Strengthening. (11)

"So Chief, what's the plan now?" Relovan asked as he watched Nura continue to stuff his face. "I assume I passed the test, and thus have graduated from the First Phase."

"You most certainly have, Lawman. How you managed to grow so much in such a short space of time really does astound me. Anyway, to answer your question, what we do now is wait for the summons. In spite of you finishing a week early, the Council will not be rushed. So I guess you have a week or so to relax and recover naturally, without receiving Essence based healing. That can have dangerous long-term effects if used frequently."

"…so you choose to mention that after the fact, eh Chief?" Relovan asked incredulously.

"So, since you have some time to yourself, I suggest you go home, get a haircut and have a shave. You've recycled the same few items of clothing for nigh on six weeks, so I'm sure freshening up would do you the world of good." Nura said, ignoring the Enforcer's question.

"Seeing as you two are also done with the training, I myself can finally get back to Nala." Rhee chimed in.

"You in that much of a rush to leave, are you? Been missing those twins, eh Rhee?"

"Not at all, Chief Nura. I just feel a lot better when I am there, in case the Void Lord needs me for anything. I've been separated from her for far too long anyway."

"…ah, so that's how it is." Nura and Relovan both mumbled simultaneously.

"That's how what is, exactly?"

"Nah, nothing." They mumbled in unison again.

"Anyway, once the Enforcer is ready to go, I shall call DeeDee and take my leave as well."

"Just give me a few minutes to get my stuff together." Relovan said as he stood up.

After the Enforcer disappeared down the hall, Rhee looked at Nura, remaining silent for a bit.

"What is it, Void Knight?"

"Are you done with your meal, Chief? It's kind of difficult to speak with you while you eat."

"Yeah yeah, I'm done. Feel free to talk."

"Well, I didn't get the chance to tell you last night, but I think I may have seen the true form of Enforcer Relovan's Essence."

"What?!" Nura roared as his head snapped in Rhee's direction, causing the Knight to recoil a bit.

"L-Like I said, I saw him use a strange technique when you left the last time, in which he created a clone of you out of Essence. He mentioned how once having a clear image of his opponents, he was able to shadow box. Now, due to him being all instinct, he probably isn't aware that those clones are created with his Essence, but when you returned last night and Enforcer Relovan stepped out of the room—"

"That purple haze came flowing out of the door." Nura interrupted.

"Correct. That smoky… stuff, is the true form of his Essence."

"…I see. When Lawman said he felt as though he had just seen me, that was because he had been sparring with those clones of me. Thank you for letting me know, Rhee – I now know what my next course of action shall be."

"Are you willing to reveal what that might be?"

"Sure – take everything in that room and have the lab scry it thoroughly. That way, we will be able to find out what characteristic Lawman's Essence has."

"Seeing as Pure Essence oftentimes has characteristics that cannot be refined and processed such as the Essence that can be extracted and mined from stations such as the one here on Blargon."

"Precisely, Void Knight, and that is why Essence Benders are not only a rarity, but are also potential World Enders. Anyway, the first thing to do is find out whether or not the Lawman's Essence has a characteristic, and then we can move forward from there."

Approaching footsteps alerted the two men to Relovan's presence, and he popped into the dining room carrying his small bag and holding his hat in his other hand.

"I'm good to go." He announced rather plainly. "Shall I call a cab, or?"

"A cab? When you're in my house? Absolutely not! We shall escort you home, Lawman." Nura said as he stood up.

Rhee stood up as well and walked over to Relovan with a smile on his face, before extending his hand.

"Enforcer, I can't say that it's been a pleasure, but…"

"I appreciate the healing that you provided, Void Knight. The company wasn't all that bad either."

"Really?" Rhee asked while looking a little too hopeful.

"…nah." Relovan answered as he grabbed and firmly shook the Void Knight's hand with a smile on his face.

Rhee looked a little hurt, but just chuckled and reciprocated the firm handshake. As the two men shook hands, the Void Knight closed his eyes. Not even half a minute later, two blue orbs appeared next to him, growing larger and brighter with each passing second, until they morphed into the shape of two people. The DeeDee twins suddenly appeared and looked around for a few seconds.

"Ah, Riri, there you are." One of the twins stated in a jaded sounding voice.

"Yeah, there he is."

"Is that how you greet someone after not seeing them for so long?" Rhee chastised. "Also, how many times have I asked you two not to call me that in front of other people?"

"Many, many times. But Riri is Riri. There's no other name for you."

The two women then immediately looked at Relovan, who was visibly trying to pull his hand away from Rhee. They looked him up and down, before smiling.

"Greetings, Enforcer." The one said.

"You've gotten stronger." The other said.

"Greetings." Relovan said as he nodded at both women. "Come to take Riri back to the Walker?"

"We certainly have – wait, look at how much bigger his forearms have become, Dee!"

"I know… but he's also showing signs of Healing Overdose. It's not my place to say this Enforcer, but I think it might be better if you just let your body be and recover normally for a while."

"One can overdose on being Healed?"

"It can happen, Enforcer – especially in those races that have a weaker physiology, such as Humans."

"So how long would you recommend that I stay out of the Healing juice?"

"A few months at the very least."

"Yeah, well we did we had to do, you blue cutie." Nura said as he approached the group. "Lawman here had to level up, and we all knew the risks."

"Actually, I didn't know a thing…" Relovan said as he looked at Nura.

"Judging by how he looks, you all have achieved what you set out to." The Dee that had been speaking said.

"Dee, we don't have time – we must get back to Nala."

"Yes, that's right. We apologise for having to leave so abruptly, but the current situation calls for it."

"Understood." Relovan nodded.

"I'll be coming for the both of you once this entire thing has passed."

The twins shuddered a tad, before looking at Rhee. The one chopped his wrist, causing him to yelp out in pain and release Relovan's hand, before they glowed and disappeared, teleporting out of the house. Relovan and Nura remained in the dining room, before looking at each other.

"Well then, shall we go, Lawman?"

"Ready when you are, Chief."

After close to a half an hour, the almost unnecessarily large convoy left the Chief's compound, and drove towards the city. Relovan and Nura were in the back, and mainly discussed what had gone on in the last five weeks, with the Chief wanting to hear details about the Enforcer's training regime. He waved off attempts by Relovan to offer to cover the cost of repairs, and they found themselves back at Relovan's apartment building before they knew it.

"So, while you have this time to relax Lawman, you must also stay sharp – there's no telling when the Council's Marshals will appear."

"Understood." Relovan said with a nod.

"I'll be in touch, Lawman. Oh, and I almost forgot, but it might be a good idea for you to swing by your precinct and say hello to everybody. We've been using your squishy Human body needing time to heal as an excuse, but your leave has been entirely too long – particularly because you just disappeared after getting into it with the others at Ralph's. But you really dug into them, calling them cowards and everything."

"They are cowards Chief – the lot of them. I was visibly injured, and those idiots still refused to defend their honour."

"Yeah, well you certainly let them know how you felt, Lawman."

"Anyway, I shall take my leave. I'll see you around, Chief."

Relovan stepped out of the car, and before waiting for the door to close, he set his bag down, faced the Chief and saluted him. Nura, who was still seated, just grinned and nodded, before giving a mini salute of his own. The door slid closed almost painfully slow, but the two men held their respective salutes not only until the door was closed, but until the convoy itself drove off. Once the convoy had disappeared, only then did Relovan stand at ease. He picked up the bag and went inside, and decided to lie down for a bit before going about his business. Instead, he passed right out and slept for longer than he could have anticipated.