My body trembled. The water was so cold! Why would anyone wash up in a river!? I wanted to get out, but when I tried to leave, Yukio said I had to wash off all the blood and threw me back in. She was so abusive!

I sobbed quietly as I did my best to get all the sticky stuff off my skin. It only took a minute, but it felt like an hour. I dragged myself out and hugged my knees in an attempt to horde what little body heat I had left. Lucky for me I had lots of experience with that sort of thing.

“Don't be such a baby. It’s only a little cold.” Said Yukio as she washed my PJs in the river.

“It’s really cold!” I cried.

“Shut up, and sit in the morning light!” She commanded. “It’s like you want to stay wet.”

I crawled my way onto a big stone to sun bath. This must be what lizard people do. I could be a mark Zuckerberg. “Yukio, your being mean again. If you don't stop you won't get my kimono.” I threatened.

“Keep it. It won't fit me anyway. Besides, I doubt it would actually get me off this world.” She said bluntly.

That made me sad. “What do you need in order to leave this place?” I asked.

“Stop being nosey! Worry about your own fucking self!” She yelled.

I looked to Snowball for advice. She was propped up against a tree. “Your reputation level isn’t high enough. Do a few more quests before trying again.” She said.

Of course! Right now our friendship rank was on neutral. I needed to farm friendship, before trying to ask her personal questions.

It's like a dating Sim. I need to talk her up first before she reveals her secret sexy cut scene. “Snowball, you’re a genius!” I yelled.

That got a laugh out of Yukio. “What? Are you talking to your toy again? You know it's not real.” She said.

“Of course Snowball is real! We fought a giant bug monster together!” I yelled.

Yukio rolled her eyes. “Sure, whatever.”

“You speak heresy! Snowball shall strike you down nonbeliever!” I then ran over to grab Snowball and brought her over to the rock, setting her on top of it. As soon as she was in place I started to dance around her while chanting, “mama say, mama-sa, mama kusa! mama say, mama-sa, mama kusa!”

Yukio looked back at me. “Isaac, knock it off. You’re scaring me.” She said.

That was the whole point. I sat back down next to Snowball. “Snowball is my friend. She’s as real as she needs to be.” I said before looking away from her. “if you keep being mean to me I’ll tell Mr. Brutus on you and he'll turn you into a pretzel!”

“That guy doesn’t care about you. He’s a bigger asshole than me. Did you forget how he pissed off a whole ass bear and made you fight it to the death.” She responded.

When she put it like that it sounded pretty messed up. I stayed silent for the time being. At least the sun was comforting. Unlike Yukio who was a bully picking on a little girl…er… grown man? Crap. I really need to get Aku surgically removed and find me a male avatar.

Drying off didn’t take as long as I thought it would. I wasn’t completely dry, but it was enough to put on some clothes. I was so grateful to not be naked anymore.

While getting dressed the thought of going without underwear crossed my mind, but Aku was very against it. So much so that she nearly threw another tantrum. Which would have looked very strange without context. At least Yukio understood my situation so its not like I’d be locked up again.

I tugged on her kimono. “Hey Yukio! I did a good job right!?” I asked.

She looked annoyed but answered, “Sure I guess.”

“Then can I have candy as a reward!?” I fidgeted back and forth, scratching my arm. It was like I was a drug adic looking for a fix.

She pushed me away. “I don't have any candy.”

Her words upset me deeply. “Then go buy some!” I complained.

She flicked my forehead. “ow!” I cried.

“Bratty children don’t get candy. Now if you’re nice I’ll give you a sugar cube.” She said.

I held my forehead planning my next attack, but she was clearly on guard. Her fingers fixed into a flicking position.

Maybe if I hold my breath she’ll give up. Crossing my arms I sat cross-legged on the ground. Then puffed up my cheeks and waited, but before I turned blue she crouched down and slapped me. “Don't fucking pull that crap with me!” She yelled. Her slap caused me to cry out in pain. Which in turn made me take several shallow breaths.

“I hate you!” I started pummeling her with my tiny fists whipping through the air like cat paws. She simply put her hand on my head and held me back at arms length. Due to my shorter arms I was unable to touch her.

“You’re so annoying. If you keep this up I’m leaving. I refuse to be a babysitter for such an emotional child. What’s wrong with you? Why are you so cranky? Did you not get enough sleep? Was it the bath?” She said.

I held her arm trying to get it off of me, but I couldn’t break free. “You’re a bully!” I cried.

She sighed. “The only bully here is you. You keep trying to blackmail me. That’s not a nice thing to do you know.”

I stopped struggling. Blackmail? That was something a bully would do. Oh, so Yukio was simply enacting self respect by refusing my demands. “Sorry… you’re still mean though.” I said honestly.

“Whatever... here.” She handed me a sugar cube.

My face lit up as I took it into my hands. “Thank you!” I immediately started to suck on it. It was sweet but it was no candy.

Yukio left my PJs hanging from a branch and even promised me she'd sew the holes closed once they dried.

On our way back, I reached to hold her hand. It didn't look like she wanted to, but after a little persistence she gave in. This was important for filling up her friendship meter. Since I annoyed her I had a lot more ground to cover.

I hugged Snowball with my other arm in an attempt to charm her. Snowball was so warm after sitting in the sun for so long. It was like hugging a toasty warm fluffy sweater, after pulling it out of the dryer.

“tweet, tweet!”

I looked up above only to spot something interesting. “Yuyu! Look!” I yelled pointing up into the trees. On one of the many branches was a bird covered in red feathers, sporting a fluffy yellow belly.

Yuyu followed my finger. “Yup, that's a Rum Robin.” She confirmed. “Also, please don't give me a weird nickname.” Nicknames were a sign of affection and were a great way to build up friendships.

“Why is it called a Rum Robin?” I asked.

“That's what Master Brutus calls them. Apparently he left a barrel of rum sitting out here and a bunch of those birds got into it. The ones that got really drunk fell in and drowned.” She explained.

“That's awful!” I cried.

Yukio patted my head. “Don't feel too bad about it. Those birds are like flying rats. They reproduce like cockroaches and only live about a week. Besides, I’m sure the ones that drowned died pretty happy, considering how drunk they were.” She said.

“Oh… okay!” I said cheerfully. “Do you have any bread?” I asked.

“No!” She yelled. “Don't you dare feed those things! They will never leave you alone!”

I was a bit startled by her outburst, but understood her reasoning. “Okay, I’m sorry.” I nearly cried due to being yelled at.

Once we got back to our camp sight, my nose was hit by an awful smell. It was the smell of fresh meat. Yuyu on the other hand wasn't fazed one bit.

I've smelled this before. Back when dad killed and skinned a buck. It was pretty gruesome back then, and it was no different now.

Mr. Brutus had already dismantled the bear. It’s hide had been hung on a tree, while the meat was neatly stacked up on a blue tarp. The organs were being placed in jars. The bones were being washed, and sawed into 4 inch pieces. Then placed out in the sun to… dry, I guess?

Stripping the meat off the bone couldn’t have been easy, yet Mr. Brutus was able to do it so quickly. There had to be some trick involved. My best guess was acid, but where would he get something like that. Is poison the same as acid? I don’t think it is. Also, why was he trying to preserve the organs?

The whole situation felt like a cult sacrifice. Yuyu didn't seem all that bothered by it, so it must have been a normal occurrence. While the situation was a perfect medium for my curiosity, I was also still mad at Mr. Brutus for playing that cruel trick on me.

Yuyu said it was an emergency and there was no time to make the healing process painless, but still, that didn't mean Mr. Brutus had to laugh at me. I was in a lot of pain and he didn't even offer a head pat.

Remembering my frustration with him, I sat down and turned my back to him. He would need to apologize if he wanted my affection back. Right now his friendship rank with me was at enemy.

I wasn’t paying attention, but when I looked back to see what was going on. I saw Mr. Brutus roll some of the grass to one side like it was a carpet. Underneath was dirt as expected.

With his control over earth, he easily moved the mix of moist grains aside, revealing a metal lid underneath. It reminded me of those metal cans homeless people would lite ablaze during the winter.

I couldn’t help myself but watch as Mr. Brutus pulled the lid off. It didn’t look like there was anything inside. That’s when Mr. Brutus pulled out a small metal cube from his cloak.

From it a portal opened up. The brut reached in and pulled out one log after the other. From there, he picked them up one at a time and ripped them in half with his bare hands. Then fed them into the metal can.

That’s when Yuyu picked up a stick drawing out her knife. She ran her blade over the stick a few times creating small wooden shavings. My dad showed me that trick once. He called it a feather stick.

From there Mr. Brutus poured some alcohol into the pit. Then held out a lighter to Yuyu. Yuyu held the feather stick out near the lighter as Mr. Brutus lit it up.

This caused the wooden shavings to ignite. From there Yuyu dropped the stick into the pit and a moment later it too lit with a burning flame.

I looked away unimpressed by cave man fire. Just because it looked interesting didn’t mean I was interested. Nope, I had to stand my ground, so Mr. Brutus would feel bad.

Time passed and I found myself peeking again. I had to know if the big guy was feeling bad yet. He wasn’t. Not one bit. Mr. Brutus was still ignoring me. That made me so mad, but I was giving him the silent treatment not the yelling and throwing a tantrum treatment.

What was interesting though was the big metal pot Yuyu had. She was lining the bottom and it’s walls with a strange cactus plant. I wasn’t mad at her so I watched as she worked. Once all the plant fiber was in place, she started to lower the meat in.

She filled the pot almost to the brim, but there was still so much meat left. Mr. Brutus took the remaining meat and dropped it into that cube thing. I wonder if it was similar to a players inventory? No! I’m mad at him!

I looked back to Yuyu who was putting a clean white towel into the pot covering the top of the meat with it. That was strange.

She then put a metal lid on the pot. That’s when Mr. Brutus came over with what looked like a metal wire. He tied it off to both of the handles then grabbed a sturdy branch and hooked the wire onto it. With that done he lifted the whole thing using the branch. Then walked the pot over to the pit.

The fire had died down, but the heat was still strong. It looked like the wood was burning like the camp fire had. Just like a cigarette. Would it actually be able to cook the meat?

He then lowered the whole thing into the hole, removing the branch once the pot was settled in. From there Mr. Brutus put the metal lid back on the can, but instead of rolling the grass carpet back, he used his affinity with earth to cover it in dirt.

I got it. This was a slow way to cook meat. Those plant like things must keep moisture in so the meat doesn’t dry up. I bet they also keep it from burning. Since the heat has nowhere to go in the can the temperature also rises pretty high in there. That’s such a efficient way to cook meat. I was impressed.

Mr. Brutus glanced my way to which I remembered I was still mad at him, so I turned away forming a childish pout, while releasing a canonically loud, “hump!” to get my point across. I couldn’t be more obvious.

If he didn’t understand I was mad at him. Then I’d just have to grab a stick and beat it into that monkey skull of his, because at that point it would be obvious he just didn’t care I was mad and that was unacceptable! How dare he ignore my feelings!

I took another peek to see if Mr. Brutus was feeling bad yet. He just kept ignoring me as he drew a few symbols in the dirt where that can had been buried. Was he doing magic?

I rushed over to get a closer look. “Wow!” I said as I watched each symbol glow with blueish silver light. It didn't look like a magic circle. There was just a few runes in the dirt. “What is this?” I asked.

“This is rune script. It's the most basic enchantment known to man. Even a caveman like me can do this. It’s a temporary enchantment that'll speedup the cooking process of the meat. Think of it like the middle ground between casting a spell and an enchanted item.” Explained Mr. Brutus.

“What kind of aspects did you use?” I asked, as I inspected the silver light of the runes. It was almost like life aspects but not that. This one was kind of blue. Just like…. The Negentropy spell! “Are these time aspects?!”

“You’re not wrong, but we call them momentum aspects. There's an abundance of them everywhere you go. It’s the easiest to find. Everything is moving after all. This planet isn’t just rotating. It's also hurtling through space. Momentum aspects are time itself. That's what haste spells are made of. It’s what's in those speed boost potions back in B20… 1… whatever.” He explained.

That sounded so cool. “But what do the symbols mean?” I asked. I pointed to one before saying, “This one looks like chicken toes! Is it because chickens can run kind of fast?”

“I'm not… sure…” I must have thrown him off guard, because he scratched his head before brushing it off and continuing. “This pattern was something the lore keeper showed me. Just because I learned to play Seven Nation Army on a guitar, doesn’t mean I know how to play a guitar.” He replied.

The metaphor was clear. He basically learned to copy a string of letters perfectly, but has no idea why it works. He only knows that it works. That’s why Mr. Brutus let’s me try and learn on my own, so I’ll have a better understanding of the things he teaches me.

I crossed my arms tilting my head. “Wait? So can I draw on paper to cast spells?” I asked.

“It might work as a guide to craft the spell, but you'd still have to shape it yourself. Like tracing a picture. You’re better off with a mold, because you still need the aspect building blocks. Crayon wouldn’t work as a circuit for energy. That would be like using string as a way to pass electricity to a lightbulb. Since my control over aspects is so poor, I drew the symbols with my fingers while filling the grooves with momentum aspects.” He explained.

So that’s a no. I doubt Squirmy will sit back and watch me draw mystic symbols on the ground. Maybe if I had the spells prepared before hand? No, it only works because Mr. Brutus pours the aspects in as he draws.

What if I carved the spells into my sword? I can easily channel Qi through it which gives me a good feel for its shape structure and materials. I let out a long, “Hmm” In contemplation. “Can I put the runes on weapons and use them to cast magic!?”

“You can, but you would need to replace the aspects each time and that sort of casting is very harmful to items. Slapping a spell onto a weapon would destroy it within a few casts.” He said.

“Wait! But aren’t enchantments the same thing? How come they don’t melt gear after a few seconds? You know, since they're always active.” I asked.

“They do, but Enchantments are optimized to the point where the durability drop is low. It’s not the same rawness of a spell. Even rune script is more gentle on materials.” He said.

“Would rune script be a more viable option?” I asked hoping for some sort of angle I could exploit.

“Maybe, but even then you’re better off with regular enchantments. The things rune script can do aren’t the same as spells. It’s a lesser enchantment. It would be better to modify your swords aura with aspects.” He explained.

I can do that? Now that I thought about it. I can apply the same life aura using life aspects. Though, a sword that can heal any cut it makes sounds more like a torture device than an actual weapon. What if I used other aspects like fire or momentum!?

Wait! Why am I chatting with this betrayer!? “I'm still mad at you!” I turned around releasing a huff.

I heard him sigh. “Alright then.” He said.

I was startled, as I felt his rough hands grab me by the waist. My mind raced with a bunch of scenarios I'd seen while browsing Hentaihaven. Back when the website still existed.

Lucky for me those disgusting thoughts were thrown out the window when my feet left the ground as Mr. Brutus threw me into the air. I must have gone up about 60 feet. The sudden G-force was so awful, as if I’d been thrown around in a rollercoaster. That was until Mr. Brutus caught me.

While I might have screamed at first. It also got a laugh out of me. He didn't stop there as he threw me into the air again, and again, and again. After the fifth time, he finally put me down. By then I was all giddy.

“Here, I got this for you while I was off world.” Mr. Brutus handed me a red lollipop.

“Whoa! Thank you!” I said taking it into my hands.

Pulling the wrapper off I stuffed it into my mouth. The red candy tasted like cherries. My favorite!

“Hey! How come you’re being nice to him?” Said Yuyu. She was off to one side trying to fix the sword I broke.

“What do you mean? I'm always nice.” Said Mr. Brutus.

She raised an Eyebrow. “Are you fucking with me?! You basically tortured me during our training, and you never got me any candy!” Said Yuyu.

Mr. Brutus gave my head a soft pat. It felt really good. I even found myself rubbing my head against his palm, like an affectionate cat trying to rub their scent on their human.

“What the hell is this!” Yelled Yuyu, stumping her foot and brandishing the newly refurbished sword.

The wood appeared to have a scar where it had snapped in half. Almost like the weapon had healed. I wanted to ask about it, but Yuyu seemed kind of pissy at the moment.

“What do you mean brat?” Asked Mr. Brutus as he gently caressed my skull.

Since Mr. Brutus was here, I didn’t feel the need to flinch at Yuyu's outrage, so I continued to suck on my lollipop like a baby with a pacifier.

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Technically you could call it a pacifier considering Mr. Brutus used it to pacify my anger, but that implied I could easily be tricked with candy. which was not something that was true. Nope, this is not me falling for the same trick again. It’s different this time. It was apology candy. Not kidnapping candy. I made sure this time.

“What do I mean! You were never like that with me, and if anyone’s a brat, it would be Isaac!” She responded.

I let out a “hey!” In outrage. Then immediately took a step back when Yuyu glared at me. Yeah, no. I refuse to get in the middle of samurai vs Kong. I glanced over at Mr. Brutus to gage his reaction as I sucked on my delicious treat.

“What brat? Are you jealous?” He accused.

I looked back to Yuyu who looked to be shaking in frustration. “I'm not jealous! If you could have been nice this whole time! Then why the fuck are you such an asshole to me!” She yelled.

Mr. Brutus chuckled not giving a real response. This only served to anger Yuyu, throwing her into a rage.

I felt the hairs on my neck tingle as Yuyu yelled, “Don't laugh at me you dam dirty ape!” Her aura flashed as she powered her wooden blade. The power around her body and weapon ignited with pink plasma, as she went to attack Mr. Brutus.

I immediately felt the hairs on my neck stand, causing me to jump away from them. Just as a clapping wave of plasma made it’s way through the air, striking Mr. Brutus.

I felt bits and pieces of rubble pelt my front side just as I landed. I hadn't even realized my aura had somehow activated.

With my insane reaction time. I was left wondering if this had anything to do with my sympathy. It was as if I knew something was about to happen.

The power Yuyu displayed wrapped back around her body revealing a stone statue where Mr. Brutus had been. It fell apart, first revealing Mr. Brutus's arm. The limb shot forward wrapping it’s fingers around Yuyu’s neck. Suspending her in the air.

She didn't even struggle as the earth under her rose up and wrapped around her body. Mr. Brutus then released her, leaving her trapped in the rock, with only her head visible. “That should teach you not to attack your Master.” He said.

“Yuyu! Are you okay!?” I ran over to check on her. Her eyes were unfocused. It was like she was staring into space. She didn't speak. Instead she started making strange gurgling noises.

“Don't worry about her kid. She tries to attack me on a daily basis. I didn't hurt her or nothing. All I did was poison her a little. Her body is paralyzed right now, but she'll be up and moving in a few minutes.” Said Mr. Brutus.

I climbed up the side of the rock. Then waved my hand over Yuyu’s eyes. “Cool! She's so calm. I've never seen that.” I said in amazement. I pulled her cheek to which she didn't react. All I got was a bit of drool.

That gave me an idea. I grabbed both her cheeks and forced her lips to curl. “look Mr. Brutus she’s not grumpy anymore!”

“Huh, I’ve never seen her that happy.” He was amused by my shenanigans, but only for a moment. His lips went from a slight upward curl to a stoic frown. “You know what…. It feels wrong somehow. Maybe you should stop.”

“Huh?” I looked back to Yuyu and realized, He was right. Smiling didn’t really suit her. It was actually super creepy now that I thought about it. A happy Yuyu sounded wrong. The only way that could happen is if a building full of puppies and kitties was burning down.

I made her frown. This seemed right. Now the fire was put out and Yuyu went to jail for starting it. I love happy endings!

“Alright, kid. That’s enough dicking around. Lets get some training in while the meat cooks.” He said.

I did a little back flip off of Yuyu’s earth cocoon, landing on my feet. I nearly fell upon landing, but that was okay. I was just testing out my sense of balance.

Before the ascension, I was capable of all sorts of acrobatics, thanks to my really high dexterity. Now I wasn’t sure. My body was still pretty nimble even without an aura. With an aura I was sure I could reach the same amount of speed and balance I had before. With enough practice, I might even be able to go passed it.

I went ahead and chewed up the last of my candy. Then threw the lollipop stick into the remains of our campfire. Somehow the small bits of burnt wood were still producing heat, even though there was no visible flame. I think it was similar to the slow burn of a cigarette. “I’m ready Mr. Brutus!”

“Good to hear. Activate that aura and let’s work on closing off those holes.” He instructed.

Nodding I knocked on my dantian and it responded with a flood of energy. As soon as my aura finished cloaking my body, a sudden pressure came over me. Mr. Brutus’s aura was way stronger this time. My shell was really being put to the test. So much so that I had to force even more power into the cycle.

Thus causing my aura to bleed Qi. Before I knew it my control was back to square one. The more power I added the harder it was to hold onto. It was like trying to contain a storm within a small glass bottle. The more I tried to mold it, the more energy was released.

This wasn’t right. I focused on compacting my Qi, in an attempt to keep it contained within my meridians. The power was moving too fast causing it to go off track. Next thing I knew, my aura fizzled out, as the power I forced through my body lost its pattern.

My body fell to the ground as Mr. Brutus’s aura nearly crushed me. It didn’t hurt me. It just felt like I was under another bear. Perhaps an Obese cub this time. It was un-cub-able. No that’s not clever enough, and it doesn’t make any sense.

I wasn’t in pain. It was… cubearable? Uh, that one’s kind of mid. Besides it’s not that bearable… Wait, was that one a bear pun? Yeah that kind of works, except the situations also not that unbearable, If anything this was more annoying than unbearable… so it was cubnoxious. Oh I like that one! Darn, if only I actually had a cub on my back.

“Come on kid. Focus that power again. You won’t die, so take your time and work your way back.” He instructed.

I cut off the mass amount of power. Bringing it back down to a thread. It cycled through my body slowly, until I got the pattern down.

I then added more and more Qi creating the faintest of auras. I still wasn’t able to stand, but some of the pressure was off. Slowly I added threads weaving them into a star. As I did I worked on molding my aura and keeping all my power contained.

Before I could add more power, I focused on containing the Qi that was already flowing. It was slow, but I worked on it. It was just like Yuyu said. Going from 0 to 100 was a bad idea. I needed to build the foundation first. Then add floor after floor until I have a whole building.

After 30 minutes of trying, I still couldn’t get to my feet. Mr. Brutus turned his aura off and I felt relieved as all that pressure vanished.

Standing up I couldn’t help but notice how solid my aura was. It was almost like Yuyu’s, but not as powerful.

“That’s pretty good. It needs a little more Qi before it’ll be considered level 1, but it’s solid with no gaps. Undo it and try to reform it again. Keep doing that until you can make it happen within a second.” He said.

Make it happen within a second? How! It took me 30 minutes to make this and that was with Mr. Brutus prodding the weak points in my shell. Without that I’ll just be guessing at what needs more coverage.

Mr. Brutus walked over to where he buried the meat. I went ahead and practiced my aura. It was slow going, but it did feel like I could get the first few layers to form a little faster.

I practiced the first five over and over. After 10 minutes, I felt as though I could form them in under 5 seconds. These were actually the easiest ones to make. From my calculations I needed at least 50 layers, before my aura became as solid as Yuyu’s.

My first aura ever had enough power to reach level 1, but it was lacking focus and structure. The aura I managed to mold with Mr. Brutus, had about 23 layers. I had a long way to go. The good news was I could heal myself now, so I wouldn't die immediately upon waking in the new world.

I continued to practice only to realize I’d neglected my upper back. I tried to mold my aura so that it covered that area, but it was easier to start over.

Time went on and it didn't feel like I was improving. I kept going until finally Mr. Brutus called me over. “Come on kid, it’s time to eat.”

I looked to where he was and saw that he had already lifted the pot out of the hole and was holding a paper plate with what looked like a huge hunk of meat. Simply seeing the reddish dark meat made my mouth go wet with drool. I could see steam coming off of it.

I made my way over taking the plate. “isn't it a little too early to be eating such a heavy meal?” I asked.

“Actually for a cultivator heavy meals are important for Qi regeneration. Especially if it's meat. Meat gives the most regeneration. From now on you’re a carnivore.” He said.

I raised a hand.

“Yeah?” He responded.

“Can I be a candy-vore Instead?” I asked.

“As a responsible adult I have to say no.” He responded.

I dropped my hand down in bitter disappointment. Had Shadow told this man not to let me gorge on sweets, or was this a universal thing? I’ve never had kids but if I did… I probably wouldn’t let them have too much candy either.

I was fine with that. I love eating meat. Besides, if I didn't eat it then Mr. Bear would have died for nothing. Well technically he died so I could live. Without his life force I wouldn’t have learned how to construct a life aura.

Before taking a bite I thanked the bear for its sacrifice. Using my hand, I tore off a stringy chunk of meat. Then fed it to my mouth. It was a little like beef but… sweeter. The meat was a bit gamey but was pretty good. It definitely had a strong flavor and could really benefit from seasoning. I loved that it wasn't super dry. I’d give it a 7 out of 10.

“It’s good.” I said.

Mr. Brutus had what looked like a whole steak in one hand. While holding his flask in the other. “Dam right it is! Don't you realize I was able to cook it for 8 hours within the span of one!” Said Mr. Brutus before taking a drink of his flask.

“You assholes are eating without me!” rock exploded as Yuyu flexed her aura breaking out of Mr. Brutus's stone hold.

“Yuyu! You have to try some it's really good!” I said.

She stomped her way over. I skipped towards her meeting her half way. Once in front of her I presented my plate. She stopped in her tracks, looking annoyed. Then took the hunk of meat in her hands before ripping into it with her teeth.

“This stuff is better than last time.” She said.

“I finally got the timing right.” Said Mr. Brutus.

“I still think it could use a little barbecue sauce.” Said Yuyu.

“She's right. It needs something extra for that strong beast taste. It almost feels like I licked Mr. bears prepackaged bath water.” I said.

Mr. Brutus waved me off. “That’s how most fresh meat is. Once you get used to it. It becomes less noticeable. Like the bitter taste of alcohol. If you can get passed it, you’ll find lots of interesting flavors.” He said.

He wasn’t wrong. All beer tasted different. For me it took about a week of drinking before I could make out the actual flavors of beer. After that I finally understood that a lot of people drink because they like it. Not just to get drunk.

With that I learned to appreciate the flavor of the meat. Eating it made me feel like an adult with mature tastes. Yuyu still had a hard time with it, but continued to eat.

After our breakfast, or I guess it was more like brunch. Mr. Brutus handed me the previously broken wooden sword. I ran my fingers over the mend job Yuyu did on it. It was solid, but was no longer smooth.

“Wow Yuyu. You did a good job fixing it.” I complemented.

Yuyu grunted in response. She was still chewing on a lump of meat.

“Alright kid. You like fighting with swords right?” Said Mr. Brutus.

“I dabble in all kinds of things.” I clarified. “Watched this!” I twirled my skirt around and made a “ka-boooom!” Noise with my mouth.

Mr. Brutus looked confused for a second. Then pretended to be hurt by holding his chest. “Oh, no. You got me kid!”

A wave of concern came over me. “Oops! I’m sorry Mr. Brutus. Are you alright?”

“I’ll live.” He patted my head. “I’m gonna have you spar with the brat. The goal is to improve your efficiency with not only the sword, but fighting with an aura in general. I noticed your aura was all over the place when you murdered that bear.” He said.

“I didn’t murder it! It was self defense!” I cried.

“Same thing. Either way you killed it. Good job. That’s not important right now.” He said. “Brat. You know what to do.”

Yuyu had already finished her food and was picking at her teeth with a toothpick. “Yeah, yeah.”

Just like that, her aura flared to life. It was only at level 1 though. It didn’t have that plasma flare like before. I was a little thankful for that. Though, it was disappointing, not being able to see that powerful aura again.

I focused, forcing my aura to form layer after layer. It was a little faster but once I hit the fifth layer it really slowed down. I managed to get it to twelve layers, before I realized it would take too long to go any further.

I could probably build it as we spar. I finished it off by forming my blades aura. I tried to do it in layers too, but it was a lot harder and I was only able to get it up to 5 layers.

Once everything was set. I held the sword out in front of me to protect my vital organs. Funny thing that is. All organs are basically vital. Maybe not the reproductive organs, but who would want to live without those?

“Begin, or whatever.” said Mr. Brutus, before he walked away to tend to the remaining bear parts.

I went for a downward strike only for Yuyu to hold her blade up with the tip pointing down, diagonally to her right.

My attack was caught by her sword and slid off its surface completely avoiding her. That’s when she changed her stance. Raising the tip of her sword to the sky and bringing it down for a strike. Her attack landed hitting me on the head.

It felt like I’d been struck with a limb rather than a stick, causing pain to rattle over the surface of my skull. I immediately dropped my sword and started crying.

“Ow, Yuyu that hurt!” *sob* I held my head trying to sooth the pain. “I don’t wanna play anymore!”

“I didn’t hit you that hard. I even softened my sword for you. See?” She held her blade out to me.

The pink glow looked very fluffy. I tried touching it. It felt like I was holding a soft plush tail. “Wow! You can do that?”

“Yup, now do you know what I did?” She asked.

What she did? “You parried my attack right?” I asked. I’d seen that move while watching sword fighting videos.

“Good job!” She gave me a head pat. “Do you know what you did wrong?”

“Ummm…” I rubbed my two brain cells together. “I froze up.”

“Yup. You didn’t block. You of all people should know, fights don’t end after you hit something. You should have retreated a little and watched for my movements. I’ll give you a quick run down of the basics of sword play. So listen up!” She snapped her fingers to keep my attention on her.

“lots of beginners attack their opponents sword. You need to attack me. Don’t watch the sword. Watch me. The flexes of my muscles. Where my eyes are focused. Even the way I’m breathing can give you a lot of information. Like if I’m tired, or even if I’m in pain. It should tell you everything you need to know about your opponent.” She explained.

I nodded. So in other words I just needed to do what I did best. Sympathize. That was a bit hard to do on command. It’s only happened a few times and I’m not sure how it worked. For now I could simply do it the old fashioned way. Like when I was a kid navigating the social landmines of society.

We went at it for a while. As we fought I added layers to my aura. No matter how hard I tried I couldn’t seem to strike her. She was too quick.

What was I doing wrong? Now that I thought about it. Her moves weren’t all that fancy. In fact she wasn't moving all that much. I on the other hand was moving my arms and twisting my body.

Her sword struck mine, as I did my best to block her attack. I decided to be more flexible with my moves. Instead of trying to power through like a certain brut. I would strike and abandon my attack the moment it was blocked.

The same went for blocks and parries. I was always shifting my stance for better leverage. This let me last much longer before the inevitable fluffy bonk on my head.

I fell back on the grass holding my noggin. “That hurts!” I yelled kicking and thrashing on the floor.

“You’re such a baby. Come on, don’t give up. You’ve already improved a little.” Said Yuyu.

“I don’t wanna!” I cried.

Yuyu poked my tummy with the tip of her sword. It felt funny. “Stop it!”

She did it again as I tried to retreat from her. She continued until one of her pokes squeezed a fart out of me. I felt pretty embarrassed. Yuyu however started laughing.

“That’s not funny!” I yelled getting to my feet and flaring up the aura of my blade.

“Come fight me then! you're not getting any cheap shots today piss baby!” Said Yuyu holding up her sword.

I dashed forward for a stab. She flicked her wrist swiping my weapon away with hers. Then went for a Horizontal strike. I held my blade up at an angle shifting the trajectory of her weapon so that it went over my head. Then dropped my blade low and went for an upward diagonal cut. She sidestepped it. Then poked me in the chest.

“That’s not fair!” I said.

“How is that not fair?” She asked.

“Um… um… I don’t know. You’re a bad guy, so you’re supposed to lose.” I said.

She shuck her head. “Bad guys win all the time. I think Aku just doesn’t like losing.” She mockingly suggested.

I wanted to get mad, until I realized the girl had a point. The anger I felt was coming from Aku. If only my newly adopted daughter wasn’t so attached to me. I hate to say it but she was really getting in the way.

[System]

[Princess Aku] I am not! She hurt Snowball and now she’s cheating! Papa beat her up! She has to be cheating! Papa is the strongest!

[Isaac] I see. I am the strongest, but Yukio knows how to use swords and I’m trying to learn from her. Do you think you can sit back and let me play with Yukio for a little while?

[Princess Aku] *gasp* that’s so scandalous! I’m telling mama on you!

[Isaac] Not in that way! Also, don’t tell Alice stuff like that! She will literally stab me!

[Princess Aku] I don’t caaarre!! You can’t make me play with her!! *tantrum noises*

[Isaac] Alright, settle down kiddo. What if she apologized?

[Princess Aku] ……. Maybe… I don’t hate her that much. She did help me fall back to sleep and get water, and stuff. Her head pats are nice too.

I looked to Yuyu. Who in turn was looking at me funny. Crap, did I do something strange again?

“Did I just watch you have an inner monolog?” She asked, smiling from one ear to the other.

“Kind of… you need to apologize!” I snapped.

“For what? Hitting you? This is training. Everyone gets a little hurt during training.” She responded.

I ran over to where Snowball was sitting. Then brought her over. “For hurting Snowball of course!” I held snowball up to her.

“That’s right! You hurt me real bad! My leg still feels funny!” Said Snowball.

“See! She says her leg feels funny! It probably got put on backwards!” I translated.

This got a laugh out of Yuyu. Which only seemed to anger me more. “Stop laughing! Why are you laughing!? It’s not funny!” I yelled as I started a one arm windmill punching spree.

My tiny fist started to pummel Yuyu, but she kept laughing at me. She dropped her weapon. Then held my arm by the wrist, like how my brother used to do when we were littler. Only less painful.

“Let go!” I pulled, but her aura must have been powering her grip, because I couldn’t break free. That’s when I bit her.

“Ow!” She yelled in pain releasing me. I fell on my back and felt a tantrum coming on as my Qi rushed through me.

Power erupted out of my body as I screamed. Qi without focus, or reason formed a pillar of blue light that could be seen for miles. The power was raw and rabid. It didn’t last long as my dantian bottomed out. At which point my tantrum sputtered out into kicking and sobbing.

“Please stop! This is why I never had children!” Yelled Yuyu.

Her loud voice scared me, causing my crying to quiet down into sniffles and whimpers.

“Alright, I'm sorry for laughing okay. I’m also sorry for hurting… Snowball.” She said Snowballs name like she was implying it was ridiculous.

“You don’t *sob* mean that…” I cried.

“Of course I do! Here, let me see.” She picked Snowball up. I had dropped her while expelling all my Qi.

“Don’t hurt her!” I cried.

I watched as Yuyu forced a handful of Qi through Snowballs body. Snowball glowed pink as she started wiggling in Yuyu’s grip. That’s when all the power went into Snowballs leg and vanished.

“How does that feel Snowball? Do you feel better now?” Asked Yuyu.

“My leg feels pretty good!” Said Snowball excitedly.

“She says she feels better!” I translated.

Yuyu handed her back to me and I gave her a hug.

“Okay, so are we good now?” She asked

“Yes!” I cheerfully replied.

“You released all your power though. I guess we can practice without the aura part. Your sword skills are non-existent, so it'll be good if we can beef them up.” She said.

“Yeah, well I’ve spent most of my time playing video games. I might have watched a video or two on sword fighting, but I’ve never actually put any of that into practice.” I explained.

“I noticed. Most newbies tend to go super flashy with their sword strikes. Almost like they’re in a movie or something, but you were a bit more conservative with your movements, even from the start.” She explained.

I nodded then went to put Snowball in a safe place. On my way back I grabbed my discarded weapon. Picking it up I gave it a few swings. Swinging it around without an aura felt strange. There was no real weight to it and it felt like I could snap it in half, if I swung it to hard.

Even though I had no aura, my body had been enhanced after the ascension. If I still had stats, I bet my stat ratios would be through the roof. A single level in strength would be worth 10 levels.

Of course those levels were nothing more than the body being enhanced by an aura, so I should be able to reach even higher levels in stats simply by cycling more Qi.

That’s not even taking into account all the neat aspect combinations I could use to give myself buffs and abilities. I still needed to experiment a little, but for now I had to learn the basics.

Yuyu started to pick her nose. “I see an opening!” I said before attacking her.

“Bitch please!” She intersected my attempt at a swipe. Then brought her weapon down over my head while only using one hand.

I hopped to the left then went for another strike. Her weapon never struck the ground and instead she pulled it close to block my attack.

From there I swung my blade over and over again bashing it into hers from multiple angles. No matter how I attacked. She just kept blocking my strikes. The worst part was that stupid smirk on her face.

I went for a stab, but she avoided it, stepping passed me as I stepped forward. Then spun her body around and smacked me on the butt with the flat of her blade.

“Ow!” I fell to my knees holding my ass.

“Sorry about that. I might have increased the difficulty by accident.” Said Yuyu.

I understood what she meant. “That’s good. That just means I forced you to try harder!” I got excited at the thought of actually getting her to sweat a little.

“Don’t get cocky!” She struck down with her blade, but I rolled out of the way. Then lunged at her for another attack. She avoided it as her body vanished in a blur of speed.

Realizing what had happened I stopped myself. Then lifted my sword over my head just as she struck down at me from behind.

“What the hell? How’d you know I was gonna strike you there?” She asked.

“You always go for the head.” I responded before spinning around and swiping my sword at her. She jumped back avoiding me, before dashing forward for another strike.

I blocked it to which she pulled her sword back and swept my legs out from under me. As I fell I thrusts my hand into the ground injecting as many wind aspects as possible into the dirt, while removing the life aspects in the grass. This combination caused a cloud of dirt to explode up into the air.

Yuyu tried to strike the spot where I supposedly fell only for her blade to hit ground. That's when I revealed myself just above her.

“let's see how you like it!” I yelled as I struck her in the head, except I was way more harsh with my strike. So much so that Yuyu fell over and started bleeding from the top of her head.

I landed on the ground beside her. “oops. Yuyu, you were supposed to block… Are you okay?” I asked.

She didn't respond. I couldn't help but notice my sword was broken again, but in a new place. I poked her a few times with the remains. No reaction.

“Oh, no! She's dead!” I panicked.

I looked around for any witnesses. Mr. Brutus had left a while ago. My attention fell on Snowball. “What should I do?!” I cried.

“I don't know! You murdered her! You need to hide the body before someone finds out!” said Snowball.

“But.. no! She was supposed to block. in anime, when the MC trains like this, the teacher never gets hurt they always manage to block or tank it like its nothing! She can’t die!” I sobbed.

I crouched down hugging my knees. “No… not again. Why does this keep happening!” I cried.

Snowball had gone silent as I pondered my next move. I wanted to turn myself in, but I couldn’t do that because that would get in the way of my training and then everyone else would die.

“Be normal! Why can’t you be normal! Stop hurting people! Stop killing them! I’m so sorry! I didn’t mean it!” I rocked back and forth wishing I could just undo everything.

“You monster! You monster! You monster!” I pulled on my hair as tears splashed against my thighs.

Later

I was sitting on the grass playing with Snowball when Mr. Brutus finally showed up. By now it was already starting to get dark. My smile and laughter was forced as I tried to come off as normal as possible.

I couldn’t be here right now so I pretended to be a child. It wasn’t hard seeing as Aku’s soul was still attached, and I’d basically been doing it all day without realizing.

“Where's the brat?” Asked Mr. Brutus.

I shrugged my shoulders not really meeting his hidden eyes. “I don't know. She said something about treasure and ran that way.” I pointed in a random direction.

“Yup, that's right! Aku totally didn't murder and bury her.” Added Snowball. I covered her mouth and smiled up at Mr. Brutus. It must have been very unconvincing because he became more serious.

He seemed to mull it over for a second before looking around the area. I couldn't help but notice he was eyeing the blood stains on the ground and my broken sword. I scratched the dirt between my fingers to exercise some of the anxiety I was feeling. It wasn’t enough as I lightly sobbed and sniffed.

“You forgot the blood and murder weapon.” Whispered Snowball.

“I know.” I cried as softly and quietly as I could.

Mr. Brutus looked my away like he knew I did something. I tried to smile but it wasn’t working. In the end I had to hug my knees and bury my face in them.

“Um. that's ah… p-period blood. Yuyu had a big one right before she left. Real big.” I said.

“Oh. I guess it's hard being a woman.” He said.

I sighed in relief thinking I was safe. That was until the fire pit exploded as an ash covered hand burst through the once buried metal lid, not only sending the lid flying but also throwing ash and dirt into the air.

“Aaaaa!” I shrieked. “it’s a zombie! This is just like my DMT zombie ex-wife all over again! Yuyu's come to take revenge on me and start the zombie apocalypse!” I cried.

Zombie Yuyu or Zubu for short started crawling out of the pit. I sprung to my feet flaring my aura to life.

She was on all fours and was covered head to toe in dark gray ash. “Go away!” I yelled as I threw a rock at her head. It hit causing Zubu to grunt.

That was when her aura flared to life. A zombie with the power of a cultivator? It was really the end. “Oh my Cosmo were all going to die! No! But I don’t wanna turn into a zombie and have to eat people again!”

That’s when the gray ash started to peal itself from Zubu’s body and vanish. “Whoa! Mr. Brutus, look! Zubu is fighting her zombification!”

A moment later I heard. “What the fuck Isaac! You buried me alive you son of an abusive bitch!”

Oh, crap. My imagination got the best of me again. But… she wasn’t breathing, or was that something my mind made up? Didn’t I check her vitals? I did, or did I just imagine I did. “I thought you were dead!” I said.

That’s when Mr. Brutus stepped aside just as Zubu vanished in a blur. An instant later, I found myself in a familiar position. There was a knee pressed up against my stomach and I was staring at the ground for some odd reason. I also couldn’t help but notice, I couldn’t really move around much as it felt like someone was holding me in place.

My eyes went wide, as It suddenly hit me. “Wait! Wait! We can work this out! I’ll-” My cries were cut off by a loud whack. followed by an all to familiar burning sting. “-aaaaaaaah!”