Chapter 17 - Training (Patreon)

Narya eventually woke Echo up with a dull whack to his leg. He knocked on the bedroom door and told Fumi it was time for breakfast; at which point she opened the door with a dour expression.

Echo reached into his pocket-dimension and pulled out a bunch of sets of clothes he had stocked up for a variety of occasions.

They spoke in Gori/Japanese as they dressed; they had already taken to speaking exclusively Gori/Japanese to each other when it was just them present.

“Sleep well?” he asked.

“…Mhmm.”

As they locked eyes, Echo felt a tenderness swell in him. He cared for her, even after this short time, quite deeply.

"Let's talk inside." He went into the room and Fumi shut the door. They both sat on the futon, facing each other.

Kill...

Consume...

Evolve...

The thoughts assailed them both again. Barely held in check behind gritted teeth.

"How do we want to deal with this?"

Fumi’s mouth was a scowl, and he could tell her breath was coming quickly, that she was on the edge of attacking him.

I’m not going to kill her!

He didn't let her, instead tackling her, and pinning her to the futon. Instinctively, his teeth went for her throat.

He could feel every pulse of his heart in his whole body. His nails elongated to sharp claws, and he dug them deep into her flesh. He fought as much as he could against the urge to rip away her flesh and consume her right there, keeping his mouth locked around her throat.

She reciprocated his aggression as the two wrestled for control, their screams of feral pain interlaced with ripping and tearing flesh.

No!

In his mind, he was lost to the Evolution Instinct.

About to eat another person.

Out of control, no thoughts, only instinct.

Tiberius was watching the two from one of his divination sensors.

“I can’t have you killing her.”

He held up the Mimic Cube and focused his will through the artifact.

“Let’s shift things a bit. Just for you two.”

My plans require both of you.

Echo pulled back, the urge to kill fading…and shifting. Their clawed nails did not retract, nor did their fangs, but the Evolution Instinct altered.

Breed…

The underlying desire to consume her heart and grow stronger was still lingering in the back of his mind but was muted by a stronger desire.

She pushed him onto his back, taking the initiative to pounce on top of him and rip off his clothes, her nails also gouging into his flesh.

She grinned like a feral wolf that had found a meal to feast upon. They heaved with passion and pain, their exertions a macabre display of raw animalism.

Time passed in that locked room, and Narya kept her distance, not wanting anythingto do with whatever was going on based on the noise alone. She knew she would have to clean up the inside when they were done.

And she did not look forward to that.

The instinct faded as Echo lay there, exhausted, wounds regenerating after their violent, passionate act.

Fumi was equally as injured, but she Regenerated as well.

The two shared an exhausted laugh.

Way better than eating people.

Perhaps his emotional connection towards her had changed things. In any event, he was grateful.

I didn’t have to eat her.

Tiberius chuckled, having watched the bloody, erotic encounter.

“That’s better. You two can have your violent fun.”

But only with each other. I still want you to feed.

After all, he knew that these two were his best chance. He had to make sure they were fed. Given the fuel to evolve.

He pictured the location of several lairs he had in the Kingdom of Cruxia. One specific monster felt like a reasonable challenge for the two wayward creations.

“Cancel spell,” he muttered.

Another monster was unleashed into the world.

Echo used transmutation magic to repair their torn clothing and the futon that had been shredded.

He grinned sheepishly at Fumi, "That was…interesting.”

"...Mhm. Looks like I don't have to eat you." She held up her status plate. "...I feel stronger...”

Both of their stats had jumped by ten across the board.

They entered the main room and were quite surprised; sometime in the early hours, Narya had completely furnished the whole apartment.

The table had moved to the kitchen and the center space now had several couches and a coffee table.

"Hmph! Making me wait to eat."

Fumi and Echo sat down and started eating. Fumi stared at Narya, "...Thank you for the food."

"I see someone has learned some mann-"

"It's not as good as Echo's."

Narya's face went red, and she went "Hmph!" as she scarfed down her meal.

Echo asked Narya to make a list. The Brightsteel he had given her had been worth about nine hundred thousand dreks; so, they were set for wealth for a very long time.

He was finally rich. He didn’t have to work, cook, clean, or worry about anything.

For the first time in either of his lives, he could do whatever he damn well pleased.

Echo asked her to order raw materials to experiment with using his transmutation magic, whilst Fumi asked for some nicely tailored clothes; including what sounded suspiciously like lingerie.

Narya was flustered when noting down that part of the order, and kept giving murderous glances at Echo, who just retreated to the restroom to escape the glare that threatened to bore a hole through his skull.

Eventually, Fumi knocked and told him that Narya had left. The two quickly switched to different attire more appropriate for walking out and about. Simple pants, boots, and shirts. Although he did alter Fumi's to her specifications - she wanted calf-high boots.

As she put it, "...Easier to clean blood."

They made their way downstairs and the entire room went silent once their presence was noticed. Apparently, Fumi’s scan yesterday had made the rounds, and everyone eyed them with a mix of awe and jealousy.

They both made their way to April who put on her best customer-service smile but appeared upset at seeing them again.

As they were walking to the Guild Hall exit, he spotted a very well-dressed adventurer. He was the epitome of manliness – a burly, muscular fellow who reminded Echo of a bodybuilder. But what also caught Echo’s attention was the sword he carried. It looked like Damascus steel, but sparkled.

As they passed him, he cast a spell. "Identify Material."

The information about the substance filled his mind.

• Material: Adamantine
• Creator: Prime God [Earth]
• Properties: Hardest metal in      existence, tied with Divine Metal, but lacking unique properties. Generates      and stores a set amount of Quintessence each day.

The adventurer glanced back at him and nodded, “Reincarnated?”

“Yeah.”

The man smirked, “Me too. Some fifty years ago. Where you off to?”

Echo glanced over to Fumi who had noticed the short exchange.

"To the arena?” He asked her.

"...Mhmm…”

The man chuckled, “Mind me watching?”

Echo shook his head, “Not at all.”

He looked over at Fumi.

"Bulwark," he said softly, just so that Fumi could hear him. He smiled at her. "That’ll protect you.”

I’m going to keep you safe.

She snuggled him tighter and he heard a cute noise that his clothes muffled.

They left the Guild Hall. Several adventurers followed them, hoping to see what they could do. Including the older reincarnated hero.

After asking for directions from some nearby guards the two arrived with their unwanted entourage at the arena. It was like the Colosseum in Rome back on Earth in design; an enormous stone structure made from black and white marble.

All around the building, in archways just like its Earth counterpart, several statues of the Gods were in various poses. And not just the Artificial Gods - who had statues all along the top row. But supposedly every New God that stayed on Heimfold and survived the violence of the previous age had a statue erected here.

He approached a tunnel where a man in a green tunic sat, looking incredibly bored. "Hi there. I'd like to use the arena for practice."

The attendant stood up and nodded, "Adventurer?" Echo nodded and pulled out his identification.

The attendant used some metal stick that sparkled, passing it over his identification as the stick projected an illusory image reading out Echo's funds. He waved them through as some of the dreks were deducted.

The crowd that had followed went up a set of stairs nearby to what Echo assumed were the seats.

The two monsters in humanoid skin stepped out to the arena floor. It was covered in a layer of heavy sand.

"Ready to try some things out?" Echo asked.

"...Mhmm… I need a sword though."

"What style?"

She glanced over at him - they had talked a little about the similarities between Japan and The Krekyo Dominion during their travel - and she gave him a slight grin.

"Right. One katana, coming up." He reached into his pocket-dimension and pulled out a lump of simple steel. "Transmute Substance."

His Quintessence flowed through his hands and into the metal he held; sparking with silver and crimson light that danced across the substance. In a blink, it had completely changed into a pristine, curved blade, along with a sheath.

He handed it to Fumi who took a few practice swings and instructed him how much to change the heft, weight, and length. Within a few seconds, she had the perfect sword custom-made to her preferences, and Echo made sure to memorize the measurements. She then tied the sheath to her waist and took a step back.

I'll make you one out of Divine Metal later.

He knew it would be a good present for whatever the equivalent of Christmas was.

She smiled ruthlessly but with a loving glint in her eyes as she took up a stance that he recognized from one of his favorite films. Hidari gedan no kamae. He had watched lots of Kurosawa’s Samurai movies, so he was passingly familiar with how she would fight.

He reached into his pocket dimension once more and drew another block of steel, transmuting it into a Western-style bastard sword in an instant. He did the same for a simple heater shield.

She's more experienced, but my stats are higher.

He barely saw her inhale and heard her whisper in Gori/Japanese, "Prepare for the Maven’s blade.”

There was no hesitation in her voice before speaking. She sounded like she did when they were hunting in Tiberius' tunnels, brimming with confidence and hostility.

He smiled, "Bring it on!"

She moved first; quicker than any eye could follow save for another monster like her. Echo met her blow with the flat of his blade and the two engaged in a flurry of swings that caused massive gusts of wind from the sheer force of their blows, kicking up sand in waves.

Each impact cracked out across the battlefield and a storm of sparks flew wherever the swords or shield connected. She never parried straight-on, playing to the strength of her sword, and deflecting before following up with expert counters.

Echo played the defense almost exclusively, attempting a strike here or there, but mostly playing to his strengths and reveling in the agility and raw physical power that he now possessed. He made good use of his shield, solidly stopping and deflecting Fumi’s amazing display.

He was acutely aware that they were being watched but his fixation was on her. She had a broad smile on her face as well as their strikes and swings blew all sand to the edges of the arena, leaving them standing on the black marble below.

Their melee was as complicated as two dancers engaged in the most complicated waltz; completely in tune with each other and reading the other's body perfectly. It was as if they were made to be the perfect counterbalances.

"Alacrity." Her form blurred as she activated an Ability that increased her movement speed, reaction time, and speed of thought by ten times its baseline.

The downside, however, is that Alacrity also drained Quintessence at a prodigious rate. It was like moving in slow motion from a film; the rest of the world seemed to slow down to a crawl.

"Alacrity," Echo said a scant second after she did; but that was almost enough of an opening for her to land a critical blow on his neck.

She was the more deadly of the two; her offense would have devastated any other combatant. However, he was the best defensive fighter in the world at this instant and was able to recover. He knew that his higher stats would not matter in the face of her pure talent with the blade and experience in fighting, which far outstripped his.

To those in the audience, the two fighters below were a whirl of bodies that danced back and forth. Strikes couldn't be seen, and even the most experienced amongst them had trouble identifying who was winning, let alone looking at their form or technique.

“Now that’s just not fair!” One of them commented.

The older reincarnated adventurer smirked as he observed the display. “Reincarnated folks are built different.”

Mutters of agreement were heard by all in the stands, and their eyes were transfixed to the martial display.

To the two new lovers who crossed blades, the dance was mildly exerting. Deadly, but child's play. An interplay of vying for supremacy, a mirror to their violent passion in the bedroom earlier that day: played out with steel and sinew.

Fumi skipped backward, a flower petal on the breeze, as she sheathed her blade. Echo immediately felt the hair on his neck rise as every instinct screamed at him to escape.

He could feel that she was going to do something that he did not want to be hit by.

He dropped to his knees and channeled his Quintessence into raw magic, his mind already thinking faster and faster about how to escape the incoming attack, his processing speed increased by Alacrity. He tried to envision the ground rising, turning to metal, and encasing him for protection.

Fumi released an Iaijutsu Strike, yelling "Spatial Sever!" as she did so.

Her Ability tore space and allowed her to strike past any barrier, regardless of distance, in a wide arc. It guaranteed a fatal hit. However, its one downside was that space had to recover around the user before it could be used again.

If Echo was on the other side of the barrier he had erected, he surely would have been sliced in half.

In that tiny span of time, he had rapidly fired off a series of spells that he created on the fly, muttering under his breath.

"Transmute Substance, Alter Substance, Atomic Hardening, Merge with Material."

He had raised the marble from the arena floor into a wall in front of him, whilst at the same time turning it into steel, hardening it at the atomic level, and pushing the atoms as close together as possible without changing the metal into plasma.

In the tiny gap of time between Fumi's Ability impacting, he stepped forward and his body merged with the wall.

To the audience, in the span of half a second two things had happened simultaneously.

First, The Gori warrior had jumped back, sheathed, and unsheathed her weapon at an incredible speed, and cut reality itself as a black, razor-sharp line extended from her, slicing through to the edge of the arena and deep into the stone.

Simultaneously, a solid block of metal appeared, and the human from another world vanished.

Fumi advanced upon the metal barricade and wheeled around the backside, ready to strike. To her surprise, there was no one there. She stamped her foot and took up a ready stance, looking all around.

Leaving her back wide open.

Echo's body unmerged with the metal wall. He hugged Fumi from behind, quiet as a mouse, and tackled her to the ground. He slammed her hard.

Of course, due to the Bulwark he placed on her, he felt the bump on his head, and immediately a headache set in.

She struggled for a moment, but his strength stat was much higher than hers, and her better swordsmanship could not overcome raw strength once grappled. She continued wriggling for a few minutes before giving up.

"...I surrender."

Echo stared into her eyes, once more feeling the instinct rise in him.

Breed…

Evolve…

He pushed the desire back, and instead engaged in a passionate kiss that she returned with equal fervor.

It's not as intense as before.

He reasoned it was due to their earlier session. Or the physical exhaustion from their training bout.

The two separated and Fumi grinned, all traces of shyness having vanished. The fight seemed to draw her out of her shell, finally, after their days of hiding, hunting in the tunnels, and travel.

"Next time, no magic."

"Hey, we didn't establish rules ahead of time. I was going to, but you swung first."

He helped her up and she retrieved her blade from the ground, sheathing it. Echo gave her a short peck kiss on the cheek, and she blushed.

It was then that they saw the audience.

Their jaws stood agape. Some started clapping once the two turned towards them, and several screamed and yelled in applause. There were a handful who left; upset at the power put on display that would have put the most epic hero to shame. And others blushed at the passionate display that bordered on violence in and of itself.

Echo waved briefly as he put his sword into the pocket-dimension.

The attendant ran up to them, "Beg your pardon, but you did…quite a bit of damage to the arena. I must insist we charge you for the repair costs."

Echo glanced at the wall where Fumi's strike had impacted, and his eyes went wide. He looked at her, "You tried to do that to me?"

The arena itself on that side was slightly shorter than the rest of the surrounding building. She had taken off a centimeter of height for half of the structure.

I really hope it stopped before it hit the street.

The line, if it kept traveling, could have easily bisected anyone on the street. And he had no clue about the range it had.

She gave him a mischievous smile and responded, still in her serious mode, "If you couldn't survive that, I'd be disappointed.”

Echo looked at the attendant. "I can fix your arena. Does that work for you?"

"I suppose…"

Echo knelt and placed his hands on the ground. "Transmute Substance." He felt a slight drain on his Quintessence as the stones all around the arena repaired themselves. He also reverted the barrier to stone and merged it with the floor.

Fumi never left his side as he cast the few spells, and when Echo turned to the attendant he was nowhere to be seen.

"Where did he run off to?"

Fumi had reverted to her quiet mode, withdrawing into herself slightly. "...Magic with no staff."

Well, it can’t be helped.

Echo patted Fumi's head as the two began to walk to the exit. The adventurers above had cleared out as well.

But Echo made out one who was leaving with the rest, and he picked up his pace to catch him.

It was someone wearing his helmet.

The cowardthat left them all to die.

Rickard.

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