December 15th, 9 AM.
(Ring… ring… rin… ri…..)
Easily ignoring the 5 blaring alarms going off, I continued hibernating for all but another three minutes. As Mayumi had recognized that I wasn't waking up any time soon.
Mayumi went through the four stages of waking Andre up, call my name, shake me, slap me, and pour water on my face. And when the ancient ritual was complete, Mayumi guided my still hazed self into the bathroom where she left me to bathe and do my business.
After swaying in the air for a few minutes, I finally gained enough consciousness to begin to wash myself. After finishing this process, I was at full operational capacity. Entering the changing room, I brushed my teeth while naked and after finishing that I changed into the clothes given to me.
My training clothes. Basically, a T-shirt that automatically repaired itself and the same deal with the sweat pants. But no other features. Exiting the room feeling far worse for wear than when I entered it, Mayumi was outside the room waiting for me. In a different set of clothes than the ever revealing maid outfit. Not that I minded… much. Because these clothes were just as blood diverting as the maid outfit.
[IMAGE]
"Whats with the change of fashion?" I asked rather quietly, but not too quietly. Mayumi tilted her head, "Something wrong with it?" Shaking my head I continued, "Not at all." Mayumi asked, "So you like it?" Struggling not to sound like the blushing virgin I was I said, "Yeah, you look good in it."
She smiled, "Thanks," after a moment of awkward silence I asked the same question, "But seriously, aren't you forced to wear a maid outfit on duty?" Mayumi nodded, "I am, but I am not on maid duty today. I am on 'training duty' today. With you." Ah- that made sense. "What happened to your previous training clothes, then?" I asked, as her previous training clothes were quite modest. "I decided for a change in style." She said eerily calm.
Shivering even though I just exited the steaming bath, I asked another question, "So you know what we are doing today?" She perked up at that, "You and me, one on one fight." She smiled devilishly, "We will both be using T grade BEBs… but I have one DCT. A Personal DCT at that."
A personal DCT? Feeling disheartened by the impossible training regime I was about to go through, Mayumi picked up on it and tried to cheer me up. "It isn't all bad is it? At least the training is with me, someone's whose fighting style you already know in and out." Letting out a small chuckle at her attempt to cheer me up, I responded, "Yeah, at least it's with you, I guess you are the person who I'd want to be my training partner the most. Especially for such a long amount of time I'm bound to end up spending with you training."
Turning away from me in an… abrupt manner, Mayumi gestured for me to follow her. After a few minutes of walking in idle chat, we eventually reached our destination. It was a section of the Mur compound that was famous. Instead of a flat arena boxed in that I was used to, it was a ghost town instead. In an area of one kilometer (like half a mile) there was a bunch of one and two story buildings all eerily well maintained but obviously not housing any life.
The Mur clan specialized in two aspects, barriers and architecture. Barriers because, duh, and architecture because of our inherited cursed technique. Barrier manipulation was quite good at building for two reasons. If you stacked all of the materials needed into one big barrier then the Mur clan member could manipulate it. Thus building a house. And secondly…
Domain Creation Tools (DCTs) were made by infusing a cursed technique into a barrier that was stuffed inside an object with cursed energy. But, what if you put your own cursed technique inside said object? That is what Personal DCTs are (PDCTs). Although it may not sound to different, it was a whole world of it. A binding vow was placed upon it where the user of it could channel their Domain Expansion through it, creating their very own for a lower cursed energy cost. But in exchange, the user has to do three things in advance.
Tell the opponent, if they didn't already know, about their cursed technique and what the PDCT was. Secondly they had to hold the item in the air for three seconds, and thirdly they had to shout their Domain Expansion name at the top of their lungs. PDCTs also came with the condition of the Domain being weaker. In damage, durability, and the boosting effect it had on the user.
While these disadvantages may sound severe, it was the only choice for 99% of the jujutsu world outside of Japan.
And the PDCT of barrier manipulation was quite unique. As in, instead of pushing all objects out of your domain, it simply created a barrier that made everything inside it the user's target. And what did the Mur clan use this for?
… becoming the dominant group real estate company in the entirety of the world. Also using it to create mock testing grounds for Jujutsu clans around the world. Hell! We even have some business in Japan.
Mayumi walked in front of me before turning around to face me, a shit eating grin on her face. "You want this to be quick? Is that a yes I hear? Then so be it!"
Raising a pendant up in the air, I quickly shouted something in response. "Wait! I have something important to tell you." Mayumi smiled, "Really? And what would that be?" I coughed, "I need a binding vow of secrecy from you first." Mayumi's face morphed into a serious one. "I vow that if Andre Louis XVII Mur wants to keep something a secret and tells me it, I shall not spread the information to anyone through any means."
That was… quite the show of loyalty. Originally, I was just going to bullshit her, but now I feel like I can't. "Well… I actually have two cursed techniques. Barrier manipulation and another called Gluttony from the Bourbon clan." Mayumi's eyes widened visibly. "And I can't tell anyone because I would become the target of many assassination attempts otherwise." Mayumi opened her mouth, "You… you are even more amazing than I thought."
Shaking herself out of whatever she was thinking about, Mayumi managed to resume the role of my training partner. "We can talk about that later," she said, clearly struggling to not gush about how incredibly amazing it was for me to have two cursed techniques and still be as talented as I was with fighting. "But first, Domain Expa-"
A beam of cursed energy shot from my mouth and collided with Mayumi's hands. Being thrown back ten meters directly into the building behind her, she shattered her way through several walls and coughed up a mouthful of blood once she landed.
Rushing towards her before she could recover, I grabbed her hand and pried it open. Stealing the PDCT straight from her. Taking a punch to the gut as punishment, I staggered away from the recovering Mayumi and realized that I had just spent around a two M grade curses worth of energy. Or 4 when factoring in Gluttony's efficiency.
Jumping backwards several meters, I raised the pendant into the air. Mayumi struggling to even stand, let alone chase me.
"Gluttony allows the user to eat cursed energy and store it for two purposes. One, to be used by the user as an energy supply. Or two, to be given to allies." I said, completing the first condition of the PDCT. Mayumi's eyes opened wide as she mouthed, "Overkill."
Feeling that the second condition was also complete, I dodged a weak punch from Mayumi easily. Who fell unto the floor in defeat after hearing my next words.
"Domain Expansion: Stomach of the Beast"
A barrier shot out from my? Mayumi's? The clan's PDCT. Crawling along the floor it shot in all directions like a dark sea cinsuming all, it eventually formed a pitch black dome around me and Mayumi. An instant after, I found myself standing… no, I found myself floating on the top of digestive acid.
While Mayumi sunk down further below. Feeling a stream of cursed energy and… physical strength flow into me from Mayumi. I instantly cancelled the Domain, fearing that she might get… digested.
Hearing the sound of wet crocks, the 'shoes', taking a step. I looked to where Mayumi should be. And… I was relieved beyond belief. Mayumi wasn't half eaten or digested, she was simply laying on the floor weakly. The heavenly of her chest alerting me that she was still alive. All of her strength and cursed energy drained. Covered in a sickly slime that was most assuredly my Domain's 'digestive fluid'.
Walking over to Mayumi, I noticed she had fallen unconscious from presumably all her cursed energy and physical strength being drained.
'So… this is my Domain Expansion's ability? To drain things from others, and add their cursed energy to Gluttony's reserve.'
Gently shaking Mayumi, with the vain hope that she might wake up, I was proved wrong when she didn't move in thr slightest. 'Now I'm going to have to carry her…'