Solus, I think that your help will be invaluable to bring my martial arts training to the next level.
Chapter 23: Heart to Heart
Until that moment, Lith's martial training had had been really sloppy. Despite all his efforts, in a whole year of practice he had barely managed to regain the skill level of a 4th kyu of aikido (the equivalent of an orange belt for karate).
The only aspects he had managed to step up to the 3nd kyu (the equivalent of a green belt for karate) were the footwork and the fall techniques, and that because the initial progression depended completely on him.
Without a sparring partner, someone that could watch his moves and help him correct his mistakes, there was only so much that he could do.
He could either make a mud dummy move or train himself, he was not at the point that he could do both at the same time. Making a rough mud doll perform human like movements required a lot of concentration.
That meant that he could only put the dummies in position and then practice while they were once again still. Lith's body was even clumsier that his original one back on Earth, to make real progress he needed to be hit, to be thrown around, to practice all his moves on a moving target.
But Lith couldn't ask for help from anyone. How could he possibly explain that he wanted to practice alien martial arts? What help could anyone give him, not even knowing the basics of the basics? That's why he usually practiced in the middle of the night.
And Solus was the perfect solution for his problem. After further merging their minds, they had discovered new uses for the tower core. Lith had just to plant her into a mud doll to turn it into a quasi-golem, finally getting his sparring partner.
Solus had all the human senses and more, and with Lith permission, she could consume his mana to perform spells he knew in his stead. Her nature was that of a magic tower, she was supposed to overseer countless floors and devices.
Even in her weakened state, moving a poor excuse of a mud golem was easier than pie. Solus further improved Lith's idea, managing to make the golem's body soften at the right times, before hitting or being hit. This way she was able to put enough strain on Lith's body to train it, and avoid any possible injury by accident.
She also had access to all his memories, including all of his masters' teachings. Solus was able to use those memories to correct Lith's mistakes and help him improve by leap and bounds.
Thanks to Invigoration, Lith was now able to stay awake for a whole month before his performances started declining, forcing him to rest. So, thanks to Solus, whenever he would meet a bottleneck, he would train martial arts.
He only needed to take a short break when the fatigue became too much. Light magic would mend his muscles, making them recover and grow stronger in a matter of minutes, dissipating the accumulated lactic acid at the same time.
During those moments, Lith and Solus would chat heart to heart.
So, what do you plan to do in the future? Why do you put so much effort in all this training? Magic, martial arts, hunting. Why don't you stop from time to time, just for smelling the roses? Solus asked.
"Whenever I do stop, I start thinking about the future. And that scares me to death. I already know that death is a trap, forcing me to switch one hell with another.
I don't want to live all my life in a small village, just the idea is equivalent to the death penalty. Doing the same routine every day, in a prison without bars where I am forced to lie every single day, waiting to die and start all over again.
I can't bear this thought. My plan is to test this body's limits, get as strong as I can, so that once I reach adulthood, I will be able to explore this world, and see if it's worth living in.
If either this body or this world meet my expectation, I will strive all my life to find a way to prevent me passing into another world after my death."
How?
"I don't know, I'm still as ignorant as a baby about magic. All I know is its practical use, I have no idea if it's possible to create magical artifacts.
But if my hypothesis is right, I could become a lich. Even better, I could find a way to bind my soul to this world, so that in case of death I would remain here, possessing the nearest available corpse. I hope that when push comes the shove, I will also have found a way to retain both my magic core and muscle memory."
And what if both the world and your body fail you?
"In that case, I would not mind starting my journey once again. If I have to live a shtty life in a shtty world, might as well depart early.
I'll keep moving around until I roll my 100, and get born as a perfectly healthy young master of a filthy rich family, a chosen one or whatever. Is just a matter of luck."
What about your family? Are you going to abandon them like that? Lith pondered seriously about that matter.
Of course not. Making them lose their son, their brother for no reason, without even giving them a body to bury is too cruel, even for me. I'll stick around until my family needs me before checking out.
Solus giggled.
"Don't you see? Things are not actually all black and white as you make them. When you awoke in this world, you couldn't wait to die. To 'reroll' as you say.
Then you chose to stay for the magic. Now you are willing to continue this life for someone else's sake. Give yourself some time.
The bad people you met have reinforced your bias on life, but the good people are also slowly changing you. At the beginning you couldn't care less about Tista's life, now it's all you think about.
You hated both Elina and Raaz even before knowing them, because of your issues with parental figures. Thy are not your parents back on Earth, this planet is not Earth. Give it a chance before doing something so extreme."
How do I know you are not telling me all this stuff only to keep your host?
Easy peasy, read my mind. After checking it thrice, Lith could not find any hidden agenda or egotistical reason.
Dammit, all this mind-link stuff is so irritating. I cannot get out of this argument with mistrust or doubts. It's my loss. For now, at least. You are barely a month old, life will change you. It always does.
Solus giggled again.
Or maybe it will change you, and you will start warming up to me. And then you will have to take care of me for your whole life, hubby.
Lith felt a cold chill run down his spine.
Please, don't call me like that. I'm ready to go again. Don't go easy on me!
I never do. Solus replied, getting on Lith's already shaken nerves.
Thanks to all that exercise, Lith would quickly overcome any bottlenecks, and soon he could feel the bottled-up impurities trying to find their way out again.
Lith had pondered if it was the case of getting rid of the impurities in the same way he did for the rest of his family, but after discussing it with Solus, he decided not to.
The purification treatment he had devised for Tista was an artificial method, and even though it gave the same benefits in term of physical appearance and resistance to illness, their magic power and physical prowess never got enhanced.
Lith had no idea why the impurities had to travel to the mana core before getting expelled, inflicting such excruciating pain. But it was worth the cost.
It happened during one of their sparring sessions. As soon as Lith realized what was happening, he quickly undressed himself to not taint his clothes.
This time he offered no resistance, discovering that it wasn't so painful after all.
Lith puked much more impurities than the last time, letting them came out of all his pores and orifices.
The stench was so bad he was about to faint before managing to destroy them with dark magic.
He was completely exhausted, this time not even invigoration could replenish his energies, he needed to sleep.
After a bath. I stink so bad I could raise the dead. Solus ignored the obvious remark.
"It's exactly as you remembered. Whatever happens to you, is like a sword getting tempered
and purified at the same time. Both your body and mana core had undergone qualitative changes again.
I think your potential skyrocketed, promoting you from my bare minimum requirements. You still need to work hard to develop it, though."
And so, Lith continued his routine until the day of the spring festival came.
Chapter 24: The Spring Festival
It was without a doubt the worst day of the year for Lith. He would be forced to spend the full afternoon away from home, surrounded by complete strangers and robbed of any privacy or personal space during the festivities.
All the families in the village would gather for the festival, forgetting about all their daily problems and miseries, since everything from decorations to food and drinks were paid by Count Lark.
He would also take part in the whole event, to keep his bonds with the community strong and maintain his reputation of a fair Lord, instead of being just a faceless guy who collected taxes making their lives even harder.
The festival was comprised of three parts.
The morning would still be spent like a normal day's work, to let foreigner merchants and carnies prepare their stands and arrange their merchandise.
In the evening the families would gather and check out the stands, searching for trinkets and jewellery to buy with their extra money to add them to their daughters' dowry.
The food would mainly consist of appetizers, like fresh fruit and vegetables, with skewers of different kinds of meat and even exotic food, brought by Count Lark for the occasion, like saltwater fishes and seafood.
The only drinks available would be water and light beer.
After the sunset, huge braziers and torches would be lit all around the village, while the Count's workers would prepare the stage for the festival main event, the election of the Spring Maiden.
All the girls fifteen and sixteen years-old could take part in the Spring Maiden contest, which was more like a debutante ball rather than a beauty pageant.
It was the opportunity for all the young maidens of marriageable age to show off their beauty and virtues, in hope to catch the attention of as many suitors as possible.
The judges of the Spring Maiden contest were always the same, Count Lark, the village chief and Nana.
After the election, the real food would be brought out, with lots of roasted animals, soups and caramelised fruits. Both pure and watered wines would be available, raising the spirits for the finale.
The last part consisted of a ball, encouraging the eligible bachelors to approach one or more maidens that may have caught their eye.
Each part would affect Lith's mood differently. The first would cause extreme boredom, tempered by the fact that he was still allowed of moving alone.
The second was akin to torture. He would be forced to sit on his father shoulders, staring for hours at a bunch of little girls he did not give a damn about.
The third was the best one, but only because it was very short. After some dancing, his parents were too tired to remain any longer, and would finally bring him back home. None of their children was yet of marrying age, so they had no reason to linger.
For the first time in his new life, Lith had some money in his pocket, so he could check out the carnival games that offered the best prizes.
They cheat, I cheat. Let's play this fair and square.
Using spirit magic he won a beautiful stuffed bear for Tista, beating a ring toss game rigged by unbalanced rings. From a crossbow shoot game he got a silver coated hair comb for Rena. All he needed to do was to use two strands of spirit magic, one to guide the dart to his target, the second to force it to crumble. Last, but not least, a silk ribbon for his mother from a Wheel of Fortune stand.
The carnies were flabbergasted, but trying to bully a local child in front of so many villagers, not to mention Count Lark, would have earned them nothing more than the beating of a lifetime and a permanent ban from every event in the county of Lustria.
They started to keep an eye on him, but Lith was not greedy and left after getting the three prizes. He actually wanted something for Raaz too, but all they had were feminine products.
The carnies hoped to lure the young boys into wasting their money, trying to impress the girls with expensive presents they could not afford without gambling.
After distributing the presents, Lith searched for Nana, he wanted to have a chat about magic with an expert. He found her sitting on a bench near her house.
The first thing he did was looking at her with Life Vision. Her mana flow was way bigger than Lith's, but her life force was weaker than Tista's.
Nana was a over sixty years old woman, but she looked like an eighty-year-old Earth woman. Her back was so hunched that she needed a cane to walk properly.
She had sharp grey eyes, a face full of wrinkles and a big aquiline nose. Nana always wore a shawl over her head, to avoid her long grey hair bothering her during work.
At a first look she seemed an inconspicuous old lady, but when you got near, you could feel the raw strength exuding from her body.
Must have had a rough life. Solus commented.
Hello, Nana. How are you? Lith asked politely.
Hello to you, little imp. You sure are growing fast, aren't you? Just like Elina had noticed back in winter, Tista and Lith were growing taller and slender than their peers. The same was happening to Rena too, after she had received Lith's treatment.
Lith was already over 1.1 meters (1'8'') high, his shoulders broad like he played water polo.
Lith nodded. "Yes, I do. Can I ask you a question?"
As long it's not about my age, be my guest. Nana laughed.
Nana, are you a strong magician? Nana was surprised, the question not very childlike.
Yes, I am. When I was still a young girl, I even got a scholarship for the prestigious Lightning Griffin academy, and I managed to graduate without any problem. Nana straightened up proudly, remembering her years of glory.
Then how did you end up being a healer in Lutia?
How tactful of you, Lith! Solus rebuked him.
Children are allowed to be rude. It's one of their few privileges.
Nana's mood turned gloomy.
You see, Lith, in this world there are commoners, nobles and mages. A strong mage has a status on par with the nobles, depending on his/her magic power. Back then I was very strong, but not a genius. Sadly, I was also stupid and naïve, so I made some very bad choices and ended up alone, without anyone backing me. I had only two options left. Either submit to a powerful noble or living free with the status of a healer. Guess what I picked?
Lith became gloomy too, the idea of losing everything after working so hard for it made his future look even scarier.
There, there kid! Nana brightened up. "Let's not spoil the mood and enjoy the festival."
After leaving Nana alone, Lith thought back at her words about his growth, and stopped in front of a mirror on display, watching his reflection.
He could only sigh in resignation.
"No matter how many impurities I expel, I managed to fail even at the gene pool lottery. I took so much from my dad and so little from my mom.
When I look at myself while brooding, rather than cool I like some kind of psycho kid escaped from juvie. If I smile, now that I miss so many teeth, I'm not even cute. Even all dressed up, I could barely pass for a street urchin from one of Dicken's novels."
Solus tried to brighten him up, but to no avail.
Later in the evening, Count Lark introduced to the village elders his guest of honour.
Chief Yurok, sage Nana, allow me to introduce you the young Ricker Trahan, son of my dear friend, baronet Lokar Trahan. This young lad is a really talented magician, that in the future will bring glory to our county. Count Lark was a magic enthusiast, always trying to sponsor promising youths from his land.
Nice to meet you, young man. The village chief saluted him with a polite bow, expecting the other to offer him his hand or at least reply to the bow.
Ricker instead kept looking around, his eyes filled with contempt.
The pleasure is mine. He replied with a cold tone.
Ricker, where are your manners? Count Lark rebuked him mildly. "Sage Nana was a powerful and renowned magician in her youth. Feel free to ask her for advice. Her experience could prove invaluable to overcome any difficulty you may encounter during your studies."
I have no doubt about that, my Lord. Ricker bowed this time, but to Count Lark.
Nana had seen enough nobles in her life to recognize the type. A high and mighty young master, pampered enough to believe that only nobles could achieve greatness.
The people of the village were having a hard time tolerating so much disrespect towards their elders, but for the Count's sake they limited themselves to angry whispers.
Oh, oh, oh! You got yourself another spunky one, dear Lark. Nana laughed without any warmth.
Ricker shuddered at such lack of respect, the old bat calling the Count by his first name without honorifics. But he knew that Lark was a sucker for magicians, and judging from her attitude, he had granted the old bat the right to do so.
He has every right to be proud, dear Nana. Next year he will turn twelve and apply for a Lighting Griffon's academy scholarship, and with a little luck he will enrol just like you did back in the day!
Ricker failed to repress his amazement, knitting his eyebrows at Nana.
By the gods, how could such a commoner get admitted into the academy? He thought. "She must have cheated her way in, no doubt."
Really? Replied Nana with exaggerated enthusiasm "Why don't you ask him to show us what he is capable of?"
Count Lark gladly accepted, and per his request soon was set up a one meter (3'3'') high stump with a head of lettuce on its top.
Ricker had to stay at least 10 metres (11 yards) away from it and knock it down. It was a very basic exercise for anyone who wanted to become a magician, often use to quickly get rid of unworthy candidates.
Only those with real talent for magic were able to use chore magic at such range. For normal people, magic had a range of a metre or two.
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