~ Artemis University, Capital Marth

Breathe in, breathe out. It’s just a simple blood sample, and it’s sleeping soundly now. It’s just a big cow, that’s all. It’s definitely not dangerous at all…

One step at a time, slow and steady. It’s just right there sleeping, no big deal.

*Step*

*Step*

*CRUNCH*

OH GOD OH GOD OH GOD IT’S MOVING! Wait… it’s still sleeping. Phew.

Alright. I’m right next to it. I could hear it breathing. Good thing I did not have any aura around me, or it would have known by now. Instead, I felt its motherly aura enveloping me… what warmth…

No, right now I need to get its blood. Right… just a simple poke with my knife… it should not feel anything. Alright alright alright...

*Poke*

*Loud grunt*

It’s turning its head… the birds are flying… IT WOKE UP. I can’t run at all. My whole body is rooted, trapped in its aura, unable to escape. The warmth is now replaced by an menacing aura…

“aaaAAAAHHH! HAALP! SOMEBODAY!”, I cried out, as if hoping that there was somebody actually close enough in this forest to help.

I am going to die. There is probably nobody near me to save me right now. That is not a big cow, THAT’S A HUGE BULL! At least if I die I will be able to return to nature, and be of use to this forest...

I can see death calling out to me now, the bull’s horns are now aiming at me. Goodbye woOOORLDDAAAAAHH!

I am FLYING! Wait... NO I AM NOT FLYIING!

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After I launched the victim into the air, inaudible screams could be heard and he was frantically throwing his arms around, as if trying to get a grip. As he was going to touch the ground, I cushioned his fall using wind. And it was a lot of wind for that weight and size. Luckily, he touched down softly without smashing into the ground. Though he was still covering his eyes. What kind of timid ogre is this?

“Hey, wake up! I’m not going to hold up that air barrier around the beast for much longer, we’ve got to get to safer place!”, I shouted at the huge green thing. He finally took his hands away from his face and regained his composure.

He looked back, confused at the huge angry bull, which I had trapped with a thick layer of solidified air around its body. It would have seen to be an invisible barrier, but actually is just air that was held in place. I made it as close to its body as possible to restrict movement, but the small volume of air inside the barrier would suffocate it in a few minutes, and it would prefer not to kill this majestic beast, since it seemed to be only aggressive because it was provoked.

Maintaining the large barrier for a long time also would just force my magic organ to start completely draining the mana in the environment, which could cause dangerous effects to the environment. Not to mention the beast’s aura deteriorating the barrier even further, forcing me to drain even more mana.

I had discovered on one of the days during the week of experimentation that my mana organ wasn’t normal. Normally, one would only use the mana that their organ had gathered from the surroundings, and once it has depleted, it would drain the body of its energy until the user became too tired and fall asleep. However, mine would absorb mana from the surroundings to supply my need. I tested once by trying to raise the ancient Empire State Building in a field. My own mana lasted until I have completed a third of the whole building with the interior, until I started to absorb mana from the surroundings, where the wind had stopped, and the building eventually collapsed from the dirt cracking halfway there. A small part of the forest around me was affected too, turning yellow and dying. Obviously Master wasn’t too happy with that.

Back to reality, it seems that the ogre was still confused about how the beast is unable to move in the seemingly invisible barrier. I strengthened my whole body with magic and placed him on my shoulders, ran back to one of the clearings, far enough that the beast would be unable to find us. I released the barrier halfway there when it became too far and draining.

“Erm… thanks for saving me...”, the ogre said. That is one civilised ogre. I had just realized that he was wearing the school uniform, just a little tattered and dirty. Well, that certainly beat all my expectations of an ogre.

“You can call me Earth.”, I started the introduction.

“I’m... Ed, from the Magical Beasts Research Team.”, he replied while taking out his round glasses from his pocket and putting it on.

Taking a good look at him, he looks about twice my size and have sizable muscles. An ogre build, but definitely something is wron- I mean different in the mind.

“Why couldn’t you defend yourself back there with your aura? If you released it, you would have a chance at escaping.”

“I… I am unable to use magic. I could not let out any aura even if I tried.”, Ed hesitated before saying.

“Yet you wanted to extract blood from that beast without any defense?”

“I had to do it myself… I was pressured by the Earth Magic Research Team. They captured my companion and threatened that I had to do this myself or else they would destroy the Magical Beasts Research Team.. our team is small and none of us could use magic… so we are unable to fight back against them.”, Ed said with a pained expression.

Mmm. The typical bully scene, but looks like they have gone too far. A life could have been lost back there. Looks like these little kids need a good punishment.

“Let’s go and teach them a lesson.”, I said with a smirk.

“But they would destro-”

“It’s just a *little* lesson for them, that’s all.”, I cut him off. “Let’s go then.”

While we were on the path back to the entrance, Ed looked to be rather stressed and unsteady.

Once we’ve reached the gate to the forest, he hesitated, but instead I laughed maniacally as I thought about my plans. Well, that definitely worked as intended and he no longer showed any signs of doubt, but with the side effect that he was totally creeped out by me.

Well, it did not take long after we went back into normal school grounds that we’ve received a ‘polite’ question from behind.

“Hey, useless Ed. Don’t tell me you didn’t get the blood that we desperately needed? You mean you don’t care about your little pet and your useless team?"

“And who’s this dude with you? What’s with that strange white coat, is he another one of the members of your pathetic team? The last time I remembered, there was nobody that wanted to join your team because it was a bunch of misfits.”

Laughter ensued in the background, while Ed looked to be angered but was clearly holding back, knowing he was unable to fight back. But for me, more than anything else, I was excited.

Because it’s time for some arse-reaping.

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