G

I sat up a few hours before sunrise. Riley's silent tears were something I could no longer ignore. Definitely when it was dripping on my forearm.

I squinted and made out the message on her phone. Apparently her mother went out with a group of women to canvas some houses for food and met the brutality of a patrol unit of walkers. One or two brutes and six to eight normal walkers led by an awakened walker. The father returned just in time to see the women being played with.

In anger they attacked the walkers and, sad to say, were slaughtered like domestic cows. Those that didn't go out managed to record this and send the news to their family.

I grabbed the phone to stop her from replaying the scene of her father being ripped apart by a brute. The only thing I could do was wrap my arms around her and slowly rock her to sleep.

It did make me wonder how my old man was doing but he isn't a retired vet. If he didn't transform into a walker, he would most likely be leading others in reclaiming human lands. As for my sister, I didn't have any good relations with her to care all that much but she should be in a small town like this. Married to a local man and living somewhat decently. After all, girls like her tend to develop a daddy complex.

Shit even I developed a daddy complex but the difference is that I became him without following in his footsteps absolutely. Even if I want to hide from responsibilities that carried him away from his family, the lessons he taught make me outstanding.

Well since I have time to pondering, what the fuck is this crystal orb with all these dancing lines that look like color pencils held in one hand. Dragged across the paper from one corner to the next without any thought put into it.

Wait, I'm being stupid. Mana affinity is often described as colors. Dirt is brown, wind is green, water is blue, and so on. So if I picked out the colors according to this scale. Then the golden-red line which is the thickest must be fire or sun-fire. The two lines opposite of it must be fire and light, red and gold. The black line must be death as I have been up and close with death since this shit show. Grey line should be metal as my guns have trace amounts of metal to plastic in it. Green obviously wind but what is the white? Pink?

Does this exist with concepts? Ignoring concepts, if this allows me to manifest the abilities of these colors then how do I display them? I tried to cajole the wonderful feeling in me into producing flames but nothing. Wait, let's take a step back.

If I am right, which is a big if. The translucent disk is actually the derivative ability of this crystal orb. They were manifested because I wanted a shield of some kind. That disk could be a crystal flattened. So maybe my ability is to utilize crystals? Gems are crystals and many games to books utilize gems as a conduct to forge spells and the like.

Does this make me an enchanter type mage or a mage with a blinding weakness that relied on conducts?

Biting my lips, I picture the only gem that I had contact with and see everywhere. I opened my palm and pictured a diamond forming in my palm.

The orb shrunk a little and I felt a small object in my hand. I used my thumb to roll it around my palm and it felt kind of rough. Nothing like a cut diamond but like a rock that still has its rough edges.

However, I used my thoughts like a diamond cutter. As my thumb rolled the gem, fragments drifted off as a more solid line pressed into my thumb pad. The pressure wasn't even worth mentioning. The weirdest thing is that I felt the curl up fragments but during the next cycle of thumb rolling, it disappeared.

Did it go back to the globe?

When I finished, I had a small cut diamond. No bigger than the tip of a pinky nail. I brought it to my eyes and I could tell no difference between it and the small diamonds I often see on cheap rings.

Now the hardest part, I attempted to pull some of the lines into the diamond but there was a strong rejection. The only line that would allow me to draw upon it was the pink and I just decided to cancel the diamond. My orb returned to its original size.

The two biggest lines that look like a wide brush stroke, were golden-red and the black line. Thus I tried summoning a gem that was black. It came out in a raw form much bigger than a thumb nail but not by much. I shaped it into an orb.

When it was a perfect sphere, I dragged the black line to it. Immediately, I noticed a kind of cold aura seeping out of the gem into my palm. However, I didn't want to test it yet. So I thought about the golden-red line and what gem could represent it. Maybe I would have to blend the two together? Ruby oftentimes represented fiery passions. If I mixed a little diamond into that, maybe the old folklore about diamond being the connector between spirit, mind, and body would help me better utilize the powers?

Okay, back to the puzzle. Sunstone is often used in games. I don't know if it is a real gem but I can Google it after I get up.

I pictured all three gems and felt their weight sink into my palm. I focus on them melting and turning into a band that could fit my index finger. Within a blink of an eye, it melted and swirled around my index finger. The black orb settled overhead and transformed into a skull with the back of it, settling into the band.

Doing all this left me a little mentally fatigued but it definitely looks nice if not a little eerie. The skull had a cackling look with the bones of its brow arc in a way that made it look as if it was laughing.

I couldn't stop the smile that brushed across my face. I looked down at Riley's troubled face as she wept in my arms. It was at that moment where I felt a miniscule pinch in my body. It would have been completely ignored had it transferred a type of information to my mind.

Nothing detailed but I could tell that Riley was close to awakening. Which made me curious about it but only curious. We have been trading saliva for a bit, it was no Brainer to know I have infected her.

Riley began moving in my arms. She pushed against my chest and I opened my arms as I leaned back. She tossed the covers off her and stepped off the bed.

I stretched myself and watched her.

Riley grabbed her phone where I dropped it and turned on the flashlight. She crouched down and pulled her duffle bag from under the bed. I didn't see what she was searching for but it was obvious when she put a pair of clothes on the bed. She stood up and took off the tank top and replaced it with a sports bra?

I had to give another round of praises. Her body was just right to tease you with those taut lines. Definitely when she raises her arms and she catches you with those hard cut abs. In comparison to a hard cut gem, she would be a flawless diamond. The edges would give you a sense of teasing pain as they dug into your finger pads. But the design leaves you with a sense of geometric beauty that continues to pull you in. From that first buy to thinking back years later.

Yet, her body didn't lack those beautiful soft curbs that made you feel a sense of closeness. It's as if diamonds were beautiful and sharp but distant. Whereas, those femine curves were like soft spheres.

I jumped out of bed and grabbed a pair of clean shorts. I wasn't a huge shorts fan but it was the only thing not dirtier by blood. I rushed out of the cell and picked up Riley, turning her into the direction of the gym.

"It's too cold to run right now. Let's go to the gym and you can throw some punches." My words took the anger right out of her posture.

I led her to the gym and helped her put on some gloves. I couldn't keep the smile off my face as I saw my little warrioress. She looks absolutely fired in her sports bra and tight shorts with her hair up in a half-assed bun.

"Get into the ring." I said as I put on some coaching pads.

"You can't hit me!" She said as she glanced at the ring with a sense of restlessness.

I laughed and held up the pads. "These are used to guide a fighter. It won't hurt you at all."

I ducked into the ring and bounced on my feet as I got my blood rushing. She copied my movements. I wanted to give her a thumbs up but my hands were trapped.

"Okay, come at me." I said as I slipped into a boxer stance.

Riley looked at me before walking over. She put her hands up and threw a couple jabs that felt like she was trying to probe me.

I smacked them aside, "come on. You won't be able to hit me with that bullshit. Put some real feeling behind it or you will end up like your mom."

She froze up, tears threatened to spill from her eyes.

I shook my head, "are you going to cry when it's your turn? Cry and watch your dad get ripped apart? I hope not but by damn, if this is what you plan to do. I'm worried about my life." I slapped my pads together. "Stop standing there and come at me," I snapped.

Riley bit her lips and came at me. Transforming that pain into fury. Maybe a hint of hatred as her strikes had no semblance of any style. Let's forget about the fact she is a dancing student that beat out her competition for that spot.

I duck under a few of her strikes, running her in circles. I only needed some fancy head movements and her fist was scraping on by like another passerby.

"Is that all you got?" I barked as I rolled my head out of the way of a wild haymaker. "At this rate, you're going to hit me when I'm old and too cripple to bother moving anymore."

Riley drew back her fist and stared at me as she panted. Her lovely chest rising like a bell ringing. "Okay, shut up and teach me."

I started laughing. I really liked this girl. Nothing kept her down and she didn't lose her head. I threw myself into teaching her. Guiding her movements until she was conforming her dancing techniques with basic boxing posture and movement.

She even improved at a rapid pace which I felt was odd. Even with me making use of her dancing background, that didn't necessarily translate into boxing. Yet, she was quickly implementing kicks, knee, and elbow strikes that almost caught me off guard a few times.

But then I thought about that woman with the katana. Her moves looked a bit amateurish but her ability to judge when to strike with her speed was profound. It was the difference from two men of equal weight but different specialties having the different punching strength. If compared to a boxer who had professional coaching, then he will be drawing his power from his whole body. Kinetics and law of motions and so on. Whereas a body builder wouldn't be able to put all his strength into the same punch.

I was seeing something like this out of Riley. She went from being pretty much a bodybuilder to pushing her overall power into each strikes. While they are still a little ugly, the power is there. Maybe if she trains regularly, she will be able to deal me some real damage.

Instead of me blocking her easily like I am with these pads or just by dancing out of the way.

"Stop." I kept dancing out of her path while trying to call for a rest.

Riley looked at me as if she wasn't even tired and wanted to throw another hundred punches.

"Why are we stopping?" She said with a light douse of sweat.

I raised my eyebrows as I held the ropes and caught my breath. It took me a few seconds but I eventually recovered.

"You awakened now and I can't keep up with your endurance. Let this mortal take a break, my goddess." I bowed and cracked a smile as she rolled her eyes.

"Fine but I want to train like this everyday. Do you know weapons too? Like swords?" She demanded.

I bit the latch and pulled it off, sliding my hand out of the pad, taking off the other. I walked over and took off hers.

"I know some basic movements but I didn't necessarily practice a lot with them. Gun training in modern times solves a lot of problems that a sword used to but we could give it a try." I placate her. "Watch some videos, I think your ability allows you to absorb knowledge."

Riley brown eyes had a subtle charm that wasn't present before or maybe I am just a lovesick puppy. Anyway, I held up the rope for her and brought her to the bathroom. .Where I am proud to say, fuck the doghouse! This man is no longer bound to the life of a lowly dog!