"Finish my weapon and armour. I will stop this war no matter what, and we will move out against Bramans. If Hatmandor is of no use, we have to do it ourselves", I said. Alicia agreed, and promised to finish as soon as possible. I on the other hand, returned to my training.
The time slowly passed. I forgot how many times I faced the Lizards and Formations, but my Domineering Aura improved a lot. Under constant danger, my body adapted quickly. I could face two groups in a row without many issues, even though the Lizards I faced also got better. They were able to better utilise their Formations, and make them more tricky to dodge or destroy. They worked like real teams, not just a bunch of guys who happened to be in the same group.
I decided to increase the difficulty at that stage. "Since I can keep up with one group, how about two groups attack at the same time?", I asked. They didn't think this was a good idea. After all, I would face at least ten Grey Lizards. I added, "I need danger. The more my life is in danger, the more I can adapt. I'm not talented like others, but I can quickly learn to adapt in certain situations. This almost always required danger".
They finally agreed, but didn't take it seriously. After all, they considered me as a friend, an ally. No one would want to seriously harm a friend or an ally. "Take this seriously! Even if you beat me half dead, I have enough medicine to be half dead twenty times over!", I shouted. They looked at each other, then nodded. My training straight from hell began.
The Formations appeared everywhere. If I were to rely on the Aura domain, my energy wouldn't last half an hour. I took damage, and a lot. At one point the Lizards stopped, because I became a bloody mess. I spit some blood, "Why did you stop? Want me to change the rules? What if I'm able to attack back, would that motivate you more?". They took a step back, while one of them replied, "But... But you are very injured already. If we continue, you will really die". I laughed and released my Bloodlust Aura. "Want to get your ass whooped by the so called very injured person?".
They quickly placed their hands back onto the floor, and continued their attack. My Bloodlust Aura was different, very different. It required rage, the more hatred or rage I experienced or "collected", the stronger my Aura became. At the time I fought against Grey Lizards, my Aura fully awakened. All the rage and hatred from the past resurfaced. The rage of my past became mostly used up, hence I needed to build it up more. The more I got pissed and beaten around, the better for my Aura.
At the end of that session, I dropped face first onto the ground. I had no strength left, I couldn't move a muscle, no matter how much I tried. The Lizards rushed to me, and expressed their views. "We told you this was stupid. You can't even stand on your legs". I smiled, "So? You have no idea how many times I was in such a state. Irwin never played nice…". "Irwin?", one of them asked. I replied, "It's an old story. Can you bring me some food?". They sighed, and a few Lizards went to the kitchen to fetch me some food.
They asked me where I kept my medicine, but I told them I was fine. The blood loss was rather severe, that was why I tapped on my pressure points during the whole training. The reason I fell like a moth to a flame, wasn't due to blood loss but due to my energy being completely spent. "It's fine, I won't bleed to death. I will use some medicine after I eat". The Lizards returned quickly, and fed me some food. As soon as I was able to pick myself up, I ate by myself. "We really shouldn't continue this. Your body will break", the higher standing Lizard said. I smiled, "I told you, I went through this for about five years. You think I'm that easy to kill?". He sighed, and left me alone to recover.
I had to eat a lot, and then use some minor medicine to heal my wounds. Although my recovery speed was really fast, I would need more time and energy for that. Of course, I used the medicine very moderately. Just as Nick told me many years ago, one shouldn't abuse medicine. With my injuries taken care of and my energy restored, I asked the other two groups to step forwards. They again hesitated, which was a normal reaction. I basically asked them to half kill me, and that was not something they were willing to do so easily. Grey Lizards were not warriors, they didn't have such mentality.
Although I understood that, there was no better way for me. I asked if I should attack, for them to become serious. They finally took it more seriously, probably scared I would actually attack. The process of me dropping to the floor, bloodied and unable to move, became a standard sight in that area. Some even argued I was insane, but they simply didn't get it. While it did hurt a lot, I adapted more and more. The Bloodlust Aura became thicker and stronger. The Domineering Aura was becoming stronger too, I was getting used to smother manipulation and execution as well. My ability to escape predicaments improved too. Even my instincts became more acute towards Formations.
This was not enough though. I already planned for something more outrageous, but decided to wait with that. Wait until I could fully face the two groups, and come out relatively… well not half dead. There were no news from Alicia, nor Tulin. Which probably meant the seals were alright, and Hydra was still trapped underneath the ground. Of course I had no news from Sedon, Obsidian Mountains or anywhere for that matter.
'They should've already left Sedon. From what I gather, around two and a half weeks have passed since I arrived at the Grey Lizard's camp. This should be enough time for Crow and the whole city to leave. If everything went well, they are at or near Obsidian Mountains', I thought. That was where I would head, after Alicia finished my new weapon and armour.
The training went on until I was sure the Lizards got used to beating me up with those Formations, and I was able to take the beating. A few more sessions later, I finally asked them to increase the difficulty. They straight out rejected this time. Even threatening them with retaliation didn't help. "This is insane. If a third group joins, you will surely die. We can't let that happen", one of the Lizards said.
I argued, "Listen, we don't have much time. I need to improve as much as I can. The more pressure I'm under, the better. I know this is a bit dangerous, but we simply don't have the luxury to take things slowly". I then came up with another idea. "How about I leave some medicine with you guys? If I'm really too injured, feed it to me. I will give you some of my stronger medicine, so that my life will not be in danger. Is that better?".
They talked about it, and agreed to test it out. I passed two bottles of Night Star Extract to two leaders of different groups. "In case one is not enough, use the other one. This is strong, and I mean it. I'm not trying to play a trick on you". They nodded, and three groups stepped forwards. 'That is a lot of Lizards', I thought. I had to face fifteen Lizards, which meant a plethora of Formations. This wouldn't be easy in any shape or form, and if they took it seriously, my life was indeed at risk. As soon as their hands touched the floor, I started moving.
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