I swapped back into my Xollon form - the full version that I experienced with the Preview Tickets before, I didn’t have to worry about my old limitations right now - and greeted my peons. I chose to visit the first group of Restus that I encountered in their city, for no other reason than nostalgia’s sake.
The Restus barely noticed me even as I made my entrance. Their entire demeanor was dour and down. Hm, I should have expected this; I had used Noe’s ability to induce a state of artificial excitement in these Aspirants, but doing so that way was a very short-term solution. Their bodies would exhaust whatever neurochemical hormones quickly enough and they’d, well, they’d react like the sorry Restus before me.
I sighed and forced them back into their high state. Without the limitations that were placed on me before, this effect should be a lot more permanent. How long these lizards can last in that condition, however, was another story, and it wasn’t something that I was particularly concerned with. I allowed them a few moments to compose themselves as each Restus was re-flooded with intense emotions.
As I watched them recover and struggle to overcome their weakness, it made me realize something… ever since my early awakening, I had been acting with impudence since nothing in the Main Stage, at least this early, could even begin to threaten me, but that wouldn’t be the case when I left to meet up with Q. Wider Central was still a place that would make me hesitate even at my prime.
Say, Noe, how much of my abilities can I use right now without this new body exploding?
“I am also assuming that you do not wish to incur permanent damage to said body?” Noe answered.
That goes without saying.
“Then you are left with very limited options, my Lord,” she replied, “You have full access to the abilities of my integrated shards, and you can manipulate organisms only through physical touch at the moment. Trying to do so over any distance will severely strain your psyche.”
I frowned, Even as a Xollon?
“Your Xollon form is still in its early stages of development, and even my abilities can only superficially speed that up. You have the physical might of a Xollon in its secondary form currently, but none of its psionic abilities.”
I sighed, Great, that’s a lot less than I was hoping for. With only the Emotion, Perception, and Dominion Shards, I was going to have to get creative with what I could accomplish. Man, why’d all the shards have to be mind-based ones?
“I apologize,” Noe responded, “But those were the Shards most critical to your survival back then. I did not anticipate your early awakening, and thus prioritized abilities that would better ensure your continued well-being.”
Not your fault, Noe, just ranting. Those Shards are great against lower lifeforms, but I’m not sure how much it’ll work on people like the Overseer. Not like I could dominate or manipulate that brainless idiot in any case. I sighed again, And worse still, I got no Absolute Luck either.
“I did warn you that prioritizing your sleeping self’s survival with the Absolute Luck Skill would be costly, especially with my incomplete form,” Noe said, “You can still unlock that ability to use now, but-”
But I’d be absolutely screwed over when I’m back to sleep. No thanks, Noe. I think Mini-Walter’s going to need that ability more than I ever could. I’m a lot more creative with its use when my options are limited in any case.
“Understood, my Creator.”
Noe’s voice faded with the wind and the annoying groans of the Restus replaced the moment of silence. Seems like they had recovered enough to be of use again.
“The savior has returned!” the first Restus that recovered called out, “We are not abandoned!”
Loud roars of approval continued to join the choir as more and more Restus recovered from their stupor. Some were so ecstatic to have the energy to move and fight again that they started to battle each other as they laughed in ecstasy. I scanned the Aspirants around me and saw that their numbers had decreased slightly; I didn’t have to look at the scars and missing appendages from the survivors to understand what had happened.
However, there was one lizard face that I couldn’t see in this crowd. Where had Bakren gone to? There’s no way he’d be defeated that easily after eating one of Abigail’s special cookies. Surely he couldn’t have metabolized all of that in just a day and a half.
“Where’s the one known as Bakren?” I shouted, having to really project my voice to be overheard through the cacophony of noise that the Restus had managed to make.
“Warrior Bakren has issued a challenge to be chief of the Southern City,” the man closest to me answered, “He is to face the current chief in martial combat tonight.”
“I see…” I muttered, still trying to understand how Restus society works, “And will he be in charge of operations here if he wins?”
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The lizard nodded, “Yes! He will be on par with the elites of this city! Warrior Bakren is fierce and accepts all challenges, the people will follow him if he wins.”
I arched a frill, “Even after he acted the way he did when he fought you guys?”
“No no, lord savior,” he corrected, “He has changed ever since his transgressions. Bakren no longer fights without honor; he has been a model Restus of great renown. And he has been spreading your word after every victory!”
Huh, that was the first piece of good news that I’ve heard. It seems like giving that idiot a second chance was a good call on my part, and if he could win his bout with this chief person tonight, then I could use him as a rallying icon to incite a revolt. The Restus were already a very violent species, so having them fight Central - one weakened from within thanks to Xalla and Big Bob - shouldn’t be a problem.
“That’s good.” I said, “Take me to the fight. I want to see how my first Aspirant matches up to the best that your species has to offer.”
They did as they were told. I didn’t hesitate to push past the gawking Restus seated around a rough Roman-style arena, taking a seat where the best view was. The prior individual seated there did not mind letting me sit down - much.
I was at the center of attention, but a quick wave of my feelers calmed down the crowd. I could feel their curiosity wane as I pushed away those emotions and forced their attention back toward the upcoming battle. It wasn’t long before they all but forgot about my presence here. Well, it wasn’t like I was afraid of making my presence known at the arena in any case now that I knew just how little Central cared about this site and its Aspirants.
I didn’t have to wait long for the show to get underway. Bakren and another fighter walked into the ring on opposite sides, both of them looking stoic and ready for violence. My own little Aspirant saw me in the stands and I could feel his emotions emanating from his body. He wanted to impress his patron to the best of his ability, for no other reason than to simply get another taste of ecstasy. What a foolish individual.
Both fighters sized each other up and without any pomp or circumstance, they ran at each other and the show began. I kind of half expected there to be some sort of referee or the link, but apparently such a role was alien to the Restus. By the rush of adrenaline that I felt from the crowd, the Aspirants seemed to understand instinctively when a fight was about to begin. These really were a warrior race, primitive or not.
The bout itself was quite spectacular all things considered, that is, if you put into consideration the nature of both fighters. Here were two lesser species that had just begun the Trash Matrix’s strengthening process, hardly changed from their base forms, and they all showed remarkable battle instincts. I couldn’t see all of the intricacies of the Restus’ fight when I was here before, but that had changed now.
This species did not rely heavily on eyesight like the Humans did, instead, they used every sense at their disposal to their advantage. Sure, seeing your opponent’s strike was helpful, and they did take advantage of that, but they could also smell the different chemicals rushing through the other’s body, informing them of how much exertion the opponent was employing in each strike. They heard and felt the minute movement of air as each Restus aimed to strike at each other’s vulnerabilities, leaving practically no blindspots to speak of.
Yet what was the most remarkable about this species was how they utilized all of this information. Within microseconds, the Restus’ relatively underdeveloped brains were able to process all of this sensory information and react in a way to counteract each move the other made. They used the least amount of movements to sidestep a blow, parry a thrust, or redirect an otherwise deadly swing of the tail, all the while planning ahead and making tactics to undermine what they had seen the other Aspirant did.
I focused my attention on Bakren’s opponent and really dove into the other man’s psyche. I could almost taste his thoughts, both conscious and subconscious as he tried his best to fend off his foe. I could see him make minute adjustments to his tactics on the fly, changing them dozens of times within the time it took a normal human to blink, yet it was all for naught. Bakren always seemed to be one step ahead of this Restus.
Each strike that was aimed at Bakren’s vulnerable spots was quickly met with a faint or parry, followed quickly by a counterattack that was too quick even for this impressive warrior’s mind to process. The Restus’ reflexes saved him from the brunt of Bakren’s assaults, but it was clear to everyone in the audience hall that it would only be a matter of time before all of the minor wounds afflicting Bakren’s opponent would add up and he’d be forced to make a mistake.
A moment later, a tiny slip in concentration gave Bakren the opportunity he needed to land the first real blow of the fight. No, looking closer, it wasn’t even a slip up in the other Restus’ mind, instead, it was his body that couldn’t respond to the commands that his brain had given out. The two looked like they would never run out of energy, fighting back and forth like that, but in an environment where even the smallest of disadvantages mattered, even a tiny fracture in the Restus’ armor could prove fatal.
Bakren rushed forward, closing into the position of his foe. He was too close for the other man’s tail and forelimbs to swing at him with any amount of force, and he drove this advantage home. Using his claws, Bakren systematically severed the tendons and muscles of his foe’s arms and chest, and although these horrendous wounds were healing even as I saw this scene play out, it was far too little.
Bakren continued to press his advantage, slicing and smashing into his now helpless opponent. I was expecting the worst, with him biting off the head of the other Restus like he had done the first time I saw him fight, but some kind of invisible signal reverberated through the crowd and both fighters stopped what they were doing. A moment later, cheers and applause erupted from the crowd as Bakren with his head held high screamed in victory.
“You are formidable, Bakren,” the slowly recovering challenger said to him, “You will make a mighty chief.”
“You fought with honor as well, Murom,” Bakren replied as he helped the other warrior up to his feet, “You should be proud of your strength.”
“How did you do it?” the other fighter asked, “I have never seen one grow so strong in such short a time. I would have thought it was sorcery, yet you have bested me with your abilities only.”
“I can answer that,” I said, and I quickly felt the gaze of every single Restus fall on me. They only looked away when they saw Bakren fall on his knees.
Alright, now that everyone knew who the winner of the current scuffle was, I needed to address the crowd here. Let’s get this over with so I can get back to the more important tasks.