Tichaona took a bite of the alien cuisine that the dark figure made for him. He looked at it with apprehensive eyes, unsure of whether or not the contents were edible. Tichaona braced himself as he opened his mouth and feigned a smile to placate her. As his tongue met with the meat and what looked like salad dressing, the dark figure watched with optimistic eyes, hoping that he would like it. In the end, Tichaona was swept away by the delicious flavours that were in the meal. The meat tasted like a fusion of chicken and pork, with the top layer being thin and crispy and the rest of it being juicy.

The chunky middle which would burst into a semi liquid form, would drip out of his mouth as his heart raced. Tichaona felt conflicted about the meal: relishing in your enemy's gift was no different from accepting their control over you, but at the same time he could not deny what he was eating. The dark figure gave him the 'I told you so' look and he looked at her with a coy eyes, embarrassed by the fact that he doubted her capability. The dark figure glowed with joy as he continued to munch till completion.

Tichaona wiped his mouth and then told her, "It was a unique surprise. I will be honest, I thought I was totally going to hate it, but it's really good. What kind of meat was used for this dish?"

"Klanthion dragon meat. It's a fantastic breed, one reserved for special people." she said, as she took his dish from him.

"Dragon meat, like the same dragon you were riding on, that got us here?" he asked, going from being distrait to concerned by what she had just told him.

"Oh, I see that you're worried about the source of the delicacies. I am not a cruel master who would cook a pet that I use for my travels. The Klanthion dragon is a domesticated type that is kept indoors and incubated for several years until its plump. Mercinia, my travelling dragon, is not a Klanthion dragon, however, when she finally reaches her old age, she will be butchered and stored as meat for the future." she said, expressing herself in a galliard manner.

"So you would eat Mercinia, upon her reaching an old age?" he asked, confounded by her logic.

"Yes. It would be a waste for her to die of natural causes. All meat is precious."

"I won't argue with that, so, thank you for the splendid meal. Quendalion cooking is not that bad. So from here on, what happens next?" he asked, with glib execution in his statement.

"Yes, I must show you where your sleeping quarters will be. Your training will begin in an hour's time. So follow my lead." she said, averting her attention towards the exist.

"In an hour's time, um, okay. So are we like going for a run? Doing basic push ups, weight lifting?" he asked, getting a bit giddy as he wondered what she had instore for him.

"Lifting your own body weight and doing runs at your current level would be nothing. I am going to shape you into a warrior, not a figure head for beauty with little physique. I have fed you, so now follow me to your quarters."

"If I may, goddess, did you imply that I have beauty, just now, in your closing remarks? Not that I am inferring that you did, but it's a question I hope you will answer." he asked, trying to connect her choice of words to the speculations he had about her.

"Unless you lack self-awareness, warrior in the making Tichaona, you're are man sculpted with so much aesthetic attention, that it is a shame that you're this weak. If your beauty were a substitute for your strength, I would kneel before you and call you master. Alas, I have filled you with thoughts of self gratification that will leave you clouded with pride. Let us hurry." she said, as she trotted to the destination.

"Interesting. Even aliens find me irresistible. Hmm." he said to himself, as he followed behind. The dark figure's tail would sway from right to left as she walked. Tichaona became fascinated in gawking at her back. The dark figure, though feminine, had parts of her body that resembled that of a really muscular man. Her shoulders were broad, her triceps made his feel minuscule and her calf legs, which were slightly visible when she took a step, were ripped. She had a noticeable ample sized ass, but to Tichaona, it was probably pure muscle. Tichaona began to wonder what she had to do to get this strong. If his training was going to lead him to her level, then he at least had one thing to look forward to.

The wall before them made a circular shape and then created a hatch. As usual, an internal mechanical mechanism would occur in hind sight, as they heard the sound of the hatch shifting open. Inside was a small room with white walls, an oblong shaped bed that was covered by grey sheets, a bunch of metallic cupboards and a single desk with alien antiques. The room was like a fancy cubicle, but its size could incite claustaphobia. The dark figure pointed out where he was supposed to sleep, where his change of clothes where and how he would exit the room if he wanted to.

She became like a sergeant, dictating everything to him like an entry level officer. Her tone in deligation was striking and vivacious, as if she was utilising her past experiences in instructing him. When all the house keeping issues were done, she then asked him, "So with the little time that's left, I would like to know, what are your current stats? The stats for your abilities."

"Oh that, well give me a minute as I read it out." he said, directing his eyes to his peripheral vision. Tichaona went to the inventory slot and began to call out all his stats. His stats were:

Strength 6% level 2

Agility 2% level 2

Intelligence 3% level 2

Wisdom 34% level 1

Artistry 31% level 1

Crafting 37% level 1

Mithridatism 18% level 1

Charisma 3% level 2

Influence 30% level 1

Infamy 25% level 1

Influence 30% level 1

Luck 87% level 1

Tamer 37% level 1

When the dark figure heard his list, she grimaced a bit and then face palmed. Tichaona noticed this and wondered how she was taking it. Was she going to strike him, as if he was a child with a bad report card? Tichaona watched in anticipation, but then, instead of striking him, she began to speak, but in a tone akin to someone repressing their rage.

"So, it seems like you're lacking in the practical skills department like crafting, taming and mithridatism. I will fix that soon. As for your luck, it seems to accurately reflect how fortunate you are to be under my guidance. Your first trial will be hard. I shall leave your quarters." she said, leaving room to Tichaona. Tichaona felt relieved at the same time surprised that he was met with an anti-climax. Was she going to impart all her anger towards his first training session? This boggled his mind and he soon enough reclined. Tichaona began to plot in his mind how he would navigate the ship and find the mana plant. He speculated that she probably wasn't using her black miasma because she had run out of mana or maybe she was conserving it. If she was the same as the other individuals in Goshem, she probably would do her rounds looking for mana or kept it somewhere, on this ship.

Tichaona figured that his ability was strong enough to blow up a hole in the ship and he would use it as a means of escape. He also got an idea from his clash with Tanatswa and wanted to do something crazy with his power which would distance himself from the dark figure. For now he would play ball, pretend to be subservient and try not to piss her off. The fact that he couldn't even see her level reading meant that she was way out of his league. He definitely wanted to leave before he was forced into a really compromising scenario that he wouldn't be able to get out of. As he fixated on his escape plan, several minutes passed and then the room he was in began to quake. Soon enough he felt it moving downwards, like he was in an elevator shaft. Tichaona darted everywhere with much concern and then finally, the motion stopped. The hatch opened and what lied before him was some dark swamp like terrain with large trees.

Tichaona's first instinct was to not go beyond, but then, the prospects of being out in the open meant he would be able to find a mana plant. Tichaona walked out and then entered into his custom goal mechanic 'finding nearest mana plant'. The coordinates were quickly displayed by the navigation point and he was satisfied to know that there was indeed, a mana plant close by. As he trotted further away from his cubicle, the hatch began to close behind him. The light that came from it, lighting the environment, quickly dispersed and he was left alone in the dark. As the precarious sounds of insects and small animals moving about lingered in his vicinity, he suddenly heard the dark figure's voice.

"This is your first trial, warrior in the making Tichaona. You're to face off with the wolves. If you can survive the first wave, then you would have put a smile on my face. I will not assist you in combat. Fight hard and survive." announced her voice, which didn't have an exact source. Tichaona became immediately jittered as he scanned his surroundings. He soon began to hear the guttural grating growls of the wolves from afar. His immediate reaction was to ascertain the whereabouts of the mana plant, bolting quickly towards it's direction.

As he brushed against the vegetation in the battle arena, he suddenly slammed into what felt like a wall that was impeding his progress. This invisible wall was impenetrable and even when he tried to hammer his fists against it, he felt like he had just struck an iron wall with his bare knuckles. The skin on his knuckles got grazed and he began to bleed. This was highly unusual for him because level 2 strength was a formidable force to be reckoned with, but right now he felt as if his inhuman strength had been rendered harmless. Tichaona began to panic as he roared, lashing out at the wall which only made his bare knuckles more bloody. The growls began to resonate even louder and he knew that the wolves had come for him. With his access to the mana plant blocked, Tichaona had to face these ravenous hounds and hope for the best.

Tichaona figured that it would be best to take the hounds for a run, accumulate a bit of experience points during the scuffle and add onto his strength to boost his chances. This seemed like the logical choice since he could jump over the wolves without being flayed by their claws. As the wolves quickly approached him, he picked up what looked like stones and scrap metal and then quickly added to his custom goal, "Survive wolves." Only one suggestion came up which emphasized on him out running these beasts until they got exhausted and collided against each other during the squirmish. His lower left peripheral had an amber coloured circle faded in, with red dots that represented the wolves and his orange dot being at the centre of that circle.

Even with the obscured vision that came with the dark, the radar would make up for it. Tichaona began to sprint as he kept a close eye on his radar and as soon as the three wolves were close to him, he would jump really high like a human locust and land on the opposite end, far away from the beasts. He began to target each beast a threw stones at their skulls. Tichaona didn't miss their faces and had 2 of the stones wedged deep into the cranium of the animal. The other hurled stone went through the lower jaw and wrecked the beast's gums. The force he applied to the toss was no different from a fired projectile from a gun. The two that got hit on the cranium resisted for a bit before collapsing to the ground as loads of blood trickled down their head. The one with the bashed jaw pursued and Tichaona made a quite dive to the side and then struck it from behind with the scrap metal.

The blows were targetted at its hind legs which were broken pretty quickly. The wolf moaned and then he stood on top of its convulsing body and stabbed it through the neck. He pressed harder until it was silenced. Now that he thought about it, this entire thing was really easy. He was surprised by his own agility and agency which made him kill these wolves without any difficulty. As he celebrated briefly, his radar began to be covered with lots of red dots. This time, it was 15 wolves. Tichaona became extremely distressed and wondered how he was going to handle this number of vicious beasts. The wolves were scattered all around; his flank was completely closed and the same tactic wasn't going to work again. Tichaona's mind was flustered by what to do and he began to sweat heavily. The wolves moved in pursuit, with each step promising death as they wagged their tongues, drooling heavily with frothing saliva. Tichaona decided to get out of the middle so that they wouldn't surround him. He would run, dodge a dive from a wolf, kick some tht didn;t see him in time and their bodies would get smashed against the invisible wall. The kicks he gave them were not enough to kill them, but it clearly made them angry. In between jumping over the hounds, he was intercepted by another wolf, mid jump, and was bitten on his left torso. The teeth felt like a plastic fork that was trying to apply pressure just enough to poke his flesh. Even if his body's muscle layer made him hard to easily pin down, the bite really did sting. On the ground, the beast tried pin him down so that its friends would join in on the action. Tichaona struck it with his fists and gave it a knee to ribs. This was enough to pull it aside, but as he rose from the ground, another wolf yanked him by the leg, dragging him towards the pack. Tichaona twsited and turned as his entire body became drenched in mud. He kicked the beast off and realised that it teared the tendons on his ankles.

This was really painful and made it hard for him to move easily. In his anger, he grabbed a hold of the beast by the neck and bashed its head to the ground, repeatedly until its skull was wide open. The other wolves than decided to punce on him were met with a hurled wolf carcass which knocked them down. Tichaona looked for stones and stood with one leg as a support. He then leaped forward as if he was on a pogo stick and threw stones, some which land and others that were way of their target. As he did the jumping, a wolf gored him on his hind leg and he did a 360 degree spin before fallen on his face. The wolf then bit his forearm, crunching hard as it tried to pierce through his hard flesh. Tichaona quickly embraced it and gave it a choke hold. The rest of the wolves attacked him, barking and biting on any exposed part of his body. The wolf that was being choked by him, convulsed, twisted and turned its head until it lost consciousness. Tichaona began to roll over as he felt pangs on certain parts of his body. The way the wolves bit him was like how a bird would prick a tree. It was a lot of things happening all at once and even his neck was lodged with teeth. Tichaona got pissed and punched through one of the stomachs of the beasts.

The entrails bulged out, desecrating the ground with the various organs and Tichaona grabbed onto what felt like the rib cage. He tugged it hard until it was quickly separated from the body. Tichaona used the broken ends of the wolf's rib cages as splinters he used to strike the beasts. The wolves were gored on the mouth, eyes, neck, lower abdomen and balls. Tichaona was now covered in not only dirt but blood, and he couldn't tell the difference between his blood and the blood of the beasts he slaughtered. Tichaona was now down to 6 wolves which were a bit hesitant as they watched their kind being decimated. Tichaona observed these hounds and then pulled out the bone splinters from the carcasses of the beasts that he killed and hurled them at the wolves. His throw could put to shame a gattling gun as each animal didn't have a fast enough reaction time to dodge his weapon.

Some of the hits were lethal but only 3 wolves died to the splinters. As he tried to look for more debris to hurl at these beasts, one of them pounced on top of him, trying to bite his head off. Tichaona had to shield his face with his hand which went against the strong jaw of this monster. The serrated teeth grazed his fingers nd lots of blood trickled as he tried to overcome this animal. The other wolves were slowly reaching him and he had to end this one quick and kill the others. Tichaona placed both his hands on its mouth and forced its moouth open. The jaw was upturned until it was wide open, facing opposite ends as the animal immediately died.

Tichaona then ripped the jaw apart in half and grabbed each part with both hands. In a flash, he cleaved off the flesh of the last wolves using the teeth on the gums of the ripped jaws. The scene became a horrific spectacle of massacred wolves, and puddles of swamp water painted red with blood. Tichaona's body became indistinguishable with all the cuts, grazes, blood and mud, which made him seem like a bloody stool. His radar had no more enemies appearing and a quarter of his life bar was left.

The man panted and sighed in relief. He then decided to crawl back to the hatch and screamed out, "I fucken killed them all, help me!" After a few seconds, Tichaona began to hear the voice of the dark figure, which echoed in the background, say, "Your technique is sloppy, but you managed to survive. Hold tight, I will retrieve you shortly." As he waited to see her appear, he wondered how many of these kinds of battles he was going to face. With how she was, the worst of it was still yet to come.