"Don't stop," Delia whined when Khan retracted his hand. "It feels good to be touched for once."
Khan sighed before diving back on her hair. He felt guilty because he liked that gesture, so he wasn't exactly forcing himself.
"Are you finally starting to like me?" Delia asked while rubbing her head on Khan's leg.
"I've always liked you," Khan admitted. "That's not why I'm refusing you."
"I know, but it's nice to hear it," Delia stated. "I still have to take care of my pride."
Khan didn't say anything. He wanted to close his eyes, but Liiza's face appeared whenever he did that, so he focused on the sleepy figure resting on him. He wished things were easier, but his mind didn't release its grip on him.
"Did you get any sleep?" Delia eventually asked.
"No," Khan responded.
Delia let go of his leg and turned to face Khan. Her hand went on his abdomen to leave soft caresses as whispers left her mouth. "Lie down. Let me take care of you."
"I'm not sure I'd be able to sleep," Khan revealed.
"You wouldn't sleep anyway," Delia giggled as she straightened her position and crossed her legs. "Come on. I'm sure Rick will show up soon."
The guilt inside Khan's mind intensified. He felt tempted by the offer, so his brain made him experience that sad emotion. Still, he eventually decided to lie down when Delia patted her thighs.
The softness and warmth that filled Khan's mind after laying his head on Delia's lap only intensified his guilt. He couldn't believe how something so simple could feel good and wrong at the same time. He found some peace but also a lot of pain.
'Are you going through this too?' Khan wondered in his mind. 'Are you resting in someone else's arms thinking about me?'
Khan had to force those thoughts in the back of his mind. He knew the Niqols' free nature, so he didn't like the images that his brain created. He didn't delude himself, but he felt that going over those topics would only add pain.
"Does it feel good when I do this?" Delia asked while rubbing her hands on his head and neck.
"Yes," Khan admitted, "That's why it hurts."
"Should I stop?" Delia asked after her fingers twitched in hesitation.
"No," Khan sighed. "I can't stop the pain anyway."
Delia's fingers twitched again, and her eyes felt teary when she tried to imagine what Khan was going through. She had to gulp and clear her throat before she felt able to resume speaking. "I… I don't know how to make you feel better. I'm afraid that I will hurt you no matter what I do."
"It's fine," Khan whispered. "It's not your fault. I'm actually surprised you managed to put me in this situation."
"I am indeed amazing," Delia chuckled.
"Experience comes with old age," Khan joked.
"Don't ruin it!" Delia complained, but a helpless smile appeared on her face when she heard Khan's laugh.
"You are a hard man to like," Delia sighed while pulling Khan's head closer to her waist.
"I do my best," Khan exclaimed before closing his eyes, ready to face everything his brain threw at him.
Images and sensations that Khan had shared with Liiza filled his mind and fought everything that Delia tried to give him. He slowly began to realize that his love for Liiza wasn't the only reason behind his current condition. Khan was scared. He feared that he would forget the immense happiness experienced on Nitis if he allowed himself to move on.
Khan didn't manage to fall asleep, but he didn't mind that. He meditated for a bit and let himself enjoy Delia's careful touches. He could almost feel her hesitation from her gestures, but that was fine for now. They had shared a bad and long experience, but they were still learning to know each other.
Delia's prediction turned out to be on point. It didn't take long before someone knocked at the entrance and forced the two to separate. Khan noticed the faint blush on the woman's cheeks, but he decided not to joke about it since she diverted her gaze to hide her mood.
"Rick," Khan said after the door slid open and revealed the young man's figure.
"Boss!" Rick shouted before covering his mouth.
Khan couldn't find the strength to scold Rick, and faint surprise spread in his mind when he checked his state. The soldier had bruises and cuts on his knuckles, and his uniform on his elbows and knees had broken.
'His determination isn't bad,' Khan thought. 'I wonder if he developed it only after feeling useless for so long.'
"Today is the day, right?" Rick asked without hiding his intense excitement.
"Yes," Khan announced. "We only need to find you a sparring partner. I hope you are willing to pay for that."
"Of course!" Rick shouted, and Khan rolled his eyes, forcing him to lower his head in shame.
"I still don't get how you plan on convincing the other soldiers," Delia asked while approaching Khan from behind and wrapping her arms around his abdomen.
Rick blushed when he saw that intimate scene. It was early in the morning, so he knew that the two had slept together. Thinking about that was enough to make him feel awkward, but it also solidified his respect for Khan. The latter didn't even react when Delia hugged him.
"Let's get something to eat first," Khan stated before glaring at Delia.
Delia giggled and left a kiss on his shoulder before picking the trays in the room and rejoining her companions. Her smile only widened when she saw how red Rick had become. She seemed to like teasing him.
The trio reached the dark cube in no time and dealt with the breakfast quickly. Then, Rick led Khan and Delia toward an area right outside the camp where the grass didn't grow. Patches of barren ground and a bit of mud tainted the otherwise green spectacle.
"Aren't they a bit too strong for Rick?" Delia asked as the group sat to wait for Moses and the others.
"I don't know anyone else," Khan admitted, "Unless you want me to reach out for some of the other soldiers on my own."
Delia's eyes snapped open when she recalled how popular Khan was. A fake smile appeared on her face as she patted Rick's shoulder and tried to reassure him. "Don't worry. You'll be okay."
Rick didn't understand what was going on, but he was too excited to care about it. He turned toward the camp often, hoping that Moses and his group would appear soon.
Moses and the others didn't take long to arrive, and they didn't hold back from showing their surprise either. A few smiles appeared on their faces when they saw Khan, but some frowned at Rick's sight.
"Have you decided to join us today?" Moses happily asked before glancing at the metallic structure over Khan's hand. "Are you sure you should fight in this condition?"
"I need a sparring partner for Rick," Khan explained. "I promised that I would teach him how to fight."
Some of the soldiers behind Moses laughed, but they diverted their gazes when Delia glared at them. She even felt a bit angry that Khan didn't say anything to defend Rick. The latter was a terrible soldier, but he had a good heart, and he had even proven his determination.
"We are a bit too strong for him," Moses honestly replied.
"I know, but you must know someone who isn't," Khan guessed. "Isn't there some promising soldier in the camp?"
"There is a kid who has yet to become a first-level warrior," Moses said while rubbing his chin. "Still, she is quite troublesome. Nice words won't help with her."
"He'll pay her," Khan exclaimed while pointing at Rick, and the latter nodded to confirm his statement.
"She might hurt him, you know?" Moses continued. "Her family threw her on Ecoruta for a reason."
"It's fine," Khan stated. "Pain isn't a problem here. It might even help in his case."
Moses nodded and took out his phone and started sending messages. The device even buzzed a few times when replies arrived. It took a few minutes, but the soldier eventually raised his gaze from the device to announce his success. "She will be here in half an hour. I must warn you. She wasn't exactly happy when my friend woke her up."
Khan lost interest after settling the matter. He crossed his legs and began to meditate while Moses and the others reached the barren patch and started to practice some moves.
Some soldiers didn't like that Khan didn't bother to look at them. He could feel their disappointed and annoyed gazes on him, but he didn't care. They didn't know that he was inspecting them even during his meditation. Besides, he had nothing to prove.
Two soldiers arrived after a while. Khan interrupted his meditation to inspect the newcomers. One of them was a tall man with an annoyed look on his face, while the other was a young girl with messy red hair.
"Do I get to fight with him?" The girl asked as her green eyes lit up when they fell on Khan.
"No," Khan calmly replied while pointing at Rick. "I need you to beat him up a bit."
"Why would I fight against that kid?" The girl snorted. "Isn't he the weakest soldier in the entire camp?"
"You are younger than me!" Rick complained.
"He'll pay you," Khan continued, ignoring Rick's reaction.
"Is he a masochist?" The girl questioned. "I can use the money, but I don't think he'll last long."
"That's fine," Khan announced. "Stand up, Rick. Deal with the price yourself."
Rick followed Khan's orders, and the girl set a price before he could say anything. The two could reach the barren patch of ground quickly, and the other soldiers even made room for them as they created a half-circle to enjoy the scene.
"Rick, don't think about attacking," Khan ordered. "Focus on blocking her blows with techniques. Don't dodge, block."
Rick took a deep breath and bent his legs to prepare his defensive techniques. He was clearly anxious, but Khan could sense the mana inside him moving smoothly.
The girl glanced at Khan, and he nodded. A wild smile appeared on her face as she shot forward and waved her hand in an attempt to scratch Rick.
Rick jumped to his right and dodged the attack. The girl wanted to chase him, but Khan's voice resounded before she could move.
"Stop!" Khan shouted. "Rick, you dodged. Let her hit you."
"What?" The girl, Delia, and Rick asked at the same time.
"You heard me," Khan sighed. "Let her hit you and go back in your position."
Rick stared at Khan for a few seconds, but the latter's expression showed only coldness. The soldier eventually nodded and got closer to the girl before closing his eyes and clenching his jaw.
The girl glanced at Khan, and he nodded. She rolled her eyes and casually waved her hand at Rick's chest. Her fingers cut his uniform and left superficial cuts on his skin.
"Again now," Khan ordered even if the girl's attack wasn't serious.
Rick and the girl faced each other, and the latter shot forward as soon as he took a defensive stance. However, Rick dodged instead of blocking again.
"Do I have to hit him again now?" The girl asked.
Khan sighed and stood up before approaching Rick. The soldier lowered his head in shame, but he didn't even look at him. Instead, Khan stomped his foot twice to create two holes.
"Get your feet inside them," Khan ordered while pointing at the holes.
Rick could only follow the orders. He stood up and inserted his feet in the holes before Khan proceeded to cover them. Rick was obviously strong enough to get out of them, but the action would make it impossible for him to dodge the incoming attack.
"Go at it again," Khan ordered while taking a few steps back.
The girl didn't like that situation, but her hesitation vanished when she thought about the Credits that she would earn. She shot forward as soon as Rick raised his arms, and her fingers left cuts on his waist when he tried to bend backward to dodge the attack.
"Again," Khan shouted without showing any trace of mercy.
The girl attacked again, and Rick's instincts made him dodge. He even got one foot out of the hole at that time, but the sharp fingers reached his shoulder anyway.
Khan stepped forward and pointed at the hole. Rick placed his foot inside it and watched as Khan covered it. The soldier tried to look at Khan, but he ignored him.
"Again," Khan ordered after stepping back.
Those scenes repeated themselves for a few minutes. The girl attacked, and Rick's tried to dodge, only to suffer injuries. Most wounds were superficial, but some ended up going quite deep and causing significant blood loss.
The sparring reached the point when Rick struggled to stand and the girl tried to hold back her blows. Khan often had to remind her to hit him, which made a series of surprised gazes converge on him.
Moses and the other soldiers were actually starting to get scared. They knew that getting rid of bad habits was hard, but the process was killing Rick. Moreover, Khan didn't show any emotion. He appeared willing to continue that training even if Rick's complexion had started to pale.
"Khan," Delia called after standing up and approaching his ear. "His family might have discarded him, but you will still pay the price if he dies."
"A half-assed approach won't work with him," Khan explained.
"But maybe this isn't the way," Delia whispered. "Look at him. He will need to spend the whole day in the medical bay already. More might really kill him."
"He can see her attacks," Khan commented, "But his body works against him. He needs to get rid of those instincts today."
"He might not get past today," Delia continued.
"He will never become a warrior if he can't perform a single block in the face of death," Khan announced.
Delia wanted to complain a bit more, but she couldn't find words that made sense. She didn't like that approach, but Khan was right. Rick was a lost cause if he couldn't complete that simple exercise.
Another series of attacks and attempted dodges followed as the sparring session continued. Rick seemed about to faint after new injuries appeared on his body, but Khan didn't hesitate to step forward and slap him lightly to keep him awake.
Some of the soldiers began to think that Khan was enjoying that process. The training had transformed into torture that he didn't want to stop. Even Delia hated Khan's ruthlessness, but only because it was hurting Rick. She knew that his merciless approach was the very reason behind her survival during the escape.
Then, the moment that everyone was waiting for eventually happened. The girl waved her hand toward Rick, and he raised his arm to deflect it. The technique failed and made a few cuts appear on his forearm, but he didn't try to escape.
"Finally," Khan sighed as Delia voiced an excited cry. Even the soldiers in Moses' group appeared honestly happy that Rick had succeeded.
"Let's stop here for today," Khan ordered. "Rick, you need to go to the medical bay. Tomorrow we'll do this again until you can control your body properly."
Rick nodded and tried to perform a military salute, but he lost his balance during the action and fell to the ground. He even fainted after relaxing, and Khan could only shake his head at that scene.
"Did you really need to go that far?" The girl asked. "You are pretty cold for a hero."
"The battlefield is colder," Khan announced while approaching Rick and lifting him with an arm.. He would have to carry him to the medical bay.