Chapter 184: Chapter 184 - The Haven(Part 13)

"Too obvious. You want to aim for your enemy’s vital spots but you’re being too obvious about it. Try getting them to defend their non-vital spots in order to give yourself an opening to strike their vital spots," I instructed, as I fanned myself with a hand fan made of leaves.

"Okay, I’ll try..."

"Um, here I go..."

It was the next day, and I was currently training a group of young Demi-Humans. I was taking a hands-off approach, letting Prysm spar against some of them while also having them spar against each other.

We were using that barrier enchantment that teleports a person out when they’re about to sustain fatal damage, and there’s a couple of Fairies here to provide healing if necessary.

"Shouldn’t you be playing a more active role in this?" Inquired Sinia, as she walked over from behind.

"Well, I’m not all that used to training other people, so I figured I might as well take it slow. And besides, I’m not a good option as a sparring partner...I can only fight at my fullest when I’m fighting to kill, I never know how much to hold back when I’m in a fight that’s not serious. So, I’m probably not the best person to spar against a bunch of kids. Plus, I’m more geared towards sneak attacks, I try to avoid direct, head-on confrontations if I can help it," I informed her with a sigh.

"Really? But you were quite skilled when you fought against Oberr," She responded curiously.

"I didn’t say I wasn’t good at it, just that I prefer to avoid it. I mean, isn’t it natural to want to win without getting hurt if at all possible?" I pointed out with a shrug.

"Hm, yes, I can understand the logic behind that way of thinking," She nodded thoughtfully, as she took out a pipe and some marijuana buds, tearing one up and stuffing it into the pipe, before holding it out towards me, "Could you provide me with a flame?"

"Sure, so long as you’re willing to share," I replied with a wry smile, as I raised a finger and formed a small flame.

"That’s fine, I intended to anyway, after seeing that you’re just instructing instead of getting directly involved in the training," She responded, as she used my flame to light up the bowl of the pipe and took a puff.

"It’s not like I’m half-assing this, you know. I’m making sure to watch carefully and then give them feedback and constructive criticism if and where necessary," I remarked, taking the pipe from her as she handed it to me.

"Hm...yes, it does look like they’re all attacking with more purpose and intent than before, there’s more certainty in their movements," She observed thoughtfully.

"Mhm, you’d be surprised at how much of a difference clarity of mind can make. It’s about keeping things simple and not overthinking things, it’s a conscious effort at first, but with enough experience, it’ll evolve into instinct and intuition. You can’t try to rush it, it’s important to know your own limitations and not try anything that you aren’t yet capable of," I surmised objectively.

"How old are you, exactly? It’s difficult to gauge since your species ages so differently to ours," She remarked curiously.

"I’ll be twenty later this year," I answered her.

"Only twenty years of age!? That’s even younger than I had thought. You’re remarkably knowledgeable and intelligent for you age," She replied with a look of intrigue.

"Oh, uh...thanks, I guess? How old are you, if you don’t mind me asking?" I asked her.

"Hm, it’s only fair that I answer since I asked first...I’ll be seventy-two this year."

"Huh, that’s pretty young for a Felinian, isn’t it? It’s not even a third of the average lifespan of your species, right?" I responded, as I took a deep puff of the pipe and handed it back to her.

"Yes, that’s right. Why?"

"Well, it’s just, you and the other leaders call yourselves the Elders, right? But almost all of you look pretty young," I pointed out.

"Ah, well, our first generation of leaders were in fact elderly individuals, so they called themselves the Elders, and each subsequent generation kept the same title. Although, we’re just the fourth generation of the Elders, most of the former members are still alive," She explained in response.

Huh, I wonder how they elect new leaders? Eh, I won’t ask, I’m not interested enough to bother.

"Cool," I nodded, as I watched Prysm in her sparring match against four of the young Demi-Humans. 𝐟𝚛𝕖𝚎𝕨𝗲𝐛𝚗𝐨𝐯𝐞𝕝.𝐜𝗼𝗺

"Here, finish it off," Sinia nudged me, handing me the pipe, which was almost done, just a few puffs left.

"Don’t mind if I do," I replied as I took it from her, taking a puff and exhaling through my nostrils.

"I have a suggestion for you...the young ones might benefit from seeing a proper fight. What do you say we give them an exhibition?" She suggested with a smile.

"Uh...maybe another time. I want to enjoy this high right now, don’t you?" I sighed with a shake of my head.

"Actually, I enjoy being active when I’m high. You can sober yourself up, right? We have plenty of marijuana, so you can smoke some more later if you want," She countered with a smirk.

"I’d really rather not...," I frowned apprehensively.

"Don’t tell me you’re afraid of losing," She taunted me with a raised eyebrow.

"Yeah, I’m not gonna fall for such an obvious provocation," I replied dryly.

"I believe you mentioned that you like learning new things. Are you really going to pass up the opportunity to find out how powerful a peak Felinian is?" She responded enticingly.

"Hm...okay, that’s a bit more convincing. But I could easily just find out another day, there’s no need to rush it," I shrugged with a smirk.

"Alright, in that case...I’ll just attack you. You’ll be forced to defend yourself and fight back in that case, right?" She smirked as she extended out her claws.

"...you don’t want to fight me without that safety barrier," I warned her.

"Maybe not...but if you kill me, I wonder if the others would still allow you to stay here?" She replied innocently.

"You really play dirty, don’t you, kitty? Alright, fine, you win...but I’m gonna make you regret this," I remarked, as I got onto my feet.

"Okay, kids, time to take a break!" Sinia called out to the young Demi-Humans.

They all stopped fighting, looking at each other a bit confused, before walking over this way.

"What’s going on? Isn’t it a bit early for a break?" Prysm asked me.

"The two of us will have a duel. I’m hoping you kids can learn from watching us, it could be a valuable experience," Grinned Sinia, as she patted one of the kids on the head.

"Come on, let’s get this over with already," I sighed, as I walked onto the arena.

"Well, if you insist," She smirked, as she stepped onto the space as well, the enchantment activating and the barrier forming around us.

Red and black striped fur then began sprouting all over her, her body changing shape a bit as her face changed to more closely resemble a cat, before a powerful force suddenly burst out from her, as I quickly steadied myself to keep my balance.

"Hm...was that the Shockwave Skill?" I inquired warily.

Felinians can’t use Magic, but they each have three Skills they can use. This one’s gonna be annoying, she can forcibly make some distance if I get too close for comfort.

"Very impressive, you got it right away...as a reward, I’ll tell you what one or my other Skills are. I’m activating it right now...it’s called Speed Boost," She smirked, before she suddenly shot towards me at an alarming speed.

I unleashed a burst of blue flames in front of myself, forcing her to halt and zip around the flames, but it bought me enough time...I quickly dropped into the shadows while simultaneously firing out streaks of lightning.

"Come on, don’t go hiding down there! It’s not much of a duel if you’re slinking down in the shadows!" She called out, as she moved around warily, keeping an eye on the shadows on the ground.

Hm, I guess she’s got a point there. But how do I go about countering her speed? Felinians are the most agile species among the Demi-Humans, and when they transform, their physical prowess doubles.

And if she’s using Speed Boost at its fullest, then that’s another tenfold boost...but at full speed, it only lasts two minutes, and afterwards, takes a physical toll on the user.

The toll causes pain and makes it hard for them to move, and it lasts for about eight minutes. So, I just could wait out that time limit, but...I should challenge myself here and face her speed head-on. It’s a good opportunity, it’d be a shame to waste it.

Maybe it’s time to try that...I’ve been working on a new Spell, I haven’t quite fully mastered it yet, but this could be a good chance to see how effective it might be.

"Finally decided to stop hiding, huh?" She remarked, as I emerged from the shadows.

"Yeah...I won’t use that Spell anymore, I’ll stay up here. But I fully intend to win," I smirked, as I activated my new Spell, streaks of lightning starting to crackle around me.

Here we go, Elemental Lightning:...Electric Armor!

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