The next few weeks seemed pass by in the blink of an eye. I was trying to learn from Eva and Mango as quickly as possible so I could be a better use and honestly because I felt extremely guilty. I acted all tough back when I first met Mango but to be honest, if he hadn't taken me under his wing I'm not sure what I would've done. In a brand new strange world with no one to call family, no friends to reach out to, not even an inkling on how this world operates, I would've been done for. So I kept my nose to the grind stone these last few weeks, and as much as I hated dealing with people, I really tried to help the customers that came in. Mango dealt with a lot of adventures, being a former one himself, so a lot of his merchandise was combat oriented, weapons, potions, armor and such. With that being said because of that, for the first time, I got to see what this world deemed as adventurers. There were all kinds and each one seemed brighter than the last, some built like Mango, tall, broad shouldered, rippling muscles whom Mango described as mandatory for "warrior type earth users worth their salt." The next group consisted of a few water mages. They'd been out hunting when things took a turn south during combat. Luckily they regrouped, recovered, and perceived. They managed to return home but one of them had been bitten badly in the leg so naturally they came to see Eva. Eva was well known throughout the town for her healing abilities, even as far as Nature users went she was deemed extremely capable. She has her own little area on the side of the shop for just this purpose and as soon as the mages entered she instantly rushed them over and went to work muttering some incantations and preparing some herbs. Water types, like Thunder, can have two focuses within their magic tree. Water users can grant buffs to defense as well as heal but they can only specialize in one. Though this can be a drawback because even though some of the groups mages were specialized in healing it's still far inferior to unrivaled Nature healing magic, because of this the group was able to stabilize their injured friend but really needed an expert for further treatment. It being an otherwise slow day I couldn't help but watch Eva work, it's like watching an artist paint. Whenever she's extremely focused I noticed her nose scrunched up and a few wisps of hair would flutter down. I wish I could've permanently captured the little smirk she made when she successfully finished a job it was mesmerizing. Suddenly Eva's gaze whipped towards me and she instantly grew flustered when she saw me starring at her. Sadly I had it worse as I tried to move to avoid the sudden eye contact but ran straight into a giant wall named Mango. "Oh hooo, you've got time to mess around you've got time to work. Come with me boy!" He said with an evil looking grin on his face. Meekly I followed, but I was surprised to see him continue through the back of the store to the backyard. Out here Mango had a little training yard for adventurers to try out weapons and such before they buy them to see if it's a good fit as well as a sparring arena for those wishing for practice or exercise. Once we were outside I followed Mango to the sparring area, presumably to help organize, clean the area and prepare weapons. We had to keep everything in tip top shape so the customers didn't have a reason to complain. Mango handed me a dulled, pointless, short sword so begrudgingly I turn around to take it to the repair area when suddenly I felt a cold tingle on my neck, instantly I shoot down. Going prone on my stomach but meanwhile a loud whistle rang above me as Mango had just swung a large two-handed great sword over me. "What the actual fuck Porky you could've killed me!" I was horrified, having no combat experience I was surprised I managed to avoid getting chopped in two. Mango just grinned and motioned me to get up, in his thoughts though Mango was very impressed. He had used his Earth magic to help hide the noise his body emitted so when he made his move and swung he thought Kasper didn't have a chance to dodge. The plan was to pull up a few inches away and scare the kid into action. He never fathomed he'd not only notice, but actually completely dodge it as well. "Come on boy show me what you're made of, it's been weeks and you've never even asked me to show you how to fight" Mango said with a hint of a frown.
Well that's probably because you're the size of 3 men put together you fucking giant I thought to myself. In reality of course I wanted to learn how to fight. Who doesn't wake up in a new fantasy type world filled with adventures and monsters and not want to partake. The harsh reality was also though that people died here, even I doubt I could survive dying twice. I knew how to read and write and I'm set up under a successful merchant why would I want to risk myself fighting when I could pick the safer route and win the game of life economically. Internally though, there was still a small fire that yearned for action, to release the pent up rage I felt. So giving in to the feeing for a moment I caught my breathe, decided on a target and launched forward. Mango had been suspecting a full frontal assault, most kids especially with Kaspers experience when goaded would give into the rage and just charge, tactics be damned, Kasper however, wasn't a normal kid. I switched my grip on the short sword and held it like a track runner would hold a baton and sprinted towards Mango, you see it in the movies all the time, frustrated kid goaded into action just sprints at his target before being humiliated even further. That couldn't be me, so even if it was crazy, I had a plan. After closing the gap to just two feet I hit the deck like a baseball player stealing second, Mango look flustered and completely surprised and whipped swinging around expecting me to get up and target his unprotected back. What he didn't expect, was for me to stay low, completely avoiding his swing. Then pommel first I launched upwards towards the giants chin attempting to knock him out in a single blow. And then just when I knocked on victory's door, the plan crumbled. As I launched upwards Mango kicked my feet out, handicapping all the power I put into the jump. So even though I made contact it was maybe a fifth of what I had stored, I met the earth with a not so gently landing and felt all the air get shot out of me as I lay gasping for oxygen. To both our surprises though the hit knocked Mango back onto one knee. "Enough, that was well fought boy I'm proud of you. But you've still got a lot to learn your moves are slow and lack fluidity. How about we keep this up a couple times a week when the shops slow just to keep me in shape and you might learn something one day?" I couldn't help myself, lying in the dirt head aching I couldn't stop as a smile crept it's way out onto my lips "sure thing boss man" I managed, soon after I rolled up and headed in to wash up and help Eva pack up the store for the night. Meanwhile Mango stayed outside on his knee for another thirty minutes frantically thinking. "This boy...is a monster, I'm pretty sure he's never even held a sword before yet his movement and reflexes weren't hampered in the slightest. What's even scarier is the power, he's extremely raw and lacks technique but even after I kicked his legs he brought me down to my knees. We've got 6 months until the yearly ceremony, we'll have to get him tested then. With his strength he has to be a fire user. With some help he could be a very strong friend." Mango felt the bruise rising on his lower chin and couldn't help but wince in pain. "Or a dangerous enemy"