"Again!"
*Pant* *Pant* "Ragh!"
The sound of beating and stumping echoed within the the walls of a sun lit wide white room.
*BOOM
Nebula was knocked back again, landing on her butt. With frustration she grunted, "How have I not managed to make a dent on you?"
She looked at the blue bracelet on her hand. "Are you sure these things are set properly? Maybe yours don't work right."
Alya looked down at Nebula with her arms folded. "The suppressors are there so we can spar harmlessly. You're the real problem. It's just like I said before, you have to master the seal to break it."
"But all you're telling me is to sweat out my energy and let it dry in the air. I mean, what the heck does that even mean?"
"That's how I teach, 'rainbows'. Take it or leave it." Alya turned around and started walking out of the dojo.
The two of them had come to this place so Alya could show Nebula a few tricks S-ranks learned for fighting. But the white haired girl hadn't even gone past the first one, the, 'Energy Seal' battle art.
The energy seal art was a commonly known fighting art for S-rankers. It involved a super human with enough amount of energy points to be able to manipulate that energy and turn it into a layer of protection over their bodies.
This way, people without strong physique, like the energy-oriented superhumans (mages) could at least get some sort of protection.
According to Alya, it was a complicated but simple art to master, but with the way she explained it, Nebula was getting nowhere with mastering it.
"Okay, let's take a break for now." She followed Alya out. "...Hey, Alya! Help me cut this hair!"
———
"Are you sure you want that one?" An old woman asked as Nebula handed her a list of hairstyles, circling one out."
Nebula spined her chair around and answered, "Yep."
"Okay then." The woman sighed. "Although I think it's a pity you want to cut off this beauty." She said, staring at Nebula's shiny waist long hair.
Nebula twirled a strand of the white. "It is pretty, but it gets in the way."
Picking up a thin metal object and a comb, the hairstylist went to work.
Minutes later, and Nebula walked out of the shop, finding Alya resting her back against the wall.
Noticing her presence, Alya opened her eyes and looked up. As she saw Nebula's new looks, she smirked. "Not bad, snow monkey." She started walking off.
"Not bad? I think I'm cooler than you now." Nebula poked as she followed Alya.
The level 70 now had a faded–temple shave on one side of her head, with the rest of her white hair swooped to the side, barely touching her left shoulder.
It was a badass female cut, but it'd be a debate if people were to be asked which was cooler between the two girls; Nova's bold one or Alya's tomboyish style.
Alya's hair was a dark blue, almost black colour with the strands sharp and clumped, going down the sides of her face and half of her neck.
"Dream on, clouds." Alya scoffed. The two were supposed to get back to training, however Alya wasn't that selfless to let a stranger take away such a beautiful day's time from her.
The two walked into a bar one floor tall. And as soon as the waiters and the other customers saw Alya's face, they started sending casual greetings towards her. It seems she was a familiar face here.
As the two took their seats around a round table, Alya ordered a drink and steak. Nebula however, seemed to be having trouble with the ordering pad in front of her.
'Okay Neb, these hands are just a type of monkey mitts, so this shouldn't be hard.' She put her hands around the flat screen and picked it up. It was surprisingly easy to do.
With a smile of accomplishment, she pointed her index finger at a random dish on the menu.
*Beep*
She retracted her hands with a tinge of surprise, but then a smile crept across her face. Suddenly she started to tap the entire surface of the screen, trying to make a sensible rhythm, and playing with it like a little kid.
Alya stared with a raised eyebrow, the weird behaviour of the girl. But it wasn't just her, as the people around them were also with curiosity.
What a specimen.
The waitress walked up to them, serving Alya her 'snack' and then bringing along Nebula's full party table.
One after the other, meals were being dropped in front of her like she was the main attraction of an eating contest. And maybe she was because at this point, all eyes were on her.
Licking her lips as more waitresses pushed tables of food to her, Nebula picked up a spoon to eat. A couple of bites later though, and the forks, spoons and knives were thrown away from her table.
Nebula lifted a bowl of rice and started chugging it down, clawing out the scraps when it was finished. She picked up a bowl of noodles and did the same.
Soon, everyone in the bar, the bottom floor and the upper floor were all gathered around Nebula, chanting, 'Whitey!' as she bit down on plate after plate drumstick after drumstick and bowl after bowl. She was like the manifestation of the sin of gluttony, with her seemingly insatiable appetite.
Alya's eyes were with surprise at first, but soon she saw Nebula's act as a challenge.
When Nebula started to slow down on her eating, more food tables were being rolled towards her, but this time, they weren't for the white haired food-eating champion, but the number one customer.
With a smirk, Alya picked up the fried, fat leg of a giant chicken and chomped down on it. Soon, as more tables rolled out, the crowd's attention started to deviate to Alya.
"Woah!!! It looks like Alya herself as stepped up as a challenger!"
"Look at those humongous bites! Haha! That's our gem!"
"She's going faster too! Even faster than when Whitey started!"
"Go wash your eyes ma' man, Whitey was clearly faster!"
Nebula wasn't really paying attention to the argument going on around them, all that was within her range of focus was the beast in the form of a hot looking woman and their food.
She suddenly forgot about herself being full and started gulping down a metal barrel of alcohol.
Alas, that was a big mistake.
'Bitter!!!' Nebula didn't like the taste of the drink at all. She tried to spit it out, but what came out was a pool of puke instead. "Blergh!!!"
The rainbow juice spilled on the people close to her and even all over her own body.
"Eew."
"Damn!"
Exclamations came as Nebula un-ate her lunch. But soon after, the whole bar burst into laughter.
"Nice one champ! You practically ate this place three times over."
"Haha." Nebula laughed exhaustingly as a man with her barf on his body tapped her shoulder. The human stomach was small.
Smelling her own puke, Nebula pushed the man away as she covered her nose. "Whoo! I really owe you guys drinks"
Her words increased the volume of the cackles in the bar, while the waiters proceeded to serve everyone drinks.
Alya gave the rest of her own food to everyone else to eat. When Nebula stood up to go and wash up, Alya asked, "So you're going to pay for my meals too?"
"Pay?" Nebula looked around her with confusion. "What?"
Resting her head on her chin Alya said, "You don't have money do you?"
"Oh." Nebula laughed nervously as she rubbed the back of her head.
Alya couldn't help but smile as she looked at her. Nebula's skin, clothes and essence were somehow oozing with purity, while being completely soiled down the middle. She was like a cute child in behaviour, but a healthy grown woman in body. Alya liked that contrast in her.
"Fine. I'll settle your bills and everyone else's... under the condition that from now on, you'll call me master."
Nebula scoffed. "Then teach me something first you blue hedgehog." She ran to the bathroom.
"She's not too bad... for a little punk." She slurped from a cup, as she looked at how lively Nebula had made the place. Many people had hurdles around each other, dancing in circles as they held their shoulders. And funny enough was that, the girl who was supposed to have gone to clean up herself up was also in the crowd, dancing on a table.
The entire place was filled with an atmosphere of happiness and joy as even more people came to join the party. This extent of familiarity between the masses was something only Ogmore of all twelve provinces had. And at the moment, Nebula was acting as an extra layer of adhesive bringing those people together.
They've had their time.
And like every lurking evil pounces from the shadows of hiding, IT waits for the moment when the slates are fully clean, only to dye it black once more.
"Alya! There's trouble!"