technique, any questions?” The instructor said with an expectant look.
“No,” Hector said, striding over to the edge of the mat and putting on his slippers. “One second, instructor. I just have to go take a look at something.”