Chapter Seven: Recovery and Quest Part Three

The moment Vanessa realized the door is open she rushed towards me blurring, only for a loud thunk to resound in the room a moment later as she collided with thin air and her arms outstretched.

Carcajou just sighed at the sight.

“This is what I’ve had to deal with for the last…” he pulled out his phone and glanced at it. “five days.”

I heard a sudden crunch next to me “I know mate, that lass over there has been down right vicious trying to see you.” George said from beside me eating an apple. When did he get there? I mean I couldn’t even smell the apple or feel his presence...Why didn’t he bring me one? Carcajou visibly frowned at George's sudden appearance next to me but said nothing waving his hand causing George to disappear, only for him to reappear a moment later.

I looked over to the hallway to see George gone but could hear him chuckling madly and audibly patting Julian on the back as Carcajou kept dispelling the illusion and growing increasingly frustrated, Damon just stood there dejected and signing, Mars… just looked confused.

Eventually, Julian stopped with the illusions when Carcajou turned toward him and blasted a wave of force at seemingly nothing only for George to be sent flying to the wall behind him and hit it with a thunk sliding down it. He’s smiling though and could hear him say “Totally worth it…”

I looked over at Damon and saw him smiling broadly now, which looked a little eerie with how emotionless he usually is. Julian went over to George but was stopped by Damon and ushered into the room. Mar’s picked up George one-handedly and followed them in.

Carcajou looked proudly over Georges out a cold form, “Serve’s him right, well anyway Mule I’m going to take my leave now since you should be back to normal.”

Then started to walk out of the room but before he left the room he looked over his shoulder and said: “Oh If you or that pretty boy there are interested come see me about learning some alchemy.” Then paused for a second looking at George’s sleeping form “Don’t bring that little miscreant with you though I might kill him.” George seemed to wake at that and gave him a thumbs up. Carcajou frowned at him and left after that.

With Carcajou gone I looked over to Vanessa and saw her break through the force holding her back, practically pouncing on me.

“Atlas I’m so glad you're ok! After I saw you collapse I tried to get to you, but that bitch got there first and wouldn’t let me see you, doing who’s know what while you were sleeping!” Vanessa said rapidly in between groping and hugging me.

“You do realize that Carcajou a guy right?” I said to clear the air, but Vanessa turned several shades whiter at that, “That’s even worse! He had you to himself for five days alone! If only he wasn’t here Imagine what I could have done to you while you’re sleeping!”

“Wait for what?” She then blushed “ ..I mean what he could have done to you while sleeping. Like dressing you, washing you and feeding you…” She paused for a second with her face blushing deeper, and slightly distant look in her eyes. She then sniffed me “Oh no, you smell, come on let's get you cleaned up...I think a sponge bath is in order.” She said with obvious motives, I then smell myself and smelt alright. Feeling a little crept out I tried to push Vanessa away with a strained smile, but she stuck to me like glue so I and turned to the rest.

George’s is grinning madly at me, “Well done mate! I knew that my best brute could be that sorry piece of shit instructor-” Mars then slapped George on the back of the head sending him to the floor, and grumbled, “You do realize I am here too.” Then he walked over to me and took a seat on the neighboring bed, the chairs are too small for him.

Mar’s took a look at me, with a flash of something going over his face grimacing and looked at the floor for a moment before looking at me and smiled sadly “I’m sorry Atlas I lied to you.” A shock went through you upon hearing those words and didn’t quite believe it.“Wait gorillas can lie?” Mars chuckled and sighed then looked me in the eyes

“I’m sorry I lied to you Atlas, I lied about not being able to spar with you or train you for those couple of weeks before our duel, I wanted to test your resolve see how well you could train yourself and if you would slack off or not. That you were ready or not to be on your own….” he paused for a moment before continuing “..I’ve seen geniuses come and go for years, some that try to reach their potential, some that waste it, those that reach a wall give up and just those that abuse it, and then there’s you. At first I though you’re a genius and I just wanted to see you reach your full potential, but I underestimated you. You’re no genius you’re a-”

Mars paused and looked contemplative, before saying plainly “Atlas you’re a monster, you just don’t give a fuck about wall’s you smash them and go on your bloodthirsty merry way and I’m just now realizing how much of one you are.” He added quietly “You recovered from rebound in five days...five days.”

He went a silent for a moment and just staring me in the eyes. “When newbie arrives here we’re supposed to smash them into the dirt till they learn how big the world is, and how weak they are. Some get up and go on after this and others don’t…. But you’re neither of those things you kept coming back for more, just trying to smash that wall in front of you, and had you been a slight bit wiser in our first fight you would have won, and I have been barely holding back since the beginning, you just progressed so fast that I wanted some time to breath, So I thought that letting yourself train for a couple of weeks would do that, but you went above and beyond that and then beat me fair and square...What I’m really sorry about is shrugging my duties as your trainer, for not watching over you and if I had known that you trained so hard out of class that you would hit rebound in weeks rather months. I don’t know what I would do but It would have been better than nothing. So I’m sorry Atlas I’m sorry for not watching over you.” Mars then got up and bowed to me.

I fumed at what he said but also felt a little proud that I managed to put a trainer on edge for being too much for him. Well, it’s not the worst thing someone's done to me, so I guess I’ll let him off the hook, just wish I knew about this rebound stuff beforehand. Hmm, I wonder why dad never told me about it? It’s kinda important.

I after gathering my thoughts I put a hand on Mar’s shoulder pulling him so I could look him in the eyes “Mar’s-” But before I could finish Vanessa lept off me at Mars with murder in her eyes and screaming “You're the reason Atlas was hurt! I'll kill you Mars, you bastard!”