What Use Is A Dull Blade?

Dialogue- "Example"

Thoughts- ExampleSounds- Example~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"AGHHHH!" My screams rang out from the room where my new mentor was beating me. "No, that's no good Ike. You mustn't make a sound." The aforementioned mentor threw another punch square into my good, like cracking a rib too based on the noise it made. "AGHHH!" Once again, my screams resounded on throughout the empty room.

There I was, chained up in a room that was completely empty excluding our two figures and the torture devices Nuke had brought with him. The walls were concrete, likely reinforced with steel as well. From what I could tell we were deep underground.

"Okay, here's how this is gonna go, If you can take five attacks from me without making a sound, you pass your second lesson. If you don't make it through five, you fail and will no longer be my disciple." I shakily nodded my head before clenching my teeth and bracing for the first attack.

One. A heavy punch to the ribs, the throbbing pain resounding endlessly every time I took a shaky breath.

Two. Another punch, this time straight to the jaw. He pauses, almost as if waiting for me to make a sound. The only response he got was me spitting out a mouthful of blood that had accumulated in my mouth.

Three. This time he punched me in the nose, blood leaking like a fountain from my nose as tears pooled at the corner of my eyes.

Four. He threw a heavy roundhouse kick right into my stomach. Knocking the wind out of me and making each breath a pain. He once again paused, waiting to hear a scream. He never got one. Instead, he was greeted with fierce and rebellious eyes that dared him to attack again.

And so he did. Five. He proceeded to bring his knee up as high as possible, his right knee almost touching his left shoulder before shooting his foot straight into my knee, breaking it and sending the bone straight out the back. I could feel the pain of every individual muscle leading up my knee tearing one by one. The pain was so excruciating I nearly broke, but I held. Biting my lip intensely to keep any screams from escaping.

Pap, pap, pap. "I'm impressed Ike truly. Now, let's get you to the infirmary. Don't worry, with our technology you'll be rearing to go again in a few hours." Nuke removed the expensive leather gloves on his hands before undoing the chains holding me, grabbing me before I could fall on my injured leg.

He quickly hoisted me on his back before he began walking toward the exit. The adrenaline having worn off, I witnessed him bringing me out of what I assumed was the basement of his estate before passing out.

I awoke in the same pod I had been in earlier, however, this time it was filled with an almost soothing hot liquid. It seemed as though I had been dressed down to my underwear before being placed in the pod. An oxygen tank seemed to have been attached to a mask I was wearing. Alongside me having an IV drip in my arm.

Standing above me were Gail, Ava, and Nuke. Quickly taking note of my consciousness Gail began moving around frantically to drain the water out of the pod. Upon opening the pod and sitting up, I was hit with an immediate wave of nausea. Quickly pulling off the mask, which I found out had a tube fed deep down my throat, I began throwing up in a bin handed to me.

"How was it, Ike? Your first bath in the Phoenix Tear?" Nuke inquired whilst patting me on the back. I finished spitting in the bin before turning to him with tired eyes, "It was terrible, how long was I in there?"

"Well, while I estimated you'd be in there for six hours, you only needed one. Seems this new ability of yours also helps you heal a lot faster." Nuke helped stand me on my feet before I was greeted by Gail who was accompanied by Ava, "Boy you love giving this old woman a heart attack, don't ya?"

"Same old shit, ain't it? Regardless, I'm hungry let's get outta here." Shaking her head absently, Ava first shoved a pile of folded clothes into my chest, "You should be worried about getting yourself dressed before anything else."

"Why? Worried I might be a little too sexy for you to handle?" I laughed at my sarcastic remark before clothing myself. "Pfft! Not if we were the last two people on earth." I placed my hand on my chest in a mock offended manner before beginning to walk out of the infirmary, Nuke following close behind as Ava and Gail opted to stay.

As soon as we made it to the cafeteria the atmosphere around us changed to one that took on a more serious tone, "I'm surprised you haven't quit after the first two lessons Ike. I'm impressed." Nuke paid for my food before sitting across from me as I ate. "I refuse to let a few hardships keep me from doing whatever I want," I replied quickly before shoving another chicken leg into my mouth.

"While you were under, I managed to observe a few things." Nuke pulled out a folder filled with documents and scans related to my body's new condition. "First, your metabolism seems to have increased at an exponential rate and has only just recently stopped increasing. This would explain your intense hunger."

Nodding my head as I absorbed both the information and another chicken leg, I thought before speaking, "I would assume this would be due to my body's ability to heal faster?" Nuke nodded his head before responding, "Yes, in fact, it relates to most things happening in your body. This would explain why you ate a lot more at the beginning of your body's transformation. You had to make up for all the nutrients that were used in the process."

"So, what you're saying is the way my body works fundamentally has been strengthened and changed." I paused in the middle of eating a burrito and inquired. Nuke grabbed the documents before incinerating them with his ability, "Yes. Everything about your body has been permanently changed for the better. Knowing this will change my method of training you drastically."

As those words left his mouth, I could hear the murmurs and whispers of everyone else in the cafeteria, surprised at the fact that Nuke had me under his personal tutelage. I quickly finished my food before gesturing with my head toward the exit. Getting the message Nuke followed after me, as we exited the cafeteria and went back to his estate.

We entered the building the guards looking surprised as I walked alongside Nuke before allowing us in. Before I could walk further in, Nuke stood in front of me before asking, "So, you ready for your next lesson? Doesn't matter. Within our faction, there are thirty predator-ranked students and six apex predators. You are currently only a hound, if within four years you cannot defeat them all, I will have them kick you out of the institution. After all, what use is a dull blade?"

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Hey guys, this chapter was shorter than the others at about eleven hundred words, I do apologize for that. Like always I hope you guys enjoyed the chapter.