Seth and Mongrel continued to train until their bodies had gotten used to the new enhancement. Another day later their whole body was at 50% of their original speed and two days later their bodies where back to normal and Mongrel could no longer feel the metal.
Seth on the other hand, could still feel the metal move but it no longer impeded his moments, seemingly moving with his muscles, and not after them.
"Shit man, give me ya shield" said Mongrel
"What? Too fast for you" asked Seth
"Yes, now hand it over" replied Mongrel
Seth chucked the shield at Mongrel who caught it with one hand and switched to a rapier to make up for the speed difference. The shield being a buckler, was light and able to move freely.
"Since you are using a rapier, mind if I do?"
"Do what ya want, but no shield for ya, I need an edge" replied Mongrel
"I have always wanted to try this" said Seth as he picked up a rapier and a dagger in his other hand.
"Come on that's cheating"
"We'll see if I am good with it"
Seth walked back to the center of the cube ' I have never been game to try this style since I have a good chance of getting hurt the first time I use it, but with the new defense I should be okay' Seth readied himself in a crouched position, his rapier poised and ready aimed at Mongrel.
"These maybe blunt but it will still hurt" said Mongrel looking at Seth.
"I know" is all he said back before he lunged with his rapier aiming to hit Mongrel's arm. The buckler came from one side and slammed the rapier to the side, narrowly missing his body. As the sword passed by his side Mongrel thrust his own attack at the center of Seth's body. Just as it was about to cross over the half way point between the two, Seth's dagger began to move. As he moved his whole body back he moved his dagger to intercept the rapier. The edge of the dagger caught the rapiers edge, and he used the dagger to push the rapier to the side as the blade passed under his right armpit, his rapier paused halfway on its way back to the starting position and began forward again. Mongrel was open, he had not expected the dagger to actually black his sword and had over committed. The rapier stopped just short of Mongrel's chest.
"My win?" asked Seth
"No ya used it as a shield"
"You said no shield, not that I cannot use a dagger for defense" said Seth with a smile
"Same shit"
"Hahaha but different"
"Fine, ya win this time"
"Thanks I would not have normally, this shit is cool" said Seth as he moved his arm, looking at the skin, almost as if he could see the metal below the surface of the skin.
"It is. Now how are ya gonna convince Maria? Ya have been avoiding her, saying you had to get used to the enhancement"
"I didn't lie"
"ya didn't tell her the whole truth"
"Huh..." Seth let out a long sigh "I know, she just will not like this, she is to proud to allow us to help her"
"I know that but we have to help her"
"I know that Mongrel"
"Then go talk to her. Don't avoid her any longer"
"What am I supposed to say?"
"Ain't nothing ya supposed too say, just say what ya feel"
"Easy for you to say"
"Have ya heard of the old man in the tower Seth?
"No, I haven't"
"It is said an old man was left in prison in the highest tower and one day a young man, a hero had been wrongfully imprisoned here came. The door slammed after the young man was thrown in, and the young man looked around and saw the old man and the bars on the window, the shut door and screamed let me out of here. The old man scoffed and rolled his eyes at the young man, until the door swung open and the hero walked out. The old man looked around bewildered and asked himself is that all I had to do. I just had to ask, do ya want to be the old man or the young man?" asked Mongrel.
"I still do not know how to broach the subject" replied Seth
"For fucks sake ya moron. If ya want something just come out and ask how do you know what they are going to say if you don't let them know what ya are thinking"
"What if she refuses my help?"
"Will that change your mind?"
"No, I would help her anyway. She did with me"
"Ya cannot change her response, that is outside of abilities but ya can change how you approach it. If it will make you feel better do it, if not leave it alone, but a questioned unasked can not be answered and a questions asked cannot be taken back"
"You and your bloody riddles"
"Ya know what you need to do, now do it"
"Fine you are right. Sometimes I wonder if the extra years made you wiser or it was how you lived those extra years "
"Definitely the latter. Haha now go, ya body is almost normal again and so is mine, we will arrive soon" Said Mongrel
...
On the planet which once held a Druin outpost, pieces of rubble now scattered across the sand, replaced with a human settlement inside the old outpost. The dead Druin's bodies piled high. They where lit ablaze, the smoke blackening the sky.
Under a small hill to the south of the outpost buried in the sand lay a Druin gunner, unconscious.
The sand shifted around him as he was roused, a rhythmic thumping and shifting of sand accompanied his slow movement as he sat up in the sand dune.
As he slowly sat upright he looked around himself and his body slowly began shifting as he began sliding down the sand dune he was previously lying in.
'Where am I? I don't remember how I got here, all I can remember is an explosion'
Looking around, the lone Druin could not see anything but sand and sky. Not a person, nor machine was in sight.
'What is that sound?' he wondered as he began to climb the dune looking for the origin of the sound and vibrations.
'I do not have my bident. What would my dad say. "a good Druin gunner or elite must never let go of their weapon as their weapon protects the people as is their right" he would be ashamed at how I ran. I could start growing tech, but I don't have a sprout and I have no idea where I am.
The Gunner reached the top of the dune and saw the sky was black. As he climbed over the ridge birds flew at him, making him take cover, less he fall back down the dune. As his surroundings grew quite from the distinct flapping sound that once had engulfed him, he peered around himself, horrified as he saw the smoke rising from the machine on the horizon and the ground littered with blood that stuck the sand together.