A Second Chance?

The "place" was a dimly lit tavern with a strong fungal and greasy smell in the air. Kayra slid into a rickety booth like she owned it. Riku sat opposite, the wooden bench groaning under him.

A large man with a scarred apron slammed two clay mugs of murky liquid and two suspiciously lumpy pies on the table without a word. Apparently that was the meat pie…yeah, less like what he actually knew.

"Don't ask what's in it," Kayra said, picking up her pie. "Just be glad it's hot."

Riku poked the crust. It felt like baked clay. His stomach grumbled again, a traitor to his sense of self-preservation. He took a cautious bite. It was... edible. Barely. It tasted like beef, if beef had given up on life long ago.

"So," Kayra said around a mouthful of her own pie. "The Ascendancy rejected you."

Riku nearly choked. "How did you know?"

"Please. You have that specific look. Part shame, part 'I'll-show-them-all' rage. I see it a lot." She took a swig from her mug. "They see your little light show and think 'useless.' They're not entirely wrong, from their perspective."

"Gee, thanks for that."

"Don't get sensitive. I'm here, aren't I?" She leaned forward, her eyes sharp. "What they don't get is how you did it. Everyone else just pushes energy out. Makes a fireball, hardens their skin. Basic, blunt-force stuff. But you shaped it. I know designer-types are pretty much useless on the battleground, sorry. But you made a thing so…I don't know, useless? A simple, stupid thing, and you used your head to make it work for you."

Riku stared at her. She'd put her finger on it exactly. It was the difference between a brute-force attack and writing a line of code.

"That's what I do," he said quietly. "I design things."

"Design this," she said, tapping the table. "Your body. Right now, you're all brain, no muscle. You think you can outsmart a Tier 3 spirit with those noodle arms? You'll be dead before you finish thinking up a clever illusion."

"Are you offering to be my... combat trainer?"

"I'm offering to keep you from getting killed before you become interesting." She finished her pie and wiped her mouth with the back of her hand. "First lesson starts now. Stand up."

"Here?"

"You see a training yard somewhere? Stand up."

"We're in a tavern, with people watching."

"So?"

Riku shook his head, trying to explain why it wasn't a good idea. "No, look at it, the owner of—" before he could finish, a man from across the room, took a mug and slammed it into another's head. The owner of the tavern didn't budge or look, nor did the people around.

"You still want to ask questions like you've got dignity?" She looked at him with bored eyes.

Riku sighed and stood. Kayra remained seated, sipping her drink.

"Okay," she said. "Throw a punch."

"At you?"

"No, at the wall. Of course at me, you idiot. Don't worry, you won't hit me."

Feeling ridiculous, Riku tightened his fist and threw a weak punch toward her shoulder.

It was like she barely moved. She leaned back a few inches, and his fist flew harmlessly past. Her hand shot out and tapped him hard on the ribs. It wasn't a full blow, but it stung.

"Too slow. Your shoulder twitched a mile away. You put your whole body into it, telegraphing everything." She shook her head. "Never seen form so terrible."

"I've never done this before!"

"Exactly. So we fix it." She stood up. "Now, I'm going to tap your shoulder. Try to stop me."

She moved her hand slowly toward him. Riku batted it away.

"Wrong," she said. "You're thinking like a brawler. You're not one. I thought you said you're a designer. Think something, uhh…efficiency, yes. Minimum movement, maximum effect. My hand is coming in on at you. Intercept the movement, don't swing at the hand."

She did it again. This time, Riku focused. He saw the path her hand was taking and simply placed his own palm in the way, deflecting it with a slight push.

Kayra's eyebrows went up. "Huh. Okay. Maybe there's a brain in there after all."

They spent the next hour on basic blocks and stances. Riku's muscles screamed in protest. Forget the fact that he had all the energy he never had in the old world, this was more than a hassle.

But his mind was on a different work path. He wasn't just copying her movements. He was analyzing them. The angle of a foot for balance, the distribution of weight. It felt less like learning to fight and more like learning the physics engine of this new world.

It was frustrating, exhausting, and the worst workout of his life. Probably the only real "workout" he ever did.

But when they finally stopped, sweat dripping down his back, Kayra gave him a nod that was almost approving.

"You learn fast," she admitted. "Weirdly fast. It's like you've seen all this before."

Riku thought of the thousands of hours spent designing combat animations, tweaking hitboxes, and balancing character stats. "Something like that," he wheezed.

"Good. Because the summons from the Ascendancy is in two days. They'll give you one shot to prove you're not a complete waste of space…if you outsmart your way in or beg your way in like an idiot." She tossed a few dull copper coins onto the table. "Don't be late. And try not to look so much like a lost puppy when you go in there. Forest knows what you'll go show them."

She walked out, leaving Riku alone in the smelly tavern, his body aching, his mind racing.

"Well…that's something." He muttered. "I have two days. Two days to turn a useless 'dev kit' into something that could impress the most powerful organization in this world. Man, I have a long way to go."

He looked at his hand, still tingling from the training. He felt this strong feel of anticipation running in his blood. "Am I excited already?"