Rise CHAPTER 13 - Wield The Spear (Patreon)

Strength + .1

Agility + .4

Endurance + .2

CONGRATULATIONS - Forcing technique discovered

He seriously wants me to keep fighting that thing?! This is insane, certifiably insane.

Jiran took several deep breaths in an attempt to calm himself down enough to think clearly.

The attribute gains from actual combat are no joke, I suppose that’s why I’m out here. Or at least part of the reason. It’s also true that I suck at fighting and if I ever want to explore the world, I’m going to have to unsuck at it in a major way.

There has to be a better way to learn than having a wrecking claw swung at my face like a baseball bat on steroids!

Oh, I got a technique; Forcing, sounds cool. What does it do?

Forcing - Beyond enhancing the body with mana comes moving the body with mana.

Okaaaaay…

I guess I’ll try it.

Jiran pulled the spear from the ground and pointed its tip once more toward his crustacean training partner. He focused on an image of plunging the spear forward into the beast's shell while mumbling the name of the skill.

“Forcing.”

He felt the mana in his body spasm before it spread evenly through his limbs. Once it was spread out, the energy tore into his bones in a wave of agony that threw his body forward in a blur of uncontrolled motion.

Luckily the crab was on the other end of the glade from him. Jiran only took a single step forward before his left foot caught in the dirt and he slammed face-first into the hard ground as if a truck had run him over.

Groaning and holding his bleeding nose, Jiran twitched in shocked agony. Peals of laughter rang out behind him as Samris was unable to hold in his mirth.

“Truly success is the sister to failure. I never would have expected you to acquire Forcing so quickly. To use it so spectacularly in service of your life, only to demonstrate it so abysmally in a simple thrust, is a sight I shall savor for years to come.”

“Thanks for the vote of confidence,” Jiran groaned as he unsteadily rose to his feet once more.

That was awful. On the plus side, I moved really fast on my way to that make-out session with the ground.

If I could figure out how to use that speed in just the parts of my body I want, when I want, it would be an amazing technique.

How do I do that though? Same as learning anything I guess, one step at a time.

Jiran gathered his focus once more. Using his embarrassment as the emotional bridge, he connected with his mana and spread it evenly throughout his body just like the automated forcing technique had done. With a tight grip on his spear, he experimentally moved his arms side to side with only mana.

The spear’s point shifted smoothly through the air as he slowly increased the speed his mana was puppeteering his body. After a few moments, Jiran added in the strength of his muscles.

Forcing + 1

Forcing + 1

Durability + .1

Forcing + 1

Forcing + 1

Durability + .1

Forcing …

Jiran’s confidence soared as the levels rolled in. His movements increased in speed and smoothness until he was thrusting twice as fast as he could without using the technique.

This is awesome! Time for some payback you Tamatoa-looking punk.

Not wanting to accidentally trip again, Jiran ran toward the crab without the use of Forcing. Like before, the beast was ready for him. Its small relatively harmless claw was facing him while the giant one was wound back, ready to blast forward with incredible force and speed.

Jiran came to a stop just before his spear point could reach the beast. Being well within the range of the crab, the monster pivoted and swung at him with its deadly appendage.

From his crouched position, Jiran was ready. He used the mana already spread through his legs to leap forward and to the side of the beast. The massive claw slammed into the ground where he had been standing less than a second ago. The impact was so strong, Jiran could feel the dirt under his feet shift.

The roar that escaped his throat came out as more of a childish squeal than Jiran would ever admit. However, the spear point that collided with the hard-shelled beast was the real deal.

Once more he failed to penetrate its exoskeleton but the beast was thrown away from him so hard that it rolled onto its back.

https://imgur.com/kmBv0FH 

As the beast’s eight legs and two claws flailed wildly in the air in an attempt to right itself, a strange sensation came over Jiran’s hands.

He looked down to find every one of his fingers bent at very wrong angles. Bones jutted out randomly from his destroyed skin and blood flowed freely from vicious lacerations. A wrongness that began in his stomach and rapidly spread up his throat resulted in blood-red vomit flying from his mouth.

Jiran’s vision rapidly shrank into a black haze before unconsciousness whisked him away to a happier place.

When he woke up, all three suns were high in the sky, beaming down at him like parents peering into their child's crib. The juxtaposition of cool dirt beneath him and the blazing heat above was so relaxing he closed his eyes, ready to fall back asleep.

“I’m impressed, Jiran,” Samris’s whisper instantly shocked him fully into reality.

Sitting up, Jiran raised his hands before his face. The phantom memory of his destroyed hands was long gone, replaced by fingers covered in smooth skin that flexed with his usual strength. Heaving a huge sigh of relief, Jiran searched around him until he spotted Samris sitting cross-legged nearby.

“What happened? Am I dead?”

“You destroyed your body with Forcing. I repaired much of the damage, however, I am not a healer. Please refer to your status to ensure there is no lasting damage.”

Jiran wasted no time pushing a whisker of mana into his eyelids to review the changes.

“Minor internal bruising and bleeding. Wow, an entire point in durability. Forcing leveled and I got another letter of my Unique ability revealed.”

Samris grumbled something under his breath that Jiran couldn’t quite catch before he opened his golden eyes, penetrating Jiran with a hard stare.

“Use what mana you have remaining to continue your recovery. Spread it to any areas where you feel pain.”

Jiran did as instructed and then waited patiently for Samris to continue. It was easy to see from his pensive expression that he had more on his mind.

“Jiran, there is a great deal that is unusual about you,” Jiran’s heart rate spiked in panic as the worst-case scenarios played out in his mind.

Out here in the woods, at the far reaches of the empire, he could burn me to ashes and bury me in an instant. None would be the wiser. Whatever he says, I need to keep my cool and reassure him that I’m not a threat.

“I’ve never heard or read of any individual grasping the concepts of Molding so quickly. Now you've managed to teach yourself Forcing and appear to be advancing with it at an outlandish pace as well.

"I find myself in a quandary when I consider your future.”

Jiran gulped as nervous energy ran rampant through his veins.

“If I attempt to disseminate your methods, I may inadvertently deviate you from your path and in so doing, repeat one of my father’s greatest sins.

"On the rare nights when he found himself deep into the cups, he would lament about a particular pupil of his whom showed great promise.

“In an effort to nurture the child into a great warrior, my father instilled many of his own beliefs into his mind. The result was a warrior no greater than any other.

“A mind taught is a mind naught,” He said the last words with a sorrow so deep that Jiran was sure there was a great deal more to the story than he was getting.

It doesn’t look like he’s caught onto my alien memories.

Jiran breathed a sigh of relief upon hearing his words and listened attentively as Samris continued.

"You must understand, I was taught in a very structured and traditional style. If I attempted to continue instilling that same structure into you, it would certainly hamper your advancement.

“For those reasons, I have called for a true instructor to educate you. He is an old friend and much more knowledgeable than myself. Until his arrival, we shall focus on the areas where you are not naturally gifted.

“In addition, I would like you to refrain from studying anything related to mana, density, skills, and techniques in the library. They will be far more poisonous than my own teachings.”

Samris plucked a spear from the ground and tossed it to Jiran. He scrambled to his feet in order to catch it, wincing at the pain radiating from every inch of his still-healing body.

Without the demonic crab occupying most of his attention, Jiran took a moment to examine the weapon in his hands. It was heavy with coarse wood that roughly adhered to his fingertips. The metal blade and its tip were sharp and intimidating, seeming more a danger to himself than his current foe.

His recent experience with the spear had taught him a great deal about the inherent risk that lurked within the tool of death when used improperly.

Samris held his own spear that had appeared from nowhere. His body moved incredibly slowly as his eyes held a serious glint that dared Jiran to underestimate him.

https://imgur.com/ZmKg22a 

He crouched, two hands on his own spear, one in the middle and the other at the rear. A deadly tip pointed at Jirans heart. Like a poisonous razer beetle crawling through syrup, the tip moved toward Jiran.

Jiran easily dodged the creeping strike. Compared to the giant claw, this was a breeze. Samris completed his thrust as if Jiran had not moved, Then withdrew his spear, still moving incredibly slowly. The entire attack took nearly two minutes.

“Your turn,” Samris spoke again in his soul-rending whisper.

Jiran moved with little thought or intent behind his thrust. With a laughable imitation of Samris’s stance, Jiran carefully extended his spear toward Samris.

The man barely moved, the slightest adjustment to the angle of his torso and the spear tip passed by him safely. Then Samris assumed the same stance again, once more the spear moved at an incredibly slow speed.

Oh! He’s moving so slowly to give me a chance to copy every aspect of his lunge.

He focused on the way Samris’s hands changed angles as the weapon extended. He carefully studied how his hips shifted as weight was transferred from foot to foot. Jiran even noted how his intimidating golden eyes focused like lasers on his heart, never wavering in their pursuit of his blood.

There was far too much information for Jiran to absorb in a single thrust, even at the incredibly slow pace.

Jiran did his best to imitate the slight movement Samris had made to dodge. He felt awkward and clumsy, despite his recently increased attributes.

Samris remained patient with him, continuing to swing and thrust at the speed of a glacier melting.

At a clip so gradual as to be imperceptible, Samris sped up the speed of his attacks, evasions, and blocks. As the speed increased, Jiran unwittingly moved along to the pace of the older man’s drum.

Jiran was given no chance to sit and rest. His muscles screamed for an end to the brutal training. The trickle of mana coming in with each breath was used to gradually repair the damage from his foolish use of forcing.

Without being able to rely on molding to bolster his body, Jiran was forced to hold the bent-leg thrusting stance for hours on end with muscles alone.

By the time First Father met the treetops, they traded a thrust every three seconds. When dinner came and went without rest or meal, they were down to one second between thrusts.

Jiran’s hands were slippery with blood from blisters that had formed and popped hours ago. His legs and back screamed from holding the low stance for half the day with no break.

I can’t stop, no matter what. I have to absorb everything he has to teach me.

Each twitch of movement, every shift of weight, and adjustment of stance are all vital. The next time I fight a beast, I won't be defenseless!

When Samris finally stood and signaled the end of their exchanges, Jiran collapsed in a heap on the ground.

Strength + .1

Agility + .1

Endurance + .6

Durability + .4

Wisdom + .2

NAME                       Jiran of Feylon

RACE                         Human

AGE                           7

WEIGHT                    33.59 kg > 35.77 kg

STATUS                     Mild internal bruising \ Mild external bruising \ 

                                  Mild nerve damage \ Minor tendinopathy \ 

                                  Mild bone fractures

TIER                          1

GROWTH                 45.0%

MANA                      0.01

CONCENTRATION   1

STRENGTH               12.6 > 12.8

AGILITY                    12.7 > 13.2

ENDURANCE            12.3 > 13.1

DURABILITY             11.1 > 13.1

WISDOM                  14.9 > 15.7

INTELLIGENCE         14.7 > 15.2

SKILLS                       Molding lvl 44

TECHNIQUES            Forcing lvl 14

OTHER                      UNIQUE - Fo$%si%h(