15 Sword core

I did not have time to rest, no matter how tired I was. Tigress began to scream in my mind. "You must begin immediately" She yelled. "IF YOU DO NOT TAKE THIS OPPORTUNITY BECOME A SWORD MASTER WILL FOREVER BE OUT OF YOUR GRIP."

I opened my tired eyes as I forced my body to sit up. The world around us was swirling with a vortex of colors. My body as the center. I instinctively knew that these were the elements vying to gain control of my core. "What must I do master?"

"Your mana core is beginning to form. In its infancy a mana core is heavily influenced by external powers, most notably the environment. We cannot do anything about that. Fortunately there exists a path that all sword masters have used."

I nodded as I listened to her words. They were enlightened, but my exhausted body still struggled to stay awake.

"Normally a person would hold thier sword, while running there mana through it. They would do this while focusing completly on the the blade and nothing else."

"Unfortunately you do not have hands. You cannot use this method. There is another method. It is far more risky, but the potential rewards are much higher."

I listened intensively. Becoming a sword master was not a dream of mine, rather something the system had forced down my throat. Even if I failed It was not a big deal to me.

The system seemed to disagree with me.

<Quest: Form a sword force core

rewards: Sword force core

refresh on devour innate ability

Failure: -4 to all stat points. >

I sighed, the system truly was a bully. It demanded I develop in a certain way. Of course I had a choice. I could purposefully fail, but I would not only lose my class, but my core would be a mess and I would even lose the opportunity to become humanoid.

"tell me what I must do."

Tigress nodded.

"You must become one with your sword. In essence you must become one with me. Right now your growth type weapon is a nameless sword that exists in your consciousness. An item that is bound to you, but ultimately is still just an item. You must make the sword a part of you."

Tigress paused for a moment before speaking again. "This would have been simple had you not already used your daily use of devour. You could have simply summoned the sword and eaten it.. however hope is not lost. There is another much harder method. One who's results are much better. However the difficulty is immense."

I looked at Tigress as she spoke. She was currently stretching her body. Her ample muscles rippling as she did so. A sense of dread filled me as she did so.

"The method is simple. You must make me submit. You must make me yours."

She did not waste any time as she launched herself at me. Her first strike was a simple thrust, but the move had all of the sharpness of a drawn blade with the intent to kill.

I hastily retreated from the attack, but I could feel a sharp stabbing sensation in my mind as I did so.

Tigress coached me as we fought. "This is your first lesson my foolish disciple. My way of the sword is a tyrannical offense. Retreat is not an option. To win you must focus solely on attack."

I nodded at her words. She had already told me all of this, but only after truly experiencing it did I understand. I looked at my teacher with a sense of determination. I could tell she was holding back, but this fight would me far harder than the one against the hobgoblin.

As this battle was taking place in my mind, I was not restricted to the form of a kitten. My mental body shifted, changing into an average height youth. My blond hair and fair skin stood in sharp contrast to the black furred form of my physical body.

I willed a sword to appear in my hands. The blade was not as stunning as the one I had previously obtained, and actually looked rather ordinary. But my experience in this dungeon had taught me one thing. Appearances did not matter. The most beautiful weapon could be useless, while something that looked crude could hold unimaginable power.

Tigress nodded as she looked at my appearance. I held the blade in front of me, but I did not wait for her to attack, I clumsily slashed my blade towards her.

"Good! But whats with the hesitation? I am your enemy! Seek to destroy me in a single attack! Where is your heart? Where is the swordmaster I know you can be?!"

Hwr words spurred me on. The weapon in my hands was foreign. In my human life I had never had a need or desire to hold such a weapon, and in this life I was a cat. My weapons were my claws and teeth. They were a part of me, a part that I could never be separated from.

The sword was foreign. It did belong to me, and I did not know how to use it. What I did know was my claws. And what was a sword, if not a giant manufactured claw?

My moves were feral as I struck at Tigress. The sword nothing more than a giant claw in my hands. I sought the rend her skin with my slashes, and pwnetrate her vitals with my stabs.

There was no room to defend myself, though foe in front of me could defeat me without twitching a finger. I only thought to use this giant claw to my advantage, holding on for a single second longer.

Little did I realize that weapon itself had changed as we fought, it no longer even resembled the plane Long sword it had once been. The one long blade had changed into three shorter curved blades. It very much resembled a set of claws.

I felt something in me burst, as the myrad of colors around us began to fade away. I did not have time to admire any of the changes as I felt a sudden pain filling my body.

Tigress stared down at my trembling body. More so she stared at the metallic claws that dawned my right hand and left hands. She nodded as she looked on at them.

"They are not traditional swords, but the function is the same. It seems you will walk your own path young one, but I will guide you the best as I can."

My body still trembled, and incredibly pain filled my entire being. My voice was shaky as I spoke. "But I sis not manage to beat you. How can I walk the path of a swordmaster without my sword core."

Tigress responded with her sultry laugh. "How could you have ever managed to defeat me? You are but a kitten who has only taken a few shaky steps on the path of life. What was needed was your own resolve. Tell me, what is it that is on your hands? and where do you think we are? This is not the real world, but the world of your own mind."

I looked at her confused. My gaze eventually shifting to the metallic claws that had formed on my hands. Their color was a deep black, with thin blue lines in the center.

"That item is the sword you saved. It is me, and now it is you. Through your own resolve and determination you have claimed ownership. They could have never changed if you did not build your core. And you needed to use them, and only them for your core to form."

Tigress shook her head as she spoke. "The task has been completed. You have formed your sword core, and have stepped onto the long road of a sword master."