Soul of a Human

Ambor and his opponent left the house and found the training spot included in every one of the little fortifications. It also provided wooden training weapons set aside on racks. Jorgen grabbed a long stick, the closest thing to his new weapon, and fixed Ambor with his gaze.

"So how do you want to do this?" The Ice-kin asked.

"No killing, but let's go all out." Ambor offered, and Jorgen thought it over.

"Fine with me. But what's wrong with you?" He asked.

"Nothing? What should be wrong with me?" Ambor asked.

"Well, no normal person meets someone new and instantly asks to fight them, " Jorgen said as he got ready.

"I see, but the answer is simple. I heard so much about this Mor, so I had to make sure he's up to snuff. The boss and big sis have both a big opinion of him. However, now there's only one question for me to ask. Are you stronger than him?" Ambor asked, just standing there.

"Not to brag, but he is the more versatile, but I'm the better fighter," Jorgen said with a smile.

"Then let's do it," Ambor stated, letting a crackle of lightning run over his hand.

The Ice-kin exploded forward, his opening attack crashing into Ambor's defense in a burst of superhuman speed. There were two sharp cracks as both of Ambor's arms broke at the force, and Jorgen jumped back in shock.

"I'm sorry!" He apologized. "I didn't expect you to be so fragile. I'm used to Mor."

"It's fine," Ambor said with a smile, not bothered by the pain at all. There was a burst of magic energy, and both of his arms fixed themselves.

"Now, I'm fired up!"

Ambor went on the offensive, using grabs that exploded in his hands, but Jorgen was too fast to pin down. However, with the relentless attacks from the healing berserker, Jorgen had no opportunity to get back to attacking himself. The explosive and loud duel drew the attention of some guards and other Ice-kin onlookers, which soon started a betting pool. Jorgen jumped back in a disengaging dodge and quickly looked around.

"Seems we have an audience." He said, and Ambor nodded.

"Does it bother you?" The Soul-kin asked, and Jorgen shook his head.

He tried to get back on the offensive with this short break and distraction. However, Ambor was ready, and his close and quick firey attacks left no opportunity for Jorgen to use his slower weapon. Still, the Ice-kin had a plan. Instead of dodging the next attack, he blocked it with the training weapon, which had to endure two explosions from Ambor's grabs and, luckily, held. Jorgen used this opening to deliver a reinforced kick to the Soul-kins middle, throwing him back against the palisade wall, leading to money being exchanged.

Instead of staying down, Ambor kicked off from the wall, and charged himself, his crushed organs inflating back out, leaving his body unhurt. He had a man grin on his face and something that scared even Jorgen. A hunter who faced down a bunch of monstrosities never seen before by others. Ambor struck out with his fist, but instead of connecting it broke from the force of the punch, surprising both contestants.

Jorgen got out of reach, and another break in the fight started.

"That's strange. I thought I could copy it, " Ambor said as his completely shattered armbones mended.

"Copy what?" Jorgen asked.

"You're using some kind of body enhancement, right?" Ambor stated, and Jorgen nodded.

"See, for us, Soul-kin body enhancement was always something unusable. If I remember correctly, this Mor is the only one who is somehow proficient with it. At least, that's what the boss told me. Seeing you use it means you Ice-kin have a similar technique." The Soul-kin explained further.

"Well, yes and no. But how did you copy it?" Jorgen asked.

"I don't know," Ambor said with a shrug. "It just felt like I could."

"I don't get you. Are you an idiot or a genius?" Jorgen asked, smirking.

"He's a perfect moron," Orth stated as he and what seemed like most of the others joined the onlookers. "But his sense for battle is unrivaled."

"Boss!" Ambor exclaimed.

"It is what it is." Clare joined in with a shrug.

"You too, big sis?" The soldier protested.

"I told you not to call me that." Clare sighed. "You are older than me."

"Yeah, but you're the boss' wife," Ambor said with a confused look.

"Anyway, let's continue our fight. I will get that technique down." He added, waiting just long enough for Jorgen to be ready again.

The two of them clashed over and over in this fast-paced fight, but with Ambor having made his mind up to master this enhancement attack, he left a bunch of openings whenever it failed. Each failure made him endure a bunch of Jorgen's hard-hitting attacks. Still, Ambor's healing affinity was ridiculous and could keep him going until the last of the Soul-kin joined in.

°So who's winning?° The human asked.

°Looks like neither.° Mor answered.

°So what do you think of that Soul-kin?° The human continued.

°A battle maniac, like you and Jorgen.° Mor said with a sigh, just as Ambor tried to do an enhanced kick and instead broke his leg on Jorgens guard when it failed.

°Is he trying to copy Jorgen's enhancement technique?° The human asked.

°Seems like it.° Mor agreed, then shrugged.

°I need to get a bit of frustration and confusion out. How about we switch with Jorgen and teach that upstart Soul-warrior a thing or two?° He asked.

°Yeah, stretching a bit will do some good after walking so long.° The human agreed excitedly.

The next time Jorgen dodged, he came close to Mor, was grabbed, and dragged out of the field.

"We're switching," Mor stated, and Jorgen nodded after giving him a strange look.

"Ambor, right?" Mor asked, mustering the broadly grinning Soul-kin soldier when he entered the space.

"Sure am, and you are Mor. The boss and big sis have told me a lot from you." Ambor said.

°Is he some sort of a thug? Calling Orth and Clare boss and big sis?° The human mused.

°Probably.° Mor answered with a smirk.

Ambor rushed Mor, trying to get a surprise attack in, but the Soul-kin didn't even look, instead grabbing the arm of his attacker and sweeping him off his feet. Ambor tumbled but got back up quickly with a smile.

"Oh, this is fun." He stated. While all Soul-kin looked in surprise at the ease of Mor's attacks, there was no hesitation, no insecurity, only movement. Elly and Jorgen both looked quite smug, as Jorgen was the one who drilled Mor in close combat, and Elly just joined in on principle.

°Wild but uncontrolled.° The human stated, and Mor had to agree.

"When you use your magic for body enhancement, try little bursts. Add some magic every time you feel the momentum of your attacks taking over." Mor explained, and Ambor looked confused in return.

"Like this," Mor said, then closed the distance instantly and delivered a bone-shattering kick, after which a sword forged of ice appeared in his hand.

Ambor's eyes grew wide at the impossibility of this quick magic casting. Still, he wanted to try it. His new wounds mending, he got ready again. He continued his attacks in a more earnest fashion, his attacks coming quickly and enhanced with explosive effects.

"You need to plan out your attacks. Swinging wildly will only hurt you." Mor calmly explained, deflecting all attacks with ease, as he was more familiar with a close-up fighting style and could handle Soul-kin better than Jorgen.

"Is he giving a lecture right now?" Orth sighed.

"That's the last bit of proof. It's Mor, alright." Clare said, and everyone else nodded along.

"Hey! I heard that!" Mor protested, quickly forming a small ice shield that was just strong enough to defend against Ambor's next attack.

Instead of getting some distance, Mor braced his body and threw Ambor away with an enhanced shoulder tackle.

°Is it just me, or is this fight too easy?° The human asked.

°Yes, but he fought with Jorgen first, so he might be tired.° Mor stated.

As the fight continued, Mor explained the intricacies of the enhancement technique to the quick learner, Ambor. Making Dino and Morokhan share a whisper.

"Is it me, or has his reservoir grown much in this short while?" Dino whispered.

"No, it has, but how?" Morokhan replied.

"Orth told me he has experienced something similar. With his body in better shape than we had when we were young, his reservoir also grew in leaps. He almost has as much as you right now." Dino explained quietly.

"Interesting, to me, it looks like Mor has about as much maximum power as Clare or Ambor here, which would make for quite a leap," Morokhan stated.

"He also fought a bunch of monstrosities with my father." Elly joined in, her trained hearing picking up on the men's whispered discussions.

"Don't tell his mother that," Morokhan advised out of reflex.

"Thought as much." Elly agreed.

The duel slowly petered out and transformed into a training lecture, where Mor now explained the technique step by step to Ambor and Orth, who had suddenly joined in, always interested in things that could help in his own training. Also, the Ice-kin audience was dispersed, who, just like Jorgen, weren't interested in some strange explanations and lectures.

Mor and his two new students practiced until the evening, when Elly and Jorgen reminded Mor that they needed to get going, as their village was the last to arrive. This means they had to find their fourth member for the first hunt tomorrow and get back to training as a team until it starts a week from now on. Ambor's quick question of being allowed to join was shut down, as he didn't fulfill the prerequisite requirements, and no Ice-kin would lie.

Mor said his goodbyes, and Sophie had to be forcibly removed by Tiara and Morokhan from her boy, as she didn't want to let him leave for even a second. However, Morokhan got a promise from Mor that he would visit every day and bring his temporary foster parents along soon.