Chapter 21

Jasper was very kind to use her magic to bake cheese filled bread rolls for all of us. At last I was free from eating the same dish of fish every day. I indulged myself fat. For my body demanded proper sustenance after everything that had transpired. Went I finally went to bed, my belly felt hot and bloated. It did not took long for me to fall asleep.

Unfortunately for me, eating like a pig so late at night was not a good decision at all. For when the morning came, someone threw cold water on my face.

*Maaaaahhhhh!*

“Wake up. You overslept,” Baal said. “You agreed to train before sunlight.”

“That was bloody cold! You ass!” I yelled. Standing up as quickly as I could. My body kept shaking, as it craved the warmness of the fluffy floor mat in which I had spent the night comfortably sleeping.

“Really?” Baal asked. For he truly did not seem to know that the water was very cold. “Hmmm, maybe that explains why Jasper gets angry all the time.”

*Maaaaahhhhh!*

“Of course she will get angry!”

I threw a dozen curses that only modern games could understand. And I would’ve continued, had my morning allergies not kicked in, forcing a sneeze out of me.

Damn it. I can’t catch a rest from allergies, not in this world or anywhere else.

Despite my rant, Baal just stood there, waiting until I finished putting on my boots.

“Good. First we will go over the five basic Katas. But not here. Too many people will be watching,” He said.

I followed the towering Baal, who took me far into a pine tree forest a few miles away from the city. It was hard to tell what time it was when I woke up. But by the time we settled near a running river, it was sunrise.

“First we start with the most important of the Katas,” Baal said. “The first Kata, is Honesty.”

He positioned himself firmly in the ground and struck blows at the wind. His stance was simple, and straight forward. For the only purpose of the Kata was to stretch one’s arms forward while clenching one’s fists.

“Repeat after me,” Baal said.

“Honesty,”

“Patience,”

Baal made me repeat the five Katas for hours. It did not take long for a notification to appear on my screen;

—————New Skill Gained——————-
[Monk Apprentice - Someone with great martial skills has deemed you worthy of training. You might now repeat basic Katas out of memory. Doing so will slowly increase your martial skills.]

No mention of the Monk Class appeared. But I was too concentrated practicing the Katas to pay proper attention to it.

By the time we were done, Baal and I were extremely sweaty. It felt absolutely disgusting.

Baal just got naked and jumped into a pond nearby.

*Maaaaahhhhh!*

“What the hell!” I said.

“What’s wrong? He asked. “This water is not cold. You can just jump in.”

“I am not jumping in naked to the same pond as you… you…. You….”

*Maaaaahhhhh!*

“Wait. Where are you going. The Forest is a dangerous place!” Baal yelled. But he did not chase me.

I ran deep into the forest. There, I found another pond. Far from Baal’s gaze. The only lecherous beast here were the mosquitoes lusting for my blood.

When we returned to camp, Jasper looked at me with suspicious eyes. ‘Calm down girl, I thought you said you did not like him.’

Joanne was nowhere to be found.

“How did it go?” Jasper asked, pulling her notes, pen at hand.

“You would be surprised, but Berry has a very good constitution for someone with no formal training or abs,” Baal said.

“Ehhhh?”

I did not do anything particularly impressive.

Jasper turned the conversation to be about Baal’s muscles. So I quietly slipped away and searched for Joanne.

There she was, inside of a tent, taking care of Allisa, who seemed to be now fully awake.

“There you are,” Allisa said. The elf remained seated. “I have no idea what type of bargain you have made with that demon. But let me warn you, do not get Joanne involved.”

Joanne smiled awkwardly. Hoping that I refrained from starting a fight.

“Demon? Baal helped us get our freedom. Is that not more than enough?” I asked, doing my best to resist the temptation of punching a cripple.

“Freedom you say, and yet. Here we are. Still in the bad lands.” She said.

“Then, where do you suggest we go?” I asked. I truly did not know anything about this world. The few memories that I had regarding my life as a goat… were very blurry.

Allisa cleared her throat. Making sure I paid attention to her words.

“As soon as my hands fully heal, we should head to Cantril, the human city of light. There I know someone who would be willing to give us shelter.”

“And if they don’t?” I asked.

“With my magic skills, and Joanne’s healing magic. We could easily rise through the ranks of the adventurer’s guild.”

I did not know how to answer. So I did not. According to Joanne it was going to take Allisa at least three more days to fully heal, despite the best efforts of her healing spells.

Such a decision was a problem for future Berry. Right now, the best thing I could do was to eat and train as much as I could.

The following morning, I woke up after a bloody nightmare.

Time was passing way too fast. Without thinking too much about it, I found myself in the forest once more, and then again.

“You learned the Katas and Qi concentration very fast,” Baal said. “But, I bet you will struggle with stands. It took me weeks to learn them, and months to master them. But do not feel nervous if it takes you slightly longer, for according to my master, I was a prodigy.”

The moment Baal was done talking, a new notification appeared on my screen;

—————Skill Upgrade——————-
[Monk Novice - You have learned the basics of Martial Arts, but your best years are still decades ahead. Basic Katas, and Stands do not consume as much Qi and Stamina as they used to do.]

If only Baal knew. Or does he know? I never asked him. But could he be a player?

“You seem distracted. Is there something wrong?” Baal asked.

“Ehh?, Noooooo.”

Baal gave me a single nod and then took a position which cemented his feet firmly on the floor.

“The core stands are as follow: Control.”

Baal’s muscles grew a bit in size, and his body seemed to weight even more than before.

“Flow,”

Baal’s muscles relaxed, and if I were to punch him, he seemed light enough that he would fall to the ground.

“Dominance,”

Baal’s muscles became ripped as hell. His eyes were full of controlled rage.

“Each stand counters one another. Dominance destroys Control, Control destroys Flow, and Flow destroys Dominance. But now I shall teach you a stance that stands away from the rest; The Mountain Stance.

Baal stomped the floor, and moved all of his weight down to his legs.

“This stand is so powerful. That if you were to perish. The enemy would still struggle to move your body from where it stood.”

I gave Baal a fake smile.

“That… sounds reassuring,” I said.

Either because I was naturally talented, ‘ha I wished,’ or because of my cheat skills, I managed to learn the stands on the first try.

[You have unlocked the following stands: Control, Flow, Dominance, The Mountain.]

Just to not disrespect Baal, I practiced them with him, until my body was so tired I could not do it anymore.

Once again, Baal invited me to bath with him. But I refused. Not because I cared if he saw me naked at this point. But because I wanted to test what I could do with the Qi in my own. Without Baal getting suspicious that I could do Qi strikes without being told how to do so.

Instead, I went to my favorite… secret and pristine pond. There, I was just about to get naked. I had just removed my boots, when a screaming demi-human could be heard running towards my direction.

He ran fast, for I barely saw him pass. Some random cat-boy with black hair. He did not seem to be fair of Leah’s tribe for I do not remember seeing him before. He was probably collecting logs. But even then, he looked too wimpy to be doing that.

I did not see anyone coming after him. Or so I thought. Because suddenly, my body jumped to the side all on its own. My stomach clinched as a sudden burst of murderous adrenaline pumped my heart telling me that I was engaged in mortal combat.

I dodged again, a shadow. I automatically took a Flow stand. Boosting my reflexes and dodging skills while nerfing the strength of my attacks. Once Qi reached my eyes. I saw her.

The Mantis stopped once she noticed I could see her.

Her appearance was very similar to humans. If one were to ignore her green antennas, and the menacing sharp blades that came out of her arm guards. Plus her long tail that made her look as if she was wearing green samurai armor. The mantis was well equipped, for her monster complexion gave her a pseudo-helmet, from which her long black hair came out down to her waist. Her hands and legs seemed to be covered in blank ink, while her feet had pseudo-green boots. Her violent yellow eyes stared at me with a subtle glim of curiosity.

“You! Why do you smell like a human man!?” She asked. “Your pheromones. They reek. They reek like those of a man! And yet… you do not look neither human, or male!”

The Mantis jumped forward. But this time I was prepared. I gave her a solid kick on the stomach, throwing the mantis straight into the trunk of a tree. Her saliva, splattered all the way into my face. If I had been wearing my boots, this kick might have ended the fight.

“You. You will pay for this,” The mantis said. Her voice, she seemed angry but quickly regained control.

She came forward again, with her arm blades. Instead of attacking me as aggressively as she could, this time she attempted to control her attacks to target the source of my balance… my legs.

The mantis had a better range. But with my feet strongly firm in the soil, I switched to the Dominance stand, and I pummeled the mantis face so hard, her exoskeleton exploded. Purple blood began to spill from her face where the skeleton had cracked and left a deep cut on her skin.

I was not without injure myself. For her blades had slashed me just enough for me to bleed.

Before the mantis could recover, I sent all of my Qi into my fists and flexing all of my muscles, I made every punch count. Each blow was so fatal, that upon connecting, the Mantis had no choice but to take a step back and block with her arms.

The mantis kicked me, but I switched to the mountain stand. I united my fists and gave the mantis a mighty strike on the head. She jumped back, like five meters away. For her blades gave her more reach than my loli goat arms.

“Enough. This is enough,” The mantis said, as she spitted purple blood. Her previously elegant face was now bruised and covered in lacerations. Rage, flowed from her face.

The Mantis yelled loudly, and after what seemed like her back cracking in a macabre metamorphosis, she tripled in size. No, her humanoid body now looked fully human, but she was surrounded by a huge mantis arthropod body. It looked as if she was piloting a metch. I would’ve laughed. Had I not been afraid of what was to come.

For the mantis, with now two of her insect-looking arms, unsheathed a sword - Her pride. She said out loud, as she charged at me like a fiend.

Unsure of what to do, I took the control stand. But the mantis moved at such a high speed on her suicidal charge.

I attempted to move aside, but my legs became weak and almost paralyzed. Before I knew what was going on, the mantis gained an insane momentum, and she tackled me down.

Instead of murdering me outright, she rubbed her insect body over my clothes, as she pinned me down with the four insect legs against the humid soil. I tried to push her out but she was too heavy.

“Ara Ara,” The mantis said. “Look who is mine now.”

The mantis who just a minute ago seemed hell bent in murdering me, now looked at me with a different expression on her face as she used her human hands to restrain mine.

“I must admit that I cheated,” The mantis said. “I struck you with poisoned blades, how shameful of me, but I must find out how is it that you smell so strongly like a man. Your pheromones…. I must have you… now….”

The mantis seemed to be truly ashamed of her dishonorable conduct. But it seemed to quickly leave her mind, as he began to forcefully cut open my shirt, while licking my cheeks.

I opened my status window and saw the poison display. Plus a not so favorable count of my health.

The mantis thought that my wrists moving to open my status screen was an attempt at breaking free.

“Cute. But is pointless to resist. It is impossible to beat a Mantis in a wrestling match,” The mantis said. Kissing me all over my neck.

“You know, you only won because I fought while exhausted,” I said.

The Mantis, who was too busy salivating as she undid my shorts, seemed so bothered by my comment that she released her hold on my hands to slap me.

“You do not speak back to me,” she said, slapping me. And as soon as she did so I pooled my entire Qi into my fists and punched her on the face so hard any human would’ve passed out. Except… she did not.

“Ara Ara, I guess I will have to punish you for that. Won’t I?” She asked. Humoring me as she brought down my pants.

I pushed my feet against the floor, and tried to stand up. But upon failing, I just closed my eyes.

I was about to get raped. But then, I heard a loud moan. And it didn’t came out from me. A huge weight was lifted off from me, a cold breeze made its way through my skin.

When I opened my eyes, the mantis was in a fiery wrestling match with Baal. Who, despite the Mantis’ extremely heavy weight, kept himself grounded as he choked the beast out from behind. Baal’s muscles were strained to the max, but no matter what the mantis did, she could not move.

The mighty sword which the mantis so proudly wielded before, had fallen to the floor a few meters way from us, and the mantis was distracted, with her head fully turned 180 towards Baal. It did not take long for me to think of what to do.

With great effort, I crawled away from the mantis’ under belly, and picked the sword. My legs were heavy, due to the poison that kept me half-paralyzed.

Despite the big strains that I had sustained. My high constitution allowed my stamina to recover faster than normal. My blood lust. My revenge. I could see it at hand…. For I was holding a sword that could do great harm.

Baal could not see me from his position. For he slowly, but surely, began to turn a deep red as he slowly very slowly, lifted the entire bloody mantis off the ground.

“ARghhhhh!” He let a grunt come out.

I could hear as multiple of the Mantis’ ribs cracked.

Almost out of a natural reflex, I adopted a custom stand.

[Goat Stand.]

I charged with my horns forward. Then, as I got close enough, I slashed the sword from the ground up. Chopping half of the mantis legs.

She shrieked in pain.

In desperation, she kicked Baal with her remaining legs, for they were floating off the ground. But Baal kept her hugging her progressively more firmly. Cracking her green armor like a nut.

I kept slashing the mantis with her own weapons, until suddenly, the mantis ejected her humanoid body, and she fell right beneath my feet.

Baal, finally finished cracking the armor and threw it aside. Realizing that the fight was effectively over.

Completely naked, The mantis humanoid body threw but nothing came out. It seemed that whichever damage her insect body had taken, also reflected on her human body at least mentally.

Upon seeing Baal approach her, she groveled at my feet. In full Kotow, with her face pressed against the soil.

“Please, spare me, I…. You can have my pride, and me. I pledge my full loyalty to you, please.”

The mantis seemed awfully afraid, for someone who had just been very confident a few minutes ago.

Baal did not hesitate to walk up to her, and pull her long black hair, forcing her to sit up. He also was about to land a killing blow to the back of her neck.

“Wait a minute,” I said.

Baal froze with his clenched fist mid-air.

“Hmm?”

“Are you really going to kill her, just like that?” I asked.

“Yes.” ‘Why not.’

At this point I had spent enough time with Baal to learn the subtle gestures in his face.

“She surrendered, killing her right now…. Wouldn’t that be cruel?”

“Yes,” Baal said again. ‘So what?.’

He founds my reasoning strange. He just wanted to kill the mantis and be done with it.

“If she joins my party. I could maximize the strength of my party.”

The Mantis, looked very scared.

“She is a warrior. She knew that death was a possibility the moment she decided to engage you. Had she won. She would’ve either killed you or turned you into a sex toy. Killing her seems appropriate,”

I stared at the Mantis’ breasts a bit too long and she caught me. Making me blush.

“She is a warrior, is she not? And this blade seems very valuable.” I pointed at the golden etching in the blades hilt. “I am sure that she would respect a blood oath.”

Baal gave me a disapproving stare. Then he just walked away. ‘Do whatever you wish.’

I cut my pinky finger with the blade, and I pressed it against a wound that the Mantis had.

“Ouch!” She said.

“Give me your word, and oath, that you will pledge your alliance to me,” I said. “I promise that if you decline. I will let you go. But I will keep your sword.”

The Mantis gave a serious consideration to this. “Without my sword. I might as well be dead,” she said. “I accept your oath,”

Then, suddenly. The mantis fell to the ground, in agony. A tattoo burned into her skin. But there it was, the symbol of a Goat, or the head of one, etched into her womb like a tattoo.

[You and Nike have formed a greater master-servant relationship. She is unable to harm you, and must pass a Wisdom roll every-time she wishes to go against your explicit commands.] [Nike is not obligated to obey actions that she reasonably believes will end in harm or her death. Nike is unable to follow orders that she knows are impossible to accomplish.] [She will follow you unless commanded not to do so.]

[Nike has joined your party.] [Due to your greater master-servant relationship, she is part of your party even when in other realms. 20% of whatever experience she acquires is paid to you as tribute.]

[As part of your bind, you return Pride to her.]

“Hmmmm, that was unexpected.”

Nike’s Mantis mount dissipated, and her human form became a humanoid mantis once again.

“I am sure this is going to make Allisa seethe.”

When we returned to the camp. Jasper jumped at me with her notebook at hand. “There you are!” She yelled. Jasper was literally drooling out of her mouth. “How, where, when!?” She kept asking.

That day. Jasper never closed her mouth. Nike was bombarded with questions. Baal seemed upset but kept his words to himself. But during dinner, while Jasper prepared a tent with her magic for Nike, Baal approached me in his way out.

“You did not tell me that you already knew how to use Qi,” Baal whispered to me. “I saw the entire fight. You used techniques that I did not teach you. You must truly think I am a fool.”

The following day, there was no more training. I was awoke early. But Baal was nowhere to be found.