Codename: Freedom - Book 5 - Chapter 9

When Victoria and I came together that night, I only briefly mentioned Mel’s desire to hook me up with a blind date.

“You should go,” she insisted.

I objected.

“How exactly are people to believe we aren’t together when they see you live like your married?”

I mockingly replied, “How exactly are people to believe we aren’t together when they see you live like your married?”

“I’ve set up a pattern of life so that it’s expected. You’re the one with a pattern of inviting betrothed brides on secret dates.”

“Fne, but… Destiny, you are to spy on me and report back to Victoria everything that happens. I’ll play along. That doesn’t mean I’ll like it. At least there’ll be steak.”

She tried to protest. “I trust you, Lucius. You don’t have to—”

“I’m not asking, Victoria. I’m not tempted around girls like Marabella because I know what’s coming, but if I’m caught off guard? We both remember what happened with Olivia. It’s the temptation I don’t see coming that I’m afraid of. Knowing Destiny is there will help keep me accountable. It’s just an extra layer of protection. Peace of mind for the both of us.”

“Fine,” she mocked.

It was her opinion of what Aeneus Raptis had revealed with his movement technique and what Mel and I were working on that I was really interested in. What she said wasn’t as encouraging as I thought it would be.

“Aeneus has many advantages in the right context. Just be careful not to spend all your time training something that has limited application.”

Victoria was asleep when I left our bed. My mind wouldn’t stop. This was common enough. Our relationship seemed to fulfill something in her that allowed her to sleep better than she ever had in Freedom. I shared the peace she found when we were together, but to a lesser extent. The reason was simple. An unresolved conflict hung over my head.

Destiny was ready. She’d already muted the sound around Victoria to allow her to sleep. We started as usual. I was transported to an imitation dungeon which had held an old enemy I hadn’t been able to defeat when I was called to do so.

Manticore King

Attacks equivalent to rank D psionics

Defense equivalent to rank D psionics

Physical abilities only

No psionics

My own abilities had improved, but it was the technique necessary to cause it damage that had escaped me in that final battle. As for now?

The dragon-like beast’s skin was Rank D armor. That meant it was rated as being able to stop a normal Rank D attack.

I was barefooted and wearing nothing but boxer briefs. Pushing myself just above the ground as it charged, I slid sideways across the ground. The monster had never been quick to turn.

Destiny had improved its AI, so the Manticore’s tail swiped at its side.

I remained out of range.

As soon as it’s retracted its tail, I struck. The weapon bolstering power of Akonizo surged from my center. Reaching my shoulder I funneled it down the length of my humerus. As it reached my elbow, I funneled it further as if refining it into the radius bone that ran down my forearm. Its final destination was the middle metacarpal that ended at the knuckle of my middle finger. A spike of cutting energy no larger than the knuckle itself appeared there.  

The slightest amount of Othisi’s push followed the same path. It was a cushion to dislodge the destructive spike of energy as much as to propel it forward.

My fist flew in, aimed at the side of the creature’s neck. Before it connected, a protective surge of Apotho shielding surged down my arm, taking a larger path. It was so close on Othisi’s tail that it might’ve seemed to have pushed it along, but its path was completely different. Its expressway was through the tendons and skin. It could visibly be seen as a tsunami of energy cascading up my arm. Once it reached my fist, it covered it whole.

The destructive spike of energy collided with the neck of the Manticore an instant before my shielded fist hammered it home.

Speed, timing, efficiency. I didn’t unleash every ounce of explosive strength I could summon to punch a hole in the Manticore’s side. It was just enough. What had been a battering ram was now a scalpel. The wound wasn’t large, but it punched several inches deep into the monster’s neck.

I didn’t flee backwards to evade the sideward snap of its jaws. I launched myself straight up toward the ceiling. It wasn’t high. Even before Aeneus Raptis showed me what he was really capable, I’d done this before in my battle with the Manticore in a last desperate attempt. It hadn’t been enough.

It was incredible what became possible with the right technique. Victoria had helped me unlock the potential in my dragonslayer ability in a single conversation. What was I missing because of my lack of skill? My lack of knowledge?

It was my secret alien bride that made me realize what my circumstances demanded. Mastering psionics was just the beginning. Only once I’d reached the level of skill that everyone thought bordered on perfection did the real challenge begin. I was still discovering things others had mastered long ago.

As I pushed off the ceiling with my feet, I didn’t dive as I had months ago. I slowly flipped forward as I descended. I felt its massive psionic signature radiating from below. It wasn’t the kind of skill you’d find in traditional martial arts. I half flipped toward its back as if I were going to level an axe kick to the middle of its back.

Straightening with a snap, it wasn’t just one leg that chopped downward, but both of them. Dragonslayer wasn’t solely a fist technique. The layers of energy gushed through both of my legs. As I landed, Akonizo drilled two heel-sized holes in its back.

Under my weight and momentum, the Manticore collapsed on its stomach as it had my first time facing it. This time, however, I was whole.

Straddling it’s back, I held myself in place with my thighs as if righting a horse without any reins. The wounds my landing caused were right in front of me. Phantom fist flew from both hands in an unceasing combination of lefts and rights. My physical fists didn’t touch it, but what phantom fist did that dragonslayer didn’t was throw the piercing Akonizo energy into the monster’s naked flesh with much more propulsion. It was more than enough to tear up its insides now that its outer armor had been punctured.

Blood sprayed as its body shook. I still couldn’t unleash bolts with the same speed as Mel, but I’d continued to improve. Only once the wounds had that liquidy consistency I was looking for did I plunge my hands into its back, palm down, and began firing off psionic bolts.

When I jumped off its back, it was still spasming uncontrollably.

Holding out my arms, Destiny did her magic and the gore disappeared as if it had never been there. This was her world. Her simulation.

“Good warmup,” I commented.

“I agree with this approach technically,” Destiny complained, appearing before him with her arms crossed over her chest. “Defeating a monster that you once struggled with it a good confidence builder, but do we really have to keep the gore. Instead of blood, I could replace it with bubbles or… anything else.”

“Pink bubbles,” I teased. “There’s no way you’d just limit it to bubbles if I let you have your way.”

She stuck out her tongue, but her expression sobered quickly. “You’re going to ask me to simulate your fights with the Krato. If you could call them fights.”

“You know me so well.”

“I know you’ve already spent two hours in Destiny’s Ultimate Psionic Betterment System that uses Fun as a Motivator Instead of Pain and Simulated Death today, but would you allow me to tweak it and use it instead of what you’re thinking? Being killed by a simulated Aeneus Raptis one hundred times before breakfast won’t give you any better results.

“Besides, I can make it so that you can drill against the same level of speed and difficulty of attack pattern at an even higher rate. We can also pause the simulation when you fail and study certain angles when necessary.”

I almost rejected her suggestion outright, but her training sim was extremely efficient. Much more so than any real fight. It was Kline’s approach to drilling grappling techniques that had him thinking. It reminded him of the now ancient martial artist who was as much a philosopher as a fighter.

“I fear not the man who has practiced 10,000 kicks once, but I fear the man who has practiced one kick 10,000 times.” – Bruce Lee.

Had Achilles ever said anything similar to me? Even if he hadn’t, it’s not like I’d forgotten the drilling he had me do when I was still too weak to wield a sword or spear well.

Maybe it was time to readjust. He’d been spending so much time fighting and sparring in one form or another that he could probably use a return to the basics.

“Yeah, let’s do it,” I said only to hear Destiny scream in excitement when I actually agreed.

I glanced over and confirmed Victoria was still lying asleep on the ground that had been morphed into a mattress and covered with pillows and blankets.

The space changed. Instead of her ethereal cube, I found myself on just the base platform on a rusty landscape. It would mimic the environment that gave Aeneus Raptis his greatest advantage.

“What is the Krato’s biggest advantage with his dive-bombing ability?” Destiny asked. “He’s out of range of your psionic ability to feel his incoming attack. Then once he’s close enough he’s going too fast for you to react in time. Or is he?

“If you don’t know he’s there, how can you defend against him? What if you do know?”

The most obnoxious AI in the history of the world summoned a large pink bubble hundreds of feet in the air. Destiny smirked.

When it fell with the same speed as Aeneus Raptis, I held up a finger to pop it when it struck me. My aim was good, but an instant later I found myself covered in what could only be bubble gum.

“Ewww. Gross. You’re sticky all over,” Destiny scoffed. “Looky here.” Of course, high above our heads, dozens of pink bubbles appeared.

Bubbles rained.