Contrasting the entertained feelings she would usually derive from observing others, Kali's expression had turned dull as she observed the awkward battle between Mars and Khodiva. They were both restraining themselves a great deal, far more than Kali herself had expected. Not only did this annoy her, as she disliked watching people hold back excessively, but the fact that they had so easily done as she stated caused Kali to feel deeply perturbed. She didn't think it was even possible for two Berserkers to repress their instincts, especially in bat. Now, Kali was starting to wonder if she had made a mistake in the words she had so confidently spouted towards Vahn over their long sea voyage...
By the time the twenty minutes had transpired, both Mars and Khodiva were breathing heavily as a large amount of blood marred both of their bodies. Much of this came from Khodiva's mouth, which was now gnawed apart by her own teeth, but there was a fair amount ing from spots where the two girls had almost lost control. This resulted in deep bruises and a few areas where the skin had been torn but, much to Kali's ire, they had managed to restrain themselves without either side emerging victorious. Now, Mars fell limp against Khodiva's body and, even though the latter's instincts should have caused her to panic, she tolerated the weight of the slightly older Amazoness as the two of them focused solely on their breathing.
Feeling extremely annoyed, Kali's face was fixed with a deep frown as she looked towards the two handlers and said, "Separate them. Make that whelp drink a low-quality Elixir so she doesn't get an infection in her mouth..." Kali noticed her words, even as she spoke them, seemed extremely venomous in nature. The only positive oute from this situation was the fact that her body had quickly cooled down as her annoyance continued to build. Now, her body felt cold while her brown skin felt both clammy and dry from the buildup of moisture and the oppressive heat ing from the small bonfire in the center of her chambers.
The two Amazonesses that had been watching their charges fight also had conflicted expressions on their faces since they had both expected the girls to practically tear each other apart. Seeing their goddess' expression only served to increase the incongruity they were feeling and, if not for the fact Kali had given them orders, at least Khodiva's handler had planned to beat her since she also didn't know how to react to this situation. She had always looked at Khodiva like a wild animal that would tear out her throat if she ever dropped her guard so the fact she had managed to go twenty minutes, self-mutilating in order to restrain herself, had caused the once-proud Amazoness to feel strangely unnerved...
After having everyone else leave her tent, including Mars' handler, Kali had the young girl sitting in front of her as she began to update her Status Board. She didn't know why the thought crossed her mind, but Kali felt a little annoyed by the fact that Mars, while only ten years old, was slightly taller than she was. Since she was n.a.k.e.d, Kali could even see that her secondary s.e.x.u.a.l traits were developing well, unlike her never-changing form. In the past, this never bothered her but, as if taking advantage of the strange state of her mind, Kali was inordinately perceptive about things she would have overlooked in the past...
Mars remained absolutely silent as the slight burning sensation of her Status Board being activated spread across her back. She let out a sigh of relief when the familiar sensation presented itself and hoped that her strength might have increased even more in the four months since she last had the chance to get it updated. Bringing a small smile to her face, Khodiva felt her goddess' fingers trace around her back before she plainly stated, "You have grown a lot since the last time I saw you. Your Power and Agility both increased by more than a hundred points while your Magic parameter had gone up by seventy-three..." As she spoke, Kali wasn't entirely focused and was just going through the motions almost mechanically as she took out a piece of Status Paper and copied the information before placing it in a large pile near the side of her lounge.
When the process was pleted, Kali lightly pat Mars' back, causing the Status Board to slowly vanish as she asked, "Mars...do you have a dream...?" In the past, Kali wouldn't really care about this kind of thing since it was something that would generally require a lot of foresight and introspection to e up with a concise answer. Now, after watching the annoying wrestling match between the two Berserkers, Kali was reminded of the youngling versions of Tiona and Tione. She was also beginning to develop a few doubts about her understanding of the nature of Amazonesses and wondered if it was 'nurture' that had caused their culture to develop this way. Though it was inarguable that the base instinct of Amazonesses made them prone to violence and bloodshed, a seed of doubt was now firmly planted in the diminutive goddess' heart...
Deciding she simply wasn't suited to thinking about such things, Kali shook her head slightly and patiently waited for the confused Mars to e up with an answer. Eventually, the young girl hung her head, almost as if she were ashamed, before saying, "I am afraid to say, Kali-sama..." These words caused Kali's eyes to widen slightly as it indicated that Mars not only had a dream but, because of the environment she had been raised in, was genuinely ashamed of it. Instead of living freely and uninhibitedly, she was another Amazoness who had been 'forced' to live a life that was filled with restrictions, making it so that even a 'blood-crazed' Berserker was too ashamed to even mention her dream...
For several seconds, Kali fell pletely silent before squinting her eyes and saying, "An Amazoness shouldn't be so afraid of something so trivial. If you have a dream, you should be doing everything in your power to make it e true. Now, tell me what your dream is..." These words caused Mars to shrink her body while still hanging her head. She could tell that her goddess was upset and was afraid that her words could get her in even more trouble. Even so, Mars still obeyed Kali's mand and muttered, "I heard in Orario there is something called 'Soccer' that made people respect and revere Amazonesses. I thought it might be nice to have a large crowd cheering for me...instead of looking at me like I'm dangerous..."
Kali visibly tilted to the right, pletely caught off guard by Mars' answer, even though she knew about the growing popularity of sports within Telskyura. It wasn't often talked about, but the Fishing Tribe had even developed a version of the game where they played with a makeshift soccer ball within the turbulent sea. Up north, towards the swamps and jungles, it was one of the most popular ways to pass time when not hunting and gathering food. Even in the Warrior Tribe, there were many who were trying to pass strict tests to prepare themselves for venturing out of the country, many of them intending to head straight for Orario to get a taste of the growing sports culture...
After ing to her senses, Kali asked, "How did you learn about the existence of Soccer...?" Even as the words left her lips, Kali already knew the answer. Though she wasn't allowed to leave the Coliseum yet, Mars was considered an a.d.u.l.t and had already started the training that would prepare her for living outside of the country. Thus, when Mars raised her head and explained, "Rudra taught me how to play...I...I've been practicing...it helps me stay calm...
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