Fighting On The Roof

Inside a carriage moving steadily through a steep mountainside, Nux sat inside, meditating under the strict gaze of Mr Nicole.

They –Mr Nicole and Miss Moraya– had agreed to take him to the capital to awaken his Beast Soul. Nux had rejected at first, wanting to see his mother first and foremost, but unfortunately, she was far away.

If he were to travel to where she was, it would take him days just to get there, then another few days to come back, and by the time he returned, the program for the Beast Soul awakening would be over and he would have to wait till the next year.

Mr Nicole wasn't having any of his tantrums, so he had literally whooped his ass and shoved him in the carriage to begin his journey to the capital. Though nux was infuriated, there was nothing he could do about it, it was for his own good anyways.

On the way, Mr Nicole taught Nux several battle related topics, mostly combat. He explained that he was making his foundations strong and giving him a higher chance of awakening a strong Beast Soul.

Right now, Nux was meditating after getting his ass whooped in another round of close quater combat.

He regulated his breathing, breathed out until his lungs began to hurt, then sucked in air and filled up his lungs. He held the air for a few seconds before breathing out until his lungs began to hurt again.

After repeating the process a few times, he had regained his stamina and was ready for another round. He opened his eyes and nodded at Mr Nicole.

They left through the back door and landed on the roof of the carriage. Nux struggled, but Mr Nicole didn't help him even when he almost fell.

One shouldn't forget that they were at the side of a mountain and were heading to the top, so if he fell, he was a gonner.

Nux stabilized himself on all fours, adjusting himself to the rough and bumpy ride, then he began to stand slowly, until he was now on his feets.

"Ready?" He said and placed his two hands in front of him, his left a bit further than his right.

Mr Nicole replied with a grunt and kicked the ground, he disappeared from sight and reached Nux instantly, the carriage shook lightly and the beast pulling it made growling noises.

Nux had already gotten used to his insane instant acceleration speed and raised his hands in time to block a kick delivered straight to his face.

Nux was pushed back and almost fell off, he fell on his back and rolled back up to his feet, converting the momentum and using it to regain his footing.

A punch was sent from Mr Nicole again, he rolled to the side and dodged it successfully, only for his other hand to strike his face from the other side.

Nux face turned red from the slap, but his focus wasn't broken in the slightest, he swept his foot at Mr Nicole and sent out an uppercut. Mr Nicole showed his agility by performing a backflip and landing easily at the edge of carriage.

Nux dashed at him not caring for his balance, then he jumped forward, aiming to grab him and throw themselves off the carriages roof.

'If I can't beat him then I'll just injure us bo..huh?!?' Nux thoughts were interrupted when he saw himself sailing through the air.

"What happened?!" Nux twisted his body and glanced behind him just to see Mr Nicole facepalming and shaking his head, and then... his vision turned dark.

__________

Nux eyes fluttered open, for the second time again since he arrived in this world. The first time when he was being healed by Miss Moraya, and now.

"What... Happened?" Nux sat up. What followed next was a tight slap that sent him back to the bed and almost knocked him out.

Nux felt his head spinning, and for a second, he saw birds circling his head and chirping loudly. He shook his head and regained clarity.

Mr Nicole had a deep frown on his face as he stared at Nux as if he had just murdered his wife and children.

"Pray tell Nux, what was your aim when you tried to throw us off the carriage roof?" His deep voice carried an intense amount of anger that briefly startled him.

"Ehh...I wanted to get us both injured since I couldn't fight you and win, so I resorted to...."

"Suicide." Mr Nicole interrupted. "That what I see it as."

"Just because Moraya could heal us, THAT DOESN'T MEAN YOU SHOULD MISUSE HER ABILITIES!!! What if she runs out of mana and you end up getting a grave injury at that time!!! Or worst, there isn't a healer around when you try something that stupid!!!"

"I'm toast." Nux replied.

"TOAST?!..."

'Shit! I forgot those kind of words aren't used here!'

"...That's a big understatement!!"

'Say what now!!!'

Nux endured Mr Nicole's beration for some minutes before he calmed down. Mis Moraya sat in a corner of the room, waiting patiently for him to end his outburst.

"Meet me outside after cleaning yourself up." Mr Nicole said and slammed the door behind him.

"Sheesh! Are all Earth Elementalists like that?" Nux commented before his eyes landed on Miss Moraya sitting in a dark corner of the room. Abruptly, he paled and stopped laughing at his joke.

Miss Moraya walked to the side of his bed and leaned over, Nux felt his heart beat increase, he knew what was coming next and closed his eyes, bracing himself for impact.

"Get up, there's a set of cloth by your side, the bathroom's beyond the door to your left." Her soft voice drifted into Nux's ears. "We'll be waiting for you outside."

"What?" Nux could only say.

What he had initially expected was a slap to his face, his left cheek to be precise. He always earned one from her whenever he got himself seriously injured during his spars with Mr Nicole, although they were never intentional, she always punished him for being too reckless.

He stared at her as she walked out of the room and closed the door gently.

"Maybe she has a crush on me." Nux muttered.