Chapter 66: You Can Keep the Finger

Priscilla’s magic cracks the bed she was sleeping on, then spreads to the edges of the room. I could smack her around, but that’s not a good look. Especially not with her grandkid in here – actually, that’s an idea.

I layer and condense my own magic around my body, then turn to the left. Orla has her back to Priscilla and is shielding Yanto, aka my human shield. I dive towards them and scoop Yanto up in my arms.

“SIO NO!” Orla shouts as I hoist the kid up in the air and step back in front of Priscilla’s bed.

“Calm down, lady, your grandkid is in the room,” I say, causing her magic to freeze its outpour. Priscilla’s scaly ears are pointed directly backward like a distressed animal, but her dark eyes scowl.

“You’re worse than a monster, hiding behind a child,” Priscilla spits those words, her eyes locked on me and unblinking.

“Sigh, you can think what you want of me, but I came here to wake you, not to start a fight,” I say while lowering Yanto back to his feet, “give your grandmother a hug before she burns the building down,” I prompt him and push his back gently. Yanto timidly walks to Priscilla’s side and places a hand over hers.

“Gran.. you’re ok?” he asks quietly, making Priscilla’s eyes fall off me for the first time since she awoke. She nods and attempts to smile, but it looks more like a frown.

“Sio asked to see you when he learned about what happened, Priscilla,” Orla chimes in from behind me, and Priscilla seems to notice her for the first time.

“What happened? You mean what happened when he murdered Etu?” Priscilla asks as her scowl returns.

“Everything I ran into since coming to this continent tried to kill me, how could I have known that the dragon was friendly?” I ask and throw my hands up, but Priscilla grimaces.

“She wasn’t friendly. Etu protected this village’s northern border for two hundred years, from monsters and humans alike,” Priscilla answers, “Orla, have him taken back to his cell,” she adds and makes a shooing motion with her hand.

“He wasn’t captured Priscilla.. he came here voluntarily, to help someone of Terran descent whom he met in the human world,” Orla explains.

“Wha- Tanya?!” Priscilla shouts excitedly, but Orla shakes her head.

“His friend isn’t Terran, but a descendant of those who left before our ancestors moved the continent,” Orla answers, then turns to me, “why don’t you go work on preparations with Anna? I’d like to speak with Priscilla further.”

I nod and leave the room. I walk through the village as the sun rises over the mountain rim in the distance, but when I reach my house, I sense a lot of magic inside it. There must be 15 people in there and- OH!

I run up to the door and fling it open. My eyes scan the room, which is filled with mostly unfamiliar Terrans, until I find what I’m looking for.

“TITUS!” I shout and crouch down. The fluff ball stands beside Mira and walks to me, where he flops onto his back. I rub his chest and belly, making the purr engine inside of him roar to life.

“I missed you, buddy,” I baby-talk Titus and start scratching his head, “you’re a big, strong, fluffy guy,” I continue, until Mira interrupts.

“Ugh, get a room,” she groans, but someone crouches next to me.

“Definitely human..” a girl says, then she starts poking me, “firmer to the touch than expected, possibly from abnormal magic,” she mumbles, making me look up.

A girl with long, straight blue hair, similarly blue eyes, and pointy ears is staring into a notebook and jotting something down from just beside me.

“Can I help you?” I ask, making her eyes lift to me.

“Yes!” she shouts, “I have many questions, first-” but she’s interrupted.

“Gina, you don’t have to ambush him..” Anna says. I look up and see her standing with one of the men she fought with the other day, and several Terrans I don’t recognize.

“Anyway, do you have relatives with similar strength? How much magic do you contain within your body during your daily life? Do you have any children?” Gina starts rattling off questions she must have written in her book.

“Oh, um, no one in my family is similar. I hold in almost all of it, and I have no children,” I answer warily, and her pen scribbles across her book.

“Right, right, ok, got it,” Gina says, then looks up, “Would you close your eyes for a moment?” she asks, and I look up to Anna in confusion, but she’s just giving me an ashamed expression.

“Sure..” I reply and shut my eyes, then something pricks my arm, and my eyes fly back open.

“Amazing..” Gina says while looking at a syringe in her hand, the metal at the end bent into a curve.

“Why did you stab me?” I ask, a little exasperated.

“I need a tissue sample, but your tissue is firm,” Gina answers flatly as her eyes return to her notebook, “hmm, it could still be hereditary, would you impregnate someone for me?” she asks.

“Gina!” Anna shouts and marches over to us, “That’s enough of that,” she says, and pulls Gina up by the arm. “I’m terribly sorry for her behavior, Sio,” Anna says with a bow.

“It’s uh.. fine, I suppose,” I reply, “what exactly is she?” I ask, and Anna sighs.

“She’s a researcher who works with my mother and sister,” Anna explains, but Gina stomps her foot in protest.

“Genius, researcher,” she corrects, “it’s my healing magic we’ve used to expand our village and the southern region,” Gina says proudly.

“Healing magic.. to expand..” I repeat the words and think through their meaning when a light goes off in my head, “do you use healing magic to grow the buildings here?” I ask seriously, and Gina beams.

“Exactly right!” she almost shouts, and I jump to my feet.

“Teach me how it works, and I’ll cut a finger off for you to keep,” I offer, but the rest of the room gasps in shock.

“WHA- SIO-” Anna tries to protest.

“DEAL!” Gina shouts and squirms out of Anna’s hold. She grabs my left hand and examines it closely, “Do I get to choose which?” she asks excitedly.

“No, you get the pinky,” I answer sternly, making her frown, then nod in acceptance. Gina steps back next to Anna and smiles at me happily.

“If that’s settled, everywhere here is interested in the exploration underground?” I ask, and the room nods collectively, then a burly Terran with squirrel ears steps forward.

“If I may?” he asks, and I nod. “I wanted to express my gratitude for your assistance with the beast that attacked the village,” he says with a bow. “Myself and the subjugation team weren’t enough; you likely saved our lives,” he finishes, then lifts his head.

“Right.. you were the earth magic user,” I reply while thinking back to the stone spikes this guy stabbed froggy with, “you were fun to watch fight, what’s your name?” I ask.

“Andre,” he answers.

“Nice to meet you, Andre,” I say and walk over to the table where the language book and the map of the underground sit. I toss the book in storage, then open the map, but everything is written in that ancient language. Sigh. I am going to need to take someone.

“Alright, can everyone here read the old language?” I ask, and the room nods again, “Right.. Anna, is there some kind of training area you have where we won’t break anything?” I ask, and she shows a large smile.

“I do, follow me,” she says and leads the group from my house. Gina tries to ask me more questions on the walk to the village outskirts, but I tell her we’ll spend some time together once I’m back.

“Here,” Anna says, and motions to a large pit dug into the ground. It’s like a little colosseum; there are bench seats all the way around, and huts on either side with practice weapons. I jump down and walk to the center of the pit.

“We’ll be fighting in tight spaces underground, so whoever comes needs to be proficient with combat beyond big explosive spells,” I explain while glancing at Anna. But she doesn’t seem discouraged in the slightest.

Andre takes the initiative and pulls practice weapons for everyone from the nearest hut, then distributes them. I pull my own practice sword from storage and call out to him.

“Andre, would you spar with me first?” I ask, and he nods excitedly.

“Happily,” he says while walking to the center of the pit just across from me.

“The rules are simple: we stop when I say, or you kill me, whichever comes first,” I explain with a smile. The bit of chatter among the Terrans comes to an abrupt stop at my words, but Andre isn’t shaken, and he readies his practice sword.

“BEGIN!” I yell and hold my sword forward.

Andre sharpens his focus, and I see his magic move between his feet and my own. The ground under me opens, and when I look down, I see spikes prepared where I would fall. Andre bursts forward and swings wildly from right to left with his sword. But I bring my sword left, and hold it in the path of his strike, stopping it on contact.

Andre’s eyes widen as they fall to my feet.

“Condensed magic..” he mumbles, but I punish the distraction. As he lifts his eyes, I lift my right leg and kick him squarely in the gut, sending him tumbling 10 meters back and making our crowd gasp.

“You took some good hits the other day. I doubt that’s enough to keep you down,” I tease Andre as he lifts himself back up.

“It still hurts..” he groans, but readies his sword.

I push my back with condensed magic and fly towards him. Andre jumps back, but I follow him to the edge of the pit at high speed and gently stab my sword towards his chest. He swings low to high to knock my sword out of the way, but I pull it back to avoid the parry, then gently press it against his chest.

“You’re too used to fighting in the open,” I say, making him frown, “but you’re strong, and you had a great plan of attack when we started. We’re done for now.”

I turn to the rest of the Terrans, but Anna and Gina are the only ones who look excited.

“Who would like to go next?” I ask, and Anna jumps forward with sword in hand.

“Aha, you’d have a better chance if you wait for me to get tired,” I say with a chuckle, but her red eyes glow fiercely.

“I don’t need a handicap,” she says and takes her place in the center.

“BEGIN!” I yell.

Magic swells around Anna’s feet, then flows down her arms and over her sword. Electricity crackles over its surface, then the ground beneath her feet ignites as she propels herself toward me. I raise my sword to block, but she passes by on my left. I turn and follow her movement, but she’s left a trail of magic at eye level between us. It turns into a bright flame and flashbangs me, forcing my eyes shut.

I focus on my magic and feel where Anna’s moving. She’s swinging her sword down overhead and approaching behind me. I spin and bring my sword to meet hers.

CLANG

They meet, and I feel her strength. It’s greater than Andre’s or anyone else I’ve crossed swords with before, but it’s not enough. I lean into my blade and force Anna back while blinking rapidly to recover my vision.

“Damn, I didn’t think your magic detection would be so good,” Anna complains.

“I’m impressed, but you’ll need to show me a bit more,” I reply with a smile. Anna smiles back, but then her red eyes glow brighter.

She sprints at me, pushing magic from her feet to accelerate. She swings down from overhead again, but plants her feet to take a half-step backward. She pulls her blade to evade my block, then pushes forward again. Her sword will stab through my foot if I don’t move or condense magic to protect it.

I lift the foot she aims to stab and let her blade impale the ground. She’s off balance from the lack of resistance, but I step back and let her regain control.

“Favoritism!” I hear Andre yell, and yea, he’s right.

Anna scowls at me, but leaves her blade driven into the ground.

“I lost,” she says.

“Hmm,” I hum and think about this exercise. I’m not sure anyone is going to put up a great fight if six of their strongest couldn’t beat froggy, but I need a translator who won’t get one-shotted.

“Alright, change of plans,” I announce, “hold a tournament amongst yourselves, and whoever wins can accompany me.”

Anna and Andre’s eyes light up at their second chance, and a bit of relief seems to come from the other. That is, except Gina, who’s flapping her hand in the air trying to get my attention.

“Yes, Gina?” I ask.

“I want a chance to spar with you!” she says. Sigh, she’s going to take notes.

“Fine, but if you lose to everyone else because you’re tired, no complaining,” I say, and Gina runs up to me.

“Let’s go over to the side so everyone else can take the center,” I suggest, and start walking. Gina follows, and I hear the others playing some sort of game to decide who fights whom. I stop near the edge of the pit, “This should be good,” I say, and look to Gina, but she doesn’t have a weapon.

I tilt my head, but she reads my confusion.

“Hand to hand, please,” she says.

“Fine,” I reply and toss my practice sword into storage. “Whenever you’re ready,” I say, making Gina lunge. Her arms are straight out like she’s trying to tackle me, so I step to the side and let her flop onto her stomach.

“OW,” she yelps, and I scratch my cheek.

“Do you practice much?” I ask, and Gina looks up with a frown.

“Only as needed for research,” she says, then stands and dusts herself off. She takes a karate sort of stance and starts inching towards me. Once close, she extends her arms again and lunges for a tackle. This time, I just stand still and let her slam into me.

“OWW!” she cries as her face smacks into my chest, and I don’t move.

“Sigh, what are you trying to learn, Gina?” I ask, making her look up at me excitedly.

“The dimensions of your body!” she shouts, and I hang my head.

“Fine, measure away, but not the weird parts,” I reply.

I sit on the benches around the pit while Gina gropes me, supposedly for her scientific measurements. She talks to herself and takes notes constantly, though I have to bat her hand away a few times when it gets near some places.

The Terrans fight hard the whole time. Some guy named Colin has silver hair and wolf features just like Victoria. He smoked Andre and a few other people on his way to the finals. But Anna was a woman possessed and knocked some of his teeth out to take first place. I guess she was the strongest.