…
On the second floor of the Protocol. Far away from the rooms belonging to the healers, a ring of students surrounded two men. Only one of them was a human though.
Julius was watching the show with visible glee as he kept the kids from getting too close to the fight. A few nurses and healers who passed by also shot curious glances as well.
Elyas was currently facing a giant hairy man, almost as tall as the sadistic trainer who had brought him here. The monstrosity had the fangs and claws of a wolf, the face of a man, the hair of a yeti and the speed of a nimble warrior.
Despite Elyas' speed, that deadly combination led him to be in a rather sorry state. Backed into a corner, he ducked under the claws of the beast. Using his Grace, he pushed himself off the asphalt, avoiding another crushing blow. He was barely surviving the rapid assault of the abomination.
One after another they came. Four vaguely humanoid hands rained down on him from all sides, clawing and punching furiously. The Figment's intention of ripping Elyas apart was evident by its bestial, mindless attacks.
Elyas wasn't complaining though, the same behaviour was the reason he could still keep his head. Dashing to the side, he left the furry giants' attacks behind, creating a large distance between themselves.
"Wasn't today's lesson meant to be theoretical?!" Managing this single question directed at Julius, Elyas became distracted. Enough for the beast to close the gap in a few seconds and land a single hit, sending him flying several metres away.
"Keep your head in the fight. And to answer your question, it is. Just not for you. After all, what can a True Legacy like yourself learn from our humble theoretical class." Julius sneered. Watching Elyas struggle after making him lose three months of earnings was nothing short of exhilarating.
"Don't you think it's a better use of your talent and experience? You know, to demonstrate for the children?" The giant continued his teasing. The amount of pleasure he was getting from this made all of his efforts of training him worth it.
But it was starting to become boring, if not a bit tragic. After all, there are only so many ways a man can be beaten up. Pitying the poor Legacy a bit, he sent a few kids to get a healer and shouted: "You should thank me, isn't this a good exercise for a rusty tool like yourself?"
Elyas wanted to retort, but a sudden attack of the monster changed his mind. More importantly, the giant was right. He was in dire need of actual combat experience.
Although this past week he had learnt to control his Grace to a degree and use it in short bursts with the help of Julius, he still had a long way to go. He needed a lot of time before he was able to actually use his speed as an advantage in combat.
And on the enemy side, as much as his pride hurt to admit it, this one wasn't strong.
Elyas could see many wounds inflicted on the Figment's back and abdomen, both deep and shallow. Its jagged claws were cut short and in place of its long fangs, were sickly pink gums. The once formidable opponent had been weakened to a comical degree, yet, he was struggling.
Humiliating Elyas had lost its charm at this point, going further would leave a bitter taste in the trainer's mouth. So, Julius tapped his temple a few times. At the same time, a silver earring he had never worn before, inlaid with a dark ominous black gem began to shine.
[Hey dummy, the left arm and right leg stagger. Attack from there.] Momentarily startled by Julius's voice inside his head, Elyas was faced with one of the abomination's fists mid air, having to endure its attack.
The claws of the furry man, although cut, hit him with the weight of the giant beast. His shirt that had already been tattered from the start offered no protection. Now, unobstructed by even soft fabric, the dull claws of the beast whistled through the air and cut Elyas' chest, creating a deep, ugly cut and launching him into a world of pain.
[Get it together! Don't worry about the injuries, you're surrounded by dozens of healers. Just try to avoid its deadly attacks while enduring the lesser ones.]
Lesser… less deadly? What do you mean less deadly!? all of its attacks are deadly! Elyas cursed inwardly while jerking his torso to the side, dodging a powerful thrust of the monster and backing away. He used the opportunity to build momentum and rushed at the monster. Sliding down near its right leg, he punched up, hitting the furry man's reproductive system.
The monster staggered in pain, the veins of its face popping in anger. But before it could react, Elyas jumped upwards, using the monster's fur to climb its back. Reaching the beast's head, he raised his hands and thrust them in its eyes. 'Now it's my turn to punch!'
Angelica, bearing her usual uncaring face, arrived. "Oh honey! You're here! Ely is one lucky bastard to have you twice a day." Julius' expression brightened with joy upon seeing his beloved.
She stared at Elyas with a hard to discern spark dancing in her eyes before shifting her gaze back to her husband.
"Why do you keep beating the guy up? Every time I see him after your classes, he's either on the brink of death, or at least has one broken arm or leg."
Julius also looked at Elyas who was now strangling the Figment with a ripped part of his shirt. "...He needs it. This world doesn't accept weakness. You should know that better than any of us. And that guy… he's got nothing but room for improvement."
Angelica watched the spasming monster and the crowd of children cheering it on. "Alright." She replied and walked in. The students made way for the giantess and soon, she was leaning over the now dead abomination and Elyas. One was grasping for air, the other no longer having the ability to do so.
"Nice to see you kicking." Not letting the exhausted Elyas speak, she placed one hand on his chest. Immediately, as if standing bare on a hot summer day, she began to sweat perfusely.
Elyas felt a comforting, yet horrible heat emanate from her hand. The searing heat traveled across his body, covering all his wounds and bringing with it the smell of oxidized iron. For a single moment, he felt like each scratch was filled with molten salt. But as the sensation ended, all the wounds on his body had disappeared, leaving only scratch marks.
"That… should be it…You know the rest by now." Angelica was out of breath and slightly pale. She examined Elyas, at the same time, the giantess touched her back as if trying to find something that wasn't there.
"I'm good, no headache or particularly nasty lingering pain."
She nodded and left without wasting any time on formalities. She was a busy woman, the best healer of the city. Useful people tended to be the most overworked.
Julius's eyes followed his wife with a stupid smile plastered on his face. But after noticing that Elyas was watching this, he cleared his throat. "Well, I hope you all learned something from Our True Legacy, Mr. Mortalle's demonstration."
"Yes trainer!" The whole class shouted in unison. And immediately, that unity dispersed into a clamour of murmurings.
"Mr. Mortalle is amazing!"
"I heard he's a Bender. But he didn't even use his Wish… such power…"
"Yeah! I heard he destroyed half the D.E.B by accident."
"A Bender… I hope I can become as cool as the Red Maiden…"
"In your dreams! Most True Legacies can't even compare, what advantage do you have over them? "
"Yeah, you're right…"
The corners of Elyas' eyes twitched. Watching Julius lie and mock him to his face was one thing, but lighting the flames of passion in his classmates was another level of evil. And who told you I destroyed half the school?! it was just a single wall.
As a result of the trainer's actions and words, dozens of the same unshakable, curious and passionate gazes that Elyas hated now followed his every move.
Damn it… guess I have no choice. Not showing his panic, Elyas was contemplating on if he should really run to the void or not. But thankfully, the man who had put him in this situation came to rescue. "Everyone! Attention here! Now that you've seen what a Dreamer can achieve, let's learn how to act like one."
With that one sentence, Julius captured the attention of all the students present. He paused, trying to increase the impact of his next words.
Surprisingly, It seemed to work.
"Because a week from now, you'll become one yourselves."