Chapter 189: Refilled

Turning mana into energy was a slow process, and my body was dripping with sweat as I continued to move almost imperceptibly to the naked eye. My ability to move even slower was growing at a much faster speed than I thought after those fights in the City. The slower I could move my body in practice, the more I could control my muscles and my body to the minuscule muscle, and the more power I could bring out in combat.

My fights in the City were a show of force that told me that I was nowhere near invincible and that their were others that could kill me. That Swordsmen was only caught off guard, and that torture master was a person that was too full of himself. The Wizard and the Commander was a duo that almost killed me multiple times, and if it wasn't for the Commander thinking that she could disarm me by stepping onto a powerfully enchanted weapon, then I would have been dead.

That fat wizard's Ice magic was something I had not encountered before, but it was a weird way to use Ice magic. I didn't know how I would use it, but I thought creating giant ice grenades was not a good solution. It was such a brute-force solution when you could do so many things. I did know that you could create spikes and various things away from the body, so I just thought it was bad craftsmanship. I never made it far in the study of wizardry, and it showed.

Now my body was slowly filled with Energy that, I could finally take a break as I slowly completed a fifth set of movements. My attention was on the conversation of mana to the energy that I had not even noticed that it was morning again as my eyes started to open up, and a cabin window brought in the morning sun. I was soaked, and my limbs felt sore but limber as I normally stood once again.

The refreshing exhaustion as I was refilled with Energy was something only those who were as powerful as I could understand. I was still weak in this world but above the general public. I looked in the Captain's cabin and noticed Kara, Stacy, and Freya still sleeping with Kitty curled up cutely in her cage sleeping. Melony was passed out on the floor in the corner as the ship rocked slowly on the waves of the river.

I walked out of the cabin and noticed some sailors moving around with a man up in the crow's nest, watching out. I noticed the Necromancer looking out behind us with an expression of contemplation. It looked like they were deciding their fate while watching the ship move through the river.

The wind licked my sweat-covered skin, and I walked to the front of the ship to look out before us, and in the distance, I could see lights coming in. It seemed that I had been in my zone longer than I thought and that we would reach the City soon. I didn't care to know my geography, so I didn't know the name of the city, but looking at it now, I felt nothing but anxiety as we neared it.

This would be the main turning point for our forces escaping. We could not miss it as there was the capital after this, too, before we left into the ocean, leaving the Empire behind. Looking forward, you saw some ships coming in our direction, and I wondered why this was the first ship I had seen heading past us.

In the river, there was plenty of space for the both of us, and I felt nothing but relief as the other ship passed us without incident. The worst part of the escape was not the moment you escaped but the time reaching safety. Holding out through this was going to stress the ladies out, and I watched out for a period of time as the ship started to wake and come more to life, reliving the night crew.

Kara and Stacy soon gathered on a clear part of the ship, with Stacy handing her a club this time. It was just a round stump they found somewhere, and Stacy had a sword which she was good with. They clashed once, then twice, as Kara tried her best to hit Stacy. Kara swung the club hard and clumsily obviously untrained. Stacy easily continued to deflect and reorientate the blows as I watched, and Kara seemed to be trying her hardest.

I watched in silence for a period of time, and Kara didn't deep to be getting better. Stacy noticed, too, and shook her head. "Next weapon, Kara," Stacy said loudly, and Kara nodded.

"I do not like the heavy weapons, Stacy," Kara said, her voice unsure, and Stacy nodded. I could understand that, and Stacy handed her two pieces of wood shaped like daggers. They were obviously poor imitations, but Stacy seemed to take this task seriously even as I saw all those subtle looks at Kara's body, taking in the view as Kara struggled in her maid outfit.

With the new imitations of Daggers, I could see Kara fumbling with them, but I noticed something about her hands as she clashed with Stacy. Kara seemed to want to use both hands but was struggling with her hands being in the wrong place, and I noticed Stacy needing to move her weapon to avoid hitting Kara's hands. My eyes narrowed, and I wondered something and watched longer.

The more I watched, the more Kara tried to hit the sword with her hands instead of the daggers, almost naturally. "Kara? Are you trying to hit me or the swords?" Stacy asked.

"Y-you?" Kara said, unsure.

"Tell me," Stacy demanded, her voice taking a tone I never heard from her. She looked a little at me, and I nodded, and Stacy pressed. "Kara, what were you trying to hit!"

The demand for an answer seemed to make Kara retreat a little, and her arms wrapped around herself. "I- I- I was trying to hit the sword, so I didn't have to hit you," Kara's voice got smaller and less sure as she spoke, and I found an issue with that as well.

"Then why are you trying to hit my sword with your hands and not the daggers?" Stacy asked.

Kara looked surprised by the question and shook her head, "I was trying with the daggers," Kara replied, and I stepped forward now.

"Stacy, Try battle gauntlets or gloves. Leather should do, and I have some extra in my suitcase if needed." I ordered, and Stacy nodded, and Kara looked at me with innocent eyes, "It's okay, Kara. Failure is never a bad thing to experience. Just continue trying out with Stacy doing the best you can," I told her, and she nodded with a cute expression.

Stacy didn't take too long and tossed a pair of gloves to Kara, "Put them on and try and hit me this time. Not the sword!" Stacy demanded. Kara nodded, and they broke back up, and the deck swayed lightly as another ship passed by, and I leaned against the rail of the ship.

Kara moved in, unsure as they clashed again. Kara came in for a hit to Stacy and was intercepted by the sword flat. Kara cried out, swinging her hand out in pain as she looked at Stacy hurt. But it was like determination filled her as she backed off a bit. She came in, still unsure, and started to attack and pull back more as Stacy moved to intercept the easy attacks. But Kara seemed to move back out and attack somewhere else a moment later and seemed to develop more confidence and feints as she attacked.

Stacy was easily keeping her off, but Kara looked more sure of her body without weapons. Kara seemed to be meant for something other than a weapon as she continued to attack, moving and out of the battle. Her hand clashed against the sword many times, and I could see her pain with each clash, but her determination and a little bit more skill showed. Kara was repeating herself sometimes, but it was always a little different.

In this world, martial arts needed something else attached to it than just swinging the fist. Kara lacked proper movement to get into a fighter's zone to beat them up. She lacked the proper technique in order to do anything to Stacy as she continued to get brushed off without a problem. The thing that I saw was the ability and determination to move in for me and learn.

With Daggers, she showed that she registered her hands more than the weapons. It was like weapon length in light weapons didn't quite register with her. I could train that out of her, but she seemed to naturally be more accurate with her own body, and she was dodging Stacy more and more as time went on till she was sweaty.

Was Kara, the innocent little maid, a Brawler? That would be interesting, and I think that as a fellow Tiger-kin, she should go the agility route, and I smiled. I could train her like that, and it would be very interesting. Making the innocent girl before me and turning each part of her body into a weapon that could endure pain and torture while dishing out fast pain to her enemies as she pummels them to meat was a very interesting proposition.

"Breakfast!" I heard Freya yell, and I motioned for Stacy and Kara to join me before they went back at it.

"Stacy continue testing weapons with Kara after this," I told her as she came up beside me, "Good Work, both of you. Now let's eat," I finished, and two smiling, sweaty women joined me for Freya's breakfast.

Maybe she would be a brawler or maybe not. Just because she showed better judgment with her own body didn't mean that was the best option for her.