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'Good.' The Great Protector nodded her head in approval. Ragnar's willingness to accept what needed to be done was a welcome change from her usual methods of forceful persuasion.
'Since you want to tone it down, for today we will test the limitations of your shapeshifting abilities,' The Great Protector announced, her eyes sparkling with a golden light. The water around them rippled, floating into a series of water rings, each smaller than the last. 'We will test if your shapeshifting abilities would allow you to adapt and shrink at will. Go.'
Ragnar looked up, understanding what the Great Protector wanted him to do. He had to pass through the rings without destroying them. "It's just like threading a needle, I can do it!" he muttered to himself, transforming into a dragon.
Ragnar was about to roar a challenge, but the words caught in his throat. Remembering something, he looked down, noticing his shredded clothes fluttering in the wind. 'Not again!' he grumbled in distress, shaking his head and flapping his wings.
Ragnar eyed the first water ring with a skeptical gaze before flying through it, closing his wings. 'Easy peasy,' he thought smugly, glancing at the second water ring. He exhaled, stretching his body, barely squeezing through the ring.
'I leave it up to you! My perfect body!' Ragnar thought optimistically, facing the third ring. He knew he wouldn't be able to pass through it no matter what he tried. He closed his eyes, hoping his shapeshifting abilities would kick in.
'Did it wo–' He felt the water crashing over him, soaking him to the bone. He sighed, flapping his wings in daze, only to hear the Great Protector's voice.
'Again!'
Ragnar flew back to the starting point, closing his eyes, taking a deep breath before opening them, his gaze fixed on the water rings with renewed determination.
When a bright idea sparked in his mind. 'Think about something small!' he thought, believing it might help his body shapeshift.
Ragnar passed through the first two rings, then closed his eyes, attempting to hypnotize himself. 'Think like a bee!' He tried, but he still got wet. He glared at the ring, but a fighting spirit burned in his eyes. He wouldn't give up just like that.
'Again!'
'Think like a snake!'
'Again!'
'Think like a bird!'
'Again!'
'Think like a mouse!'
'Again!'
'Think like a butterfly?'
'Again?'
'Think, Think like a– Fuck it!' Ragnar didn't even have a chance to think about a small animal or insect before the water hit him in the face. He flew down to the shore, transforming back into a human. "Let's stop here! This isn't working, I'm not turning small," he sighed, sitting on the ground, naked.
The Great Protector sighed, a rumble of disappointment in her voice. 'I suppose it won't work, even after five tries,' she said, her head shaking slightly. She knew the outcome was inevitable. 'Your shapeshifting doesn't allow you to get small, and you probably can't become bigger as well.'
'That concludes our lesson for today,' the Great Protector announced, her voice carrying a hint of finality as she turned towards the lake. 'Go with Jiayi. She'll guide you through your adaptation.'
"Wait! That's all? You're just going to leave?" Ragnar blurted out, his voice laced with disbelief. Although he asked to tone it down, it was too easy and so anticlimactic making it feel like something was off.
The Great Protector's gaze flickered to him, a hint of amusement in her eyes. "Yes, that's it," she replied, her voice a low rumble. "You should see what Jiayi has in store for you before you came back here," then with a flick of her tail, she dove back into the depths of the lake, leaving Ragnar standing there, his brow furrowed in confusion.
"Wait!" Ragnar called out, his hand reaching out instinctively, but it was too late.
The Great Protector had already disappeared.
"What am I going to do now?" Ragnar muttered, looking down at his naked body. The thought of searching for Jiayi in this state made him embarrassed.
'I have to go back to the suitcase first,' Ragnar thought, sighing. He was about to transform back into a dragon when a gust of wind hit his back.
"Hiss." Ragnar took a sharp breath, trembling. He turned around, his eyes widening as he saw his clothes fluttering in front of him.
"Get dressed. Since you want to live here, I'll let you in on a little secret, everyone in Ta Lo is free. There are just a couple of rules to follow." Jiayi whispered, Her gaze lingered on him for a moment, before she turned and walked away, adding over her shoulder, "But not that free,"
"I didn't want this to happen!" Ragnar cried out. He didn't want to be called a pervert by the people who were going to be his neighbors in the future. He gritted his teeth, looking down at the clothes in his hands. It was the clothes he had left by the shore yesterday.
'This day just keeps getting worse,' Ragnar complained weakly as he put the clothes on. He had no idea it was just the beginning of his suffering.
Ragnar ran after Jiayi, stopping behind her. Even with his usual shamelessness, he needed some time to get over the embarrassment of being seen naked.
"Ahem," Ragnar cleared his throat, his expression serious. "Where are we going?"
Jiayi didn't answer, leading Ragnar to the village square before stopping and looking at the entrance of the village.
Ragnar thought Jiayi didn't want to talk to him, so he followed her gaze. His eyes widened. "How did it get here!" he exclaimed in surprise, running towards the RV that was surrounded by the residents of Ta Lo.
"After guarding the Gate of Ta Lo yesterday, I let it follow me back to the cave," Jiayi said from behind, walking after him at a calm pace. "I might say it's a very loyal vehicle, since it tried to keep flying, looking for you guys in the bamboo forest when you didn't get back," she said with a hint of interest. She could feel the same magic emanating from the RV as from the suitcase.
"You're here!" Elliot shouted, seeing Ragnar in the crowd. He waved a hand toward him. "It won't open the door," he said, pointing at the RV with his thumb.
"打扰一下/Dǎrǎo yīxià(Excuse me)," Ragnar whispered, bowing his head as he pushing through the crowd. "It's our fault for leaving it out there in the first place," he whispered, holding the RV's door.
"Oh... I think it's fine," Elliot said with a long tone full of uncertainty. He pointed toward the window where the kids were waving enthusiastically. "It opened for your mother, and even Ororo and the kids are already inside."
Ragnar glanced over, then nodded confidently. "Yeah, it just still hates you," he said with a teasing grin.
The RV's door opened automatically, revealing Sicilia, who was about to step out. "You're here," she whispered, looking at Ragnar with swirling emotions before sighing weakly.
"I'm here..." Ragnar repeated slowly, sensing the weird tone in his mom's voice. He looked inside and saw the kids and Ororo whispering something, looking at him with pity.
"Okay, you all got to tell me what is happening?" Ragnar asked in confusion, feeling like something big was about to happen without his knowledge.
"We just put the suitcase inside the RV," Sicilia said nonchalantly, ignoring him. She stepped out of the RV and nodded in greeting to Jiayi as she passed by. She whispered, "Be gentle with him, when you can," she pleaded, walking toward her husband and taking his hand.
Jiayi just nodded, but didn't say anything. She knew it was normal for a mother to worry about her son who was about to go through harsh training.
"Come with me," Jiayi said to Ragnar, walking toward the training ground as the crowd made way for them.
Ragnar followed with a slight hesitation. He couldn't help but feel something bad was going to happen. He looked behind, seeing his family following them at a slow pace. He saw his mother holding back, saw Ororo looking at him with pity before raising her fist and cheering.
And finally, the last straw. Ragnar saw Regulus had stepped out of the suitcase, following behind him with its tail swaying excitedly. He could even see a smile forming on its mouth.
Regulus, sensing Ragnar's gaze, quickly tried to play it cool. It attempted to mask its grin, and its tail stilled for a moment, but ultimately failed.
Ragnar was sure something was definitely going to happen. He took a huge gulp, turning his head to the front, looking at the training ground getting closer and closer. "How about we talk about this?" he whispered to Jiayi.
Jiayi didn't answer, but asked her own question as they walked toward a table full of wooden weapons. "Have you used any weapon before?"
"No, but I plan to use a spear," Ragnar whispered weakly, thinking Jiayi should be planning on teaching him how to use weapons. But when he looked at his family, he knew his guess might be wrong.
"A spear, interesting choice," Jiayi whispered, taking a wooden spear and giving it to Ragnar. "I thought you were going to pick a sword." She teased, knowing his flashy fighting style.
"I am planning to get a spear weapon in the future," Ragnar explained, waving the wooden spear and making a stabbing gesture. 'Sword is more better,' he thought, sighing. He knew a sword was simpler and easier to use, but his plans were already set.
"You know my job is to help you live up to your true potential, right?" Jiayi asked, but her tone was filled with authority. She took a wooden spear of her own. "Are you ready?" she asked, walking to the center of the training ground.
Ragnar looked at his family, seeing encouragement in their eyes. "I am!" he shouted, gritting his teeth. 'It should not be so bad,' he thought, thinking he was ready for pain. Maybe he would just lose face after Jiayi defeated him again and again, because he was sure he wasn't a genius at wielding weapons.
"Good," Jiayi nodded in approval before throwing the wooden spear toward Ying Li, who caught it spinning as she walked in front of Ragnar.
Ragnar breathed a sigh of relief. Though he might not defeat Ying Li in technique, he could still overpower her with pure strength.
"From now on, you will hold back your strength when fighting her. Only use the same strength as a human. Do you understand?" Jiayi said seriously, circling around them.
"Of course..." Ragnar mumbled, rolling his eyes. He was already bracing for some sort of catch, some hidden condition. But Jiayi didn't pause. "But first..."
Before Ragnar could even process her words, Jiayi was on him. He barely had time to blink before her fist connected with his gut
BOOM!
The impact of Jiayi's fist connecting with his stomach made a loud sound.
"Ahck!" Ragnar gasped, his vision blurring as his internal organs seemed to convulse. He couldn't even catch his breath, let alone spit out anything.
Jiayi held him in the stomach, stopping him from falling to the ground. She whispered, "Adaptation, right?" Then she let go, infusing chi into her right hand and then slapping Ragnar on the back.
BOOM!
Ragnar hit the ground, even the dust and dirt scattering from the impact. His fingers dug into the ground as he felt every bone was close to breaking.
"Oh my god!" Ororo shouted in shock, covering her mouth. They were already expecting Ragnar's training was going to be hard, since Jiayi had spoken to Sicilia and Elliot first, asking for their permission.
Although Ororo expected Ragnar's training to be different, since he was a dragon, for her this wasn't training.
Sicilia closed her eyes, not wanting to see her son get hurt. She held Elliot's hand tighter.
"Don't worry, if he wants to quit, we could always leave," Elliot whispered, kissing her on the head while looking at Ragnar with encouragement. 'You can do it kid.'
Sicilia just nodded, burying her head in Elliot's chest. She didn't know how to feel, torn between expecting Ragnar to call out for them, asking for their help so they could leave, and at the same time, wanting him to endure and grow stronger.
But to everyone's surprise, from the kids and Ororo, as well as his parents and Jiayi, he didn't scream, shout, curse, or complain. He just grunted in pain.
"Argh." Ragnar gritted his teeth, reaching for his wooden spear, stabbing its tip into the ground before pulling himself up slowly, into a kneeling position. He looked up at Jiayi, whispering, "Next time a warning should be great."
He was ready for pain, but the feeling of being caught by surprise was unpleasant.
Ragnar then used his wooden spear to help him stand. His mind wandered back to The Great Protector before she left, remembering her words, or maybe her warning.
Realizing what their goal was for today, it was letting his body adapt while getting injured, strengthening his muscles and bones in the process.
Maybe even learning to wield a weapon at the same time.
He chuckled softly, he was grateful it was Jiayi who planned his training. Otherwise, if it had been The Great Protector, he wouldn't be surprised if she had hit him, breaking every bone in his body again and again.
Ragnar smiled, thinking he had dodged a bullet. He raised his wooden spear, pointing at Ying Li, his eyes gleaming with determination. "Shall we begin?"
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A/N: The Spear should have given you a hint, what Soul Ring Ragnar was planning to get.
Regulus: Fight! Let's Go!
Jiayi: Surprise attack.
Ororo: I want too report an abuse!
Ragnar: Are you ready for Kung Fu fighting~ This kid is fast as lightning~!
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