Jason checked in on Rina and the Tick’rs. His room was still free, but he wasn’t sure how Hanshi’s training would go so he didn’t reserve the room once more. If he needed it again he’d take care of it later. Rina hadn’t used any money he left with her. He was happy about that. It meant that she was reliable with money, unlike many kids her age who would go and get some worthless things the moment they were given a chance. It wasn’t completely abnormal, but he wouldn’t what made her like that, especially with the fact that she didn’t have any other clothes than the ARMS clothing and a smock that the Sú-Sheh had given her. At some point that would have to be resolved, but for now, all his money had to be saved up for the situation with Gael.

It was evening by the time he met up with Hanshi outside of town. It wasn’t that it took all that long to get his business done and get there, but rather he had woke up late in the day and she had wanted it to be getting dark out when they began. It seemed like a good idea considering that dungeons were often dark so getting used to doing things in the dark would help to make exploring them that much easier for him. Hanshi had set up a camp shortly before he got there so it seemed his thinking was correct.

She heard him approach him from behind. Jason assumed that they’d talk first, but he was surprised to find himself flying through the air a moment after coming into earshot of her. The moment after that his back hit the ground and skid across the dirt surface. He stared up at sky stunned. He didn’t feel he was in danger, but this feeling lasted only momentarily. Hanshi’s fist dented the ground next to his head. “Move,” she shouted at him. It prompted his body to move unbidden, springing to his feet. The balls of his feet barely had time to come to a rest when her fist presented itself to him again. His arm came up to block the punch. It connected with his forearm causing the bone in his arm to crack. He wanted to drop his guard but if he did he knew the next hit was going to be aimed at his face.

Fists pounded on his arms, each blow cracking and pulverizing his bones. Jason didn’t think he could return a blow at this point. His arms were numb and it took all if his effort to keep blocking. Then, he felt the pounding stop. He felt momentary relief which was quickly ended. His legs were swept from under him with no effort. He fell to the side and his hand reached out instinctively to catch himself, but it was slow and his fingers were numb. The ground slammed his body, one arms crushed against his body, the other bending unnaturally as it attempted to catch his weight but was so shattered it provided no support. She kicked him to in the chest, rolling him onto his back.

“That all you got?” she asked standing over him.

Jason laid on his back, eyes closed, trying to catch his breath. Hanshi’s kick had broken a number of his ribs. Some pierced in his lungs and made it hard to breath. He coughed blood. It dripped down the sides of his face. He wanted to pull his body into a ball, but none of his limbs would listen to him. He didn’t respond to her, more over he couldn’t respond to her question, but the lack of answering was an answer in itself. Had he ever been in this situation, attacked as he had been, he may have been worried for his safety, but as things stood, he felt safe and secure and this pain, it would pass, and will have been to teach him something, but whatever it was supposed to teach him for the life of him he couldn’t think of anything it could teach him other than pain sucks.

Expecting to be healed soon, it surprised him that it didn’t happen. he couldn’t move to look for Hanshi. Where had she gone. Why would she just leave him here. Maybe something had come up that she had to take care of quickly. On the other hand, she could just be toying with him and she could be just outside of his vision. Ultimately, he didn’t know and couldn’t see for himself. From time to time he would cough up more blood wetting the old dry blood with fresh. Minutes passed. Then an hour. There was no sign of her. No healing came. In the distance he head movement in the grass and shrubbery. While he had been out of the town before he still was unfamiliar with the wild and he surely didn’t know what was all out here. The rustling came closer, slowly making its way over to him. He heard snuffling. It was some creature looking for food. Jason wanted to get up. He wanted to run away or at least defend himself. Panic set in. He tried to get up, but it just wasn’t working. He gave up. Hearing the sounds come closer he could do but one thing. Wait. Tears began to form in his eyes stream down his face.

The sky had grown dark as Jason waited for his death. He could see the stars move overhead. It was a disconcerting sight, but he didn’t really think about it. Everything took on an orangish tint all of a sudden and the sound of wood burning flooded his senses. He thought he was hearing and seeing things, but the sound of rustling in the distance turned and moved away and then the a shadow moved over him. Hanshi stood over him. She looked down on him. “So that was all you had. Well, just stay like that. Eventually, you’ll get used to it.” He thought she was insane and wondering why he had trusted her. “I know its a male thing to sleep after action, but trust me, if you pass out now, that’s the end,” she warned him.

It took all of his will, but after another half hour he forced himself to roll over. The impact of the dirt on his chest sent him into a coughing convulsion and blood ejected from his mouth. He took a moment to recover, then he pulled himself slowly toward Hanshi. Pulling up his dragged body onto a large stone so that he could bring himself as close her face as he could. “Heal me… you...b…,” he forced himself to sputter out through gasps and blood.

“Pull yourself together first,” she said with a smile. “You’re young. You’re supposed to be full of vigor and stamina. I’m disappointed. Young men should be able to be ready to go multiple times.” She pulled out an ARMS unit, toying with it in her hands. “Even if I heal you, you’re just going to end up back in your current situation again. And why are you complaining? You agreed to my training,” she continued not really caring for his response, “I do wonder what I can teach you other than how to take a spanking though. We’ll have to figure that out.”

Jason’s anger was inflamed. He pulled himself up. Having the sense that the ARMS unit was the healing device, he swiped it out of her hands and activated it, forgetting that it took more than that to cause the device to start healing him. The effort to grab the device caused him to over commit, throwing himself off balance. He fell to the ground, pulling the device to his chest. He felt his ribs pierce deeper into his lungs. He let out a scream of anguish that was muffled by the lack of lung power. He found himself on the ground in a ball, as he wanted to be when this began, but he found this to be a bad idea, the scrunched up pose of his body forced his broken bones to move and pierce his muscles, lacerating his insides, making everything that much worse.

As he huddled on the ground dying of pain he remembered that Rina had told him that all it took was belief, but he found it hard to believe in anything. If that were not bad enough the pain overflowing his mind made it hard for him to keep focused on trying to activate the device. What made this all that much worse is that an unfeeling machine was able to activate it without problem in the past. If she weren’t not lying and if this was a healing device anyways. He felt his consciousness fade and he began to panic. The world began to fade at the edge of his sight. His heartbeat increased, but then he felt a warmth come around him. He had done it. The ARMS device began healing him. His stiffening body started to relax and he was able to roll onto his back. The ribs in his lungs were pulled free while the bones in his arms re-fused together. He felt exhausted, but that everything would be alright now. Unlike the injuries he had sustained that he was awake for getting healed previously it felt like this would take much longer. They had taken moments to heal his wounds, but this, it took the device at least an hour to fully repair his body.

By the time that the device had completely healed Jason he had passed out. He was awoken by a light kick to his side by Hanshi. “Wake up,” she ordered. He blinked awake, stretched himself out, and then finally got up as if nothing had happened. He was getting used to being fatally injured in some way, passing out, and waking up some time later. It was becoming some sort of ritual. He glared at Hanshi, “I’m going to beat you,” he growled at her.

“Oh my, but I haven’t been a naughty girl,” she giggled and pretended to be coy.

“Whatever,” he said not in the mood for her games.

“Ok, well, when you’re ready to discipline this bad girl let me know,” she said, but then she stopped her playing, “Remember that thing I mentioned when we met about being able to evaluate others with a look. I forgot it was a mod to my ARMS. There are two things you are going to need to get what you want, ARMS and experience. You’re gonna either buy your girl or break her out, either way, you’re going to need both of those. If you had good enough ARMS you could just sell them and get your money, but you don’t so you need to get them, and as you saw, the best way to do that is through dungeons. Progressing in the Arena also will help you because it gives you access to stronger places and rewards at times.”

Jason nodded his head, following along with what she was saying, “I see… so our plan is...”

“Our plan of action is to train to be able to fight in the arena and clear out dungeons as quick as possible. If we can make you a fighter worthy of being trained by me, then you’ll have no problem freeing your girl, regardless of the situation she’s in.”

“Right, so you broke my arms and ribs, because…”

“Can’t a girl have some fun when she’s trying to teach you to overcome pain? You can’t just stop when you’re hurt. If you’re alone in a dungeon what you going to do? Take a nap and hope the next person that comes along won’t be a monster, can heal you, and will take pity on you? You know how long most of these dungeons have gone without anyone going in them? Quite a long time I’ll tell you that.”