“You’re not going crazy are you? I’d hate to kill a man for lunacy.” Hiyark said.

I rolled my eyes.

“I was having a revelation. I told you that already.”

“Sure sure. And your lack of weapon? This is meant to be a duel.”

“Ah. My body is the weapon.”

Hiyark frowned a little while I smiled slightly. We were standing in the middle of an open courtyard. A training ground. It looked like a place that’d be excellent for soccer if it had grass instead of plain chalky dirt. We stood across from each other, Hiyark wielding a spear in her hand.

And we weren’t alone.

The news had spread. To the Restante, they had been fighting an illness that had destroyed their whole civilizations for years. Worse than cancer, turning their closest friends, family, lovers, children, and more into mindless abominations that they had to sacrifice and then consume. Brutal. It had led to them building up a natural born ‘immunity’ over the generations but they could never deal with the cause. Hiyark had explained a bit more on why as we had walked here. Basically, the temple was far from undefended. Their people weren’t strong enough and even if they got the ‘Gema Verda’, it would serve a homing beacon for the strongest things in the Jungle. It wasn’t suicide and they had learned that lesson the hard way, hundreds of years ago.

Which struck me as off for some reason but either way, it wasn’t important. What was important, was that then we came along. People from far outside the Jungle, who had clearly arrived here via teleportation. And we had told, and hopefully were correct, when we said we could teleport back, taking the Gem with us. While the Restante fought off the infection, we could be the cure and excise the tumor.

And so… hundreds of people surrounded us. They all wanted to know the same thing. If we really were strong enough to take the Gem. If we really could save them. Even Hiyark, I could see it in her eyes. She desperately wanted to know. Even if they beat the infection and there were no more Lost… for how long? That immunity was gained from eating the lost. Would twenty years go by, only for suddenly more to begin appearing? Even if they beat the natural infliction, would it be safe to get stronger again? C-Rank, or the rough approximation, was the limit. Anything more was too dangerous. And C-rank… well, I’d seen what lays out there in the Jungle. It wouldn’t be enough, long term. If the Gem wasn’t removed, they never would be able to return to their heights of power. Forever stuck in this cave. No wonder they all looked hopeful.

I was so utterly thankful I had that one ex who convinced me to ‘try exhibitionism. Literally nothing could be more horrifyingly uncomfortable than that, so hundreds of people watching me fight seemed pretty easy by comparison.

I stretched, looking over at Konohora and, sadly, Happy. Both were standing on the side, eager to watch the fight. Konohora, knowing I had almost no combat experience, had been concerned. I’d said it would be fine but offered to let her fight instead. To my surprise, both Hiyark and Konohora had refused. Hiyark had said something about image, with me, and I quote, ‘Looking like some terrifying monster’ which hurt a bit. Also surprised me too. They had literally never heard of Demons before. Wild. The reason Konohora had refused was more worrying, but as ever, she was straight forward.

“I worry about becoming The Lost.”

Which had hurt quite a bit. Konohora wouldn’t just refuse every fight out of a vague worry. Something was causing her to think that her losing her soul was potentially imminent. I tried not to worry too much. Konohora would be fine. Though her own worries weren’t alleviated till I had spelled it out for her.

“I put my chances of winning at 40% and rising.”

“Rising?”

“New… understandings. I can and will tell you later.”

She had nodded at that. And that finally brought me back to the current moment. Wearing, thank god, actual clothes. Leather, snake leather apparently, though it still looked brown. An actual freaking tunic, pants, and even socks and shoes. They even had a rough traveling/rain robe for Konohora to wear. Sadly, no swords. Just spears. And I barely understood how to hold a sword, let alone how to fight with a spear.

I focused on Hiyark, focused with not with my Power Gauge… but with Analysis. My power had never been simply about telling strength. It was all about gathering, and comparing, information. Despite that, after I blanked out for fifteen minutes after the realization, I learned some more. Perspective was important. Vital, even. Without it, the information overload from every living thing around me went from pressure waves to an incomprehensible mess that my mind couldn’t understand. In time, I might gain new ‘modes’ beyond Power Gauge but one thing at a time. I’d only had the damn Ability for a month and just learned I had been using it wrong.

With Analysis: Power Gauge Mode, a lot of information was revealed to me. The main reason I had any chance at this, was one simple reason.

Hiyark was old.

Comparing our ages through Analysis, the gap was massive. Through the lens of Power, it clearly showed off as a ‘weaker wave’. Not just weaker to me, but to her. The answer was clear. Her age was catching up to her. Lowering her overall power.

“Staring at me like that, what on Ero are you doing?”

Hiyark was an ally and this was a spar, so I’d figure I’d be nice.

“Cheating. I’m unraveling your strengths and weaknesses-”

Hiyark wasn’t stupid, that was for sure. Before I had finished my sentence, she was already rushing me, spear in hand. I focused. I had a lower chance to lose this fight. In fact, the only real way to win would be to abuse her weaknesses and learn more as I go. The fact that this meant she was more dangerous than that snake put me on edge.

She stabbed forward and I snaked my tail out, slapping it to the side.

But it had been a feint, there was no power in her stab, she quickly pulled back and launched a real stab in one smooth motion, almost no speed lost. It was aiming right for my heart. I jumped back, tail slicing through the air, but Hiyark was already moving. Moving fast, at that. She was on my side in an instant, sending a flurry of stabs my way. My eyes boggled for a moment. My tail whipped out, literally, intercepting the sides but Hiyark only stabbed faster and faster.

I noticed the problem a second before it happened, which was the only thing that saved me. We had informed Hiyark that Konohora was a potent healer, a slight mistake, as Hiyark wasn’t holding back. She batted my tail away, sending it spiraling from it’s outstretched position, spear aiming straight for my heart again.

But I had gotten a half second of warning, enough time for me to raise my hands. I clapped my hands, my claws together, and met her spearhead straight on. The force behind her stab was immense. My eyes widened, as I was lifted off my feet and sent flying backwards. I focused my center of gravity, staring at her as I went backward, but she stayed still, not following up.

She snorted with disdain.

“That’s the strength that made you so proud? Disgraceful.”

“Ha. I never said I could beat you easily. I’m as strong as you, as is Konohora.”

We had both raised our voices, well, she had started it. I realized what she was doing as she was doing it. This wasn’t just a spar to determine my strength. No, that was important, but it was also a show for her whole people.

Unauthorized use of content: if you find this story on Amazon, report the violation.

I frowned at myself though. When on earth had I gotten comfortable fighting people who wielded fucking spears and were aiming for my heart?

Oh. Yeah. Probably after a vampire ripped my heart out and nearly did it twice. Huh. Guess all of life is just a comparison between things.

Hiyark stood still and I knew this time it was my turn to attack. We weren’t exactly taking turns but, well, whatever. I ran at her and focused. Speed wasn’t something I had ever ignored. I knew how it affected me. It always…

Put me into the moment.

Dirt beneath my feet, blood pumping, heart… calm but picking up. Eyes on me as sweat trails down, eyes tracking my… feet? My feet and standing. Spear gripped steady, tail flickering, claws aimed.

Dive.

I went down, a sudden turn, completely bypassing Hiyark.

But my tail didn’t. It was a blade and a whip and I would never, could never, forget that. I felt it, every inch of it, every sharpened razor blade chink attached to corded muscle, every hardened obsidian like piece, as it cracked through the air.

Straight for Hiyark’s neck.

She ducked and stabbed out, aiming for my back, but I was already turning, a moving target. Still her spear tracked me effortlessly, tail slashing back down at her but experience proved my downfall.

She stabbed and cut. I didn’t feel it but I saw the blood go flying. My side had been opened. My eyed widened in surprise but my tail did not stop, serpentine like movements attacking Hiyark like a living piece of razor wire, and yet she dodged, blocked, or prevented it all, all while her spear danced in my vision, stabbed out towards me.

The battle was underway and my focus narrowed more.

Glistening metal, heartbeat in my ears, breath in my lungs, wind over my tail, my claws snapping out towards her spear uselessly, threatening to be ripped apart. Blood pouring down my side.

More blood.

My focus expanded at once, even as I kept attacking. Wounds, opened across my body. Tiny nicks but building. I was losing. My tail could match her spear but our differences in experience were far too great.

Then all I had to do was improve. I was sick of being weak in this world. It wasn’t even fear. It was pure annoyance and frustration. How many choices had I had in the last month? So very few. I could literally count them on one hand.

I was so very tired… of being railroaded.

I had two options to win. I felt and knew both at once. Attrition and reach disfavored me. The first option leveraged my lack of pain. If I ran in, wild, like a berserker I could surprise Hiyark and stab into her. Rip the spear from her hands. And then claw and beat her down till I was the winner.

A brutal but nearly assured victory. I’d take great wounds but Konohora was here.

Second option. I could learn. Even now, I struggled to be in the moment. I could see the glisten a of steel spearhead, feel the sweat off my pours, feel the heat rising in me, feel my feet dance across the dirt in a dodge, my tail, my claws, my everything alive and active. And yet my mind swam inwards. My focus… was inherently broken, especially with tunnel vision. If I focused too hard… I’d ignore it all. It would all fade away, including being aware of my own wounds.

I’d be ripped apart slowly but surely even faster but… I could devote all my attention to one thing.

I chose the second.

Heat across my body, liquid seeping from me, spear dancing around me.

Ignored. All of it ignored.

Only one thing was in my vision, was part of my focus, even as I felt my ear get clipped and felt my speed slow.

Her feet. Her legs. Her motion and movement. A warrior… was nothing without footwork.

I began to copy.

****

“Huh. What’s he doing?” Happy asked.

Konohora felt unnerved by his presence, because she didn’t feel unnerved by his presence. It was far too easy to stop thinking of him as an enemy and as a friend at any point in time.

Though she also frowned.

“I… don’t know.”

It was true, of course. She had no idea. Derek had started off far better than she had expected, for having little to no combat experience. She knew, for a fact, that Derek had only had very very brief battles. The closest he had come to a real fight had been the giant snake and he’d said that he had mostly been acting on instinct and rage after she had been eaten.

This was different. Hiyark was going far harder than she had expected and she already surprised Derek was doing so well. But it hadn’t stopped there. She had to come to the conclusion that… she had never seen Derek properly fight before. It was an odd realization, considering, but it was true. He moved fast and jerky, tail flinging through the air like a razor sharp whip, dodging or attempting to deflect more than anything else. With poor results. Hiyark had been slowly whittling him down, despite how impressive he was doing.

And then it had gotten worse. Not just cuts but stabs and brutal rendings. She knew Derek felt no pain and struggled with constant focusing issues. But she doubted he would ever lose focus again after Vilconoff. Yet that seemed like exactly what was happening. His blood began to coat the floor even as his eyes seemed to be focused.

And then he dodged. She blinked and Hiyark seemed to nearly stumble for a moment before attacking again.

Another dodge.

Not like his earlier ones, where it seemed by the metaphorical skin of his teeth and relied on his enhanced strength and speed. No, it seemed more like…

Happy began to laugh merrily.

“Oh! That’s so intriguing. He’s learning!”

Konohora frowned but Happy was right. Derek was getting better at dodging. Getting better rapidly. Not just dodging either. He was moving… smoother, quicker, somehow faster. She understood, she had plenty of training to understand, she would even go so far as to assume any person who trained extensively for combat could understand.

But the speed was unbelievable.

“You’re…” Hiyark said, voice loud and full of shock. “Copying my footwork?!”

What Derek was doing, similarly, was no different from picking up the sword for the first time, immediately fighting a sword master, and learning how to wield a blade from that alone. Years worth of experience was (usually) needed… not five minutes!

She had only seen that sort of learning speed… from Tyler and Riary. But even they weren’t like this.

Soon, Derek began to seem like a phantom, the spear unable to touch him, as his tail and claw steadily attempted to cut Hiyark apart. She had to begin to move and dodge herself more and more, and it was clear she was flagging. Which was unusual, a C-rank could typically fight for at least a few hours straight.

Konohora frowned. Derek said he had a 40% chance of victory. Did he know that Hiyark had low stamina? Was that why he’d gone blank earlier this morning while looking at her? His Power Gauge did seem to be able to pick apart specifics.

The fight finally came to an end as Hiyark failed to dodge and Derek’s tail fell on her neck. Konohora was already running, worry filling her, but it was like Derek was a mana machine that had run out of power. He froze, like a stopped clock. Completely unmoving. Hiyark froze as well, for a completely different reason.

Konohora reached them and immediately began to send healing into them, as she watched Derek slowly blink and come back to his senses.

He smiled at her and said something that caused her mind to nearly shake apart.

“I know kung fu.” He said with a smile.

A familiar smile.

****

A royal training ground. A large sound was heard, as Tyler managed to actually spawn an aura blade for a moment. Something that was usually only achieved in B-rank, not the very beginning of C-rank.

Tyler had a bright smile as he turned to her.

“I know kung fu.”

****

“Your…” Konohora said.

Huh? I looked down at myself… and noticed my tail leading up to someone’s neck. Oh shit!

Carefully, but quickly, I retracted it. Hiyark just stared at me… before she broke out into a large smile grabbed my forearm. Reflexively I grabbed her own.

“Ha! Seems like you weren’t bluffing after all. Restante! Greet your Heroes!”

Suddenly, the hundreds of people around us yelled in a cheer and I was left stunned. I let the noise wash over me, the cheers and yells, the stamping of spears and slams of fist on chests.

I looked to my side and saw a small group of warriors, all lower C-Rank. I blinked and gasped at that. I… knew my power had just about fully returned now after last night but… wasn’t I lower C-Ranked when I got here? When had I… gotten so strong?

“Warriors! We march on the Gema Verde!”

The warriors stamped their spears and Hiyark began to walk forward. I blinked and quickly walked after, Konohora and, sadly, Happy following.

Well, I guess now is always the best time for things.

To the Gem we go.