“Come on, you can do better than this,” Seshka sneered as she swept Tyler’s legs from beneath him, sending him crashing hard to the floor for what must have been the fifteenth time that morning. He hit the dirt hard, the wind knocked out of him as coughed trying to fill his lungs.

  “See? This place has already started to affect you. You’re slower, more predictable. It’s like you’re moving backwards. You’re even struggling just to breath. Pathetic! Up. Let’s go again.”

  Seshka had pulled Tyler out of bed just as day was breaking and dragged him to an area just outside the town. She didn’t want to train in the town and had actually wanted to go further into the forest, Tyler had convinced her to at least keep the walls of the town in view for his training session.

  Although Tyler didn’t feel this was much like a training session — more like a beating. She no longer held her punches or corrected him, where he was going wrong. Instead, she applied pressure, knocking him down again and again. He was starting to feel the effects of all the strikes, especially on his left shin, which was already turning a reddish-purple.

  “Is everything alright? You seem a little off this morning,” Tyler said as he got to his feet, leaning heavily on his pole to give his legs a few extra seconds to stop stinging from Seshka’s last strike.

  “There is nothing wrong with me. I’m not the one wanting to stall my path. Not the one who, if they’re not careful, will be a forgotten, a nobody, left to die while buzzards peck away at their lifeless body,” Seshka snapped, lunging into an attack. She spun, bringing her left arm around, her buckler smashing straight into Tyler’s nose before he even had a chance to see it coming.

  He heard his nose pop before the pain spread across his face, then blood trickling down onto his lip. Once again, he went flying backwards, this time he managed to stop himself from tumbling, and only go8ng down to one knee.

  She’s definitely not happy about us staying here, Tyler thought — which was fair enough — but it wasn’t right for her to use him as a punching bag just to get her frustration out.

  Tyler wiped the blood from his face with the back of his hand, looking up at Seshka at the same time. She was backing away slightly, getting ready for another attack. Tyler gritted his teeth, the taste of blood making him even more determined for what he was about to do.

  If she wanted to play rough, then so could he. Maybe a little taste of her own medicine would snap her out of this murderous mood she was in. He’d only suggested staying a few days, he dreaded thinking what she’d be like if he actually did her harm.

  He let his mana around his core flow through the channels in his body. Feeling, the ease at which his new denser mana left his core. He let it move freely, circling around his channels without any real intent, he wanted it to look uncontrolled, chaotic even. Rising to his feet, a low growl escaped from clenched teeth, his anger on display for anyone who wanted to see.

  “This is pathetic,” Seshka said, venom thick in her words. “You’ve even lost control of your chakra — something I thought you’d at least managed to hide. I can feel it raging around you. See what this place does? I could beat you blindfolded now if I wanted to. I know your moves before even you do.”

  Tyler didn’t respond with words. Instead, he charged at Seshka with all the speed he had. A roar of primal anger pathing a path towards Seshka as he yelled a battle cry. When he was a few metres away, he flicked his pole into his left hand, leaned that way slightly and swung the pole in a sweeping motion aimed at Seshka’s head.

  SSeshka didn’t even bother to move from Tyler’s initial charge. She could see his chakra, see the energy in his body moving around in a chaotic storm. It started coalescing to his left — a little surge in his right hand first, then a sudden shift to his left arm. She smiled. So obvious.

  Seshka moved to her left to avoid the oncoming attack from her right. She jabbed straight forward with the butt of her spear — not enough to do serious damage, but enough, hopefully, to knock some sense into him. A small smile formed on her face, just as Tyler’s right fist punched her straight in the face.

  Seshka went flying backwards, landing on the ground in an undignified heap. Blood streaming from her nose and a look of sheer shock on her face.

  This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there.

  Tyler looked at Sheska, legs tangled beneath her, swelling forming around her left eye, nose broken and a confusion dancing over her like dark clouds in a thunder storm.

  He’d not had the chance to explain his breakthrough from the night before. She’d not wanted to hear anything, instead just wanting to train, oh and tell him how stupid he was. Now though with better control of his mana, he had deliberately built up an attack on the left — even giving up his weapon to that side. He knew she would be watching his mana, tracking his chakra, using it to read him. And she had as he pushed his mana along his channels towards that side.

  She’d seen the attack from the left before he even struck. She had seen his mana, his chakra pointing towards a full on attack from his left. She’d moved to his right to get out of the way of it — but that wasn’t his main attacked, he’d fained the swing from his left, surged his mana that way too, but at the same time he’d launched a roundhouse punch with his right fist. No mana. No tell-tale sign. Just an almighty swing — one Seshka had run straight into.

  He watched as Seshka got to her feet, still panting from all the earlier knockdowns, and the adrenaline of this attack, he smiled blood staining his teeth. Seshka looked a little unsteady tootohe must have caught her solidly.

  She tilted her head slightly as she inspected him, she always seemed to do that as if looking for some hidden secret on his face. Like the answer to her question would unfold if she just looked hard enough.

  “When did you learn to do that? I felt your chakra. It was all focused on your attack with your pole. There is no way you learnt that much control in only two days.”

  “Well, if you hadn’t been so focused on your dislike of this place, throwing a fit because you can’t get your own way and dragging me out here before the crack of dawn just to wail on me, I might have had time to tell you,” Tyler shot back. “I got a notification last night. I now have a lesser stable core.”

  Tyler didn’t care much at this point if he shared too much. He was still slightly annoyed at Seshka for knocking seven shades of crap out of him for the past few hours. Plus, a little reality check was in order.

  “What do you mean a stable core? Those do not become available until E grade at the earliest. It’s just not possible,” Seshka said, visibly shocked.

  “True. Well, that way is true. Why does everyone think the system has to do it?” Al said suddenly, his voice surprising Tyler slightly and bringing his anger down a notch.

  “It is possible, apparently, because I do have a lesser stable core,” Tyler replied, emphasising the lesser. “Don’t ask me how, but pushing your core faster and faster until it can’t go anymore will achieve it. It seems my mana will actually listen to what I’m saying now.”

  Tyler drew on his mana again and created a perfect ball of it in his palm, holding it up for Seshka to inspect. She walked over slowly, studying it intently, not speaking for a long moment, which made Tyler feel a little uncomfortable. His anger completely dissipated as he stood there.

  “This… this is just not possible. I have never heard of anyone doing this before. It’s never even been theorised,” Seshka finally said.

  “I don’t know about that, but doesn’t this prove a point? I advanced last night while staying in this town. A place where you are convinced you cant progress. There are other ways to progress other than what you know. Like I said yesterday, the universe is a big place. There may be other ways. Like this place.”

  Sheska kept looking at the ball of white mana in Tyler’s hand. “You just kept on pushing the mana in your core faster and faster. But the control, it doesn’t make sense if it’s faster now, how can you control it now, when you couldn’t before.”

  “it’s easier now, and not really faster. It’s like I pushed the mana faster in my core until it couldn’t go any further, then it condensed became more tangible. Rotated more steadily, listening to my commands more easily. It’s a little hard to put into words, but you can see the effects.”

  Sheska took another long minute staring at the ball of mana in Tyler’s hand, even letting her finger tips glide across the top of it. A small spark jumping to her finger tips. She looked back at the town and scoffed, turned and started walking away from Tyler heading for the tree line.

  “We agreed a few days. A deal is a deal. Go spend time with those mana-chaser wannabes. I’m going to scout around the area. Training’s done for the day. But don’t have me wake you tomorrow, and don’t think that trick of yours is going to work again.”

  With that, Seshka disappeared into the trees, leaving Tyler standing there with a confused look on his face. He stood motionless for a moment, then started shaking his head.

  What is up with that woman? Tyler thought. They — whoever they are — sure did some number on her. Its like she’s been told one thing and nothing else can be true. Did she even believe him about his core”

  Still shaking his head, he turned back towards the town. She could handle herself, and she’d ordered him out here tomorrow for more training, so it wasn’t like she was just up and leaving. Besides, he now had time to investigate the town without a hysterical Seshka sitting on his shoulder.

  Maybe he could find out more on professions, gain a level if possible, convince Sheska that killing is not the only way to live within the system. As he headed towards the town gate, he saw the large demon stood near the entrance holding up what looked like a beaten old battle dish in one hand connect by a cable to a tablet in the other.

  The demon moved the dish around in the air, as if trying to detect something. When he turned as saw Tyler, he shuddered backwards, snarled and walked off at speed into the town. Tyler exhaled loudly, time to sort this out, what was this guys problem.