POV Vivaldi

I got bored. All people, that tried to hurt me, got their meetings with Thor. There were another six people, that gone missing. Gossips stopped to be gossips. Village folks were afraid of me. They avoided me on streets and in pub. I was said, to be cursed and anybody, who was involved with me, would disappear. They were right. Anybody, who would try to hurt me, would disappear.

I no longer hunted with gun. I just caught up to animal, mainly bison and boxed it to death. That gave me my adrenaline shot.

I started to pay attention, what was happening with other owners of those stones. Some of my contacts ignored me, but there always would be someone, who wants to talk on internet. Maybe not even talk, rather boast. I got two stories about one event.

Beria said, that voice of Ahriman, Diana fought three main combatants from Unlimited Devas. They were using some magic to run in circles around her. Some flash and thunder tricks. They couldn’t hurt her much. She would catch them with time surely. She couldn’t kill them, due to ancient stone rules, so it was very laborious fight. At some point, they proposed conditions of their capitulation without violence. Beria didn’t know those conditions. He knew, that Unlimited Devas had about month of time, in which they had peace.

Another story was from Lily. She said, that by joint effort, Devas defended runaway from Ahriman’s Order. It was battle, when they kited Diana, as she became some kind of monster. When it became clear, that she couldn’t force them out, they negotiated armistice. She didn’t told me about any condition of armistice, as I wasn’t even Associated Deva. She wanted me to join Associated Devas. I declined.

I felt, that I should move from my village to another place. Those new place should have hunting club and bigger population. I found some places, that was good enough. I was waiting, when someone would buy my family house. On the countryside buyers are rare. I needed some quite rich person and I would convince that person with [Will resonance]. So I waited.

In the end, two weeks after I post selling offer, father of one of missing person came to view house inside. Probably he wanted to search that house for traces of his son. I didn’t care as long, as he had enough money, I would sell house to him. I just couldn’t use much of [Will resonance] on him, because he was already suspicious and knew local gossips.

It took him another week to decide, but he bought the house. I was moving to little town.

There was some strange occurrence during one of my fight with bison. It was, before I sold house. I killed one big bison. Rest of herd didn’t run, but wanted to chase me away with sheer numbers. I didn’t want to kill any more bison, as I already made herd into half. I was controlling my fists to inflict limited damage. I hit fast and hard, but then fist touched muscles under fur I stopped fist immediately. I didn’t want for blow to penetrate and hurt some organs. It created some strange effect, as if wave was moving from point of blow through bison body. After that kind of blow bison were struggling. They were disoriented for a moment. It helped me to get rid of them and I took body to Thor. Then, there was surprise.

Name

Vivaldi

Daevo

Equilibrium indicator

Efficiency status

Compared worth

Muscle

120%

150%

20 (24)

Body integrity

100%

100%

19 (20)

Nervous system

98%

95%

17 (19)

Metabolism / Stamina

112%

100%

13 (18)

This book was originally published on Royal Road. Check it out there for the real experience.

Will resonance

--- offence

15%

16%

14 (14)

--- defense

20%

20%

16 (16)

Flow bending

14%

14%

--- sonic boom

14%

14%

9 (11)

I created technique for [Flow bending]. Thor said, that I was lucky, because with my [Muscle] stat I almost created this technique by moving muscles in special way alone. There was also component of putting heart in my blows and subconscious control over effects. I listened to him, as I was so overpowered, that I created technique without knowing. His words were praise in my ears.

Looking on my stats led me to most important thing to me. Limit of enhancement of [Muscle] stat with mixture I got, was twenty five. Limits of other bodily stats were around twenty. I was very close to pinnacle of what I could became, with what I had. I was probably better, then all the rest except Diana. Maybe even better than Diana. I also got this gift of sonic boom technique. I thought, that it was my moment to shine.

I was afraid, that after some time, others would catch up to me. Sonic boom gave me advantage, but that moment I believed, that their magic tricks could be good too. I wanted to show them all, that, I was top one. King of the hill. So I needed to humiliate previous king. I felt adrenaline just from thought.

I got clear aim, that helped me chase away boredom.

I sold house, bought another in city near Suvalkai (Suwalki). I moved my things there. I already made contacts with people from hunters club. I hunted few times there and I found good spot for Thor. My last area of living was full of forests. Terrain near Suvalkai is different. There is lot of forests too, but lakes and ponds were main feature there. It was good and bad for me. Bad, because there was lot harder to move around there. Good, because tourism and missing people were lot more common there.

I rode for Thor with my all-terrain vehicle. I took him into trunk. Road took me few hours. When I was near the place, I ate lunch and rested, till I was in form. Then I drove up to Ahriman’s Order headquarters.

I stopped by the gates.

-= Diana, if you have balls, face me! – I screamed. I knew she would need some time to react.

I saw some heads watching me. I screamed, how Diana was so weak, that three little rats were able to run her around. There was more insults, from her looks to her intelligence. I wanted to fight her, so I needed to humiliate her before her cultists. She came to the front yard.

-= What do you want, you piece of shit? – She asked. She looked very different from our first meeting. If not for the face and voice, it would be different person.

-= I want to fight you here and now! You alone and me alone!

-= Did Unlimited Devas send you here? You’re their dog.

-= Nobody send me here. I came here to show you, that I’m the strongest. That you all need to listen to Vivaldi.

-= Clown. – She showed me her back.

I jumped over the fence. It wasn’t normal jump over, like on stadium during athletics. I jumped, as if I would jump over paddle. It was inhuman.

-= You think, you can run, - I said. – I will catch you.

She charged at me angrily. We started to wrestle. I wanted to check her strength. She was as big as me, just more fatty. I was winning in strength, but not by much. There were some cultists around, but they kept their distance.

Thor showed me her stats.

Name

Diana

Stone growth level

3 +

Compared MAX worth

Muscle

(23)

Body integrity

(26)

Nervous system

(21)

I felt, that I had edge, because I felt, that she wasn’t experienced fighter. I decided to finish her quickly. I broke our wrestle lock, then led blow with intention of sonic boom her stomach. I felt pressure from Thor, that blocked my technique. I just blow her hard.

-= What are you doing? - I asked Thor.

-= By ancient rules, I can’t let you hurt another daevan. – He said.

-= You could have told me earlier. – He became silent. We didn’t talk much anyway.

I started to circle her and hit her here and there. She counter attacked by trying to wrestle me to the ground. She was able to take lot of punishment and didn’t looked phased. Was she trying to weary me off by taking blows to the face? She had more endurance, than bison. I felt awkward.

Then, she cough me off guard and started to wrestle. She didn’t overturn me to ground, but sticked to me. I was levering fer hands out, when her stomach bit me at hips. I screamed and hit her strongly with elbow in head. It broke her lock again.

-= What the fuck? – I said in the air, but also asked Thor.

-= Her choices with us let her, by ancient rules, to hurt you, but not kill you. – Thor said.

-= What side are you at?

-= I told you already, that after my next growth, you could do the same to the same levels. You didn’t listen to me, did you?

-= I listened. Just why she can do things to me and why are you stopping me against her? - I was asking in my mind, but at the same time I was circling Diana.

-= She, by rules, can do more, almost as if she was level higher.

-= You’re gonna pay, that you didn’t tell me earlier. – I cut of Thor from my awareness.

I was fighting battle, I couldn’t win. I needed to think, but during fight, wasn’t best moment. I punished her more. She was able to catch and bite me once again. Then my brains done their work. I didn’t need to win, it was enough to be seen as winner.

I drunk mixture, which was activating strength boost. In the meanwhile Diana caught me again and bit me twice. But she couldn’t stop me now. I felt as titan. I easily took her over my head. She was light as paper doll. I throw her to the back yard, easily, with fifteen meters throw. She rolled few meters. I knew, there was no much damage, but show of strength was impressive.

-= Stay there, you biting bitch.

I was tired, but looked lot better, than she. She was standing, but with difficulties. I was standing like winner.

-= That should be lesson for you, - I said. – who is real top.

I hopped over the fence. This time jump was easily over four meters high.

-= You can’t win over me! – She screamed behind me, but didn’t charge. I needed to respond somehow, to show others my superiority in talk too.

-= If you had something valuable, I would take it and you couldn’t stop me. You have nothing of value, so I’m leaving. – I was loud, but not screaming.

She screamed something more, but I was riding already. Bitch bit me hard many times, and my injuries were really painful. It was unnatural.

-= What’s going on with my injuries Thor? – I asked.

-= It seems, that those injuries inflicted by daevan part of Diana are highly disrupting for your body integrity. They will be really hard to heal.

-= Don’t you have any way to heal me?

-= No. Maybe after next growth I will.

-= Fuck.

It all went, not in a way it was supposed to go. Maybe I was mistaken. I was brilliant, wasn’t I? I fight to standstill, but all people would recognize me as strongest, most powerful combatant. I felt, I didn’t disappoint myself. Next time, I would see those people, they would shake from fear and admiration on my sight. I laughed. That was right. I felt that nice feeling flowing from knowledge, that I was the best. I immersed in it.

After some time my injuries led me to another topic. Was Thor sabotaging me?