Chapter 38: Chapter 37 ~ Rat

Why am I here?

I’ve been selected out of all the people on Earth to be brought here, to learn from these people and to one day become a soldier for them. That’s why they brought me here, but it’s not what frustrates me so much right this moment.

These last few days have been pleasant, and I know that I’ve been doing the right thing. Going to class and keeping my head down, but I don’t like this.

I feel like I’m growing complacent, like I’m forgetting the urgency that once filled every moment of my life. Worse, I’m not sure I really like who I am, when I stand by and watch quietly.

I’m staying here to learn, and to grow. So that I can become strong enough to stand upon my own against any empire, nation, or beast that would destroy me or take away what’s mine. This is all just a world full of risks and opportunities, that I must navigate and eventually escape.

My goal here is too unfocused, and I feel myself slipping into a lifestyle that would make me nothing more than another obedient student. There are so many things happening, there’s so much to learn, making it difficult to find that focus, that goal, that’ll keep me centred.

Biting my tongue, I look through the metal gate at the twisted little rat beast, and I can only feel spite for those that have crafted this world.

“Go on. Deal with it as you did with the slime, but this time end it. Show the others how it’s meant to be done.” Freid explains in a quieter voice, so that the other students won’t hear.

I turn and meet his expectant gaze without immediate reply. This lesson is more about obedience and fear than skill in combat. There’s a reason we weren’t taught how to fight before coming here. There’s a reason we’re expected to fight without knowing how.

It’s a test to see whether we’ll obey.

“Freid.” I say, giving him my full attention, watching the little ticks of this strange wolfish man. “What do you want to turn them into?”

“I want them to survive.” He growls in low reply, “I’ve taught them fear, now they must see how to overcome it.”

“Is that how it is?” I ask dryly, turning to take up a spear from the racks. The one that was too heavy the last time, now it’s just about right. My mana density has tripled since then thanks to feeding on the slime.

He squints his eyes at me, but I choose to ignore him. I’ve too many other things to think about.

I’m tempted to simply dive at the rat and tackle it into submission using my mana drain ability, but there are a few good reasons not to do that.

From what I’ve seen, this rat is no real threat. It’s disgusting, and its hooked teeth will probably hurt, but that’s all. So then, the important thing I have to ask myself.

What can I gain from this battle?

Mana.

This rat doesn’t seem as dangerous as the slime was but I’m sure I can still squeeze a good meal out of it. I’ll gain strength from it, better than getting xp in a video game.

Battle experience.

This is a chance to practice fighting in a fairly safe environment. I could clean up my Skills, especially my movement Skills, which will surely be useful in future engagements.

Prominence.

I can show the audience who I am and make an impact on my fellow students. I’ll be able to establish myself as reliable and hopefully stand out from among the combat students. A risk, but if I want respect, this is the best way to get it.

“Tear its guts out,” Eshya whispers to me, her smile rather ferocious.

“Take care, and win this thing,” Vii says, far more sensibly.

“Remember the proper steps of a battle.” Adler says, “And try not to get hurt.”

“I’ll be fine.” I reply, my mind swirling with thoughts and mana, “I’ve just got to make the most of this.”

The gates are opened, and I step into the arena with my spear by my side. I’ve tightened my control on my mana cycles, the power running through my body, ready to reinforce my steps with mana surges.

The rat circles around me, cautious of me. Unlike its last dance partner, I’m not pitiful prey running away and screaming in dismay. It’s got some low level of intelligence at least, but its black beady eyes don’t suggest much more than that.

It stares back at me, the eyes on each petal-like jaw flap rolling slightly as it shifts its mouth.

Damn is it uglier up close.

It runs up at me to nip at my feet and the real game begins.

I step back and swipe my spear wildly at the rat, forcing mana surges along my arms that achieve just about nothing. Apparently, it isn’t some miraculous technique that works for everything.

The dull spear still hits the rat but succeeds in little more than making it stumble. The second strike snaps against its skull, and produces such a satisfying sound, that I can’t help but smile.

The rat races away while hissing at me, and I don’t feel like chasing after it just yet. No, true intimidation requires you to slowly walk after your enemies.

That, and for some reason, between my frustration and rage I really don’t feel like running.

It’s frustrating that my attacks didn’t do any real damage, but I’ve come to expect no better than this. My mana pressure is much improved, but I’m still no natural talent when it comes to battle.

The rat, likely thinking me weak, leaps at me, but with my mana surge kick I’m just barely fast enough to step aside with only a small stumble.

I take a few steps back and ready my spear for another go. I still have plenty more frustration to let out, and this little thing is making for a good punching bag.

I roll the spear in my hands, getting a feel for the wooden grain and hoping that I might have some wonderful breakthrough with a weapons talent, or magic, or something.

I’m ready when the rat charges at me. The little fleshy mouth flaps are opened wide, and its hooked teeth are dripping with saliva.

What a horrible sight…

With a swipe of my spear, I bonk it on the head. It’s a strong enough hit to flatten it on the ground spraying sand around it. I get in another follow up stab before it gets back on its feet and retreats. It’s growing cautious.

Waiting it out while watching its movements, my mind begins to wonder. After seeing what it did to the student before me, I don’t feel that my life is at all threatened. Rather this beast’s death is already well determined it’s all just a question of how we’re going to get there.

How my life will go when this fight is over is another issue.

I still desperately need allies, and personal power.

Between the crystal I scavenged, that draws mana from the air, and my new mana drain Skill, my mana density is all but certain to skyrocket. Though, I can’t help but suspect that I’m going to hit another wall of some sort, impeding my progress.

As for allies. I’ve been lax.

It can be excused by the fact that I’ve been getting used to the academy, and taking some time off. Nevertheless, I haven’t found any new allies since I got here, and the question still remains as to what I can do about it.

As I push the rat back a few steps, I take the opportunity to look out in the crowds surrounding me. There’s Vii and Eshya cheering me on, Adler watching with concerns of her own, and countless students, most of which aren’t worth the time to get to know them.

I feel like slapping myself in the head as I see what I’ve been ignoring, how truly short-sighted I’ve been. There are older students right here that I could get to know, one of them is even talented with healing magic. The others likely have talents of their own and being in combat class they’re all but guaranteed to have some competency in fighting at least.

The rat leaps at me, and I place the spear tip right in its path, but it moves its head aside just in time to avoid it. I move the spear between us to throw the rat a little aside.

Its hooked teeth miss me by a hair’s breadth.

“Little shit.” I say under my breath as I dance around its follow up attacks.

I should also try and dig something up about the party of the fallen. Someone will know something, even if it’s just hints and small leads. I can’t afford to be wasting my time anymore.

Looking down at the pitiful creature that opposes me, my guts churning with frustration, I thrust, slice with my spear, completely abandoning any cautious approach. If I can pin it down for a moment, I can reach down and force it into a hold, killing it with mana drain.

There’s not enough force behind my attacks, and the beast driven into a corner, pushes through to counter me. Over extended, I can’t react in time, and only barely manage to put up a mana shield over my leg as it bites me.

A moment later, the mana shield fades, and the rat’s teeth sink into the meat of my calf.

The pain isn’t so bad, but I do feel like I lost. I was trying to avoid this.

With I sigh I look down over the pitiful creature that does nothing now that it’s latched onto me. It was a stupid move from the very start, making itself far too vulnerable.

Either it’s meant to hunt as part of a group, or fight enemies smaller than me.

“You probably didn’t want this either, did you?” I say, running my hand along the matted fur of its back. The shifting mouth flaps, and the movement of the hooked teeth don’t bother me as much as they should.

A slight burning and cutting sensation ignites where we touch, and I roughly pull at the mana within the creature. Feasting on it, even as it has its jaws wrapped around me.

“We’re all just pieces in someone else’s game, aren’t we? And perhaps worst of all, I think our player left the match…” I whisper, watching as the rat shudders. Surely there’s plenty more mana inside it, but even so, it seems to be dying.

Is this mana shock?

But then what of the slime? Is it immune to the effect?

Whatever the truth is, the rat doesn’t survive for much longer. After I drain only a little of its mana it convulses and dies. Its little corpse is still stuck to me with its hooked fangs.

It takes a little while to peel off, as my hands keep slipping on the dead beast’s saliva and the hooks just don’t want to come out. I squeeze the corpse for mana as I continue the tiresome work. It should probably be painful, but that hasn’t been a thing for me since this traumatising ride through hell began.

After I finally pull it free, an older student approaches me, seeming a little uncertain while looking at the corpse at my feet.

“Yes, it’s dead. Yes, I killed it.” I say, “What is it?”

He’s a strange looking fellow with pitch-black leathery skin and massive, blue, alien eyes. He’s considerably muscled but still somehow lanky, and though he stands straight, his arms hang low, nearly all the way down to his feet. Everything else about him is just a bit weird, though nothing strange enough to be worth noting.

“That was an unusual fight. What did you kill it with?” He asks, taking the corpse off of my hands. I let him have it, there isn’t that much mana left in it.

“Wouldn’t you like to know.” I reply with a smile that’s only slightly forced, “You’re a combat student?”

He walks over to beast entrance the opposite direction to where I’m going.

“I’m Gunther. Grade 3, so it’s my third year here. It’s good to know there are a few talented first years.” He says, as he leaves the arena.

I’m not sure I’ll ever really get to know Gunther, but lately I’ve been talking to no one outside of my own little group unless I have to. A bad habit that I’ve taken to.

There is no crowd cheering down at me, as might be expected of any other historical fighting pit. Instead, there are first years looking down at me in horror and fear, there are the older students watching me curiously, and welfare officers probably thinking of torture or whatever other sick shit they think about.

As the student on duty runs a cleansing spell over me, I feel that familiar and horrible slimy sensation running down my body and through my shoes. Blood, sweat, and dirt all liquified, runs down to the stone ground at my feet and disappears down a drain.

He follows up with healing magic on my now clean leg.

“Thanks, are you the same guy from last time?” I ask, vaguely recognising him.

He’s wider than a tree trunk and covered in brown fur, a small but tightly bound loin cloth makes him barely decent for public. He pulls back his uncomfortably large hands once he’s finished healing me.

If I were just living as a student, I’d never particularly want to get to know him. I know it’s shallow, but I sort of prefer surrounding myself with pretty girls.

If I want to be more than a student, I can’t be so shallow anymore.

“I am. Your fighting is well suited to subjugation.” He grumbles, his face is pale, but I think that’s just his species.

“That depends,” I reply, “It’s something I can only do when really close, and I’m not really sure about how effective it’ll be against strong opponents.”

I’ll need to do some experiments to figure out how quickly I can drain mana from larger and more mana dense enemies. Even assuming that it works, I’m not sure I’ll be able to do much if I’m in multiple pieces in Godzilla’s gut.

“You’re still a first year.” He chews slowly over his words, “You’ll get stronger with experience.”

“What’s your name, anyway?” I ask, “I’m Kyra.”

“Kranth.” He replies, “If you want my advice, work hard to get some healing magic.”

“I’ll try.” I say, “I already figured it would be useful, but getting that breakthrough…”

“Even without, the knowledge might save your life.”

“Good to know.” I reply satisfied with my limited efforts in socialisation.

Finished with my part in all of this farce of a class, I calm myself, cycling my mana and letting the internal mana pressure build up in my mind.

“What is that Skill you used?” Eshya asks, “The rat, it just died when you were patting it. Is it some strange killing touch attack?”

“Mana drain.” I reply simply, “I sucked the mana out of it, and it died.”

She stares at me wide eyed, even Vii is a little surprised, frozen still.

“What? Is that strange?”

“I’ve never heard of such a thing.” Eshya says, “Not in people at least. Some rare beasts maybe… but even then, it’s usually only when you’re in their stomach.”

“It’s strange.” Vii chirps happily, “Very strange. So, you are able to pull the mana from something at a touch? Kill things with mana shock?”

“Yeah,” I reply, “Though it didn’t kill the slime.”

“They don’t die from mana shock.” Vii says, “One of a few species like it. They just shrink in power.”

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“That makes as much sense as anything else.”

“You need to teach me how to do it.” Eshya says, “I’ve got to get that Skill.”

“You were having trouble consuming only little bits of mana a while ago.” I reply, “You don’t have it in you to suck the life out of a creature. It’ll give you indigestion.”

“How much are you…” her eyes open wide as she gets thoughtful again, “To kill it that quickly, you’d have to be draining quite a lot of mana from them…”

“Yeah.” I reply, “Could still squeeze in a little more, though.”

“You’ll be overtaking us in no time.” Vii says worriedly, “I’ll have to work hard.”

“Me too.” Eshya says, her voice growing serious.

Freid sends another student down into the arena, and releases anther rat of the same sort that I killed. They must have raided a nest or something. I join Adler in watching as events unfold in the arena below.

“How did I do?” I ask.

“You completed the task most admirably,” She says, “It was more than I expected of you. Though, how much guilt were you feeling as you committed to the execution?”

“Guilt? Not much.” I reply truthfully, “Empathy? Plenty enough. I felt sorry for it.”

“That’s alright then, I suppose.” She says with a long sigh, “I never much liked these events. I understand the purpose, but it is unpleasant to watch.”

“It’s definitely unpleasant,” I agree, watching another student fearfully run from the rat rather than fight it. “I just question whether it’s necessary. As should you.”

“It’s our job.” Adler replies.

“You admit that it’s your job to hurt people? To keep them all afraid?” I ask, “If it bothers you so much, then you already know you’re doing something wrong.”

She quiets but looks thoughtful. Hopefully she’s questioning her place in the organisation of the welfare officers. Refusing to collar us is proof that she’s not a complete lost cause.

I return to watching the battles. One student is pulled out and healed, while another is forced to enter in their place. The rats, meanwhile, are replaced as they die.

The new student thrusts with a spear, cutting the rat but not quite well enough to kill.

They both retreat from each other, and he waits for it to make another charge.

A few moments later, it does.

His spear is thrust clean through its mouth, cutting right through to the tail. He coldly and carefully leans down to pry the beast off, before leaving the arena.

“Not good.” Adler whispers, but she does nothing more. No collaring, no summoning chains from the ether, she just watches judgmentally.

The student looks up at us while leaving, but he doesn’t approach. Taking up a book on alchemy, he dives into it with a fervour that his combat didn’t have.

The students that follow are made up of two distinct groups, the larger of the two are the people running, screaming and making a scene. The lesser group show some fighting spirit and getting through the fights easily enough, though none with the ease of Eshya, or Vii who slow down only to properly subjugate, and execute.

I keep track of which students might be worth knowing and which not, as I talk with Vii and Eshya. Thankfully Adler is deep enough in thought that she doesn’t bother me any more than she already has.

 

~ ~ ~ ~ ~

 

~Skills:

-Mana drain touch

-Mana skin

-Mana shield.

-Mana surge strike

-Mana surge kick

-Flame burst

-Fireball

-Infused delayed casting

-Harsh petting

-Chaos dance

 

~ ~ ~ ~ ~

 

~Mana Form: Grade 1

Current goal: Develop your mana form.

Current mana density: 372 units

~Mana distribution:

Skin: 21%

Muscle: 8%

Mind: 13%

Cardiovascular: 8%

Misc.: 3%

Efficiency: 53%

 

~Fire Magic: Grade 1

Current goal: Develop a Skill for fire manipulation.

-Skill: Flame burst

-Skill: Fireball

 

~Space Magic: Grade 1

Current goal: Complete a mana-space conversion.

 

~Healing Magic: Grade 1

Current goal: Complete a mana-life conversion.

 

~Combat Training: Grade 1

Current goal: Develop a Skill for weapons handling.

 

~Defensive Techniques: Grade 1

Current goal: Develop a Skill for reactive mana skin.

-Skills: Mana skin

 

~Combat Techniques: Grade 1

Current goal: Develop a Skill for mana infusion strikes.

-Skills: Mana shield.

 

~Wilderness Survival: Grade 1

Current goal: Develop a Skill for tracking.

 

~Infusion Techniques: Grade 1

Current goal: Refine infused casting Skill.

-Skills: Infused Delayed Casting

 

~Bestiary Studies: Grade 1

Current goal: Develop a Skill for identifying beasts.

 

~Beast Dissection: Grade 1

Current goal: Develop a Skill for clean cutting.

 

~Beast Taming: Grade 1

Current goal: Develop a Skill for empathic reading.

 

~Tactical Command: Grade 1

Current goal: Develop a Skill for clear communication.

 

~ ~ ~ ~ ~

 

//Author Note

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