Chapter 14: Chapter 13

Damn, do I need to get more sleep or something? I somehow got back to my apartment, but now that I’m standing in front of the door, I can’t remember how I got here. The last thing I can remember is getting lost in some alleys. It's also not that I can’t remember only what this body did, I put the other to sleep when I normally do so I could wake up early enough. Speaking of which, I really hope it’s strong enough to support almost three times the weight it previously had to.

 

The next morning, what I assume was the body that had the adventure the previous night was still out cold. It's a strange feeling having half of your physical form awake- but all of your mental capabilities ready to go. After a quick breakfast of bread and a local fruit, I went out to do some deliveries. My expenses had doubled, so being comfortable but limited on money was no longer my situation. I couldn’t just bring both of me and do twice as many routes- I’d prefer if people didn’t know about that situation- so I needed to find another job that would have no overlap with my typical routine.

 

During my route, I realized that I definitely wasn’t just stronger. Normally, I’d walk most of the trip and run or jog coming back to the depot when I woke up a bit more- but now I was easily able to jog the entire time without getting that tired. As a result, the time it took to complete was closer to an hour and a half than the normal two-ish. 

 

My other self woke up around the time I got back to my room. As I changed into my only other uniform, (add ‘get more clothes’ to the list of things that need doing) I noticed that some scales had popped up around where my tail connected to my back. Previously, it had kinda looked like someone just stuck it there- but now there was a not great attempt at blending skin and scales together going on. Were scales going to continue growing every day or was this a one time thing? Have Abilities naturally expanded like this before? I’m not going to worry about that now, but when the ability class- whatever it was called- rolls around I guess those would be good questions to ask.

 

On my way to the morning session, I stopped by the main guard station in the school. The sudden feeling of agoraphobia yesterday hadn’t left my mind- and I figured the active use of an Ability like that warranted at least filing a report. When I got to the building, it seemed a bit busier than what I expected- well, except for the public waiting room. I was sitting in a chair waiting for almost twenty minutes before someone came to ask me why I was there. When I mentioned I wanted to file a report, they asked, “Is this in relation to the murder and arson that happened last night?”

 

“What? Ahh, no. Yesterday in the evening as I was sitting watching some crowds, I was hit by sudden and unnatural anxiety that is typically uncharacteristic for me. Although I’m not sure, I think someone might be trying to cause panic in the area where it happened.”

 

“Hahh, Alright. Can you point out where it happened on this map for me. We’ll get a report filled, but there’s no guarantee anything will happen- the previously mentioned case is our biggest concern right now.”

 

As I scanned the large map of the city they laid out, I asked, “Is murder so uncommon that it would justify using the most of your resources to look into?”

 

“Within the walled parts of the city- very much so. Of course, there are always cases of bodies found in the developed areas outside the walls and in the wilds.”

 

“Ahh, I found out where my incident happened.” When they had asked me to point out the area on a map I was a little concerned- I only really knew the parts of the city around the school and my apartment. However, when I was scanning the map, a disconnected area felt familiar- and I realized I could pinpoint where I had been sitting. I guess in the state of heightened adrenaline my brain picked up where I was more than I thought?

 

“Are you sure that's where it happened?”

 

“Yes… Is something wrong?”

 

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“No, but your case might be related to the other one under investigation. Thank you for your information- this might actually be a valuable lead.”

 

As I left the building, I was still considering the fact that if I had been a few streets- or allies in this case- over and a bit later, I might have been the one murdered, assuming it was a random hit. That thought led me to a question: what would happen if one of my bodies died? I didn’t want to test it, but the possibilities were intriguing. It was likely that I’d just go down to one, but I might also get half sent to an afterlife if one existed here, or maybe I couldn’t die for whatever reason. 

 

I deemed it useless to think too hard about as I reached the field for the second day of extra training. Both our instructor (was it too late to ask his name?) and Charlotte were already there, along with a cart of various weapons. We said our greetings and did what was probably going to be the standard warmup of stretches and running before teacher-man motioned to the cart.

 

“Before y’all start wi’t the weapon lessons, we’ll be going over some generally applicable basics. First off, when doin’ anythin’ athletic that ain’t runnin’, make sure to be in a semi-squat position. It helps with stability and sudden movements. Next yuh gotta git comfortable movin’ in all directions- don’t wanna trip when backing off. Finally for now, you gotta be used to just holding your weapons. Questions?”

 

When neither of us spoke up, he had us do some agility exercises I recognized from various sport trainings in the other world: shuffles, skips, backwards running, and the weird foot-crossing-sideways run. I was surprised at how generally coordinated Juleit was- just taking all of these in stride and only messing up once or twice before nailing them. On the other hand, my tail made quick changes in movement more awkward, as it wanted to swing around with a lot of momentum  if I didn’t focus on keeping it tucked in and rigid. This resulted in me focusing more on that and less on my feet, so I stumbled a good bit.

 

While giving pointers on technique, the teacher asked us, “It it aint rude, may I ask why yer wantin’ to learn to use a weapon?”

 

As usual, Charlotte was quick and straightforward with her answer of “I joined the guards as part of the investigatory group to pay for tuition, so I want to learn how to fight to protect myself and others.”

 

I felt like saying “it sounded like fun” might not be the best choice, so I went with “I think self defense is a good skill to have for everyone”

 

“And you want to learn how to use a large, two-handed sword?” Charlotte asked skeptically.

 

“Well, people tend to be less inclined to go after you if you're visibly armed- and if it’s bigger it’d probably be scarier.”

 

In the last ten minutes, teach had us just try holding the weapons we talked about in a ready position, and it was both easier and harder than I thought. Even at 200cm long, the sword was slightly less than 4kg, which was easy to hold up- for the first minute or two. After a few more both of us students were shaking and grimacing trying to hold them up and maintain a crouched position. At around the five minute mark, Charlotte dropped into a sitting position- which tempted me to follow along- but I held on for another thirty seconds. 

 

“Great job today, both of ya. We’ll be doin’ more of the same for the next while- though with only two motivated students, I can move a lot quicker than the normal class will be.”

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