Warlock of War: My Ares System

Cy was going to take a while to bring back up, so that was my objective this month as I waited for the meeting…

…

A few days later and we had all basically recovered to our original state, but Cy and Aisa were still mentally affected by the effects of the past events.

Aisa couldn't stop having nightmares while Cy literally didn't want to do anything, so I knew he was going down the path of depression.

"Okay, you sleep ass, let's get out of bed and get some breakfast," I said while tearing Cy out of bed, and even though he struggled and kicked me like a child, he eventually gave in and followed me to the dilapidated with his blanket still wrapped around him.

He's only talked like once the past few days, but right now, I just wanted him to gradually drag himself back up.

"We're going to be doing some sparring today with your respective close-combat weapons. Also, I'll be putting you through a rigid training regime which I was forced to go through in the military back in my prime," Aisa's grandfather said, and Cy just gave him a glaring glance.

He didn't seem to like him that much, but out of respect for him being his friend's mother, he kept his mouth shut and didn't say anything.

Seems he's already growing…

"How much sleep did you get last night?" I asked Aisa, and she flinched for a second before sighing and cupping her forehead with her hand.

"About… three or four hours. I keep seeing them as if their souls are trying to attack me in my sleep. I keep telling them that it wasn't my fault, but they keep haunting me, and I have no idea what to do," Aisa muttered while biting her lip.

A small stream of blood flowed from her lips and dripped onto the table, which Findir had immediately cleaned up.

"Are you doing the breathing exercise I've been telling you to practice? It helps with easing any stress, which is probably the cause of your nightmares," The old man said.

"Of course I have, but it hasn't done shit. I keep seeing them, feeling them, and hearing them in my dreams… I really can't do this anymore,"

The dark eye bags under Aisa's eyes seemingly sagged even more as she slumped in her chair and stared up at the ceiling.

A heavy air consumed the silence, and we all sat there awkwardly, stirring the light soup for breakfast.

"Alright, you bastards! STOP GROANING AND MOANING AND WAKE THE FUCK UP! I'M TIRED OF HEARING YOUR COMPLAINTS, AND IF YOU AREN'T GOING TO TRY AND CHANGE YOURSELF! GET OUT! I DIDN'T LET YOU STAY IN MY HOUSE JUST TO COMPLAIN!" The old man shouted, completely waking up Cy and Aisa, who blushed in embarrassment.

The old man had woken us all up from our slumps even though I wasn't really in one, but Finidr, who didn't display any sign of stress, breathed a sigh of relief.

I guess he was stressed about his friends' states since they almost seemed suicidal.

Soon, we were forced out of the house and into the hollow streets of the slums, which had essentially been cleared by the countless paid drafts sent city-wide.

It was a bit sad that these guys were going to die a dog's death, but it's whatever… It's not like we knew personally.

"NOW! GET DOWN AND GIVE ME FIFTY PUSHUPS! UNABLE TO COMPLETE FIFTY PUSHUPS IN FIVE MINUTES WILL RESULT IN A PUNISHMENT!" The old man shouted, and instantly, we dropped down.

The training regime for the morning was brutal, and by the time it had ended, it was lunch, and everybody was exhausted that they couldn't move.

"Orion, how are you still standing?" Findir asked in between heavy breaths.

"This is all mental, son,"

"Don't give me that shit. Your legs are wobbling, and your arms are limp at your side," Findir said, but I quickly shut up him up with a stern kick to the side.

"At least I'm still standing, asshole," I muttered before dropping to my knees and crawling my way to the delectable lunch that sat on the kitchen table.

It was soup again with large chunks of meat and vegetables, a meal that had all the essential nutrients but not that many calories.

"You all are getting chubby, so I'll be putting you in a slight calorie deficit," The old man said, and we all groaned before absolutely devouring the bowl of soup.

If I could, I would've eaten the wooden bowl as well, but the old man would most likely kill me, so I just shoved that idea to the back of my mind.

"What do you mean? I weigh like 140 pounds of lean muscle," Cy spoke up for the first time today, and the old man just scoffed at him.

"Yeah, right. You may have a diced abdomen, but your arms still look skinny. Plus, your legs could be better, especially when you use a spear that needs a strong trunk to use at maximum efficiency. I mean, look at Orion. He may not have abs, but at least he has arms that are good for the spear and strong legs, which is excellent for the spear,"

I think I know why he's putting us on a calorie deficit… he was hiding the fact that he barely had any food and tried to make us feel a bit safer.

He could fool the others, but not me.

I mean, trying to gain muscle while cutting isn't how you do it, but I guess the gain could be minimal… at least for Cy.

It was alright for myself, Findir, and Aisa, but I don't know if she wanted to get diced. She's a sniper, right, so why would she ever need that.

…

CLANG CLANG CLANG

I soon found out why her grandfather wanted her to get diced, and that was because she was excellent with a combat knife.

It was about three-quarters the size of her forearm, and one side had a rigid blade in order to help grind through flesh when needed.

She was clearly holding back in those spars from before… meaning she definitely learned in secret from her grandfather.