Failure was merely a prelude to success. In that case, success was sick of being introduced every five minutes without actually being part of the party yet. Kiko was focusing on the budding warmth in her gut, but it was just, stuck there. Like she was trying to suck a drink out of a glass bottle or something. The big guy had stepped back to give her space, but Kiko felt awkward that he was watching. Sure, it was a supportive watching, but still. Fuck.
"It's stuck" she eventually exclaimed after a few minutes of trying, and failing. The man seemed confused at this particular reason, and raised an eyebrow.
"Stuck? That's....new. Can you describe it?" he asked, stepping closer again and putting a hand on her gut.
"It's...I got the warm gut feeling, but when I try to move it upwards there is something just blocking it from getting any further. I don't want to force it too much because it is threatening to turn from uncomfortable blockage to painful blockage, and pain is a sign something is wrong" she'd glare at the targets in front of her, mocking her. "I'd fuckin' hit them with a gun, but my super tail beams are going to have to wait for later" Kiko finished with crossed arms, looking away from the target with crossed arms.
"It's definitely building up, but there is a problem with the release..." He'd comment, stepping back and making Kiko look down at her gut.
"You can feel the magic tail beams building up in my stomach?" She asked incredulously, looking up to him and then back to her gut.
"Mmm. Magic is pseudo-physical. The stronger you are, the more Mana you can store in your soul. Foxfire is inherent, so you don't need any of the Gates open to use it, but is still magical and so does still have physical impact. There could be a problem on the aeonic side, I'll talk to Eternia later about it" he'd take a step back and then note that Kiko was still staring at him with wonder.
"Magic" was all she said, her eyes gleaming with delight at the concept.
"Ahh. I guess city-dwellers aren't much into it these days. Technology is easier than magic for the average man to use, so those down there embrace it. Up here, we've not the industry to support firearms on a broad scale, so we rely more on magic. It's spiritual and physical but doesn't require any reagents of production to use" He'd seem to somewhat enjoy the role of teacher, if that gruff, beard-hidden smile was any indication. "But all that is for later! Right now we'll get to a more accessible means of training. I assume your arms are not stuck in the same manner?" he asked with a humorous laugh, leading her into the centre of the training ground.
Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere.
Kiko was introduced to a group of other women training among themselves, that looked about her age. Paired up with a beautiful looking Kitsune with the same tails as she had, Kiko would go through a few unarmed combat drills before giving free spar time. She showcased what she had learned at SIR and the few years of training before that with much better results that the foxfailure that came before her. And, she got a good work out as her partner was good at what she did as well. All in all, it was a good session despite how poorly it started. Then, however, after the hour she got to show off how well she could fight with her hands - and totally ignore the provocative eyebrow flick that her partner gave when Kiko was on top for the groundwork - it went bad again when they were gathered together and given quarterstaves for the next set of drills.
Here, she stumbled. SIR had given weapon drills, but they were for knives, not staves, and Kiko had screwed up several times. The spar was a pathetic, pitiful thing as her partner barely did anything. Every opening Kiko's incompetence left was not taken, nor was she hit particularly hard when blocking and parrying. It made her feel like crap, but that was noticed and her partner came over after the hour was up.
"Not much of a staff girl, ehh?" She teased, handing a small wooden cup of tea to Kiko, who took it abashedly.
"No. I've some capability with knives and guns, but mostly it's unarmed. And even then it's not really combat grade like I see around here. Mostly just street" Kiko replied, downing the tea. It was...very nice tea. Very calming.
"Two hours a day is mandatory, but you'll not get much more than guard duty if that's all you do. So we have plenty of extras to fill the day with. If you want to really sharpen your unarmed, or further better your knifework, there are instructors for that. But, they are both pretty niche weapons against the Beasts. Staffwork is mandatory because a spear or zeldi is the best weapon to for basic fighters. Keeps the Beasts at a distance and lets you strike. Closer weapons means you need to get closer and that's dangerous" her new friend explained between sips of her own tea. It was smart, that was the whole reason of a gun after all. Further you could keep from the other guy, the better. Though she didn't know what a zeldi was, probably some kitsune weapon.
"Do you study any additional fields, like weapons, or magic?" Kiko inquired, finishing the tea because fuck self-control. It was the right question, as it got a response from the woman that grew more passionate as she went on.
"Yea, I got hunting dagger and zeldi, along with strength and stamina building exercises. Magic is a once-a-week thing that I go to because it's really complicated and to be anything more than a Borrower, you gotta seriously commit. I wanna be a Sei-Bushi of Vanaet! I shall blaze my way to five tails through triumph and victory, and then become a Den Mother to teach the younger generation that they can aspire to all things!" she'd stand up and clench her fist, staring into the distance as she dreamed.
Kiko...was more subdued, however.
"Gonna need a damn dictionary for all these new terms I gotta learn" she commented, shaking her head and leaning back.
"Ohh, we have those. Come on" the woman replied, knocking the rest of the drink back and heading off, fully confident that Kiko would follow. Which, she did.