Chapter 102: Welts

Once we returned to base, the Lieutenant went and handled the debrief. I was dismissed and told to just go relax, so I didn’t argue. 

“Man, we just sat there and did nothing. It may well just have been you three.”

Vetsmon grumbled a bit. He prepared everything just to sit in the car for an hour. 

I smiled. 

“Hey, you know how much I need you guys. I couldn’t even do something like that without Umara, let alone any other mission.”

“Eh, still. I’ve been finding myself itching lately.”

“I keep telling you to come duel me.”

Feiden spoke out, making Vetsmon click his tongue.

“That’s different. I keep losing to you.”

“You need to get faster. You can’t do that unless you push yourself.”

“No, you’re just too fast. Not even Ponteck is that fast, so I’m pretty sure I could handle him better than you. I feel like I’m just standing still in our duels.”

“Hm.”

Feiden hummed, feeling a bit flattered while Vetsmon sighed. 

It was tough for the big guy to even react to Feiden’s speed, let alone fight on par. I had seen some of their duels and could clearly tell that Feiden was in another league all to his own. 

He wasn’t quite as fast as Shadowbane. She was the real freak of nature. But Feiden was also several years younger, yet he wasn’t that much slower. If he kept it up, he might genuinely surpass her. 

It was vexing to think something could react and move so fast it could dodge my bullets after they were fired. Feiden was the second person I had met who was getting to that point, and the other was only Authority 7. 

Seriously, how was I supposed to fight at a higher level?

I sighed as we walked, the Puppet Master appearing in our view. 

“So? How was it?”

“A resounding success. Four Scouts dead, and not so much as a scratch.”

“Good. Hell, even better than I thought. Since that’s the case, look forward to another one soon. There are plenty of higher value targets in the vicinity that the general wants rid of. You’ll have your place in those hunts.”

“Sure.”

At this point, I’d done enough VIP hunts, be they in the Black Market or here, that it was rather ordinary to me. My only concern was encountering a Royal, but I trusted the Puppet Master’s judgment. He wouldn’t send me on something he knew wasn’t safe. 

I still needed to be prepared. 

We went back to Requisitions to return our gear and relax. It was much like the Lieutenant had said; we were out for no more than three hours and were handily back before dinner. That left us plenty of time to do whatever we wanted. 

I looked at Feiden as we unpacked in our room. 

“Hey, how’s your Aura?”

“Mine? Not as good as yours. I’ve never seen an Aura so powerful that it can dodge arrows without even knowing they’re there.”

“Well, I’ve been thinking. I met one of Umara’s friends from the Raven Family not long ago in the Whetted City.”

“Really? I’ve always wanted to go there. The Martial League sounds much better than the Magisterium, but my parents insisted. Anyway, what’s this about a friend?”

He tossed his armor to the side and took a seat on the bed. I did the same and entered discussion mode. 

“She reminded me a lot of you. She specializes in speed, and is freakishly fast. A lot faster than you. Anyway, I helped her with her Aura while I was there. I thought I could do the same with you and Vetsmon, maybe give you a few pointers that might rectify some things. It worked with her, I don’t see a reason it shouldn’t work with you.”

“Well, I’ll certainly take whatever you can give. Information on Aura is hard to come by, not even considering the cost. I’ll even pay you for lessons.”

“No no, that’s not why I’m doing this. Just let me help you out. This stuff with the Royals has me antsy, so I just want to make sure all of you are as prepared as you can be.”

“You? Antsy? I don’t see it.”

Feiden’s brows raised, a bit of a smile on his face. 

“You’re the spitting image of confidence. I didn’t see you nervous even when you were dying.”

“That was an extreme situation. Besides, I’m more concerned about you guys. I need to make sure the people around me aren’t getting hurt just because I’m catching eyes.”

“Well, it should be the other way around. We’re responsible for protecting you. You’re the most talented summoner I’ve ever heard of, let alone seen, but you’re still a summoner. It’s up to us knights and warlocks to take the damage for you.”

“I’m certainly not arguing, but that still puts you in danger, and how can you face the threats trying to kill me if you’re still lacking in certain areas? Would you be able to stop or dodge an arrow you couldn’t see?”

I stared him down with a small smile, his scrutinizing gaze reluctantly giving way. 

“Fair point. Then how do you suppose I train my Aura?”

“Well, I’ll explain it to you how I did with Umara and her friend. After that we can train it physically. Knights learn with their body, so that’s how I’ll teach you. By the way, Umara’s friend was able to dodge my bullets.”

I waved a 1911 around as I said that, making his eyes bulge. 

“Seriously?”

“Seriously. It baffled me too, but that was until I saw the Raven Chief move so fast it looked like he was teleporting. Still, I think that’s a goal you should shoot for. Who knows, maybe with me there to motivate you, you’ll grow even faster than she did.”

“…Maybe.”

He rubbed his chin, his face neutral, yet his Aura radiating determination. It seemed I had sparked his competitive spirit or given him some inspiration. 

At that moment, there was a tap on the door, Vetsmon walking in.

“What are you guys up to?”

“Just talking. Come sit. I’ll explain what I was just telling Feiden.”

Patting the bed, I invited Vetsmon over before going back over everything, elaborating on some things in the process. 

Once they both understood what I was offering, we made plans to put it into motion the next day. 

It was well into the evening now, so we were tired, especially me. I may have only fired 5 shots, but the use of my coat had taken its toll. 

So we went to sleep with our plans, waking up the next day eager and ready for training. 

…

“What are you guys doing?”

“I’m training their Aura.”

“Well, I’d certainly trust you more than anyone else. You made mine sharper than ever and even managed to inspire Shadowbane. She’d been stuck at that threshold for over a year, and a few lines from you shattered it like an illusion.”

Umara nodded as she watched Feiden and Vetsmon prepare their gear on the training grounds. 

I fiddled with my Springfield as she spoke, shrugging. 

“She was going to cross it anyway. I just offered a different perspective that managed to help her. Honestly, it’s such a simple concept that I don’t understand why they don’t teach it in schools everywhere.”

“Information on Aura is extremely valuable since it can be such a strong tool. There are in fact techniques for it, but those are Kingdom secrets given only to the most trusted warriors in the military. Even I wouldn’t be getting one until well into my career. You can imagine how little information there is on developing it open to the public.”

“It’s stupid.”

I scoffed. 

“You’d think against a threat capable of wiping out humanity, they would do anything they could to promote strength. But here they are, protecting their interests over the wellbeing of humanity. Besides, if I’ve figured out some secret knowledge on my own, the rest can’t possibly be that special. Their techniques are probably nothing more than rudimentary formations, especially in front of the real monsters I’ve seen wielding Aura.”

I thought of Apocryon, my inspiration for several Auric improvements. 

President Carrion, an Authority 11, had a strong Aura surpassing any other. However, Apocryon’s was so sharp and destructive that he could kill with it. Carrion’s was unhoned. It would at best provide some extrasensory suppression. 

And then there was the Raven Chief, a black hole of perception, capable of eluding my mind to such a degree that my own senses turned against me. 

Someone like Carrion couldn’t possibly compare; I had no doubts the Kingdom was lacking in the field of Aura. After all, where else could Carrion have possibly learned how to strengthen his Aura like that?

Maybe he had other techniques that I simply wasn’t aware of, but I also understood enough to know that an Aura’s capabilities were reflected in its nature. I would have seen hidden techniques had he any, my inability to sense the Chief’s Aura being a prime example. 

But I didn’t, which meant he was either better than both the Chief and Apocryon, or he was far inferior. I was inclined to believe the latter, which only made him more pathetic in my eyes. All his years of living and he couldn’t make a single technique of his own, whereas I was already using Telepathy. 

Perhaps I could save Vetsmon and Feiden from that fate. The only way I could be sure was if I started now. 

Umara sighed. 

“Putting that aside, why the sudden motivation? You weren’t thinking of training them before.”

“Well, as you had said, the Royal stuff is something to be concerned about. I’ve been feeling a little on edge lately. I just want to make sure I do what I can to make sure they’re prepared for whatever might happen.”

“On edge? Is this coming from you or your Aura?”

“Is there a difference?”

“…”

She went silent at that. 

At this point, the lines between my own intuition and senses and my Aura were blurred to the point of nigh nonexistence. As it got better, the lines blurred more, transforming into what I could only describe as one unified form of perception. 

It was nice to have in battle since it kept me safe, but outside, it resulted in heightened paranoia and anxiety.

It felt like I was always being watched, like there was someone after my life no matter how secure I should be. At first it was easy to ignore, but I was starting to feel worn out. 

That was why I was training so hard in my free time. Only by training would the omnipresent stress subside. Only by training could I distract myself from the feeling I was digging my own grave. 

And now, I was worrying about the people around me. Umara and I had already worked together for a while now, but the other knights of my squad were people I couldn’t completely be sure of yet. 

I explained some of these things to Umara. Shortly after, Tana showed up, having seen my message. 

I walked over, putting my conversation with my girlfriend to the side and focusing on the knights. 

“Alright, listen closely. I’m going to be helping you with Aura by explaining it in simple terms. Then, we’re going to put yours to the test with some live training. It might take a while, but at least it won’t be physically demanding.”

After waving everyone over, I started explaining my interpretation of Aura. 

They were all silent as I spoke. My theories on what Aura was, its purpose, and how it should be used were rather basic so it wouldn’t teach them anything specific. But because they were so simple, they could easily understand it. 

Like with Umara, they would hopefully realize how to hone their Aura, even if they couldn’t find a way to use it beyond its most basic extrasensory abilities. That would be enough for our situation. 

I knew that Tana had a pretty good Aura. She made that clear when I had first met her. However, that was also when I had no idea what the concept even was; mine had long since surpassed hers. 

Still, besides Umara, she probably had the best Aura out of the group. 

It took about half an hour to get through my explanations; I gave them some more time to digest and ask me questions. 

They were talented, so they could all already sense their Aura and harness it to some extent. That made it much easier for them to understand what I was saying, but unlike Shadowbane, they weren’t yet at a threshold for enlightenment, or whatever Shadowbane had gone through. At the very least they were a good while off. 

After an hour or so, each of them had grasped what I was saying to some extent. That’s when we moved on to applied training. 

I took out my pistol as the three lined up in a line, their backs facing me. 

My smile caused Umara to speak.

“What? You enjoy the thought of shooting your friends?”

“Of course not. Still, this situation is quite humorous.”

“Do you want me to silence the gun?”

“No need. It won’t matter.”

I raised my arm with those words. 

The yelp that resulted almost matched the volume of the gun. 

“Ow! Why me first?!”

Tana yelled and whipped around as the bullet smacked into her leg. It probably stung. 

“Flip back around. If you don’t want to get shot, then learn to sense it. All you have to do is raise your hand if you think I’m going to shoot you. If you’re right, then you won’t get shot. Otherwise I’ll just make it hurt more.”

Another shot went off, my bullet landing square on Vetsmon’s back. 

He cracked his neck.

“Like a massage.”

“Focus on your Aura, dammit.”

I aimed my gun at Tana again while smirking at Vetsmon. I left it there for some time, giving her an opportunity to sense my intention. 

Of course, I wasn’t simply pointing my gun. I was engaging my own Aura, using it to subtly poke her with an invisible hand. I obviously wasn’t trying to kill them, so my intentions weren’t so intense, but there was still a rather pressing itch to pull the trigger. 

After counting to 10 and not seeing her hand, I shot. 

“Ack! Again!?”

“Blame yourself. Next.”

I moved my gun back to Vetsmon. 

After 10 seconds, I shot, eliciting a grunt of displeasure. 

It was Tana’s turn after that. She earned another shot to the back. 

I took turns shooting randomly, occasionally taking a suggestion from Umara as to who to torment next. 

Two more shots went into Tana’s back before I suddenly pointed my gun at Feiden’s back. 

His hand shot up. 

“Heh, I knew you were sharp.”

I smirked then shot Tana.

“Ahh!! Stop shooting me!”

“Sorry, habit.”

“You’ve said that five times!”

“Because it’s a habit.”

I smiled while aiming at Feiden again. This time, I made my Aura more indiscernible. 

Sure enough, his hand didn’t go up. He was sensitive, but not enough. 

10 seconds. 

“Ouch.”

He flinched a bit. I had put a bit of Psyka in the bullet; it could actually hurt him now. As a bonus, I had caught him off guard. 

“Come on, focus. I can and will do this all night until all of you are able to sense it. So if you don’t want to be covered in welts…”

A bang, then brass hitting the floor. 

“…then start using that Aura.”

I smirked as Vetsmon remained silent in the face of my shot. A bit of Psyka and suddenly he couldn’t just shrug it off anymore. 

True to my word, I stood and shot my friends for another several hours. They weren’t even allowed to eat; Umara occasionally brought some water for us when she took a break. 

It was only when night fell that Vetsmon finally raised his hand. 

My brows went up, then I shot Tana.

“…”

They were all silent, but I could sense Vetsmon’s joy. 

As for Tana, she had stopped complaining. 

I had said that her Aura was the sharpest of the three. But that’s also why I made it more difficult for her. Feiden never raised his hand again after I shrunk my Aura, so his back was riddled with red welts. As for Tana, I didn’t even start her off easy, so she never raised her hand once. 

Thankfully none of them were immature enough to fake it and raise their hand without sensing it. They took training seriously, understanding the gravity of having their lives on the line. 

Even after darkness long overtook the sky, we still continued. Umara helped me by silencing the sound of my gun, ensuring that we wouldn’t get yelled at for making too much noise. 

But we stayed up, even as the moon glowed and midnight came. Hour after hour, I would shoot one of their backs every 10 to 20 seconds. My Aura constantly adjusted between shots, prodding at their own and giving them an idea of what it should feel like. I treated it like shocking awake a new limb. 

I didn’t change anything for Tana. I decided that we wouldn’t go anywhere until she raised her hand. 

It was a good thing that all of us had the stamina. My body wasn’t as good as theirs, but I had a strong mind that could push through mental fatigue. 

And before we knew it, morning came. 

The sun rose, none of us acknowledging it. 

I continued shooting, occasionally glancing at that unfamiliar star in the distance poking its head over the horizon. 

Umara laid on my lap, sustaining her silencing spell. 

It was only when the base became active again that she released it, falling asleep in the process. 

As for me, as morning passed and we approached noon, even I started to feel the allure of sleep. 

However, that’s when I noticed something. 

Yet another bullet landed on Tana’s back. However, this time, I noticed a fluctuation in her emotions. 

There was excitement. For a second, she was about to raise her hand, but she refrained.

A rush of adrenaline hit me. For a moment, mental clarity returned, letting me hone my Aura to the level it had always been at for her.

Just to make sure, I shot the others once each before moving back to Tana. 

After about 10 seconds, I didn’t see her hand. But I did sense how taut her body became. 

“It’s worth a shot,” I thought. I pulled the trigger. 

In the instant before I shot, I saw her body twist. I continued with my shot anyway, and sure enough, she had dodged the bullet before I even shot. 

The bullet sailed past, burying itself in the dirt. 

I smiled and stood, walking over to her and planting my hand on her shoulder.

“Ow.”

“Good job. We’re done. Get some sleep.”

“Okay.”

She nodded before tilting to the side and falling to the floor. 

The other two did the same, all of them passing out under the afternoon sun. 

I sighed and walked back to Umara, picking her up and taking her to her room before going to sleep myself.

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