System Break

There were four pricks with swords and one gorgeous woman in red facing me. Her beautiful face was marred by her scowl and my opinion of her was already skewed by her nasty mouth.

The pricks snarled like they had actual balls to back up their bravado. My qi sight showed them wanting. I moved one foot back and put my hand on the ground like I was about to enter a running race. My antler head was bowed towards them – I must have looked like a bull about to charge. Which was about fucking right.

The adjudicator brought down the red flag. In the time it took to move from his head to his hip, I did quite a lot. 

I engaged my qi body techniques throughout my entire body - Speed, strength, and agility. I pushed off my front leg and with ten steps I crossed the distance between us. My antlers were facing forward as I ran with my head down, and I rammed the prick with the smirkiest smirk. 

I was fucking mad. 

These assholes – or representatives of the assholes – who tried to kill Reyas were about to die by my hands – or antlers - and I was going to make it as bloody as possible.

By the time the flag reached the adjudicators thigh the first one was dead. I wasn't sure if I was supposed to take off when he started to bring down the flag or not. And I didn't care.

His carcass was impaled on my head and he had the gall to bleed on me. I twirled with my feet planted and threw him towards his friends with a flick of my head.

They barely had time to register I was amongst them by the time the flying corpse broke their formation. It battered into one and landed on the ground with a thud. To me - they looked like they were in slow motion as they turned.

I snarled and took two long strides, grabbed the face of the next swordsmen. My fingers reached over his scalp and my thumb into his left ear. I gripped as hard as I could and pulled with all my strength with my other hand planted on his shoulder.

I ripped his head from his neck and kept it in my hand with blood dripping from the ragged tear that was once his neck.

I strode forward; the red woman whimpered and skipped backwards. The three enemies who remained were back pedalling away from me with fear in their eyes. 

"Fight me you fucks." I ran towards the closest swordsman and he had the wherewithal to bring his sword around in a sweeping arc. I arched my back and let the sword pass in front of my stomach. I took a step forward and smashed his face with the head in my hand. I smashed it once, twice and three times before they were both bloody pulps.

I was still fucking mad.

I hadn't used qi-strike, but I was burning my qi-body techniques. I was naturally strong; Mother had implanted living wood into my arms and fists, and I had the ability to turn up the qi like it was fuel on a fire.

Two swords flicked out towards me and I decided to surprise them. I let the qi flow to both my fists and embrace the living wood under my skin. I jabbed once, twice and punched both of the swords with very nice results.

I had no idea what would happen, but I could see the pathetic amounts of qi in their strikes. The first sword bent and snapped while the pencil dick looked on in horror.

The red woman's sword was longer, and it pushed back at her in an awkward angle. She dropped it and looked at me with wide eyes. 

"Monster," she said.

I laughed loudly, stepped forward with blinding speed and grabbed her sprained hand. I swung her up off the ground and over my head in and arc. I brought her down onto the pencil dick swordless man and beat him with her while she screamed.

I lifted and swung her like a rag doll and beat him senseless.

"Enough!" the adjudicator shouted. "It's over."

I beat him one more time and let her go. Neither of them was still amongst the living and I wondered where they went. I laughed. For sure they were back in their pods pissing themselves.

Half a dozen men and women dressed in white came running with stretchers. I pointed helpfully. "His head is over there."

Sakaala ran across the field and hugged me with Gisael close behind. 

"Where are the others?"

Gisael flicked her head. "Ailen is with Reyas in the healer's tent. Barrin is watching from the stands with another guild."

Sakaala let go and looked at the mess I made. "Maybe I shouldn't have told you like that." She looked at my head. "Take off your helmet, haven't you notice the lack of cheering?"

I shook my head and realised the large crowd was awfully quiet. I placed my hands either side of my head and willed my mask free. Its roots retreated and it let me pull it from my skull.

I took a few steps, faced the crowd, and held it aloft. They cheered. I pumped it in the air and yelled. "Forest!"

I turned to Sakaala and asked softly. "Are we forest or the forest."

She smiled. "Does it matter?"

I shook my head, grabbed Gisael and kissed her with the passion I felt. She melted in my arms letting go of all the pent-up stress she had been bearing.

"I am happy you are back," she said when I released her, and the crowd was going wild at our display of passion. I grabbed her hand in my free one and lifted it with my antler mask in the other.

"Don't fuck with the Forest," I roared. And I was serious.

Sakaala hovered by my side. "We've so much to tell you." We began walking towards the healing tent and she pointed. "That beautiful man over there is a protector too." 

She pointed up into the stands. "Up the top there's another who used water to heal Reyas. It was amazing." She said softly, "Something for you to look into before we leave."

"Oh, and Gisael missed you terribly but she'd never admit it," Sakaala said playfully.

Gisael bared her teeth. "I did say."

Sakaala shook her head. "You should be all over him and crying."

"No. Leave her be, I like her just the way she is." I pulled Gisael closed and beamed a smile down at her. Her eyes smiled back.

We entered the tent and I saw them immediately. I rushed over to her side. "Reyas, bebe. Are you okay?"

Ailen stood. "She's been in and out."

I opened my sight and saw her core was full. "Did you feed her qi?"

Ailen nodded. "The bluecloak water weaver told us to."

"Water weaver?"

He shrugged. "She used qi to weave water and heal Reyas. And she had special water from a sacred pond."

"Okay," I said. "Let's focus on Reyas now and unravel the mysteries of the qi later."

"We learned one thing," Gisael said. "We need to train harder. We were lacking without you."

I laughed. "I keep telling you that."

Ailen nodded. "Adventurers may not be powerful, but you'll never find a more cunning and innovative mob."

"Is that what we call them?"

He nodded.

Reyas began to wake and her eyes slowly focused on me. She smiled. "Did we win?"

Everyone laughed. I kissed her forehead and said, "Glad you've got your priorities straight."