Training with the Animalbion auxiliary managed to include actual instruction on the martial form and technique. While at least doubling the strikes to the face Myles received under John Barrington’s tutelage Myles felt that he was at least learning something. So committed to improving Myles’ skills Zara had ignored several phone calls and several text notifications on both the regular phone and special community phone. Myles know Zara was working through something, but didn’t want to stir that honest nest, not when someone was teaching him how to fight beyond his usual style of making shit up as he went along. Myles’ drive to survive focused his attention on the lesson.
Another punch smacked into Myles’ gut. Barely, just barely he managed to hold down the vomit. It did not help that Zara had insisted on a redo of the warm-up. Several laps around the park… former park, current muddy pit, he corrected himself… had reduced Myles’ reaction speed to a crawl
“See, I knew you had been slacking. This is why you need me here to keep you motivated young Myles.” Said John Marquis barely winded from his single warm-up.
Myles attempted an evil look but it was stopped in its tracks by an elbow to the face. The impact made him glad the Trigger could regrow teeth.
“Focus Endeavour, or I’ll start weapons training early.” Warned Zara.
“I have a new weapon upgrade to show off.” Said John, full of pride. “The Scythe blade can now rotate ninth degrees upward to make a big arse sword… I stabbed a giant badger right in the balls with it.”
“That is a beautiful image John, thank you.” Said Myles, making no effort to withhold the sarcasm.
“Sliced his furry tonka right off.” continued John “The two women I rescued gave me a three-way.”
Myles wondered if ‘the community’ had an HR department and if they had energy cannons or at least a good firm tazer.
“Of course, it turned out they were prostitutes… Still, only fifty quid each. The Quantocks were coming on strong with that competitive pricing.”
“So what is going to happen with the townsfolk and the evacuation?” asked Myles heroically steering the conversation away from sex work.
He ducked and blocked two swift kicks and a punch before Zara answered.
“Fairy nonsense does a lot of heavy lifting for us. Even out of the turn, the nature of the anomaly stops people from questioning it, so we just get people packed up and send them off to a seaside campsite or someplace in the Cotswolds with a pub where they can eat, drink and be merry but sadly come home to flood damage.” Explained Zara with extra gravitas provided by the use of air quotes around flood damage. “The tough part isn’t getting people out, it is getting such a large amount out, and that takes time… And during that time I’m going to get you and Marquis into fighting shape, you won’t be able to brute force combat forever.”
“I’m not going to disagree I feel like I’ve been coasting on dumb luck sometimes.” Said Myles.
“Not me.” Said John Marquis. “I was born to do this.” He manifested his Scythe and twirled it around, snapping it into sword formation and back again before returning it to storage.
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“How did you get so good at doing that?” asked Myles in disbelief.
“Stabbing badgers in the cock, I thought we covered this.” Said John Marquis, as if that explained everything. he was taking time to strike what he thought of as a cool pose.
Zara knocked him over with a boot to his arse.
The beatdown continued well into the evening. But at least the violence was paired with competent instruction. Myles lapped up the lessons and John Marquis was disabused, as much as his personality type could be disabused, of his notions of competence. The only instance of note was a lone Bogglebear that barely triggered the armour activation before it was promptly and viciously bisected. The sun had long set on the alien purple sky by the time the trio headed home.
Back in the comfort of his well-organised living room, Myles sat, slumped into a comfy chair with a cold can of beer pressed to his face. Zara sat down across the room with a chilled beverage of her own, she examined the can giving a subtle nod of approval before cracking it open. In his mind, Myles carefully and meticulously reviewed his performance at training.
“You sucked,” said Zara as if reading his mind.
“I wasn’t that bad,” protested Myles from behind a frosty beer can.
“Sorry, I was being harsh.” Said Zara “I should qualify. Think of it like this, you suck in the way a virgin is terrible rather than how a selfish lover is bad”
“Probably hard to please a woman while going through anaphylactic shock,” Said Myles
“Wasted movement, little technique,” Said Zara ignoring Myles. “Your balance is rubbish and I despair at the thought of what grappling will look like.” Zara paused for a swing of beer. “Though to be fair you probably don’t want to touch Fae up close… but we all have to learn it in case of fighting fellow squishy humans who we want for a court of law rather than a coffin.”
Zara punctuated her exposition with a large swig. Myles cracked open his own slightly less frosty can and sipped his beer.
“You have accumulated more experience than an average Fairy Trigger… sorry Trigger user. But that experience isn’t being applied to anything.” Said Zara kindly. “I’m not blaming you for this Barrington might be an idiot savant when it comes to combat but he makes for a terrible teacher.”
“The swollen tongue probably wouldn’t help either, but I could probably think of a few things to do with an EpiPen” Said Dr. Maya Singh, who had not, by any metric Myles knew, been there moments ago.
The sudden appearance of the possibly unstable medical professional startled Myles causing him to simultaneously spit beer and choke.
“If he dies can I have the body?” Asked Dr. Singh
“Absolutely not,” said Myles between coughs. “Also I distinctly remember locking the door”
“What Zara said about John is sadly true, I’ve known him for decades at this point. He does have a good eye for apprentices though.” Said Dr. Singh
“Thanks?” Said an increasingly confused Myles. Noticing the use of the word decades from the judging by appearance alone twenty-something Dr. Singh.
“Not you though Myles, from what I gather that was almost entirely the Trigger Unit’s choice… After doing some research on you I’m honestly shocked you haven’t died.”
“Thanks.” Said an increasingly defeated Myles.
“You are very welcome” Said Dr. Singh who was helping herself to Myles’ beer. “However the training needs to be stepped up but you will have to do some self-study. The Wembley woman let slip a few interesting things and I need to follow up on them… off the books with zero budget so congratulations on making the team Zara, but you Myles need to remain far away”
There followed an extended awkward pause.
“was expecting a little push back… any push back”
“Why would I volunteer for a very clearly dangerous mission? I’ve had superpowers all of five minutes and as people keep pointing out, substandard training,” said Myles, too tired to restrain his belligerence.
“Ha!” said Zara
“Once the evacuation is compleated a large contingent will be implementing a quiet takedown of Sweetbright Industries.“But a smaller, more dynamic, more sexy… that’s where I come in… task force will be heading to what we think is a Sweetbright black site.”
“What’s the lineup?” asked Zara
“Animalbion auxiliary and 999 Emergency main squad with Cash as the meat shield”
“Wait, why is John going?” Said Myles “He has even less training than me and we have the same crappy mentor.”
Dr Singh threw a leather pouch onto Myles coffee table. It hit the wood with a weighty thump. Myles peered into the stuffed little bag. It was full of shillings.
“I have another one full of guinea and a few loose groats… We might have zero budget but that didn’t stop me cracking open a few piggybanks.”
There followed another extended awkward pause.
“What? Nothing? I thought of that in the van on the way over. Anyway I’m going to power up John Marquis with a coin collection we had gathering dust… or oxidising or whatever coins do, in the vaults.” Explained Dr Singh
The ceiling in Myles’ bedroom refused to blink. Sleep eluded him and he was being beaten in a staring contest by Artex. He did not want to fight, he never did. But John Marquis being chosen over him had stung his pride. He was also trying to process exactly how wary the community must be of Trigger users if one was willing to shoot him in the face at a moment’s notice. At least he was free from any community obligation, for now. Myles had enough on his plate with the holy war the Whistlers had declared on him. He would be on his own very soon, Myles needed some good news.
Familiar bond - Synchronising - 100%