Ikrei P.O.V.
I opened my eyes. I immediately understood I was immersed in water. Orgon charged water with herbs, alchemical products and who knows what else.
“The others are quite busy right now. I took care of you.” Kletay’s voice was nearby.
“What happened?”
“You were sent here by some cultivators, before that I am not sure.”
The last thing I remember was dragging my thorn body around collecting the bodies of the beasts into my ring. Successful hunt, the beasts died from the rose’s poison. But I passed out again after that.
“You got all chewed up, crazy, crazy state you arrived in. I won’t ask, individual training rules.”
I kept looking at her carefully.
‘The massive frontal bombs could be a lead in the Inverted Titty. Pretty face just not mesmerizing like the others. Flat ass though. I wasn’t going to tell her.’
“Thank you.” Still immersed looking at the ceiling floating. The star symbol of the Andurin reflecting with light.
“You like what you see…you are not so bad yourself. Pretty well endowed, Iron Horse body. Had to check, you needed fixing. The blessings of our cumulative efforts. As thou giveth thou receiven, a wordplay of the ancient word and raven, receiven for received. Symbolisms.”
Her reassuring smile felt disarming. Somehow, I felt no embarrassment.
“What day is today?” I asked the question that sprung up.
“Today is the day of Ioƛl. Let me call your raucous friend over.”
She touched one of her rings and it shone, not much different than my runic engraved ring.
“You have a nice ring there, Ikrei. It was hard to work around your injuries with that thing on. I didn’t want to damage such a piece of art.”
“You can tamper with something like this?” I asked waving my ring in the water.
“Of course, we are all special here. Some more than others. This was good training for me. Elder Sarkan though you could use a proper view when you woke up instead of an old face.” She sat down next to the small water pool.
‘Monsters I tell you, monsters!’
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Before long, muscle mass had arrived.
“He is all yours.” Kletay gave a longing peek at him.
“Stay safe out there, Iron Horsy. Keep those family jewels safe.” She left with a wave of the hand.
“So, you got yourself eaten by beasts?” The Will covering descended upon us, Krigsain kneeled near the edge of the pool.
“Yeah, I had an urge to be reckless, like you.” The warm orgon water was nice.
“Expected, the interference, Malgrun, stress levels. Your personality will be affected. How much, remains to be seen.”
I was thinking along the same lines, ever since the Baleful energy manifested.
“You need to talk to your employers about the cost of sending you here, clean up procedures, my man.”
“I see. Hey, how did they find me?”
“Who knows, you are on your own out there. I am not going to peer into things for a while. So, how’s the ring? Do you like it?”
Mysteries upon mysteries. Like five Zurafins appearing, the exact number needed.
“You know your stuff man. You really do. And yes, very much. Though a not so happy succubus awaits.”
We laughed, somehow, I laughed.
“It’s too late for you to come to the gathering tonight. Just stay here and rest, report to Sarkan in the morning.”
I just closed my eyes in agreement.
“I killed a boy, an innocent boy big guy.”
“It will get worse before it gets better. Don’t forget him and find a way to make amends later. A sincere attempt and take it from there. It might not work but it is better to be proactive than reactive.”
He always has good words. The real Krigsain not the publicly known muscle mass.
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“By the way, Kletay is pretty taken by you.”
“That’s the life I was given. I have a date with the princess after communion.” He seemed impassive about it.
“Your double act is tiresome and I am only watching. But why tell me?”
“Take care of Ciel for me, left hand. She will need a punching bag. Test your new level of power, I can sense it. Don’t use the ring obviously.”
“Why don’t you just put down her hopes gently. Stringing people along isn’t nice.” I countered.
“She is pure; she was probably a saint in a previous life or something of the sort. Or a monk in the mountains of Yinshengan. Ikrei, pure souls are as rare as a that one true friend of yours. Never soil them, she will grow in time. Probabilities and all that.”
He gave me his playboy smile but he was serious, the energy of the covering intensified.
“So, she is marriage material as you say?”
“Yes, but no. You can have a crack at it later, my man.”
“You know something don’t you?” Again with his mysterious crap.
“Love my friend not marriage, I cannot be your only friend. Teng won’t be around for a while.”
“Alright. Hey chosen, what’s the difference between loving someone for what they are and for who they are then?” Since we were doing this, I wanted to know his take.
“We are visual creatures and interest oriented, so conditions and appearance play a big deal, that is loving someone for what they are. Their looks, their power, their status. If some of these conditions disappear the relationship will most likely break down. With me, so far?”
“Yeah. And the second?”
“What we are doing now. This is interesting isn’t it? Talking about stuff that matters in our hearts. Right now, you don’t want anything from me, I don’t need anything from you. I came because I felt like it. You asked me the question because it is interesting to you. Sharing and exchanging without any ulterior motive, just the act of being in each other’s presence. This is one expression of true love. Most idiots will never get this because they will never find it. Pure souls, pure hearts, my man.”
“Coming from the master wicked heart that’s quite something!” I retaliated but laughed.
“So says the man who was chosen by his consort for the size of his pecker.” He laughed too.
“You are one to talk, Godly Bolt!”
“Right back at you, Iron Horsy!”
Water splashing aside. That was one hell of a good laugh.
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Ciel P.O.V.
ZIING! ZIIING! ZIIIING!
‘Chicken coop is evading my triple volley?’
ZIING! ZIIING! ZIIIING! ZIIING!
One extra arrow for further testing.
“Is it true the order got you a woman?”
“Evading with a tight but well executed roll, he gathered himself for a counter.
“Can’t answer that, training and all that.”
ZIING! ZIIING! ZIIIING! ZIIING! ZIING! ZIIING! ZIIIING! ZIIING!
Eight energy arrows. I was angry.
He desperately evaded using two charged blades. The floor couldn’t’ be destroyed, not by us at least, but he used it as support. His blades were being used like ice axes. The ones used by the ice miners when searching for orgon in the unpopulated ice regions of our world.
CLINK! ZIIING! CLINK! ZIIING! CLINK! ZIIING! CLINK! ZIIING!
Whatever training he was doing, it was effective. The indestructability of the floor used like and ice wall to quickly change directions. A unique reactive style, even stranger than Krigsain’s.
We continued our little dance for several more shots, chicken coop wasn’t trying. Not in the slightest, the usual was no longer happening.
‘A fully powered gaseous core? Without awakening? You are kidding me!’
Surprised and a little angry at an idea that had JUST popped into my mind, more arrows with increased energy were launched.
ZIIING! ZIIIING! ZIIING! ZIIING!
“How can having sex be considered training? You turning unorthodox or something?!” I asked furiously, my feelings getting the better of me.
A perfect block with two blades for the first two bolts a perfect double throw.
DOOONG! DOOONG!
And two more blades charged with kinetic energy to block the other two shots. Taken from his temporal ring. The resonance occurred again.
DOOONG! DOOONG!
“Can’t say. How you get your info?” He asked.
He dashed while doing his strange ice climbing technique on the floor. He was zigzagging towards my position.
He was attacking me.
‘Too green for something like that, chicken coop. Know your place!’
I decided to “crush” my little pal with a new technique I was practicing. I prepared to use my new bow as a boomerang and fire my “Starlight Arrow” with my soul bow at his feet. That would send him several flying in the air into the wall in the room.
‘This should be somewhat funny.’
My eyes became crystal clear and I prepared for the special combo move. No chant, this was practice.
‘Inhale, exhale. Release.’
One breath. “How about I help you with Krigs, Ciel?”
The sudden question was sent using core energy, it was more like a shout. I lost all concentration. Before I could react, chicken coop’s blade was at my neck.
“I think this counts as one hit, sister. We done?”
‘This mischievous scoundrel!’
I released my energy and put my bow back in my ring.
“Fine, fine. You are right. How are you going to help with Krigs?” I was very curious.
The two had gotten a lot closer in the past days.
“I really can’t. that was a trick, but I think you need a friend like me right about now.”
Words full of confidence, firm eyes. Stark contrast to when I first met him.
“Ha, ha. You are so young; you don’t have any past memories yet. You got to be joking.”
I laid into him with the truth. He did make me feel better though.
“Iru is a great guy, but he is like a very polite artifact, too logical. You need feeling I think. My training is all about feeling. Krigs said you are a pure soul; I want to know what that is, woman version.”
He explained himself putting away his blades from around the training circle.
“Krigs said that? Really?” I was surprised.
“I know a lot about feeling lost and out of place and being overtaken by emotion. You should know a lot about kindness, understanding and compassion. Let’s trade.”
He really picked my interest.
“What are we trading?”
“There’s plenty I can’t say but I can tell you all about his preferences in perfumes, artwork, battle manuals, under garments, liquor, personal heroes and even the proper brands for clothing, earrings, jewelry and panties. You in?”
I couldn’t say a word. I was definitively interested.
“What do you want?”
“Extra training for a hunt I must undertake. But in truth just a friend, even if this seems more like a transaction.”
“You are speaking a lot more eloquently lately. Weird.”
“Yeah personality changes, a lot going on. Sorry.” He gave me a smile; a smile I have seen on someone before.
“Alright deal, you just graduated chicken coop.”
“He, that’s good. What’s the graduation? From cookie to friend?”
We shook hands merrily.
“Nope. From chicken coop to coop master.”
I laughed, I laughed freely for a while.
He didn’t.