Soul of a Human

After this interlude, Mor asked Orth to get Saphine and, if possible, Clare to him if he found them before Mor did, and Orth agreed. That dealt with, Mor continued his training with Snow the next day.

But try as he might, he couldn't get the hang of it. After shattering another three of Clare's arrowheads, he grew frustrated.

°I didn't think it would be that hard.° The human commented.

°Why wont it work?° Mor asked frustrated.

Snow gave looked at him strangely.

"Do it step by step. First, concentrate on the energy around you, and then get it to flow along your arms and slowly, carefully, into the crystal." She tried to explain, but Mor just sighed.

"That's what I'm trying." He whined. "But I don't get it! Also, why does this shit just shatter if I use my energy?" He went on, annoyed.

"If you use your energy, you try to fill it too fast, and then it shatters. You must do it slowly and evenly, then it can store surprisingly much." Snow explained, and Mor let himself fall backward from his sitting position to lie flat on the ground, sighing.

°Want to try something else?° The human asked.

°And what?° Mor answered dejectedly.

°You remember how she took out Ranbor?° The human went on.

°Yes, of course. What of it?° Mor asked back, his interest slowly growing.

°I want to throw hands with her, no magic, just pure muscle power.° The human said.

°What?! Where does this come from?° Mor asked, surprised.

°Don't know, I just wanted to try. I feel that I can remember something if I do.° The human said.

°Let's ask her, but if she says yes, I want to go first.° Mor said.

°Why that? Do you think you can do anything against her?° The human asked.

°Maybe, just let me. I did let you try with the magic thing, too.° Mor said.

°Fine, if she says yes, you can go first.° The human agreed.

Mor sat up again, and Snow looked at him, surprised. Something in the boy's look had changed.

"Snow, would you fight me? I need to get my head clear of the crystal stuff." Mor asked, and she was surprised at this declaration.

"Fight you? Why?" Snow asked, slightly interested.

"Just to see how I would fare against you. Of course, without magic or weapons." Mor answered, and Snow thought for a second.

"Sure this would help you? I will just beat you. You don't have any chance." Snow told him.

"Then let's see if that's true!" Mor said, standing up excitedly.

Snow sighed and stood up, too. "Then show me what you can do." She told him, and they both got ready.

°Round ONE, good luck!° The human said, and Mor rushed forward, using his weight and momentum to get a surprise punch past Snow's defenses.

°Bad choice.° The human commented, and Mor almost wanted to ask why, but Snow's reaction came faster than he could voice his confusion to the human.

Snow reacted to Mors' wild rush with a sidestep, grabbing his outstretched arm and pulling him forward. This made Mor stumble, as expected.

After she ruined his balance, Mor could feel her knee on his stomach, and she tapped him lightly on the back of the head.

"You lose," Snow told him, but was then surprised as Mor just laughed.

°My try!° The human exclaimed.

"That was great. Could we do another one?" Mor asked, and Snow nodded, confused.

"Sure, if you want." She told the boy, who then removed the top of his robe and put it aside.

"What are you doing that for?" She asked.

°More freedom of movement.° The human answered.

"I can move more freely like that, and now it's on!" Mor smiled, Snow shrugged and got ready.

After Mor let the human take over, Snow watched in surprise as something in the boy changed and knew it wouldn't be that easy now. The boy had taken a strange stance, protecting his face and body with his forearms and fists while lightly hopping in place for a few moments until he suddenly stood still and watched her every move.

Snow felt a shudder running down her spine. This boy's look made her remember the gaze of a monstrosity that had just sniffed out its prey. She felt hunted and tried to shake it off.

"There's nothing to fear. It's still just a soul-kin boy." She thought to herself and got ready for another wild attack.

But this time, the boy didn't charge blindly at her. Instead, he closed the distance with a quick step and followed up with a fast left jab. Still, Snow reacted lightning fast and slapped away the punch, barely dodging the follow-up right fist. The boy's punches came in a neverending hail, and Snow found herself getting pushed back at the ferocity. Still, it was nothing she couldn't handle, and she began to play with him.

The boy seemingly pressured her into giving ground, but at this point, she was used to the rhythm of his punches and got ready to counterattack.

°How are you doing that?!° Mor asked.

°I'm concentrating! Later!° The human answered.

°Soon she should... NOW.° The human said.

Snow slapped away the left hand coming for her face and made a grab for the follow-up right, only to realize she missed her grab because no right fist was forthcoming. Instead, the boy closed, further ducking down and making a quick uppercut, touching her chin gently with his knuckles. They both disengaged from each other, and Snow looked at the boy, surprised.

"Your point." She said, slightly confused.

°Holy shit! You won!° Mor celebrated.

°Yeah, I somehow remember doing something like that in my previous life. Or maybe just seeing it? It's not that clear. But also, she was going easy on me.° The human said.

"You supprised me Mor Agaton." Snow said. "I underestimated you, but now I will take you seriously. Let's do another one."

"You're on!" Mor said.

°Beat her again!° Mor told the human.

°I'll try.° The human answered and got ready.

Snow watched the boy take on a different stance, this time a broader one. One hand stretched towards her, almost beckoning her to attack him, while the other was pulled slightly back parallel to his body.

"Try it, lady." The boy taunted her, and she happily obliged.

She closed the distance in a blur, opening up with a swipe at the boy's face, who just deflected her hand with a wiping motion, transferring smoothly into an open palm punch of his own, which she deflected.

Snow made a quick motion to get out of reach, the boy close on her heels, making a double jab, one fist aiming for her stomach and the other for her face. Snow leaned back and evaded both of them but then had to block the follow-up kick from the boy with her arms so as not to get knocked over.

Snow had no time to think about the strangeness of all of this. The boy just gave her enough time to think about her next move, and somehow, she wanted to beat this boy in earnest now. He was a fine challenger for her skills. Snow reapplied pressure on the boy with a barrage of punches, culminating in a low sweep with her leg. The boy, redirecting and blocking all of her punches, jumped backward. He made a backward arch, catching his fall with his hands and rotating his legs in a kicking motion to keep her away.

Snow had to back off, or else she might get hit by those wild kicks, and both of them took a second to evaluate their opponent. Snow was still fine, but it seemed the boy hadn't her endurance. He was breathing heavily.

°That's really fun.° The human said. °To bad, we have to end it soon. We just don't have enough stamina to let it drag out further.°

°You still think you can win?!° Mor asked. °Look at her. She's still not showing any sign of slowing down!°

°Watch me!° The human said, closing to Snow and opening up with a low kick of his own, which she blocked with her leg. The boy bought himself enough time, though. He rose up to standing again fluently and tried a sweeping punch to her body. Snow evaded that with a short step backward, seizing the opportunity as the momentum of the boy's punches carried him on, turning his back to her. Snow made a large chopping motion towards the neck of the boy and watched in surprise as he grabbed her arm without looking directly at her and heaved.

He turned her momentum now against herself and over his shoulder. Snow landed back first on the floor, and before she could recover, the boy had already pinned her to the floor and had her arm in a locking position where he could apply pressure to it.

"You won again." She said, and the boy let her go with a smile, his chest heaving with the breaths he needed to take.

°You, did it!° Mor celebrated.

°Yeah, now be a gentleman and help her up. It was really close.° The human said.

Mor got up first and offered his hand, which Snow took. After he calmed down a bit, he suddenly whinced.

"I think I overdid it." He said, pulling in a sharp breath. "Yes, definitely hurt something."

Snow laughed at Mor's discomfort. "You are really something!" she told him and continued teasing. "If you keep up with it and get even stronger, I might need to get my daughter to get you."

"Thank you?" Mor answered uncertainly, quickly changing the topic. "But I think I'm ready to try again with the crystals."