Needless to say, as a guy who had lived his last life on the straight and narrow, my fighting experience was nonexistent. But as I watched Peter storm towards me with his friend close behind, I felt not an ounce of fear or trepidation. Not because I was confident in beating them, but the primal surge of adrenaline that coursed through my veins ensured that I would put my life on the line to tear them all limb from limb.
For a moment, I struggled to place where the source of the nearly uncontrollable rage came from, but then I realized my anger had flared when Peter threatened to separate me and Megan. Which was the equivalent of trying to take a starving lion's meal and his pride at the same time.
Fortunately, while the rage was nearly overwhelming, I managed to retain so higher level of rationality and thinking. So when Peter closed the distance between us and swung at me with a wild haymaker, I was ready for him.
Even with my lack of expertise, dodging his heavily telegraphed attack was a piece of cake as I stepped back out of reach. Top-heavy and out of shape, Peter stumbled, struggling to catch himself, though before he could topple over and I placed my palm in the middle of his chest.
I watched a wave of confusion wash over Peter's face, most likely wondering why, instead of punching him or just letting him fall, I had caught him.
Rather than answering him verbally, I replied with my actions as I gave Peter a gentle shove while sending a pulse of tantric energy down my arm.
There was a muted flash of purple light that rippled from my palm, a split second before Peter was sent flying back through the air, with both his feet leaving he ground.
His poor friends who had been right behind him were suddenly forced to catch several hundred pounds of fat. Though catch wasn't the right description for what happened, instead Peter crashed into his friends, knocking them over like bowling pins and trapping them underneath his immense bulk.
"Hgn, w-what just happened?" Peter groaned as he tried and failed to right himself with a dazed and confused look plastered across his face.
"Argh!! Peter, get off us, you fat ass!! I can't feel my fucking legs!!" Quagmire's screams as he pushed and shoved Peter, trying to roll him over to no avail.
"At least you have legs to feel!"
"Shut up, Joe!" Quagmire snapped before glancing down at the pair of legs kicking at the air, "Oh my god, Peter, I think you're smothering Cleveland to death!"
"Huh?" Peter replied, still in a stupor.
Instead of answering, Quagmire and Joe worked together to finally roll Peter over, shoving him off of them with a grunt and a gasp as Cleveland shot up and greedily gulped in a lungful of air, "Oh thank heavens, I thought I was about to meet the lord."
I bit back a comment, instead crossing my arms and putting on a stoic mask as I stared the four men down while they slowly got back up to their feet, "Y'all want to continue this little scuffle of ours or have you had enough?"
The guys glared at me, but none made a move that suggested they wanted a taste of whatever I had done to send a two-hundred-plus-pound man flying like a football.
"If that's the case, then I wouldn't mind if you gentlemen get back into your car and leave the property; otherwise, I'm afraid I'll be forced to remove you myself. And I promise I won't be as gentle as before."
My threat was mostly a bluff; if all of them charged me at once, there was very little I could do even with my new trick.
Peter's jaw clenched, and I watched as his eyes flickered over to Megan, "Either you come home tonight, or you don't come home at all."
I frowned at the cruel ultimatum and couldn't help but glance at Megan who was looking at me with wide eyes full of questions, "It's your choice to make, just know I'll support whatever you do."
Megan's gaze softened, and she reached out to take my hand and pull me closer, "You're the only one who's ever given me a second look. I think I would be the biggest idiot in the world if I threw that away. So I want to stay with you...if that's alright?"
I smirked, "I don't have one problem with that."
I looked back at Peter with a raised eyebrow, "Well, you heard her? Now, are we gonna have any more problems?"
Peter glared at me, but I could see the lingering confusion and fear in his eyes, "You're making a big mistake, you bastard. Come on, let's get the fuck out of here."
Peter's crew wordlessly followed him and piled into his car, which quickly backed out of the alley before disappearing down the street.
I let out a soft sigh of relief as I let my arms drop down to my sides and gave myself a mental pat on the back, 'Well, that could have gone a lot worse, seems like I was right to hold onto that hex point.'
[Hex: Kinetic Blast]
Level: 1 [0/1]
Cost: 1 TP per Cast
Duration: N/A
Effect: Convert your tantric energy into a forceful blast of kinetic energy, enhancing the striking power of any physical blow, or as a propulsive force to push the user or another object in a direction of choice.
While I had hoped to spend the hex point on a more utility-based spell didn't mind having a trump card just in case I was forced into another physical confrontation, 'Maybe I should even look at getting a fighting skill.'
Before I could begin weighing the pros and cons, I was interrupted by a sharp tug on my arm, and just like that, I was pulled back into the moment as I turned to face Megan, "S-sorry, I was a bit lost in thought. Are you okay?"
"I'm fine," Megan replied after a second, though I could see the conflict in her eyes, "T-thank you for standing up to me, I didn't mean to put you on the spot like that. I just can't believe my dad would do something like this!"
Anger blossomed in Megan's gaze before she let out a tense sigh, "If you don't want me to stay, that's fine I'm sure I can crash at Patty's place until I get a place of my-"
"Shhh, enough," I muttered, cutting Megan off, "You're staying with me, end of story. Not gonna kick you out after you just chose me over the only family you've ever known."
"Some family they were, they've always treated me like I wasn't worth their time," Megan scoffed before her gaze softened as she looked up at me, "In the last few day's that I've known you Ramon, you've made my life ten times better and I wouldn't let anything come inbetween that."
While I could tell Megan's words were the truth, there was still something lingering on the tip of her tongue, "What is it, Megan?"
A guilty look flashed across her eyes, "I-I know I should pry into your secrets and I don't want you to think that I'm ungrateful, but I was wondering how...what was that flash of light?"
For a moment, I didn't respond before a rueful smile crossed my lips and I scratched the back of my head awkwardly, "Hmm, I should have figured you would have seen that, I'm surprised your father or his friends weren't more alarmed."
"I-I doubt they saw anything, the light was really faint," Megan explained with a sheepish look on her face, "Look, just forget that I asked, I didn't mean to pry-"
"No, you deserve an answer," I replied resolutely before sighing, "I just hope it doesn't change your opinion of me."
Megan shook her head, "I already told you I won't let anything come in between-"
I cut Megan off once more, though instead of using words, I transformed into my true form for the first time. It was an odd sensation as my body was reconstructed from the inside out, but it wasn't downright unpleasant. In fact, I couldn't suppress a sigh of relief as I shed my human form, shedding a discomfort that I hadn't been aware of until now. It was like stretching out my body after a long car ride, and that's just what I did.
Rising to my new full height, I cracked my neck and flexed the various new muscles across my body, including my tail and hooven hind quarters. Despite the drastic change, I didn't feel any awkwardness moving around in my new form; it all felt natural and right, more so than my human body. But all that was secondary to what really mattered.
With a slow pan, I turned to look Megan in the eyes, which were wide with shock, "Well, what do you think?"