CHAPTER 10: Segrio Healing Stance

*BEEP*

Alex pushed open the door and stumbled into his house. He then reflexively put his XOC against the panel to lock the door.

'Shit, I hope I didn't make it worse while coming back.' Alex then groaned as he shakily walked to his bedroom and opened the door.

He barely noticed the bed before collapsing onto it, a few minutes later he pulled his school jacket off and tossed it to the floor then did the same to his shirt after unbuttoning it.

Slowly he sat up while hissing in pain, then he crossed his legs and got into a meditative position.

'I couldn't do this while I was in the woods, who knows when an instructor would show up, but I should be safe for now.'

[Segrio Healing Stance]

This is a stance that's used to heal injuries, this effect is achieved by moving the Hani in one's body in a particular fashion, then after that's done direct the Hani toward the injured part of the body.

This might sound like an overpowered technique but there are laws to this stance, the first is that it can't be used during combat, secondly it takes a long time to heal the affected part, for example it could take me a few days to heal my abdomen, and the last flaw is that even after the injured body part has been healed it will still be weak and can be injured again relatively easily.

That's why Segrio Healing Stance is only used for first aid.

This technique is quite common among Hani users and it's part of what is known as the five basic stances that every Ranked should know.

I healed my injured abdomen over the course of the next few hours, after which I opened my eyes.

I slowly got off the bed and stretched my body. Almost immediately I winced and clutched my stomach.

'Still not healed, I have to be very careful today.' I turned and walked into the bathroom. 'All I managed to do was to patch it up very quickly, any small movement I make could cause the wound to reopen and all the work I've done for the past few hours would go to waste.'

I filled up the tub and sank inside it with a content sigh then continued my train of thought.

'I could continue healing the injury but that could take a few weeks and I really don't have that kind of time.'

I got out of the tub and walked back into my bedroom and opened the wardrobe. 'I guess I'll stop by the med bay sometime today, still it'll hurt to have to spend some points.'

I quickly pulled out Freestone's uniform, a crimson red jacket with gold lining around the edges, a white dress shirt, black tie and red trousers.

I laid the clothes on my bed then glanced at my XOC. Once I saw the time I hurriedly put on the uniform and walked out of my bedroom.

'The train is soon going to arrive,' I thought as I looked around for my shoes. Once I found them I put them on and ran for the front door. 

'Now that I think about it I don't even remember when I last slept.' I thought with pain in my heart. 'Well maybe that's actually good news, at least I didn't see him.'

*BEEP*

The door opened and I rushed out and slammed it shut.

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"Settle down young ones."

I raised my head from my desk and looked at the podium with bleary eyes.

An instructor had entered the classroom while I was dozing and was now standing on the podium.

'I hope I make it through today with how tired I'm feeling.'

I felt a poke on my ribs, I turned and saw Agustin looking at me with concern in his eyes.

"Are you ok?" Mouthed Agustin.

I nodded my head and mouthed back. "I'm good, just tired."

I then turned back to the instructor.

"As you all know this class is Monsters and Beasts 101, I'm your instructor Mark Cross." The instructor gripped the podium and leaned forward.

Monsters and Beasts 101 was the only class that every student in my year was required to attend, for some students it was the only time that they would see their classmates during the whole week, in fact it was the only class that Alistair, Agustin and I had at the same time.

"We are continuing the lesson on the undead today. Before we start I'd like to advise all of you to pay attention and absorb all the information, it could save your life."

"Oh," Instructor Cross cleared his throat. "I have an announcement to make, so stay for a few minutes after the class."

Hushed whispers broke out all over the class.

I raised an eyebrow and sat up straighter in my seat, suddenly awake.

"Anyway, we'll start today's lesson with the most famous undead, zombies."

"As most of you know, zombies are one of the two most common undead creatures, the other being skeletons, but we'll get to that later."

"Anyway…" Instructor Cross tapped the screen of his XOC and almost immediately I heard a beep coming from mine.

"I just sent a message to all you students, open it." Said Instructor Cross as he walked off the podium.

I looked at my XOC: 'Message from Instructor Cross. Open?'

I opened the message and immediately the image of a pale, rotting looking figure, with several open wounds and dressed in tattered clothes appeared on my XOC.

"That is a zombie." Instructor Cross leaned over a student and looked at her XOC. "Ugly aren't they?"

Instructor Cross walked to the back of the classroom while continuing his speech.

"Zombies are one of the most dangerous undead for two main reasons." Instructor Cross glanced over all the students. "Does anyone know the reason why?"

A student in the middle row raised her hand, after Instructor Cross nodded at her she started speaking.

"The first reason is that if a person is bitten by a zombie they will also turn into a zombie, while the second is that if you see a zombie, ten more are likely to be somewhere close by since zombies are usually in large groups."

"Not the way I would put it, but correct nonetheless." Instructor Cross turned around and headed back to the podium. "The only changes I would make to what she just said are one, it isn't only a bite that can turn a person into a zombie, even a scratch would be enough and two, if you see a zombie just know that there are fifty, if not more zombies around, it probably won't be only ten."

"Zombies are just dead creatures that have come back to life," Instructor Cross shrugged his shoulders. "That is if you can call the lack of Hani and wandering aimlessly for eternity living. And it's not just humans that can become zombies, elves, dwarves, barbarians and even dogs can turn into zombies."

"Normal zombies aren't very strong, only a bit stronger than a normal human." Instructor Cross reached the podium, got on it then looked around the class. "So don't you think that they are easy to kill if they are only that strong?"

Most of the students in the class, including Agustin, Alistair and I nodded our heads.

Instructor Cross laughed then clicked his tongue.

"Well you are all wrong, they aren't as easy as that to kill. What I'm going to tell you also goes for all undead, not just zombies."

After looking around the class again, Instructor Cross continued.

"Zombies like all other undead are the natural enemies of Hani users. Does anyone know the reason why?"

I honestly didn't know so I looked around at my classmates, trying to see if anyone knew the answer to Instructor Cross's question, but it seemed that everyone was as clueless as me.

Instructor Cross sighed after no one answered. "Come on, this is just common sense."

The whole class of three hundred students stared at him blankly.

Instructor Cross sighed once again after which he pinched his brows, before answering his own question.

"Undead are the bane of the living and especially strong against Hani users because of the source of our power, life force."

Instructor Cross cast a serious glance at the students. "Undead lack the one thing that makes us strong, but that doesn't make them weak, no far from it, it actually makes them strong for a few reasons."

Instructor Cross cast a glance at his XOC before continuing. 

"But we are out of time, so moving on let's talk about other undead…."

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Instructor Cross glanced at his XOC.

"With that our lesson has come to an end."

He then cleared his throat and looked over the classroom.

"Now for the announcement."

Instructor Cross leaned on the podium. "You're all are going on a field trip."

The class descended into silence at his words.

'Field trip?' I thought in confusion. 'To where?'

Almost like he read my mind a student stood up and said as much.

"Mhhm where are we going?"

Instructor Cross broke out into a wide smile.

"Next week you're heading to The Pink Sea, a tier 3 danger zone," Instructor Cross began walking toward the door. "I hope you all paid attention cause the Pink Sea is populated by only the undead."

Once Instructor Cross left, the class broke out into loud conversation with everyone discussing the field trip.