19 Bringing The Hammer Down (2/2)
Bang!
Bang!
Darius' body felt like he was burning inside, but after six years he was more than used to the feeling. At this point the shrimp was beginning to take shape, that of a large round sphere. There was nothing it could possibly do to them now and the mouth of the cave was open, but Darius didn't stop, he simply kept on going. He didn't even realize it but subconciously he was counting the number of strikes. The hours had flown by as he mumbled to himself, so low that Lara couldn't hear it.
”Nine thousand nine hundred and ninety-eight, nine thousand nine hundred and ninety-nine...ten thousand!” he shouted the last one out as he put all he had into it.
Bang!
Bang!
BOOM!
He tossed the hammer aside and fell onto his knees. Although he was sweaty and out of breath, he was far from tired. The sphere was now only about the size of a tennis ball.
Lara walked slowly up to him, not quite believing what she had just seen. ”When did you? How did You?....Who are you?” So many questions flooded her mind she wasn't quite sure what to say, until one rose above the rest,
”What are you?!?”
The formation broke as the two eighteen year olds were left standing in the empty arena. Darius slowly rose to feet, turning to look back at her he said,
”My name...is Darius Omen.”
In a room on the second floor, a woman was standing in front of several monitors, but paying close attention to only one of them. It was a video of Darius smiting the spirit in the cave.
”And you said he's not from any guild?” she asked, never taking her eyes off of the screen.
”No, my lady.” one of her two personal Spiritknight guards said. They too were interested by this young mans' amazing speed, stamina and strength. It was the kind that could only come from intense refinement of the body. Not to mention the fact that he had just smited a spirit using a smithing method. Such a thing was unheard off.
”Keep a close eye on him for me. I need to study that hammer.” She cocked her head to the side a little bit and sighed, ”Interesting...”
”Yes lady Katya. In the mean time, the formation has ended.” said the other knight guard.
”Very well. Michelle how did this batch do?” She gracefully glided over to a spectacled woman who was analyzing information a holographic computer screen. Lady Katya could only ever work with women. Her beauty was the only thing to ever match her intelligence. Most men, nobles included, could barely contain themselves around her, let alone focus on anything other her amazing body. The lust evident in their eyes would repulse her.
She was only twenty-two years old and was already the test administrator and master of formations at the academy. Her two trusted body guards, Mara and Opal, were both three star Spiritknights of the third step. Born from the highest of orders and stayed by her side at all times. On more than one occasion they found themselves having to protect her from lust filled men who couldn't control themselves, carrying out swift and merciless executions depending on their nobility status.
”Of the twenty nobles that entered two died, three were critically injured and eight are ready to become spirit knights, princess Lara included. We collected all the spirit dantians and have Spiritsmiths refining them as we speak. They should be ready to perform the right of cultivation in a few hours. ” said a spectacled lady who had been sitting in front of one of the control panels.
”Good. Now that we've separated the wheat from the chaff, the real game can begin. What about the boy?” she asked.
”The dantian from the replicating spirit is being refined, but after examination the smiths say that the dantian the boy created himself is, as they put it, perfect. It's of the class indomitable. I already have people looking into him for you.”
”Alright then, project me.”