Chapter 51
Ryker
After finishing my meal, I reluctantly thanked Jeremiah for his help, punctuating the sentiment by giving him the finger. Chuckling, he left me to recover and rejoined the others in their training. Since I anticipated being stuck here for a while healing, I decided to use my time wisely for some training of my own. Closing my eyes, I settled into a comfortable position to begin drawing in vital energy. I lay there for what felt like hours, troubleshooting to no avail. The moment I felt a connection to the energy form I would try and draw on it but it kept slipping through my fingers.
Distantly, I perceived the others having their own meal, after which they moved into the dojo to spar. Paying them no mind, I continued the tedious process of trial and error. I tried imagining different shapes, methods, and mindsets. At one desperate point, I even resorted to cursing at the energy, but it refused to relent. Nothing seemed to work until I fell ass backwards into a revelation.
Taking a break to check on my condition, I found I could move my limbs again. Carefully rolling onto my side, I pushed myself up into the lotus position and finished checking my injuries. Most of them had healed, but I still had a hole in one side of my face that was slowly closing. I laughed to myself, pressing my lips together and realizing I could still breathe through the opening. With some practice, I even managed to make it whistle. During that moment of levity, an idea struck me. I use my lungs to move air through my body all day long. Maybe I can use that action to aid me in drawing on vital energy.
Attempting to manage my expectations, I tried not to get my hopes up and closed my eyes to reach out to the energy. After hours of constant practice, I recognized vital energy much faster than before. Slowly letting out all my breath while concentrating on what I wanted the energy to do, I pursed my lips and began to draw in the air. Immediately, the energy vibrated, and I sensed it start to float in my direction. In my excitement, my concentration faltered, and my connection to the energy broke.
After recentering my thoughts, I began to cycle my breathing again. In and out. I continued this for a full minute, and finally, I achieved my first success! One mote of the mysterious energy entered my mouth, and I felt that same power Silvar had released inside me travel toward my heart and disappear. The moment the energy left my senses, Silvar suddenly appeared before me and said, “Well done! I figured I was going to have to watch you bumble around like this for days.”
Once I got over the shock of Silvar popping into existence 2 inches from my face I scowled at the Vren and said. “I thought you had to rest and would be out for days!”
Silvar didn't even have the common courtesy to fake a guilty look. He gave me a toothy smile and said, “I didn't say anything of the sort. I may have implied it, but that doesn't matter now. You have successfully sensed, identified, and drawn in vital energy. You are now ready for the next step in your training.”
Just before he started his explanation, Silvar momentarily froze and turned to his right, where Ruby and Red materialized. Ruby looked from me to Silvar and said, “I am afraid this will have to wait. We have much more pressing issues that require our attention.”
I gave Ruby a questioning look before she snapped her fingers. Immediately, the sensation of the suit tightening around my body left me with a sick feeling in my gut. Ruby had taken control and abruptly forced me to my feet. I let out a hiss of discomfort as my stiff muscles protested the rough treatment.
Ruby shot me an apologetic look then said, “I am sorry to spring this on you, but apparently, our daughter has been conducting negotiations on our behalf, and the fleet commander will arrive in 60 seconds.”
As she explained, she forced me into a brisk run, and within seconds, I was standing in front of the dojo entrance. I could see Amy, Luke, and Jeremiah being frog-marched into their rooms by different copies of Red. Then their doors closed automatically behind them and disappeared from view. Red made eye contact with me and said, “The less they know, the better off they will be. I have the commander with me, and we are 30 seconds out. Stand-by for entry.” Then she faded away.
Ruby had me stand in the center of the room and released her control over the suit. I wobbled for a moment then, regaining my balance, and after taking a deep breath, I said, “Will someone please explain to me what this is about?”
This tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report.
Silvar shrugged, and the two A.I. ignored my question. For just a second, the simulation flickered, then the center of the floor disappeared to reveal a platform rising upwards towards the ceiling carrying two figures. The short demoness could be seen standing next to a tall woman. The second the platform stopped, Red leapt from the elevator into the air, coming to rest atop my shoulders, then said, “Dad, this is my new friend Tetra. Tetra, this is my Dad, Ryker. You two play nice for a while and call us when you are ready.”
To my eyes, Ruby, Red, and Silvar disappeared, and I was alone with the stranger. After watching my so-called companions abandon me to my fate, I looked over for the first time and was shocked by what I saw. Standing before me was a 6 feet tall red-skinned demon kin similar to Ruby but drastically different. Where Ruby exudes femininity and sex appeal, this new interloper had a more lethal edge. She embodied a graceful balance of toned muscle and gentle curves, projecting an air of readiness to fight to the death at the drop of a hat. A face of perfect symmetry, almost like a masterpiece sculpted by a skilled artist. With fiery locks gathered into a messy bun, the long horns framing her face added a unique touch. Despite these distinctive features, my attention was drawn to her eyes. One was a deep ocean blue, while the other sparkled an emerald green. Though this blend was totally alien to me, I couldn't help but be drawn to the captivating gaze that held mine.
As I stood there silently taking in her visage, she noticed my stare and quickly broke eye contact and said, “I am Tetra; it is a pleasure to make your acquaintance.”
Tetra bent slightly at the waist and gave me a bow of her head. Unsure of her customs, I decided to try a more direct approach and took a step towards her, extending my right hand to shake hers. Before I closed half the distance to her, she narrowed her captivating eyes, then snatched my wrist with her right hand and turned her body hard to her left, pulling me off balance and towards her. She finished her rotation and struck out with her left elbow, impacting directly on my trachea. As I felt the cartilage begin to collapse under the pressure of the blow, she landed a vicious kick to my midsection that sent me tumbling across the hardwood floor.
I reached up to my throat and gasped for air like a fish out of water, but as hard as I tried, I couldn't take a breath. I heard Ruby swear. “That bitch!” The next thing I knew, Ruby’s suit climbed up my neck, and I felt a sharp pain at the base of my throat. Then a rush of air filled my lungs, and Ruby spoke. “Listen Ryker, I will make this quick. I cut a hole in your throat so you can breathe. You won't be able to speak until you get some more mana, but for now, You need to defend yourself. She is one of the Denary and is extremely dangerous.”
From my knees, I bared my teeth and thought, “I don't care who or what she is, I'm about to teach her some manners.” I glanced up at my bars and took note that my health was sitting at a healthy 90%, with my stamina at 70%, and my mana sitting at zero. I was concerned by the strength behind her blows but put it out of my mind and focused on her movements. She was in a half-crouch and stalked towards me with her hands up in front of her. I rolled to my feet and took off sprinting in her direction. Just as I arrived, she pivoted on her heel and redirected my momentum, sending me sprawling on the floor. I recovered quickly and was greeted by the heel of her foot impacting the side of my face. I felt something in my jaw give way but ignored the pain and pushed myself up. My face must have been pouring blood, judging by the slick pool beneath me, but I had suffered worse and rushed her again.
I must have caught her off guard, judging by the shocked look on her face and grabbed ahold of her shoulder, she regained her senses and latched onto the offending arm then swung her body into the air, placing me into a standing armbar. As soon as she coiled around my trapped appendage, I knew I had her. I grabbed her with both hands and strained and raised her over my head when I felt Tetra’s whole body tense as she arched her body backward into a 90-degree bend and my arm snapped in half and went limp. A sickening snap resonated out, followed by searing pain. She released the arm and landed in a back handspring, flipping three times before settling back into a fighting position with a nonplussed look on her face. I gaped at the speed and skill that Tetra demonstrated and knew I was out of my depth; if I wanted to have a chance, I would have to surprise her again.
My mind was frantically running through my options, but the situation seemed hopeless until I remembered I wasn't alone. I had companions that I could depend on and turned my thoughts inward. I quickly relayed a set of instructions to Ruby and received her phantom thumbs up as a reply. I cautiously closed the distance with Tetra and made my move. I intentionally telegraphed another attempt to grab Tetra with my remaining good arm, and she gave me a pitying look before gracefully stepping around my arm and snaking hers over and under mine. She expertly interlocked her arms and leveraged her right arm up under my triceps while pulling down on my forearm with the other, and the limb folded in two, and I bellowed out in pain before turning to face my opponent and smiled.
Tetra hardened her expression after seeing the savagery in my eyes. Her right hand flashed up and gripped me around the neck to finish the job when my suit tightened around my arms, and they instantaneously snapped back into their proper places, wrapping around Tetra's torso and effectively trapping one of her arms by her side and the other over her head. I gave her one more bloody grin, then started smashing my crumpled face into hers. After the third headbutt, I felt my world grow fuzzy, and my vision began to darken at the edges. Just before I lost consciousness, I felt her legs start to shake, then give out, and we both fell to the ground. The last thing I remember seeing was the look on her face, and I couldn't believe it. She wore an expression of joy just before her eyes rolled into the back of her head, and we both slipped into blissful unconsciousness.