Chapter 45
Ryker
Once again, I found myself lying on my back, gazing up at the artificial clouds floating by. A quick check of my bars revealed my health was near 100%, with my mana half full. I realized I had been unconscious for roughly half an hour during this episode. Sitting up, I saw Silvar waiting patiently, a coy smile on his face, as if he hadn't just attempted to blast my brains out of my ears with some kind of psychic attack. Steadying myself, I said, “Well, mission accomplished. I now have my psychic resistance unlocked... now what?”
Silvar flicked a finger casually in my direction, and a constant pressure began building behind my right eye. Wincing at the sudden discomfort, I found it manageable. Leaning forward, Silvar rested an elbow lazily on his knee and said, “Now that you're done napping, it's about time we get some work done. The first and most important skill you need to develop is learning how to actively draw in vital energy, while I slowly squeeze your psyche.”
I gave Silvar a stiff nod through the headache and asked, “Okay, but didn't you say we all were already absorbing vital energy? What is the difference?”
He whistled in astonishment, “Boy oh boy... you really are dense. From the beginning, I thought I made it clear that there were multiple ways to absorb vital energy. Yes, you are currently PASSIVELY absorbing vital energy. Anyone and everyone that has awakened can and will do this. They will all grow stronger in turn... Some will figure out on their own how to draw it in faster instinctively, but most will flail around ignorant like a gaggle of blind, deaf, and dumb children. I will teach you to become a proper awakened.”
The whole idea of vital energy remained foreign to me, but I tried not to dwell on my ignorance for too long since I was already reaping the benefits. Instead, I focused on how to continue improving and pushing myself further down this new path of power.
Silvar continued his lesson, “The empire's so-called experts would tell you to close your eyes and try to find your center, then focus on the feeling of the universe around you. That, my boy, is a crock of shit. We Vren found long ago that the best way to teach a youngling how to draw in vital energy is to show them how to sense energy flows coming and going within them. The easiest and most abundant type of energy for you to learn on will be your mana.”
I tried to appear confident while listening, even though I had no clue what that meant. Placing both of my hands on my knees, I sat tall and asked, “Alright, so you want me to sense my own mana, how do you want me to accomplish that?”
The monk worm’s smile was easy as he answered, “That's the best part, Ryker. All you have to do is play with your buddies. Me and Ruby have agreed that it's not fair for you to get all the shine. So, we found a way to help you and them simultaneously.”
I heard footsteps behind me and turned to find Amy, Jeremiah, and Luke walking towards me, each holding one of the wooden weapons I had found inside the dojo. Excitement filled me as I realized what Silvar meant by “playing” with my friends. Popping up to my feet, I glanced at Silvar and asked, “So I take it, you want me to spar with them? Who is first?”
With a wave of Silvar's hand, Red appeared in front of the small group and announced, “Ok, everybody! Remember what we talked about. Everyone, do your best to kill Ryker, or I will burn you! When you hear the ringing of the gong start, and when you hear it again, stop! Have fun!” Next to Red, a gong twice the size of her tiny form rose out of the ground, and she shot me a quick apologetic look before slamming the back of her fist into the instrument.
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As soon as the deafening percussion of the gong rang out, all three of my peers sprinted in my direction. I quickly overcame my shock and indignation, shifting into survival mode. Although I knew Red wouldn't let me die, I wasn't in the business of standing by and letting others kick my ass. I had been in fights where I was outnumbered, but never against opponents this strong.
Jeremiah quickly outpaced the others, arriving 20 feet ahead of the group. Caught off guard by his quickness, I threw up my arms in a hasty block, operating solely on instinct. A barrage of strong blows pelted my defense, but none were enough to do more than inconvenience me. Jeremiah clumsily wielded two wooden hammers, attempting to bludgeon me, but his inexperience made his attacks ineffective. As the others closed the distance, I lowered my guard and rushed Jeremiah during his next overhead blow, catching him off guard and driving him into the ground. I grabbed his left arm, pinning it under me, and drove my right fist into his gut. As I drew back for a follow up, a mighty blow caught me in the ribs, sending me skipping across the ground.
When my body finally stopped bouncing, I coughed up a mouthful of blood, watching as my mana began to dip. Silvar's voice echoed in my head, “Remember, this is training. Every injury is a chance for you to feel your mana being used and leaving your body. Now, focus!”
I concentrated on my obviously broken ribs, but between the pain during each breath and Amy and Luke bearing down on me, I didn't have time to think; so I fought on. Amy and Luke reached me at the same time, and I observed the massive two-handed hammer that Luke had in his grip, dragging on the ground behind him as he ran. Amy, on the other hand, wore a pair of wooden gauntlets that encased both of her arms completely, resembling shields. They were narrow at her elbows but widened 6 inches on either side of her forearms near the wrist then narrowed again to a point 3 inches past her knuckles to create a brutal tip.
Luke opened with a grunt of effort as he made a slow but powerful attempt to strike me with the hammer, but I was ready and rolled out of the way and was greeted by Amy's right fist lashing out at my face. I spun to my left and felt the edge of the gauntlet graze my temple as it rushed by. With Amy this close, I continued my turn and trapped her extended arm then hip threw her as hard as I could. To my surprise, she felt as if she weighed nothing and effortlessly flew over my head and crashed violently onto the ground. I paused in fear that I had overdone it and hurt my friend but was shocked when she rolled to her feet in a crouch and leapt towards me with her fist raised for another strike. I took a step forward to meet her but was greeted instead by the sound of my right leg snapping, and then the world was spinning as Luke's hammer sent me cartwheeling across the ground again.
After skidding to a stop, I scrambled to push myself up to my feet, but for some reason, I kept stumbling onto my right side every time I pushed off. After the third attempt, I looked down and realized I was staring at the bottom of my right foot. When Luke's hammer smashed into my leg, it had broken mid-femur and gotten trapped under me. Now, I had to literally pull my pink toe out of my belly button and get back into the fight.
Rolling onto my back, I forcefully grabbed my right leg and let out a scream of anguish as I thrust it back into its normal position. Through the pain, I could have sworn I heard a dull thud and the sound of splashing. I brushed it off as unimportant and pushed myself up onto my left leg. I raised my fists, ready to fight, and found a very unexpected sight. Amy was on her hands and knees, facing away from me, dry heaving over a puddle of sick. Meanwhile, Jeremiah must have recovered because he was kneeling over Luke's unconscious body, shaking him by his shoulders and yelling, “Luke! Wake up!”
I glanced over at Silvar and found him shaking his head in disgust. He turned to me and said, “They act like they have never seen someone reset their own bones before. Your species is so soft... Take a break to heal and concentrate on your mana.” He stomped off, and as he was fading away, I could hear him mumble, “Good for nothing human… fainting… embarrassing.”