Chapter 144: Chasing Real Power V
Chapter 144: Chasing Real Power V
{I used Grammarly for the first time. I hope you guys see the improvements, it saves me tons of time editing it myself. Enjoy the chapter guys!}
{P.S: I’m paying for the premium version for all the features.}
The convenience of flying is amazing. Now it’s time to walk the rest of the way. I don’t sense Fenrir anywhere nearby. I was looking forward to the chance to talk to him. Too bad he isn’t here. We start walking through the forest and as we do I almost forget to toggle my wings off. I do so and they disappear into my back. “Where do they go when you do that? Is it some magic that allows you to hide them?” I suddenly hear a question being asked.
I look over to Sally seeing her confused face. I don’t know how they disappear and reappear like that, in all honesty. So I can’t give her an answer. “I don’t know. It’s just something I know how to do. It’s like breathing and blinking my eyes. I don’t have to think about it consciously. All I do is think of them going away and they disappear.” Turning them on and off is how the system handles it. I can still feel that it’s under my control though like I could activate them without the system.
I’m not in the mood to test that out though. Her armor and weapon are very basic. I wonder if she has any idea how to wield that sword. “Do you know how to fight Sally? If you need to learn some stuff or don’t know much I’d like to know now so I can help you develop some things that will be very useful.” She stops walking, and I turn around to see why she did. She gives me a determined stare and draws her sword.
I guess she wants to show me instead of telling me. I cant use The Witness in this spar, or she’ll die. Even keeping it in its sheath is risky. I don’t want to kill her accidentally. I respond to her actions and activate my wings once again. She gives me a weird look. “Won’t they get damaged if you use them for fighting?” I shake my head no and indicate for her to bring it. She looks a little insulted and charges at me. I get my wings in front of me, and the tip of her blade connects.
I suffer no damage, and the feeling of the blade tip is completely negated. I hear her groan and jump back. I pull my wings back, and she gives me a slight frown. She jumps in for more attacks, but my wings shut them all down. “WHAT THE HELL ARE YOUR WINGS MADE OF!? IT’S LIKE I’M TRYING TO CUT THROUGH DIAMOND WITH A DULL BUTTERKNIFE!!” She is a way better combatant than I thought she was. I bet this is one reason she was able to escape from illegal slavery.
She eventually tires herself out and takes a knee. She sticks her blade in the ground and leans against it. “I’m impressed, Sally. You are very talented when it comes to fighting. I can guess how you got so good at it so I won’t ask. In the meantime, I’d like to see how good you are at defending. I won’t be using my sword cause it would kill you. My wings can to, but I’ll keep it at your speed level and give me your best movement.” She stands up after a couple more breaths and gets into a stance.
She leaps forward and I make sure I don’t move too fast. She dodges and parries at an excellent level. She has a unique defense form using my weight against me. It must be from fighting more vigorous opponents. After a couple of minutes, she falters, and I stop just before landing a strike. She looks up at me with a smile. I reach out my hand and smile at her back. She takes my hand, and I help her up. I toggle my wings off.
She has way more potential than I originally thought. Not only does she have a well-developed fighting style, but she also has a brilliant defense. The Frosts Wrath will be a perfect fit for her. “You have exceeded my expectations, Sally. You are better than you have led me to believe. Quite an impressive tactic if I have anything to say.” She has been alive for 103 years. She has probably been free for more than 70. All that time to develop is sure to show.
In the end, I wouldn’t put it past her actually taking revenge on the ones that ruined her life and her mother’s. She will get a taste of real power and might right all the wrongs that happened in her life. I’m fine with her taking revenge. She can do whatever she wants when she gets her power. “I’m glad you think so, Zern. I’ve worked hard in my free time whenever I get it. Secretly training when I was captive led me to trust my sword more than any other person. Once I was free, I promised that I’d have my best possible life.” I as well trust my own power and weapons more than anyone else.
Even including my family. She will be a mighty warrior soon. “Well, Sally, you have everything you need except a good class and items. Once you have those, you can pretty much do whatever you want. I should warn you, though, don’t pick fights you can’t win. I suffered from that problem a long time ago, and it led down a dark path.” It’s part of the reason my old future went to shit. Because I thought I was the shit. Being humbled really helped me open my eyes.
I can help her not make that mistake. However, that’s only if she wants it. She said it herself. She only trusts her sword more than any person. “Will you teach me how to fight? I know that if we were to have fought each other seriously, you would have killed me instantly.” So she wants a mentor that can teach her where she has faults. I can teach her how to fight, but how much she grows is determined by how determined she is.
I don’t doubt she’ll be strong, but I won’t be easy on her. The lessons I learned in my old future caused me a lot of pain. When there is no one to teach you like I didn’t, the only way you can grow is through failure. That leads to many setbacks and failings, some you can’t recover from as a player. “I can help you, Sally, but how much you learn depends on you. I can teach you all I know, but it can just end up going through one ear and out the other. Worse, you won’t be able to handle it.” I highly doubt either of those is true. I want to see how determined she is.
She wouldn’t have come so far in life just to quit at times like these. I watch her face morph into determination and preparation. “I can handle anything you throw at me, Zern. I’m not going to be a weak woman. I want to be able to kill those who threaten me and defend the ones I care about. I don’t want to spend my life being a lesser version of something more.” That’s quite a lot of determination. She will do fine, so that means I can make the training as hard as I want.
I’ll start teaching her what I know once we get her the legacy class near the fairy kingdom. I don’t want to start teaching her if she doesn’t have any power to work with. “Looks like we have another goal to add, don’t we. I’ll start teaching you after you acquire The Frosts Wrath, that way, you can use the powerful skills of the class. You’re going to be a fearsome warrior after I teach you about fighting.” She nods her head and smiles in satisfaction. I’ve never been one to teach, but it could prove to help her.
The stronger she is, the more likely we will succeed at getting my divine mana aura. “Let’s keep moving, Sally. This little stop has proved to be a great distraction and very entertaining. The fairy kingdom is less than 20 minutes away. I’d like to see the kingdom I helped bring back.” I turn towards the giant tree in the distance and begin walking. I hear her fall into a rhythm behind me. She starts to hum some melody, but I sink into my mind to think.
Sally has a lot of potential. However, her heart is filled with grief and vengeance. It could be counterintuitive to her training. I can’t change her mind and heart, but if it proves to change her drastically, I’ll step in. Power going to the head is a nasty thing and one I can relate to. Some of my power has gone to my head, and I have to remind myself every day that I’m still fragile compared to the strongest out there. Only time will tell the answer to this question.