Restart Again: Volume 3

by Adam Ladner Scott

  Lia tossed the matched onyx longsword to Marin, and our sparring continued. The fiery passion of our previous bouts was suddenly gone, replaced by reserved, mechanically repetitive strikes. I reached out a tendril of mana to Lia while the fight progressed and pressed against her consciousness. She’s slower than you are.

  She doesn’t like using two weapons, Lia answered. She says it’s too many things to keep track of, and that she’d rather “just focus on what feels right.”

  I grinned. I suppose that’s fair; I’m not overly fond of the style myself. Even so, it’s good to learn a bit of everything. My sword caught the edge of both of Marin’s blades, and I heaved her back to make some space between us. Throw me your old sword. I dropped my bastard sword into my offhand and caught it in a reverse grip as Lia tossed me her saber. Marin’s eyes widened as I reengaged combat, and she shrank against the onslaught of my new style. As her blows glanced off my parrying sword, I reached out and disarmed her offhand blade with a flick of my wrist.

  The lack of the extra blade seemed to only invigorate her, but despite her valiant efforts, I continued to push her back across the yard. I knew all too well the difficulty of fighting off multiple blades using a single weapon; I had only become truly proficient with the skill after years of daily sparring with Kel. Marin tucked and rolled away behind me after a particularly brutal set of swings, and I tossed Lia’s extra sword to the ground. “You can do better than that, Marin! Come at me with everything you’ve got!”

  She grinned with anticipation as she began to chant under her breath, and I saw the multicolored layers of combat enhancements flaring to life around her. I waited patiently for the ritual to conclude, sparing her my usual harsh lesson of not pausing to chant on the battlefield. When she had completed her list of spells, she launched into another round of attacks with renewed vigor. It was abundantly clear that her parallel introduction to combat and magic had been to her benefit; the two seemed to come together to create something greater than the sum of their parts.

  Her attacks came in harder and faster than before, cutting in new ways with spins and feints she had held back until her enhancements were in play. She let out a frustrated yell after each gambit was turned away by a simple dodge or parry, letting her mana flare more powerfully with every successive attempt. Although I was fully satisfied with her proficiency in enhanced combat, I continued the fight for my own enjoyment; it had been far too long since I had sparred with anyone other than Lia, and even though she had taught Marin most of the techniques she threw against me, they all had their own unique spin when coming from a different opponent.

  I kept a close eye on her mana reserves over the course of our duel and made a point to shift into the final phase of my test before Marin had exhausted herself. After blocking a low cut with a particularly jarring parry, I stepped inside her guard and struck her wrist with my empty hand, knocking her sword to the ground. She jumped away with a yelp and took up a cautionary position a few yards away. “Fine, you win!” she yelled in exasperation, rubbing her tender wrist.

  “Oh, so you’re giving up because you lost your sword?” I asked, pointing my blade towards her face. “That’s not going to work today.”

  “What? Are you ser—?” Her response was lost as she bent backwards just in time to slip beneath a horizontal slash. The dodge transitioned into a backwards roll, and she popped back up onto her feet with wide-eyed excitement.

  “Your test isn’t over until I say it’s over, Marin,” I shouted, retaking my battle stance. “Show me what you can really do!”

  She let out a triumphant laugh as she began to bounce on the pads of her feet, holding her hands palm-out in front of her. I lunged forward with a quick stab aimed at her chest, but she twirled past the blow and reached up to the overextended grip of my weapon. Her fingers wrapped beneath mine as she attempted to pry my hand from the grip, and I saw her free hand shoot out in anticipation of where the weapon would fall once I was disarmed. I dismissed the sword just before it fell, then shoved her back with my now free hands. “Clever! That might have worked on someone else!” I quipped, shaking out my empty hands in preparation for the coming close-quarters combat.

  I had known she was exceptionally advanced in hand-to-hand fighting, but the exact reasons why weren’t clear until the final leg of her test began. It was the victory condition she sought that surprised me most; as opposed to the majority of unarmed fighters I faced that aimed for knockout punches, Marin was instead hunting for a submission. Her strikes often transitioned into grapples that tangled my legs and painfully torqued my joints, and I found myself tempted to call on my own combat enhancements to ensure I could keep fighting without dislocating an arm.

  Unfortunately for her, the glow of her enhancements began to fade as she continually increased her mana usage after each failed submission, causing her attacks to grow more desperate and less accurate. When she finally lashed out with a sloppy attempt to sweep my legs out from under me, I caught her beneath the armpit and tossed her into the air, sending her tumbling head-over-heels across the yard. Sprinting ahead to where she landed with a dull thump, I pressed my boot down onto her shoulder before she could scramble back to her feet. “The test is over now.”

  I felt her struggle beneath my boot for a moment before she fell back with a loud groan. “Damn it!” she cursed, bouncing her head off of the grass beneath her as I removed my foot from her shoulder. “I was so close, too!”

  Lia jogged over and slid onto her knees next to Marin, shaking her excitedly by the arm. “You did such a great job, Marin! I’m so proud of you.”

  “But I still lost!” Marin complained, propping herself up on her elbows.

  “Well, you didn’t…” Lia trailed off with a giggle. “You didn’t actually expect to win, did you?”

  “Maybe! I don’t know! I just wanted to pass the test.”

  I reached down and offered her my hand. “Marin, you passed with flying colors. You did far better than I could have hoped for.” The compliment brought a radiant smile to her face as I helped her to her feet. “Where did you learn your hand-to-hand style? I know Lia didn’t teach it to you.”

  Lia huffed at the apparent slight. “If I didn’t teach it to her, it’s only because you didn’t teach it to me.”

  “That’s true,” I chuckled, putting an arm around her shoulders to pull her in against my side. She resisted grumpily for a moment, then accepted the gesture and looped an arm around my waist. “I taught you the basics in everything, and then decided to focus on what you seemed the most interested in. For you, that was two-weapon fighting.” I gave Marin a friendly pat on the head, briefly scratching behind her rounded, fuzzy ears. “You, on the other hand, are clearly inclined for unarmed combat. I saw some pretty advanced takedown and submission attempts back there.”

  Marin hummed beneath my hand. “Valandra and I used to play fight when I was little. She was a lot bigger and a lot older than I was, so it was never anything serious. Wrestling mostly.” She paused as a faint smile came to her lips, and she tilted her head back to stare up into the clear morning sky. “I call it wrestling, but I really just climbed all over her until she flipped me around into the grass.”

  I felt shame burning behind my cheeks as Val’s tearful eyes stared at me through my memories, my blade pressed against her throat. “Seems like you learned more from her than you thought.”

  She nodded thoughtfully as she continued to stare off into her past, until a sudden burst of excitement perked up her ears. “Wait, you said I passed the test! What happens now? Do I get to advance to the next level of training?”

  Lia repressed a laugh. “There’s no next level to advance to. As you get better at using your mana, I’ll teach you how to use other types of magic, but beyond that, you just keep practicing and getting better with what you already know.”

  “Actually,” I interjected as an idea dawned on me, “there is one other thing.” Marin clapped excitedly, while Lia turned to look at m
e with a raised eyebrow. “Wait here, I’ll be right back.” Without further explanation, I jogged into the house and ran to our table of magical artifacts. My fingers traced along the metal edge of the gauntlets that once belonged to the King’s Strength, and I gave myself a reassuring nod. If she’s ever forced to face off against her sister, Marin should at least be on an even playing field. I gingerly wrapped the gloves in my cloak, then took the bundle back outside.

  Lia’s eyes widened as her Detection revealed the gift I intended to give. Are you sure you want to give those away, Lux?

  Of course I am. Are you worried she’s not ready?

  No, it’s not that, it’s...well, I thought you would want to keep those for yourself, is all. Her voice dissipated with a small laugh, and she gave me an encouraging smile.

  As interested as Marin was, the idea of using Detection to determine what I held beneath my cloak had clearly not crossed her mind. “What’s that?” she asked, bouncing in place. “Is it a reward for passing the test?”

  “You could say that,” I grinned. “It’s how you start your next level of training.” I held the bundle in front of me and bobbed it up and down, gesturing for her to inspect it. She hopped forward and moved the supple black cloak aside, digging through the fabric until her prize revealed itself. I heard her breath catch in her throat, and she took an unsteady step backwards.

  “Those are one of the King’s Primes,” she whispered.

  “No, not anymore,” I corrected her. “Now they’re yours.”

  She shook her head. “I can’t take them. I’m not, uhm, I mean, I can’t—”

  “Yes, you can. You’ll put them to better use than their previous owner ever did, I guarantee it.”

  Her eyes filled with tears as she reached out and brushed her hand along the intricate metal fingers. There was a long moment of silence as she inspected the gauntlets with a religious reverence, until she finally stepped back again. “They’re too big for me.”

  I let out a barking laugh so loud that Marin jumped and let out a startled yelp. “I can help you install some padding inside later. Right now, you need to try them on.”

  She turned to Lia with pleading eyes. “It’s okay, Marin,” Lia reassured her. “You’ve earned them.”

  After another long moment of hesitation, Marin nodded and plucked the first gauntlet from my outstretched arms. She slid her arm down the length of the metal glove until her fingers found their way into the articulated handpiece, which she flexed cautiously. The gesture seemed to fill her with resolve, and she quickly donned the second gauntlet as well. “They’re...lighter than I thought they’d be,” she commented softly. She continued to test her range of movement and threw a few punches at the air. “I can’t believe how easy it is to move with these on.”

  I smiled, pleased with her assessment. “Are you feeling up to testing them out?”

  “Of course!” she replied immediately, her trepidation from moments before nowhere to be seen. “I’ll definitely beat you this time.”

  “I’m sure you would,” I chuckled, “but we aren’t testing them in combat. The magic stored in those gloves is too dangerous to spar with.” Her eyes widened as she pursed her lips, and she gave me a small nod. “Follow me.” The three of us walked to a particularly large emberwood tree at the edge of the clearing. “Punch this tree. No magic, just a regular punch.”

  She raised an eyebrow at me, but shrugged and took her stance next to the trunk. A moment later, her fist lashed out and cracked against the bark with a loud thump. “Oww!” she whined, recoiling as she shook her hand against the pain. “Why did you make me do that!?”

  “We needed a baseline to compare with your next attack,” I answered, reaching out with a small tendril of mana to her hand and activating the healing rune on my ring. Her scowl quickly faded alongside the pain as her fractured fingers mended under a faint green glow. “Now that we’ve seen what you would normally do, you can activate the enchantment stored in the gauntlets.”

  Marin bit her lip. “I’m not sure I know how to do that.”

  “It’s easy; all you need to do is reach out with your mana and turn the enchantment on.”

  “Lux, I don’t know what that means. Am I supposed to—”

  “Just try it, Marin. Trust me.” I tapped her once on the forehead with my index finger. “Close your eyes. Take a deep breath. Let the mana flow through your body, and then reach out to the gauntlets. You’ll know what to do from there.”

  I felt Lia’s energy rush out over my own, and we both watched intently as Marin began to channel her remaining mana reserves down through her arms. She hesitated there momentarily, then suffused the metal that covered her fingertips. I saw an immediate reaction as soon as the two fronts of energy met; the multicolored mana stored within the gloves swirled to life at Marin’s touch and activated the force enhancing magic inlaid into the metal. “I...I think I did it. I definitely did something,” she said under her breath. “There’s a weird tingling feeling in my arms; does that mean it’s on?”

  “Yes, that means it’s on,” I snickered. “Whenever you’re ready, punch the tree again.”

  She flexed her fingers in anticipation as her mana commingled with the stored power in the gauntlets. Her eyes snapped open as she reared back and threw another punch, aimed for the same spot as before. As soon as the metal connected with the trunk, a thunderous crash exploded out from the tree along with a hail of bark and splinters. A massive cone-shaped chunk of wood nearly six feet tall seemingly disappeared from the opposite side of the tree as a wave of force rippled out from the point of impact and up the towering emberwood. After a few secondary snaps, it fell forward and bounced off of the surrounding trees, eventually making its way down to crash against the forest floor.

  Marin’s jaw hung open as she stared at the carnage she had inflicted. The clearing filled with a swarm of large red leaves, all flipping wildly through the air in a kaleidoscope of motion and color. I saw her begin to turn towards us through the swirling crimson, her eyes bouncing back and forth between her upturned hands and the dancing leaves. I applauded in unison with Lia, who let out a loud cheer of congratulation. The noise seemed to rouse Marin from her stupor, and a grin spread wide across her face. She performed a small, wiggling dance in celebration, culminating in a series of excited jumps and fist pumps.

  “That was AMAZING!” she yelled. “I’m gonna do it again!”

  “Woah, there,” I said, quickly putting a hand on her shoulder to interrupt her. “I’m glad you’re excited, but you don’t need to go clearcutting our forest just because you can. I happen to like these trees.”

  She put her hands to her stomach and let out a loud laugh. “Okay, I guess you have a point,” she said, wiping a tear from her eye. She rang her knuckles together excitedly as she spoke. “I’ve never felt anything like that before. There was so much power coursing through me when I hit that tree, it was…” she trailed off as a shiver ran up her spine.

  “I know how you’re feeling, Marin, but you have to make sure you don’t get carried away with all that power,” Lia said in the serious, didactic tone she used during their lessons. “From now on, you should train with the gauntlets on, but you have to promise not to activate them unless you’re in real danger. Can you do that?”

  “Sure, of course,” she answered, partially distracted as she stared at her hands again. After another few moments of inspection, she straightened up and gave us each a small bow. “Thank you. Both of you. I promise I won’t let you down.”

  I clapped my hands together emphatically. “Glad to hear it! Now, with your test out of the way, you’re free to go. You’ve earned the rest of the day off, I think.” I paused to turn and look at Lia, waggling my eyebrow. “Unless your teacher says otherwise.”

  Lia rolled her eyes with a laugh. “No, we’re finished for the day. You did a great job, Marin.”

  Marin let out a loud cheer. “Thanks! I need to get back and help make dinner for tonight; Elise
is coming, so I want to make sure that everything is exactly—” She cut herself off with a small squeak. “What I mean is, I have to make sure dinner is ready. For everyone. You two are still coming, right?”

  “We’ll be there,” I said, resisting the urge to tease her.

  “Awesome! I’ll see you tonight, then!” she called out as she turned and began to sprint into the forest. “Don’t be late!” Her voice echoed back at us along with her heavy footfalls, both of which quickly faded into silence.

  “All things considered, I think that went much better than I had originally hoped,” I mused as we made our way back to the house.

  “She’s come a long way,” Lia agreed, taking my hand. “It’s hard to believe how well she’s doing, given how short of a time we’ve been training.”

  “A month is a long time, at least in terms of our style of training,” I countered. “You’ve only been training for...what, three months at most?”

  She stopped on the doorstep. “No, that can’t be right.” I watched with amusement as she counted silently to herself, repeating the process multiple times as she shook her head. “Wow. That is right. How is that possible?”

  “Time has a funny way of tricking you like that,” I chuckled, tugging her inside.

  “I guess so,” she replied quietly. “It feels like it's been years since I met you.”

  “Imagine how you’ll feel when it’s actually been a year. Or ten years.” I bumped her shoulder lightly with mine. “Think you’ll be sick of me by then?”

  “That depends on how many times you ask me if I’m sick of you between now and then,” she said, nudging me back.