V1P17A

*tach* *tach* *tach* *tach* *tach*

Pulled my senses in so much?  All I hear are my footsteps.  Not sure where I'm going.  Just can't stay in that big top and don't want to go back to mine.  See that bitch again?  I'll filet her just for shits and giggles.

Stop.  Gotta keep the lid on tight.  Stick to a focused and defined purpose.  Or might as well volunteer for the Stanford Experiment.

I understand why she used me.  Don't have to accept it.  Yeah, she's had a shitty life.  Fuck off, lots of us have.  It doesn't make aiming for someone's trust and then betraying that trust, okay.  Wait, I don't trust her.  Do I?

Sigh.

Shouldn't that [Slavery Magic] have done something?

Still, I did torture her.  A lot.  Like a lot a lot.  Is this karma?  A sexist thing?  ...Dammit!

While screaming and bleeding, she told me about this area.  Remote, rugged, lots of hills, lots of woods.  Area around the monastery has long been cleared but beyond?  It's wild country.  

Colder too, less leaf trees like firs and maples.  More needle trees like pines.  And the nearest town is a day's walk south or west.

Right, I'll go east.

Now those are some nervous medieval dudes guarding the camp's perimeter.  Even without my cheat I can see them shaking.  Bet they don't want me to leave.

*whoooosh*

Focus mana in my legs and launch passed the perimeter guards so fast.  A gust of wind is left in my wake.  In a moment I'm among the trees and out of sight.  Ha!  Suck it you- shit!

*bang* *bam* *crunch*

Pour mana into my skin just as I careen off the first tree.  Hit several more and trip over a few before finally rolling to a stop.  Flat on my back and spitting up blood.

*cough* *groan*

Probably looked like those old cartoons.  Cloud of dust with arms and legs sticking out.

"...ow..."

Yeah, that looked super cool.

What a pretty sky.  It's nice that birds sing in this world too.  And this breeze?  Wow.  Okay, yep, totally meant to do that.  It was a super secret kung fu move or something.  The pain?  That's, uh, cultivating?

You know?  Really don't know what I'm capable of.

Yeah, always been a bit of an asshole and a little too aggressive.  But I've never killed anyone before.  Have I?  Some of my memories seem to be getting fuzzy, blurry.  Blurrier?  Probably some isekai thing.

Never hesitated to fight back though and these fuckers?  Keep pushing me.

Shit.  I'm wearing two swords and I've never been in a sword fight before getting here.  Never even trained with one.  Yeah I've camped outdoors before.  But have no clue how to prepare wild game to eat.  And riding a horse?  Once, maybe twice, in my life.

I'm not even a good cook.  Passable, at best.  Do make a mean french toast though.  Can't even start a fire without a lighter.  And magic?  I'm managing but don't really understand it.  What am I doing here?

No!  Stop that!

I'm here to keep these bastards away from my son.  Yes.  Then how?  At least two countries have the ritual.  And heroes have been summoned before.  The ritual is difficult but not inconceivable.

Hehe.  Inconceivable.

Focus.  Killing everyone who might use it?  Impractical?  Remove the need to summon a hero?  Unfeasible?  Hehe.  Unthinkable?  Pffft.  Impossible?

“You keep using that word.  I'm beginning to thi-”

Come on!  Keep it together man!

...

Whew...

“It'll take a miracle-”

Dammit!

Fine.

“Havefunstormingthecastle.”  Happy now?

Can we get back on task please?

Good.

A summoning isn't random.  It’s aimed by the one performing the ritual.  According to the manipulative elf whore.  And she won't be doing that again.  Especially if she's dead.  Still, her visions came from somewhere.  Someone aimed her at my son.

While the angel knows better than to get involved again?  That doesn't mean others won't stick their divine schnozes where they don't belong.  And who aimed at those japanese kids and why did they choose them?

What if the pointy eared praying prostitute is lying?  Or just wrong?  Will my son still end up kidnapped?

Need to know more.  Learn what I'm up against and how to fight it.  Plus how to survive in this stupid world.  Do they have community colleges here?  Libraries?  Would ask the girls but I may have just killed one of them.  So, kind of doubt they feel like volunteering information right now.

Will I have to skin them too?

Time for a new plan.

Plan B.

Okay, step one of the new plan?  Figure out my limits.

And deep in a forest without a soul in sight?  Seems like a good place to do that.  Let's fire up [Super Senses] again.

…

Whoa…

This is a rush.

Feel a cluster of humans, that's the camp.  Is that a mile away?  How fast was I going?  Can hear the confusion.  Me splitting has stirred them up.  Search parties are out but a long way off still.  Well, I'll go deeper so they don't get in my way.  Time to get moving.

*crack*

“Holy shit!”

Lesson number one.  My body has limits, even when using mana.  Getting up completely fails because my legs are a mess.  Thank god for the [Recovery Magic] cheat.  When you combine that with [Super Senses]?

Like one of those kung fu movie enlightenment scenes, I'm one with the universe or some shit.  Bet fapping will be awesome now.  Explains why those martial arts guys spend all that time under waterfalls.

Easier to wash away the “evidence.”

“[Touch of Menerva]”

“That boy died so I could inherit this muscle car.  Don't waste it.”

*suu* *suu* *ha* *ha* *hyah* *hoh*

“Round one.  Fight.”

Start off with boxing moves and then martial arts stunts.  Never had much training but I watched plenty of movies.  Almost as good.  Right?  Yes, I know how sad that sounds.  Maybe even as sad as this running commentary in my head.

Whatever keeps me sane.  Hopefully.  I’m a stranger in a strange land.  Gotta do something.

Maybe I should get a “Wilson.”

This body's balance and coordination are unreal.  Even manaless its strength, agility, speed, reflexes, rival any Chinese action stars.

“Maximum effort.”

*suu* *suu* *ha* *HA* *HYAH* *HOH* *SUUSUUHAHAHYA-*

Round two.  Same moves but feed mana into them.  A little at first and then more and more and more.  Get faster and faster.  Harder and harder.  Holy crap.  Neo ain't got nothing on me now.  Is this what they call a runner's high?

*rip*

“Ow! Ow! Ow! Nnng! Too much!”

And there's my limit.  Could actually feel my muscles separating from my bones.  Pull mana out of my body and back into my spirit as I ease down.

“[Skill of Chiron]”

A good spell for reattaching things, like torn tendons.

“Round three.”

*crackle* *crunch* *grink*

Now how tough can I get?  Start feeding mana into my skin instead of muscles and bones.  Can feel the change, immediately.  Skin on my hands gets rougher and rougher.  Sense of touch fades as my skin looks more and more like bark?  Stone?  Scales?  All of the above?

Even at its hardest though it's still pretty flexible and pliable.

Round four.  How much damage can I do before hurting myself?  Believe it or not?  Not actually a fan of pain.  So punching a tree is not something I want to do.

“Come on, chicken, man up.”

*pop* *pow* *bam*

Surprised at how little I felt the first punches.

“What were they feeding this kid?”

I'm like a Russian athlete.  Full of patriotism, steroids, and meth.  Don't even notice the bleeding at first.  Crap, got lost in the zone.

Lesson number two.  Listen to my body.  Let it speak.  Know when to quit.

Still, completely chicken out on kicking the tree.  Stubbed toes are the worst.

“Round five.”

Not sure how to use mana for this.  If I just strengthen the muscles and bones?  I'll probably rip my skin off.  So the skin too?  Wait, can I do my whole body at once?  Push the mystical into the physical?  Mana dump?  How did I do it during the date rape brawl?

*tshhhh*

“Oh. Yeeeaah… That's the stuff.”

Feel the magic nitro again. World slows to a crawl.  Can see, hear, smell, feel, taste, everything around me.

*pow*

Throw a cross at the pine tree that already has a lot of my blood on it.  A slight tremor passes up my arm but.  No tearing, no bleeding, internal or external.  There's now a dent in the tree though.

“That felt… good.”

*pow* *pop* *BAM* *THUD* *GONK* *--CRACK* *CRASH*

Another cross, then a jab, an uppercut, a hook, again and again, harder and harder.  The tree finally has enough abuse and snaps, toppling over.  So, move onto the tree next to it and switch to my legs, knees, shins, and feet.  In even less time, it's falling too.

Channel my inner Tony Stark.

“I'm Iron Man.”

Yeah, it sucked.  But I really do feel like I'm in power armor.  Going through a ton of mana but my body feels like a war machine.  Everything runs at maximum efficiency.  Supercharged.  Gone turbo.  Nitro flooding my motor.

*stomp* *stomp* *spring* *chack* *chak* *sprong* *chack*

Can't stay still anymore and start running.  Or maybe, leaping, is a better word?  First pounding across the ground.  Then launching across the trees.  Even start using the trees as springs.  With everything juiced?  Got no problem navigating this time.

*SPLASH*

Come across a lake and jump into it.  Steam pours off me.  Stop the mana tap and a massive wave of fatigue washes over me.

“Whoa…”

Dizzy.  If I hadn't been in this ice cold water?  Might have passed out.  I'm in the middle of nowhere.  Fall asleep here I'll end up monster food.  Seriously, can sense them around me.

They're all keeping their distance, but they are there.

“Thirsty.”

Guzzle cold lake water, hope I don't get the shits, and wash myself.  Amazing, I've burned through half of my reservoir.  All in just a couple of hours.  Feeling tired but fantastic.  Bet I look like shit.  Clothes in tatters.  Thank god both swords are still here.  Douchebags would completely flip if I lost them.

Oh, and speaking of swords.

Round six.

“What?”

*sphahk* *zhang*

Swords practically draw themselves.  That floating feeling again.  Not using any mana but the swords feel light.  Move too smoothly.

“You've got your own mana pools.”

Bitch told me magic swords and the like are rare in this world but exist.  Their magic effect triggers when the user feeds enough mana into them.  The super rare legendary type items though?  Have their own reservoirs.

Are, basically, alive.

*sving* *wong* *zhish* *whah* *phif* *zoosh*

Like my moves were enhanced with mana, so are these swords.  But the effect is always “on.”  The white and blue of Sanctity and the black and red of Tormentor really look stunning and contrast each other sharply.  Alternate left/right hands, single/dual wielding, one/two handed.

“This is too good.”

There is no way I'm this good.  Seriously, I'm not.  The blades are influencing me.  Making my movements tighter and quicker.  It's unsettling.  Like traveling in a self driving car but keeping my hands on the wheel.

When the swords are drawn I can feel their souls.  They have a will, an attitude, but that's it.  Don't have “minds.”  No thoughts or wisdom, so to speak.

Now that I recognize their will to stab and slice?  Can block them out.  But they are always there.  Even sheathed.  Still feel them on the edges of my mind.  Just fainter.  Only while we're touching does their presence return to normal.

So fucking weird feeling.  And why the hell would I call that normal?  Okay.  Test this.

Oh.  Their presence disappears completely when I put them down and step away.  Physical contact is the key I guess.  Great, now I've got magic swords whispering in my ear.  Hope I don't have to bite my finger off.

“Excalibur, I call on your power.”

Round seven.

*skahk* *fruzh* *spak* *zuzh* *SKRAKLE* *FRUZASH*

“Fuck yeah!”

Feeding mana to the swords starts a light show.  Blue lightning randomly sparks across Sanctity.  Red flames randomly flare across Tormentor.  The blades become even lighter.  Their whispers become louder.

My moves become tighter and tighter.  Quicker and quicker.  It feels as incredible as when I unleashed my body, and that brings me to a dead stop.

“Shit.”

Examine myself.  No damage.  No torn muscles.  Why?  Follow the mana.  Huh.  Charging the swords sends feedback into whatever limbs and muscles are involved.  Huh.  So no tearing or bleeding.

Freaky.

Pretty damn frightening what enough mana can do.  Ugh.  Only a quarter of my mana pool left.  At least I'm getting better at monitoring it.  Better end the training montage.  I'll be screwed if I run out of mana out here.

Point Sanctity up enough for the noontime sun to shine lengthwise on her blade.

“She's the last of the V8's.”