[It has a Tama to shrink its body, which makes it maintain a stable breathing pattern. Also, its speed increases at such a moment.]
This set of words made Ten think, 'When it's small, it's like a bug, anything can kill it.'
It was a hypothesis at first. However, when his lucky shot damaged the beast's legs, he confirmed his hunch. Although, he was just running around most of the time, Lucien's barrage of attacks gave him ample time to make preparation for whenever anything goes west
By preparation, I mean, running over to the side, and avoid getting struck by the ostuchi.
When things went west, however, Ten proved himself that he was no longer Snake Boy who got pushed around by others.
***
Hearing Lucien compliment, the young man felt his heart move. His brother always insulted him on everything he did; such was his way of complimenting him.
Lucien, however, is an honest man in his eyes: he says what he means, and what he will do.
Raising his head slightly, he stares at Lucien stoic expression.
'It won't hurt to smile while complimenting someone.'
Breaking him from his thoughts was Lucy's voice.
"I'll give you time to rest."
Ten blinks a few times watching the red-hair walk over to a tree.
"Aren't you going to take the Tama?"
"I'm not a Tama-Artist, yet."
Ten wanted to slap himself for his schmuckiness, but the A.I. voice disrupted him.
[Go get the Tama. If not collected after an hour, they will direct themselves to the nearest beast for protection, or sink into the ground. Also, don't forget about the heart.]
Ten then stood up, looking at Lucy, crossing his arms under a tree. His expression was peaceful; if not for the blood stains on his body, one wouldn't say such a man fought toe to toe with a stage 3 profound beast.
The reverence in Ten's eyes deepened, muttering:
"He is cool."
[Your brother is cooler!]
"As if."
Tento scoffed. His brother is a junk-boy, someone whose best friend is dirt. He can imagine him covered in paper and ink drawing blueprints.
[Get a move on! Take the Tama! Remember, I've a recipe for the King Cat in my database.]
Hearing the A.I. voice, Ten asks Lucien, "Do you mind if we eat?"
"My clothes are dirty. I don't eat in dirty clothes."
Ten gives a perfect look at Lucy: his hakama is spotless; only his face and red coat have blood.
A small mutter escapes Ten's lips, filled with shock.
"How does he do it?"
[He wasn't giving it his all; only a small amount of that energy was used.]
Tento nods, understanding freaks of nature like Lucy would take him eons.
He had to focus on him.
"I have water."
Lucy nods and starts to look for a place to prepare a bathing place. Meanwhile, Ten looks at himself, tree barks forming on his forehead.
"How do I remove this?"
[Clap your hands five times.]
Doing so, the suit went back to the watch as small mechanical hands took their time to remove some edits. Tento didn't ask what was happening because his brother's creations were beyond logic.
Walking over the dead King, he stares at his watch for instructions. However, a with each step, a chapfallen shadow loomed on his face.
'When am I going to defeat such a beast on my own?'
Shaking his head, he puts on his nonaligned look, stepping on the beast's blood.
A small groan escaped his lips as the stench was unbearable. Attempting to hold his nose, he notices a text on his watch.
[The Tama unfortunately are inside the body.]
Ten face contorts slightly.
"Tell me how to cut it, have kodachies with me."
As he got instructions, Tento made a lot of mistake because he didn't know the Cat King's anatomy. At one point he got the feces dripping over his face. However, he was still pleased to find two thumb sized jewels near the beast's heart.
They had articulate shapes, separating them from ordinary jewels. All were emerald; one was shaped like a finger sized sock with holes, and the other like a half-mouse.
Ten didn't stress himself with figuring which is which, after all, he is still a mortal, placing the Tama on the front of the screen, before they fell inside.
When he placed the heart, the same mechanical hands from before came and took it, leaving a little blood on his arm.
***
Night had arrived, and the two decided to camp. Lucy didn't want to sleep dirty so he made a pool to bathe; Tento had to join since he had a horrible stench.
Finishing the meal, which was average in cooking style. Lucy's amber eyes were fixed on the burning fire, his thoughts picturing the dancing flames as his movements of his last fight.
'I'm still weak.'
He took a small sigh.
'There is no need to pressure myself. If my aunt kills me on the blutbadspiel, then that's my fate.'
—Compared to Lilachan, she is just an ant.
Lucien knew better not to judge a person, but what Lila showed him before was an eye-opener to a Tama-Artist's strength.
"Do you know how Tama is made?"
Pulling him from his thoughts was Tento's curious voice. Removing his expressionless gaze from the flames, he lands it straight at the pink-haired, who trembled a bit.
'Sometimes he is scary, even without doing much. I wonder when I can have such an aura.'
Oblivious, Lucy explains:
"When a person is born, their Tama does so in the universe in a place called the primordial space. On earth, Tama are brought by Rei; most of the time, they get stored in the ground.
"To Tama-Artist, however, when they unlock a primordial space, they get their initial Tama. This is why I didn't take the cat's Tama.
"The initial Tama directs the path a Tama-Artist should take; the ones from the cat might not be work well with the one I awaken."
Tento nodded, recalling in his mind.
'When the initial Tama shatters, the life of a Tama-Artist ends. If it's the supplementary Tama, the user will just suffer a backlash.'
—I should stop reading the Journey of the First Tama-Artist for fun. Maybe, I'll be lucky like Scholar-san, and meet someone who makes me a Tama-Artist.
Ten holds his mouth, hiding his dry smile. Where would he get such a person?!
"Do you know anything about them?"
Snapping out of his thoughts, Ten jags up straight, turning his gaze toward his watch for answers.
"Each Tama has a pseudo-consciousness; when you were fighting the King Cat, they were the ones controlling part of its movements. Also, they're grouped into Tiers.
"Tier 1: those who perform one function like that regeneration Tama.
"Tier 2: can perform 2 specific abilities, like the King Cat's Tama to change its size.
"Tier 3: can perform 3 specific abilities.
"Tier 4: allows one to shape the ability released into whatever they want. There is no Tier 4 Tama for Bushi, Tama-Artist.
"Also, there is a rarely awakened Teir called wisdom. These Tama come with their set of wisdom, like my brother's Tama. Through being used, one can gain more wisdom from it."
Lucy nods. The information was valuable, yet useless, most of it. He just wished that on the day he starts working to be a Tama-Artist, he would awaken a wisdom tier Tama.
Seeing something coming toward then, Lucien gently grabs his giant silver hammer, before flicking it in the air. A bang sound was released as the weapon rotated, before it came clashing to the ground.
Boom!
Ten was stiff in turning his head around, consciously telling himself to not look.
Behind: trees were scattered about, and Lucien's hammer was landing perfectly on top of a Queen Cat with all its heads destroyed into a bloody pulp.
'Just how much was he holding back? Was he testing me?'
Tento couldn't come to a conclusion, gulping his saliva down his throat.
'I feel pity for his enemies.'
"Go get my hammer."
"Yes!"
Tento stood up, tumbling on his way to the hammer.
Seeing this, Lucy smiles lightly.
'It's heavy for someone thin as a rack.'