*Shing* *Shing*

Woah! This sword cut through the steel bars effortlessly! Time to grab my stuff and get out of here! Thankfully, they dropped my stuff nearby, so I don’t have to waste any time on that.

[To get out, you need a certain key. We have to get one quickly, or there’ll be more people than you can handle right now.

[To start with, head to the hallway right in front of you]

“Okay!”

[Turn left here. Left again. Right. Right. Another right. Ok, stop. There will be people inside that room over there. Go in and kill them all! Hahaha! Make them suffer, and cry in aguish!]

I have to do this. I have to kill. They are bad people! I must do this. Kill. Kill.

[Yes! Ahahaha! You are a dragon! You are a hunter! Go and feast!]

I don’t know what is going on, but I feel incredibly focused. No worries about anything, just the task at hand.

I slice open the door and run in!

“What on the continent is…? Dragon aura!”

Everything is flowing slowly by me. There are three people in the room. One at a desk with lots of glass tubes with different colored liquids inside. The other two are wearing plain clothes, but they are each wearing a sword at their side. Kill.

The man at the desk has a blank look on his face, but the others look scared. I shouldn’t kill. Kill.

It’s as if my muscles are working on their own. I lunge at the closest of the swordsmen, waving the sword in my hand and instantly decapitating him. I don’t have time to swipe at the other right now, so I keep moving. Another clean sweep, and his head rolls. I turn back to find a blade flying towards me. I lift my sword in front of me, and it slices through the blade of the other man before continuing on to bisect the sword wielder.

[Aww you didn’t make them suffer! How could you deprive me of such a delicacy?]

[But never mind. Quick, grab their rings and coin purses. This is your form of devouring!]

Devour. I instinctively reach out and collect the valuables from their bodies, including three necklaces, each with a key.

Wait, just what am I doing? Something isn’t right!

[Kill! There are more prey! Return the way you came!]

Kill. Before I can finish what I was thinking, my feet are already moving, seeking the next victim.

[Wrong way! Listen to me. Kill. Go left! Right! Right! Kill. Now go straight. Go right again! Devour. Use the large key to open the gate!]

I come up to a metal gate that is glowing a bit. The large key fits perfectly, just as I was instructed to use it, and I rush forward again.

“I… What’s going on with me?”

[Kill. Up ahead, Prey!]

Kill. Prey. My vision has turned slightly dark and reddish, but is actually clearer than before! There indeed are several people coming down the hallway. They have not noticed me. *Shing* My sword slices through the first, the second, and the third. The fourth sees the blade coming, but is actually reaching his hands out to it! *Clang* The man claps his hands around the blade, stopping in an instant!

[Hahaha! Feel honored! I shall use your despair and take your life. To die by someone so mighty as I, it is your fortune!]

And with that, the man instantly turned into a fine, black sand before my very eyes.

[Devour.]

Devour. I once again collect the valuables.

I rush forward, and then notice there is another gate in front of me. I can’t stop in time!

[It’s not enchanted. Slice it. Kill.]

Kill. It’s as if time has slowed down by yet another margin, giving me sufficient time to slice the bars before bursting through the gate.

I see colors! I’m out!

[Not free yet, pup. Turn left and keep running. See that mountain over there? There is a secret cave system. Head in that direction through the forest at the side of the building]

I keep running, but I’m getting tired!

[Kill] Kill. [Prey] Prey. [Devour] Devour.

My vision has lost its clarity, and I’m losing focus. Moreover, I don’t think I have the strength to make it!

[Kill] Kill. [Prey] Prey. [Relax] Relax. [Devour!] Devour. [Rest] Rest.

I can feel my consciousness slipping from me.

[Mortal, you may rest. Your body is mine to use]

And everything faded to black.

*** *** ***

Ugh, what just happened? My body aches, I have lots of cuts, and there is this pounding in my head that is really uncomfortable.

[Morning, dragoness. Welcome back to the realm of those who actually work to make a living, haha!]

“What did you do to me? You, you stole my body?”

I just remembered the last thing I heard before everything went black. This sword used my body! It’s my body and he didn’t even ask permission! So wrong!

[Get a grip, child. This great one saved your damned life! What the hell are you yelling at me for?]

“But, it-it’s not right to use a girl’s body! Twenty-Six told me that!”

[Erosia! What in the fucking planet is up with your powers? I ate you and people still get the wrong idea from my words!]

“What does that word mean?”

[Ignorant kitten! Erosia was a goddess of love—]

“No, the other one, f- fu-“

[STOP! Don’t say it! It’s not something you should say!]

“Then why do you say it?”

[…]

[They’ll eventually break their way in, so go find your way to the other side of the cave system. I’m going to sleep]

“Uh, which way should I go?”

“Sword? Mr. Sword?”

[In the name of Tribulatio et Angustia in Deos, Qui Occiderunt, I AM NOT A SWORD!]

“I can’t remember your name, I’m sorry!”

[Good grief, I just said it! Tribulatio et Angustia in Deos, Qui Occiderunt!]

“Tri, Tryb, Ter—“

[Is it seriously that hard to memorize? I already cut off 95% of it!]

“…”

[Fine. You’re dumb. I get it, so I’ll make this really easy for you. Call me Gus]

“Gus!”

[Well, would you look at that—she can remember a one-syllable name. Sigh. Start with the third tunnel from the left and then take the right side tunnel when that one splits. Oh, and if you want your head to stop hurting, cover your ears instead of holding your head like it’s about to fall apart. Now leave me alone]

Well, I guess I’m on my own for now. I guess I should be glad Gus kept me from dying, but he’s so mean! He did help me though… Argh. I’m just going to keep walking. Oh, and yeah, covering my ears did help. Apparently there are people hitting the stone behind us really hard, and so that is making a lot of noise that hurts.

I’m bored. I’m really bored. Something stole the color from this cave too, so everything is in black, white, and grey. That being the case, I’ve decided to play with my telekinesis, or whatever Gus called it.

*Plink, plink*

I throw random rocks against the walls or floor of the cave. It’s actually kind of fun! You can pick one up just by thinking about it, and then try to throw it at a crack in the ground or another rock.

And I continued on just like that—walking, throwing rocks, and appreciating the black butterflies that seemed to like hanging from the ceiling. Weird, but cool.

Oh? I hear something. Like something that is breathing. I creep forward and look around a bend. There is a BIG creature there, but I need to get through! I’m going to see if he will let me pass.

Hey mister animal, is it ok if I go pa—“Ahh!” It’s coming for me! What do I do?

“Mister Sword, what should I do?!”

[Heltrina, da–, uh, dang it! Your daughter has the memory of fish!]

“Oh, I mean Gus!”

[There you go, you remembered. But I’m asleep, so deal with it, yourself]

“Oh, ok.”

Well, I wanted some advice, but I guess he’s asleep, so I’ll have to do this myself! Ok, remember what Gerald taught you! Dodge first. Figure out how fast the creature is and how it moves.

“Oof” One dodge. Two dodges. Okay! I think I understand. Now it’s time to try to deal some damage. Let’s kill it! Kill

Woah, I just went for it, but when I ran forward, I was too fast! What happened? Let’s try again.

*Shink*

Got a hit in! This mean monster! I will devour it! Devour

*Shink, Shink, Shing!*

I did it! I did it! I killed it!

Ahh. I fall on my back and just lay there. That was really scary! Or, at least it was to begin with. Then it’s like I forgot how to be scared! And I’m feeling kind of dizzy. Let’s just rest here for a minute…

Ahh, I feel a little bit better. Let’s take a closer look at this creature. Oh, there is something glowing inside it! But I’d have to dig it out… But it’s shiny…

Ahh. Ok I can do this! I use the sword to cut a larger hole in the corpse, then reach in really quick and grab the glowy thing.

“Ugh.” That was so disgusting I want to throw up! And now my hands are all gross! What do I do? I guess I’ll just have to deal with it for now.

I set the sword down to grab the glowy thing, so I have to grab it again. I’ll just wash it off when I get the chance…

[STOP! Muther… Uh. Don’t you dirty up my house!]

“Ahh! You scared me!”

[Clean off those hands before you touch the sword!]

“But how can I do that? There isn’t any water around here.”

[Heltrina.] *Sigh* [Imagine a white light covering your hands and repeat after me: Bring about a change on my hands] “Bring about a change on my hands.” [And purify the filth of this fool] “And purify the filth of this fool” [Holy Cleansing] “Holy Cleansing.”

Woah! A white light actually washed over my hands and cleaned them off!

*Snort* *Choke*

“Uh, Mr. Swor—I mean, Gus, are you ok?”

[Yes, yes, perfectly, heh, fine.] [Oh, I just can’t…]

“Can’t what?”

[Can’t. Ahahaha! I can’t hold it back! Fu-Freaking hilarious! Haha! Ok, I think I can get used to you. A little bit.]

He’s acting strange… Oh, well. I can grab the sword again now. Let’s go!

I started running, but then I felt a bit dizzy again, so I’m just walking now. Using my telekinesis also makes me feel funny, so now I’m back to being bored.

“Are you awake now, Gus?”

[No, still asleep]

“Aww, ok.”

*Snort*

He’s making strange noises again…

“I feel funny. I feel funny. My head is dizzy. I feel funny.”

Singing can make time go by better, or so Twenty-Six told me, so I’m trying to pass the boring time by doing that! She told me it doesn’t matter what I sing about, so I’m singing about how weird my head feels.

“I am dizzy, I am dizzy. I feel so-o very dizzy!”

*Yawn* [Alright, I’m awake]

“Yay! Good morning Mr. Gus!”

[Just Gus is fine, no need for any of that formal crap. But anyhow, you should stop right here for a bit and take out that ‘glowy thing’]

“Huh? Ok.”

*Ooomph* I sit down I pull the glowing thing out of my bag.

[Comfortable?]

“Uh, huh.”

[Good, now hold it between both of your hands.]

“Ok.”

[Now imagine a stream coming from the ‘thing’ and flowing up your arms and into the area around your stomach]

“Ok. Oh it feels weird, but nice.”

[Alright, now do you feel where most of the stream is heading into?]

“The egg-shaped thing?”

[Yes. In time it’ll become a perfect sphere, but for now it is a puny oval. Anyhow, direct the stream straight to the oval thing.]

“Ok.”

[Good. Ok, the stream has stopped, do you see?]

“Hmm hmm”

[Good. Now imagine a small stream coming from that oval thing, and imagine it flowing all over your body, through your arms to your hands and back, then moving all the way down to your toes, and then back up]

[Woah! Woah, there, I said a small stream. That’s too much for you right now. Good, better. Yes, now do it two more times and then imagine it flowing back into the oval thing, which is call your mana core]

Oooh, it feels so nice! It’s like my insides are taking a bath in nice warm water. It’s kind of strange, though, because as the stream moves through my body, it moves a lot more easily in some places than others, almost like there are some tunnels inside me. Not bad tunnels, though.

[Do you feel it moving more smoothly in some areas?]

“Yes” I say softly, since I’m still trying to concentrate.

[Those are where your meridians are. Try focusing the streams to go in only those places for you this time]

“Eee, it’s hard!”

[Of course it is, you fool! And you are part dragon, what do think it’s like for full-blooded humans? Ai. Just concentrate, you can do it]

[Alright, better. That’ll do for now.]

“Ahh” I was concentrating so very hard that I forgot to breathe! “Oh, no! What happened? It’s not glowing anymore.”

[Heltrina, the next time you send me a child, I swear…] [Alright, look Chalz. That ‘glow’ you saw was magical energy. Now it is inside of you, so this mana core is empty and useless for you, except to sell for a bit of money.]

“The glow is inside of me?”

[For Falliel’s sakes! Yeah, sure, you are glowing inside.]

“That’s so cool!”

“Oh, and why are you calling me ‘Chalz’?”

[It’s a nickname. Get used to it]

“Oh, ok.”