Taking Off the Training Wheels

Almost a week had passed since the debrief where Cain got the scolding of a lifetime. As he promised to Valerie, Gunnar stepped up Cain’s training as soon as his injuries from Avcad were mended. Every day since that meeting, Gunnar had been pushing Cain to his limits, only giving him the choice of adapting—or failing. Today was no different, as the two stood locked in a sparring match in the training room with Rina, Finn, and Shadra as spectators.

Cain crouched behind one of the many barricades that had been set up to simulate a real combat zone, sweat dripping from his forehead. He focused for a moment, then quickly darted to the left out from behind cover as he heard a heavy footstep to his right, just in time to dodge a kick to the side that would’ve left him dazed. As soon as his feet made contact with the floor, Cain lunged at Gunnar and countered his kick with a swift jab to the stomach and a kick of his own. The jab connected, eliciting a short grunt from Gunnar, but the kick phased through Gunnar’s side as Cain’s leg flickered for a moment—causing him to lose his balance and get knocked to the floor by an overhead double-handed smash from Gunnar. As Cain sat up rubbing his head, Gunnar stood over him with a hand outstretched to help him up.

“That was a good bout, kid.” Gunnar rumbled, the faintest of smiles hiding in his beard. “It was good, but still not quite enough. Take a second and we’ll go again.”

Cain just gave a quick nod as he walked back across the makeshift battlefield, stretching as he prepared himself for the next match. Rina and Finn cheered him on from a set of spectator’s chairs by the wall. Rina wore her usual short scholarly robe, but now held a pitcher of water close by in case either of the combatants needed it. This was the first time Cain had seen Finn outside of the bandages he wore in the infirmary, however. He wore a light brown jacket with a faint golden trim and matching trousers, with a black undershirt underneath his jacket. A red scarf that complimented his red-orange fur was wrapped around his neck, with a small golden locket hanging down over his chest. It was a rather gaudy outfit, but based on Cain’s first impression, it suited him. Shadra simply sat in a corner with her arms crossed, dressed in all black and gray, silver rings hanging from her pointed ears.

“You’ve got this Cain!” Rina shouted as she seemed to record her observations on her little magical stone tablet. “Don’t forget to watch his movements before you go in for a strike!”

Her advice was a bit obvious, but Cain appreciated her support nonetheless. Finn and Shadra on the other hand, their advice, while sparse, was helpful.

“Hang in there, man!” Finn called out, taking a swig from a flask he produced from his jacket. “Keep up the pressure when he overextends! Oh, and don’t get tunnel vision!”

Shadra tossed a few insightful remarks about Cain’s stance every now and then, but largely stayed aloof and silent. Despite her demeanor, Cain had noticed her doing a small cheer whenever he’d land a particularly good hit.

When Cain and Gunnar were each standing at their respective starting points once more, Rina rang a small bell and the next match started. Cain dashed between obstacles as he made his way towards a clearing in the center, where he planned to take on Gunnar. Whereas one might expect an eight and a half foot tall man with ox-like horns and strength to simply barrel through anything in his way, Gunnar moved in a manner not dissimilar from Cain. He moved around the walls and barricades with startling speed and poise for someone his size. After a few more moments, the two combatants met in the clearing in the center of the arena.

Gunnar struck first with a punch that carried his forward momentum, which Cain blocked—even as it rattled every bone in his body. Cain stepped to the side and countered with a swift flurry of blows to Gunnar’s side. They exchanged blows for a solid minute before Cain caught part of a conversation between Rina and Finn.

Finn’s lips moved first, his expression somewhat serious. “Do you think he’s got it in him? He shows promise, but with his condition he’s gonna need a lot more than promise.”

“I hope so.” Rina replied, hugging the flask of water to her chest. “But right now, he’s not fighting at full capacity. Unless he can figure out how to control his glitching, every battle is gonna come down to luck.”

Cain’s jaw tightened. He was getting sick of letting luck decide. He stared down Gunnar as he charged at him. As Gunnar’s fist hurtled towards his face, he stood strong and didn’t dodge. The fist met Cain’s chin with a dull thud that echoed through the room—and Cain crumpled to the floor like a bag of wet cement, his ears ringing and his vision dimming.

“Cain!” Rina jumped out of her seat, running to his side. “Are you okay? Why didn’t you dodge?”

“I-I’m fine. I was trying something.” Cain responded, shaking off his daze. “I was trying to see if I could, I dunno, make the glitching happen on purpose. If I can do that, maybe I won’t be so useless anymore…”

To Cain’s surprise, Gunnar didn’t argue. He simply took out a round, palm-sized stone tablet with a green glyph carved into it and tossed it at Rina.

“Not a bad idea, kid. Let Rina patch you up and take a quick breather, then we’ll see if your idea is worth anything.”

The rune-carved tablet began to glow slightly as Rina held it up to Cain’s face. As the healing magic did its work, the pain subsided and was replaced with the tingly feeling of a freshly scabbed over wound. Soon after, the magic of the tablet fizzled due to Cain’s close proximity, and Rina huffed as she wasn’t able to heal all of his wounds.

“If you’re going to do this,” she began, “don’t do it blindly. Think back to how you felt in Avcad when you were fighting that Bottomless. What was on your mind when you flickered?”

“Got it, I’ll try.” Cain mumbled, getting back into position for another exchange.

He closed his eyes and rubbed his chin, exhaling as he tried to focus on his thoughts during the fight back at Avcad. He remembered the fear, being afraid that any misstep would be his last. The desperate struggle to stay alive in the face of an unfamiliar threat. And most of all, the fiery resolve to save the villagers and protect them from the Bottomless.

Cain opened his eyes as Gunnar charged at him. His body began to flicker as he anticipated Gunnar’s movements. A kick to the side from the right, then a two punch combo to the stomach. He took the first two strikes head on, letting out a wheeze as the first gut punch connected—but he stood strong. As Gunnar’s final punch approached, Cain focused his mind, his body’s chaotic glitching turning into more of a blur. And Gunnar’s punch passed straight through him.

“Ha! I did it!” Cain celebrated, turning to perform a follow-up strike on the now off-balance Gunnar.

Unfortunately, Gunnar swiftly sidestepped Cain’s attack and rewarded his accomplishment with a knee to the chest.

“Don’t get cocky, kid.” Gunnar chuckled, “Consistency is key. Until you can do that on command, don’t rely on it.”

“Aye, aye.” Cain groaned.

Everyone was so busy celebrating Cain making the first steps to control his abilities that they didn’t quite notice when Valerie stepped into the room. Soon enough however, she made herself known, and the atmosphere in the training chamber shifted.

“Well, if that’s what counts as progress,” she sneered, “then maybe we really are doomed.”

“Lay off, will ya? I’m putting everything I’ve got into this.” Cain complained, glaring back at her.

Valerie seemed to ignore him, simply turning to Shadra and beckoning her to follow. “Come with me please, Shadra. I need your assistance with planning for the intelligence gathering operation we’ve been talking about.”

The shadowy woman simply nodded, following Valerie out the door. Just as quickly as she arrived, Valerie was gone with Shadra in tow. Even though she was only there for a few moments, her presence changed the room’s mood immediately. Everyone seemed to be having similar thoughts.

“Ugh, she’s gonna be unbearable until either we find the supply thief or she finds a way to pin the blame on Cain isn’t she?” Finn groaned, his ears drooping slightly.

“Which is why I think we shouldn’t wait around.” Rina spoke up, hands on her hips. “We need to take action so that things don’t just fester.”

“What did you have in mind?” Cain asked as he got up off the floor.

Rina flashed him a mischievous grin. “I’m glad you asked. I think we’re gonna take you to see Paradox. I have a hunch that’s where our supply thief is hiding.”

Cain raised an eyebrow. “Paradox?”

“Yep.” Rina said, already walking towards the door, “It’s the place where we keep all the refugees we take in from our rescue operations. Imagine something like a pocket dimension with a city inside of it.”

“Ooh, I like where you’re going with this, short stuff.” Finn remarked, following after her. “I was wondering when Cain would get to see the place.”

Cain wanted to object, but the two were already out the door and heading towards the main chamber.

“Go catch up, kid. Valerie didn’t want you to see Paradox yet, but if it helps clear your name I think it’d be a good idea to at least investigate it. I’ll hold down the fort.” Gunnar grunted, giving Cain a light shove towards Finn and Rina.

Cain jogged after them, catching up as they reached the elevator in the main chamber. Finn set the switch to one of the lower floors, simply marked “Paradox”, and the elevator came to life with a jolt. The familiar sound of grinding gears and clattering cogs accompanied most of the elevator ride, until the shaft finally opened up into a giant chamber. In the middle of the chamber, sat on a raised pedestal with massive glyphs surrounding it, was a shimmering rift in reality that seemed to beckon any weary souls that gazed upon it.