Time To Test
Strength 110 (-100)
Speed 121 (-100)
Defense 120 (-100)
Intelligence 149 (-100)
Is it just me, or did I get weaker?
Now that Marissa's gone, my next choice would be to go to Akari and ask him for help. With my main source of how to leave this place gone it only makes seance.
Yeah no, not doing that, ever.
Sure it's true Akari already helps me out some of the time but there's no way he could take Marisa's place. Even if I tried it wouldn't work.
I could have sworn that the last time I checked my levels it was higher. First Marissa up and disappears and now this? I already have enough on my hands.
I tap on the gem and the screen fizzles away. I sigh with exhaustion and lay back in my chair to see Sara not too far away from me in my room.
For some reason, she refused to go anywhere after we left so she's been here. She also seems much more handsy than normal. She just doesn't seem to leave me alone.
Before we left the house I grabbed Marissa's books, well, the ones that looked important. Sara had to grab her things so I just took some of Marissa's stuff.
Does it count as stealing if the person isn't around and probably won't be for the foreseeable future?
Nah.
I mean we're already "criminals" already so I guess it's fine. Even then it's not like I did anything wrong either. Oh, my eyes and hair are black well sorry dam at least it ain't a rainbow. Everyone's colorful styles really piss a person off after a while.
In that moment of thought I catch myself looking at Sara, she looks fine, I mean she's reading and technically waiting for me.
She's sitting on my bed while she swings her legs so she seems happy. Ever since that night, she's been more clingy than usual. And whenever we pass by Marissa's shop she drags me past it.
I know Marissa leaving is hurting her, I hope it didn't impact her that much and she's still happy.
"Alright, time to test. We're headed out."
Sara doesn't question anything and follows me out of my room and out the front door.
Me and Sara head out of town to the normal area normally Marissa leads the way out of town. Instead of heading out the front door, we head out some dumb back exit. It's "faster" and "safer" so we go that way.
The back exit leads to an underground tunnel thing that leads up and into the forest. At that point, It doesn't take too long to go through the small forest and find the semi-small circular training area. I sit on a stump in the training area to relax for a bit and start to reminisce a bit.
You know, now that I think about it this place feels just like heading to the old hangout spot. Heh thinking about it just gives me more of a reason to hurry up.
Still sitting on the stump I aim my hand at a practice dummy thing. Basically just another stump. I try to make something, anything really. For some reason, this attempt felt even worse than all the others before.
I'm not getting worse, am I?
But nothing appears. I don't feel anything. I open my eyes to the spot and Hear something come from the other side of the stump...
"Ren? And Woah, another mara?"
There is only one fucking idiot that would say shit like that.
I put a hold on my magic tests and look over to where that idiot's voice came from.
Akari walks over to me from the stump. Surprising another person follows close behind him. Mara.
I already knew about Sara's sister before from Marissa, but she doesn't like me. I thought the same thing Akari thought so I can see where hes coming from but their still drastically different.
Mara is more powerful with how she holds herself and sara is trying to hide herself. The little things
But let's just say most people don't like me when meeting me.
I walk towards Mara and Akari with Sara in tow.
Mara has a permanent scowl on her face almost, I'm telling you I didn't do anything.
I feel Sara cling to my arm.
We finally stop once we reach each other which just so happens to be in the middle of the training area.
"What? What could you possibly need, interrupting my tests, fuckin ass."
I mutter that last part but Akari doesn't seem to hear me. His face shows he's still trying to figure out what I meant by the first part. However, his girlfriend's face shows that she probably did hear that last part.
Right before it looks like Mara is about to say something worse than me, Akari speaks.
"Oh if you're here practicing, we could spar you know? Then we wouldn't be such a bother. It's a win-win. Plus it sounds cool. I've never done it before so why not?"
Sara is the one to speak up against Akari.
"Actually, we were leaving, clearing's yours."
She grabs my hand and shoves past Akari. Akari looks flustered by this and looks like he's trying to think of a response but it looks like Mara still has something to say.
"Yeah sure, go ahead, you'll probably be protecting Ren the entire time because 'oh no my precious senpai'. Just because Marissa is gone gives you no reason to act like a fucking weirdo"
Both me and Akari look surprised at Mara.
"Ha, no way that's the perfect way to use that word good job," Akari says holding a hand for a high five.
It looks like I and Akari were surprised by different things. I look over to Sara to see her reaction but I don't see her. Did she run away? Where did-?
"HEY!"
I look back at Akari who is still holding his hand out like an idiot. Trying to look at Mara shows where Sara is and the fact she's casting and flying a shard of ice at Mara hitting her in the gut and sending mara into the middle of the clearing.
It looks as if Akari is about to stop Sara but since he did say and wanted to spar I guess we can start now. So I intercept him with my dagger blocking his path. Now Sara has the chance to advance on Mara and I'm gonna try to keep idiot 1 at bay.
Akari decides to get some distance from me and quickly casts a fireball. It also seems he's totally forgotten about helping mara.
He aims his fire at me and I run at him and duck under the ball as soon as I reach him. Once there I lunged at him with my daggers. Instead of looking scared Akari looks totally shocked by this.
In an instant, I feel my hands move a weird way and it takes me a moment to notice I've dropped my daggers. In return, though Akari hands me some wooden-looking daggers.
"It's a sparring match, not a killing match, dummy," He says that last bit with a smirk.
"Shut up I knew that," I say as I once again lunged at Akari.
He makes me look like an idiot and easy side steps left making me land right on the ground. I quickly get up and make attacks that won't make me fall over.
I aim for his stomach, he doges back. I go for his head, he ducks under it. I aim for his hands, he easily stops them without getting hurt.
Crew it.
"Self-control"
"Finally," Akari says as he finally picks up a wooden sword.
What a dumbass. Isn't he just good at magic and dogging?
I arm one dagger at his face which he blocks with his sword but I come in with another dagger hitting his sides. In response, he takes a few stumbling steps back.
Not wanting to give him any time to rest I race after him but he once again pulls out his hand and for some reason, I fall on the ground. I look behind me to see a small hole in the ground that wasn't there before.
I look up to see Akari trying to hold in a laugh.
Ok, that's it.
I get up and close the distance almost eminently and hit Akari with everything I got. Some hits are either blocked or dodged but a surprising amount hit their target. He never falls over or surrenders though he just keeps stepping backward as I force him to.
Surprisingly at some point, he moves his sword crazy fast after blocking an attack and somehow his sword comes in my direction. I can feel his swords hit me directly in the gut and this time I stumble back.
"I wonder what's better: multiple small attacks or one big one." He again says with a smirk.
Ok, he's trying way too hard to act cool. Don't think I can't see all the marks on your body and how heavy your breathing is. Stupid
Not wanting to see his stupid face anymore I throw the wooden daggers pinning him to a tree. I guess those target practices worked.
I decided to take the moment to search for Sara, she's near the edge of the clearing Mara under her and It almost looks like they're just talking?
"AH FUCK!"
Akari must have come up behind me somehow and hit my legs with what is most likely his sword and I fall over.
He looks down at me for a bit but then gives me his hand. He looks concerned but also triumphant.
"Were even now" he smiles and glances at his wounds over his body.
I scoff and accept his hand. This smug ass bitch.
Sara rushes over and takes note of the now-forming bruise on my leg immediately.
Mara also returns to Akari's side with a simple
"You good?" Mara asks.
"Yeah, perfect actually." He says out of breath.
She laughs, "whatever, you've probably got some secret magic for holding pain or something."
Sara is done healing the wound and glares at Akari with hate I can't even have. Akari notices this immediately and starts acting flustered again.
Sara stands but is silent, how can I make sure she knows Akari is just an idiot?
I pat her head and lean on her a bit, she always appreciates physical touch.
"Kid I don't need you killing my brother with your stare, he's an idiot, not an asshole"
She nods and quits with the stare.
"Hey, I'm older than you, don't call me a kid." I laugh at her childish remark and start to lead us away.
"Yeah yeah, I'm tired," She says
"Self-control" I finally let out as we leave.
I tap on my gem and the screen fizzles up.
Strength 115 (-100)
Speed 132 (-100)
Defense 120 (-100)
Intelligence 149 (-100)
Huh, neat.
"Uh, I'm sorry I hope you're ok!" I hear a stupid person say from behind us.
"Would you shut up?!" I quickly tell them.