Chương 76: 73 - Something Cool

"Jonny, wait!" said Emily.

"Just stay here," Jonny called.

"I'll be right back!"

"No! But what if–?"

"I'll be fine," he said.

"As long as he does what we say," said Michael with a cackle.

"Which I will definitely do," said Jonny, nodding.

"So just wait here, okay?" Emily looked like she really didn't want to wait there, but Michael continued guiding Jonny to the street, and in the end, Emily chose not to follow. She instead ran off into the crowd, hopefully to get an adult. Jonny didn't think anything too bad would happen, but it would be better if someone else showed up to put an end to it anyway.

The other boys led him down the street, away from the noise of the market before turning down a dark, empty alley, and all surrounding him in a semicircle, pinning him up against the wall of the house. Jonny was about to say that the alley didn't look very cool when Michael reached into his pocket and produced something that, as much as Jonny hated to admit it, was pretty cool. It was a wand.

Jonny had seen a few of them around while he traveled with Igrette, but this was his first time getting an up-close look, and even then, he could tell that this wand was quite nice. Wands in this world were a little thicker than he would have expected based on those movies he watched with his ex back on Earth, probably a full inch across or more. This wand was about the standard size that Jonny had seen, and it was made of dark wood.

He couldn't tell if it was painted or stained, or if it was just naturally like that, but it looked sleek, especially with the carved patterns running along the sides, painted gold. About a quarter of the way from the base, positioned like the hilt of a sword, there was a clear blue gem embedded into it. Or rather, it looked like the wand had grown around it.

The gem itself was about as thick as the wand, but the wand bulged where it connected on either side, and tendrils of would snaked across its surface, connecting one side of the wood to the other. Jonny could sense a fair amount of mana contained in the gem, though not nearly enough to cast any big spells.

"You know what this is?" asked Michael.

"Is that a wand?" asked Jonny.

"Yeah. My dad got it for me." Huh, Jonny thought. Maybe he really did just want to show me something cool.

"It's got five spells in it," Michael continued.

"Two of them are offensive. I can cast them both with just a single thought."

"Isn't that normally how spells are?" asked Jonny, confused. That was how it seemed to be when the others did it. And what did he mean that the wand had five spells? Weren't wands just to make spells stronger?

"Ha!" laughed Michael.

"Of course a Null wouldn't know." The other boys chuckled.

"I guess not," said Jonny.

"Wait, how does it work then? I thought you just think, and then the mana moves. Right?"

"Wow, you really are stupid," said Michael.

"I guess that's what happens when you don't get any mana in your brain." The other boys all laughed again and Jonny clenched his fists. Don't punch the kid, don't punch the kid.

"Please enlighten this very stupid Null, then," said Jonny.

"I guess my manaless brain won't understand unless you explain it to me."

"You making fun of me?" Michael asked, demeanor shifting. He put the tip of the wand on Jonny's chest, making what Jonny assumed as an attempt at a serious, threatening face. It did not look very serious or threatening, but he tried to play along, raising his hands in surrender.

"I was asking a legitimate question," he said.

"I'm a poor, stupid Null and I don't know how wands work."

"Stop fucking with me," said Michael. When he cursed, he said the word quieter, as if scared someone would hear him. Jonny almost laughed, but he was aware enough to realize that would only make things worse, and had enough self control to keep his face straight. He also knew that the wand against his chest could actually pose a threat, if he accidentally provoked the other boy too much.

"Hey, hey, calm down," said Jonny.

"I was just asking a question."

"Y– yeah, Michael, d– didn't your dad say not to use the wand in town?" asked one of the other boys.

"Shut up," said Michael.

"Who cares what he said?" Uh oh, thought Jonny. This novel is published on a different platform. Support the original author by finding the official source. He wasn't entirely sure what he had done, but it was clear that Michael wasn't in the best state of mind, which was dangerous. He needed to do something.

"Please don't hurt me," he said, bringing his hands up to his face as if cringing away. For a moment, the other boys all went silent. Jonny thought it might have worked, so he risked a peek out from behind his hands. Michael looked angrier than before. Shit. Jonny had never been very good at acting scared.

"So you think this is all a joke, huh," said Michael. Jonny didn't answer immediately. This was quickly turning into something that might actually get dangerous. He didn't know how strong the wand was, but something cast point blank like that probably wouldn't feel too good. Could he knock Michael out before Michael could cast a spell? Probably? But what if he hit him too hard and did serious damage? Or too soft, and Michael cast a spell anyway?

"Hey, man, cool off a bit," said one of the other boys.

"It's not worth it." He was a little taller, and looked a little older than the others. Still no older than thirteen, but he seemed to be the most mature. Michael shot him a glare, then took a deep breath and seemed to relax a bit. He shoved the wand back into his pocket, and Jonny had a moment where he suddenly wondered how deep the pocket was to be able to hold a wand so long.

"Listen here, Null," said Michael.

"You might think you're cool, but you're just a useless Null. I'm a second layer mage already, and my dad's the mayor. I'm gonna join the Demon Hunters. You'd better not fuck with me, you hear? Just keep your head down and we won't have a problem."

"Yup. Got it." Apparently something in Jonny's tone was wrong, because Michael didn't seem happy with that answer. Jonny was starting to get annoyed. He wasn't that bad at acting, since he had to play up all that trash talk leading into his fights, but he had never really acted weak or submissive before. He really was trying to avoid trouble, but between the fact that he didn't feel very threatened, and the fact that he just had a deep aversion to appearing weak, he was really struggling to actually keep the peace.

"You still think I'm messing around, huh?" said Michael.

"I didn't–" Michael swung a fist at Jonny's head, trying to clock him on the chin with a right hook. Jonny instinctually ducked it, letting it sail over his head, only thinking about it after the fact. Wait, if I let him hit me, then–? He didn't have time to finish that thought because Michael swung again, and again, Jonny dodged. Ah, shit. Michael's face was twisted in a scowl as he raised his fists, realizing that Jonny wasn't to be taken lightly. Jonny raised his hands too, but more in surrender.

"Wait, wait, I don't wanna fight," he said. He tried to slide away, heading toward the street, but as he did, the other boys closed ranks to stop his escape.

"You bastard," said Michael, trying to punch him again. The other boy's form was actually pretty solid, but he clearly had no real fighting experience. He was committing his full weight to every strike, putting himself off-balance. As his fist flew past Jonny's face for the third time, Jonny had to actively stop himself from hitting back. As much of an asshole as he was, he was still a kid, and he wasn't a real threat.

Jonny could probably do serious damage if he actually fought back, and that wouldn't be good for anyone. He didn't want to cause trouble. I really should have just let him hit me the first time, he thought wistfully. Maybe if I do it now… He dismissed the thought. He wasn't the brightest, but he knew he wasn't a good actor. After expertly dodging so many strikes, he wasn't going to be able to convincingly fake getting hit. But he didn't sense any adults coming, and he couldn't fight back either.

He considered just running away. He could easily force his way past the other kids, and if not, he could still just jump over their heads. He could jump onto the roof if he really wanted to. That would definitely end the engagement, though it would raise questions about his abilities, and he didn't want to draw that much attention. Then again, at this point, he was probably going to draw attention no matter what, and in that case… Maybe I will let him hit me.

The next time Michael swung, instead of dodging, Jonny planted his feet, watching the fist as it flew right at his temple. At the same time, he mobilized his mana, moving it to his head and activating the now familiar steel elemental shift. His entire face froze, and he had a split second to think about how weird that felt before Michael's punch hit. There was a disgusting crack, and Jonny found himself stumbling backward while Michael cried out in pain.

He deactivated the shift, noting that his head still stung a little bit where Michael had hit him. Not that much, but it showed that the steel shift wasn't invulnerability. It was still pretty damn good, though. The fact that he stumbled back afterward was a minor issue, but one he already knew how to correct. It looked like he would need to add a gravity shift on top of the steel shift if he wanted to use this in a fight properly. Steel to protect his body, and gravity to keep him in place.

But it was probably for the best he didn't do it this time, seeing the damage it had already done. Michael cradled his whole arm tenderly, and two of his fingers were visibly broken from the impact. Jonny winced slightly, recognizing that type of injury. One of his buddies had done the same thing while drunk after someone bet him he couldn't bend a steel pole with a punch. He had broken not only his fingers, but it also left a hairline fracture or two in his forearm.

The older boy was definitely in a lot of pain right now. Jonny felt satisfied at first, but when the boy started crying, he realized he might have gone too far. To be fair, he hadn't fully realized that would happen. He knew it would hurt Michael, but he didn't think it would break any bones. Just make him think twice about swinging again. Ah, shit… He didn't feel that bad about it, but he also realized that it probably wasn't a good look, and it probably went against his "no hitting kids" rule.

He technically didn't hit Michael, but he did intentionally inflict pain, which was functionally the same thing. Michael definitely deserved it, but Jonny didn't really want to be the guy that injured kids who were misbehaving. When Michael had hit Jonny, one of the other boys cheered for him, but now all four of the others were looking at their leader with concern. None of them were looking at Jonny anymore. Jonny looked once at them, then back at Michael, then made a decision. It was time for a strategic retreat.

He slipped between the wall and one of the bullies, moving too quickly for them to grab onto him, then jogged away, heading for the market. One of them called after him, but when Jonny glanced back, he saw that none of them were chasing. He slowed back to a walk as he got near the noise of the square, trying to appear casual as he strode back in. I hope that won't cause any problems later…