Chapter 57

Ryker

While processing the news that my supposed wife was responsible for blindsiding me with a medicine ball, she sauntered up to me, placed both hands on her hips, and said, “While you were recovering, Ruby and I had some time to have a little talk. Turns out we have a lot more in common than we had previously thought, and after she filled me in on your unique circumstances, I realized that I had a duty to help out in any way I can.”

I rubbed the indent in my forehead that was left behind from the medicine ball and replied, “If by 'help out' you mean try to take my head off, then I believe you.” Everyone must have been in on it because they all began to smile darkly. Silvar settled into a more civil expression and stated, “Alright, that's enough witty banter. He needs to get this technique down before we do anything else. Now, go on and take a walk till you're fully healed and can save up some mana for the fun stuff.”

I decided to ignore his "fun stuff" comment and took off on a shaky lap around the room. As I walked, I tried to concentrate on the task before me. I could feel the mana working but was still having a hard time figuring out which energy was which with my eyes open. Casually, I tried taking longer blinks than were strictly needed to help and nearly had it. Then I heard the traitorous words from Silvar. “Now...” A second later, a medicine ball was screaming through the air directly at my head. I was barely able to lean out of the way and turned to stare daggers at Tetra and Silvar, then said, “Why are you telling her to do that?!? I am trying to figure this out, and fearing for my life isn’t helping my concentration!”

Silvar reached up and stroked his white beard, striking a contemplative pose, then said, “Ah, yes. But you cheated and cheaters never win, so cut the crap. I saw the blinks. Do it right, or she is going to fill your suck hole with a medicine ball.”

This continued for another twelve hours. Eventually, my health and mana bars were full again. The second I was topped off again, Silvar ordered me to transition from walking to running, then sprinting, and ultimately found myself facing an obstacle course from hell. While trying my best to not fall to my death I split my attention between dodging balls, fire, and the occasional A.I. jump scare, while trying to cycle vital energy.

After the fourteenth hour, I finally had enough and decided to confront Silvar. I turned towards his perch on his favorite rock and yelled, “What is the point in all of this? I have been trying to cycle all day but haven’t been able to manage it once.”

Silvar smirked and said, “Walk...” then turned and disappeared.

Exhausted, irritated, and starving, I made my way to the track on the perimeter and began to walk. This time I was ready. Would it be a ball? No, I thought, it was going to be Red in a werewolf mask for sure. I was able to maintain my hypervigilant state for a full lap before I realized the space was empty. I knew intellectually that I was never alone now, but the faux privacy was nice. I used to really love the quiet times in my old life and found myself longing for the simple times I had grown to resent till everything went sideways.

I pushed the thoughts of my past aside and focused. To my surprise, I felt a connection snap into place the moment I thought about the energy near me. I began cycling my breathing as I walked and marveled at my success. Simply walking wasn’t enough, so I decided that I would try to speed up my pace. After a few minutes of wrestling back my control, I felt I had a firm grasp and pushed myself a little faster.

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This went on for another twelve hours. The second I felt my grip on the energy solidify, I pushed harder. Eventually, I was sprinting around the training area, kicking off walls, climbing ropes, and trying my hand at acrobatics. Most of the time, I would end up flat on my face and lose control of my cycling. After a while, even the pain of a broken ankle or bruised pelvis couldnt weaken my control.

I knew I had made a fatal error when an errant thought involuntarily crossed my mind. “Hm, this is kind of easy.”

The sound of Silvar laughing sent a chill down my spine. He appeared in front of me and said, “I am proud of you, son. I would have never dreamed a dimwit like yourself would be capable of mastering a technique designed for toddlers so fast. Don’t worry, the easy part's over. Now do it while exchanging pointers with her.” Silvar gestured over his shoulder with his thumb, and Tetra came strolling into the room carrying a metal staff in one hand and a primitive-looking club in the other.

I smiled in satisfaction and excitement as she closed the distance and tossed me the club. Tetra returned the smile and said, “At this point in your training, you are so limited by your lack of experience that I think a club will be the best tool for you till we figure out what weapon suits you best.”

Gripping the simple weapon firmly, I tested its heft and found it felt good in my hands. After my first practice swing, I watched as Ruby materialized in front of my blow, threw up her hands, and mock cried out, “No, don’t hurt me!” as the club passed directly through her incorporeal form. She stood to her full height, wearing a shit-eating grin.

I was clutching my chest and breathing hard after Ruby’s prank and said, “I am glad to see you back to your old self again, but is it really necessary for you to keep scaring me like that?”

Her grin widened further, and she said, “No, not really, but I have a present for you that might make it all better.”

My inner child perked up at the mention of presents, and I said, “Oh really? What is it?”

She reached behind her back and pulled out a club identical to the one in my hand, giving it a flourish I saw a glowing outline superimposed over her form appear. She paused, then the transparent version swung out in a perfect arc and Ruby followed its movements exactly as it led her through an intricate kata before saying, “Me, Red, and Tetra have spent the better part of the day workshopping how best we can improve your training. After deciding to delay electroshock therapy and prolonged cold exposure, we settled on an augmented reality solution.”

Red stomped in wearing a scowl of irritation, her arms crossed as she said, “You two are the worst; you know electricity is my favorite!”

Ruby shot Red a no-nonsense look, and the tiny A.I. let out a rebellious huff, kicked at a nonexistent pebble, and faded away. Ruby took a theatrically long breath and continued, “Like I was saying, we will begin training you to not depend solely on my ability to forcibly correct your movements mid-battle with the suit. While you spar with Tetra, I will be overlaying your body with an identical, semi-transparent version of yourself. Similar to when I controlled your suit, I will adjust the copy's actions to achieve an optimal outcome for any combat situation you encounter. We will start with basic movement modification, and as you adjust and make improvements, I will increase the difficulty accordingly. It will feel unnatural to you at first, but I will be giving you tiny nudges and haptic feedback to help signal what part of your body needs to move and where. Be mindful that everytime you are out of sync with your copy I will be incrementally increasing your perception speed till you get back on track. This will put a strain on your mind so the better you do the less discomfort you will experience. ”

My excitement at the prospect must have been written all over my face because both Tetra and Ruby gave me an encouraging smile. I hefted the club to my shoulder and said, “Well, let's see what this thing can do.” Immediately, a superimposed outline of me flashed into life, and I saw the augmented reality version of me grip the club with both hands, crouch with its left foot out in front, and its hands drew the club down behind its body in a low ready position. My suit was buzzing and ever so gently tugging me towards my doppelganger's position. As I adjusted my body to mimic my copy's, the vibrations ceased, and the tugging disappeared. The moment I was settled, Tetra lifted her staff to the ready, and time slowed down.