Glimpses 54
Knollen Tater picked the tall boy in the baggy red dress with oversized sleeve holes because it was a ridiculous practice outfit to wear for the first day of Combat 101 at The Academy. The hicks and misfits always revealed themselves at the training sessions where school uniforms weren’t required. He wasn’t even armed, and the class allowed blunted weapons to start with.
“The healers are on standby. Please aim for the limbs and refrain from using any immediately lethal skills if you have any. These instructions will be repeated for those who need them during the match. No activating skills, transformations, or moves until my countdown hits zero.“ The instructor droned.
The fact that this Alex had no weapons meant he could show off his true power. The Tater family turned evolving the farmer profession into cultivators into an art form for gathering strength. It just took time. “Three.. Two.. One..”
Eyes closed and staff forward defensively, Knollen activated [Cultivate Core]. Slowly, it spun his mana inside his body into a gentle spiral. It took a few seconds, but it was well worth the extra punch for the slightly increased internal flow. Strained grunts but no attacks from his opponents were a little shocking.
Then his [Tremor Sense] went off as though someone screamed in his ear at the weight of the step that triggered it, shaking the cultivator’s eyes open. “BEAR!” he yelled.
Razor-sharp claws cut his staff in half.
“Lady White placed me in charge. Only attack limbs just below the joint!” the instructor ordered.
The bear nodded with a slight fearful shudder, and in that hesitation, Knollen noticed Alex’s red dress stretched tightly as a shirt across the golden bear's massive frame.
Swallowing hard, he turned to run, casting what he could think of to trip up the massive creature. “Beets!” The small plot of root vegetables appeared at the monster’s foot, tripping it up slightly but not slowing it enough.
Combat rules established no conceding until the first blood was drawn. The school instructors needed to judge how well you could take a blow. There were a few stances in his combat class he could use to tank a blow and concede. “Battle!” The Bears' roaring charge had Knollen go nope, switching to a retreat. “Star!” He cried, half getting out the vocalization that sent him tumbling out of the way through the dirt.
Sitting up, coughing dirt, Knollen Tate regretted all the insults he threw Alex’s way about his mom, bloodline, relationship with relatives, how he eats, and educational background. There was an evolved skill he could try. Vocalize first, and maybe it won’t be so bad, “Galactic…” The bear ripped his arm off. “AAAAAAAAA!!!!” his scream ended his attempt as he passed out.