War God for Hire- Gladiator by David Burke (books under 200 pages .TXT) 📕

Kyle laughed and said, “Always had a way with the ladies.”

“Whatever,” Hilde said. “The other stats are more significant. Your Mind score increased, but that doesn’t mean that you got smarter, it means that you got better at using your mind. From having been around Krig, the mind of a god is something different. He was able to perceive things that I couldn’t see, and even operate multiple constructs at the same time. And I already am more mentally agile than your average mortal by a good margin.”

“So maybe it will help me process essence and learn new skills,” Kyle said.

“That is highly likely, but it will take time to increase, and your level is still solidly in the mortal range. Equally important to go along with your Mind increase is the increase in your Will. That came about because you pushed through. That will be just as important as your mind, and distinctly more important than strength or any other physical trait.”

“Okay, and the skill? Will I be able to learn more skills, or will I be able to use Earth Essence like I use War Essence? I could feel the War Essence helping me leap higher, run faster, throw the maul more accurately,” Kyle said.

“You keep asking these questions like I am going to be able to answer them.”

“Yeah, yeah, I get your point, we’re just trying to figure this out as we go. I will say this. Using Earth Essence felt like I was manipulating a vessel of power within myself yet distinct from me. It wasn’t at all how it feels when I use War Essence. That just feels as natural as breathing. That is, when I can make it work at all.”

“Sorry, I know that as strange as this is to me, it is even more strange to you. As for the skill, it is much like your Divine Ability. Look at the description of it for more detail; you just need to focus your mind on it.”

Kyle did just that and pulled up the following:

Flowing Earth Armor: Pulls up the ground at your feet and forms an armor over your body. The armor will continually replenish itself until the Earth Essence is depleted. User may channel to maintain the armor.

Armor provides 100% resistance to electrical attacks, 75% resistance to heat and cold attacks, 50% resistance to acid attacks, and 25% resistance to physical attacks.

Cost: 2 Earth Essence

Duration: Up to 1 hour, varies based upon movement and amount attacked. Movement is slowed by 10% for the duration.

“Cool, but why can’t I get a description like that for my Divine Ability?” Kyle asked.

“Likely because you haven’t synced with your mantle enough yet, which is something I think we should try now,” Hilde replied.

“Okay, I’m game. But how do we do that? And what are the benefits? Maybe if I had a goal in mind, it would help motivate me more,” Kyle said.

“Hmm… well first off, the more you sync with your mantle, the stronger you will become, but you already know that. It will also allow you to not just temporarily summon me, but also to permanently manifest me on whatever plane you are on. Given what I know about your life on Earth, I’d think that the kind of gratitude I could show you would be sufficient motivation.”

Kyle said, “Sold, but I haven’t even learned how to summon you and, no matter how tempting, I don’t want to risk pulling you through the void just for a booty call. You made it seem dangerous, and I won’t do that to you without good reason. Besides that, we need to work on breaking these manacles off too.”

“I find your concern for me to be touching. You are the war god; it is inevitable that your servants will be placed into dangerous situations. But I do like that you consider me more than an expendable pawn. So here is what I need you to do: focus on nothing at first.”

Kyle laughed. “You mean like empty my mind?”

“Yes, but only briefly. Think of it as a reset. You can’t be focused on anything external. If you can stop stressing about the circumstances around you, it will enable you to turn your focus inward. Then comes the part that you won’t like.” Hilde’s voice was hesitant as she spoke this time.

“I already accepted your oath. I felt the connection that it started between us. I’ve only known you for a couple of months now, and still haven’t met you in flesh, but I find myself trusting you more each day. Just tell me what you think. I’m not promising to do what you say or to think it is the best way, but I promise to listen to your counsel,” Kyle said.

“And that is why you will either be so much more than Krig or so much less. Only time will tell.”

Kyle wasn’t entirely sure how to take that last part, but he let it go. “Okay, so what do you want me to do after I relax?”

“As I said, try to empty your mind of all concerns. Block out the outside world. Then I want you to try to remember anything from your prior life. Try to connect with the part of Krig that is still in you. As best I can tell, you are two beings merged into one, and you can’t ignore that part of yourself. I know you are afraid of losing yourself, but you have to embrace all of yourself.”

That definitely had Kyle on edge, but truthfully, Hilde hadn’t misled him yet so he would try. He practiced breathing deeply and trying to relax. As always happened, his mind started to race about other things. It could never be easy, after all. But he focused on one single thought first, a perfect swing of the bat.

He went through how it looked, how his feet pivoted, how his hips rotated, how the head of the bat