My assumption that people Of-the-Wilds didn't enjoy meals together was proven wrong. We gathered in the dining room on the third floor, at a large wooden table made from the tree itself. Olivine served a steaming basket of fluffy white rice and fried battered tomatoes, a real treat after days of mushrooms.
When combined into one, Teal-and-Tungsten turned out to be a compelling storyteller, enrapturing even Willow. They weaved a story about giving Wild Fruit to one of their family horses, which led to a chaotic chase through Benzay. By the end, no one could catch their breath laughing.
“I can still smell the manure pile…” they mumbled when the story was over.
Willow wiped away a tear. “Good to know Wild folks aren’t as uptight as I thought.”
Ivory sat adjacent to her husband, wearing a green leaf-leather dress and a radiant smile. “This is a dark place, and stories are the best source of light.”
Willow gulped down the rest of his cold tea, slammed the cup down, and gave her a look of pure mischief. “I couldn’t agree more. I’d enjoy it if you joined our evening training and sparred with me a bit, your highness. You know, to prove your strength.”
A smile curled on her face, somehow containing twice as much mischief. “Don’t call me ‘your highness’ until the I complete the coronation ritual, but you're on.”
They shook hands. I shared a commiserating look with my friends. Willow decided to trust her, but he was also the kind of person who liked to challenge and push people to show who they really are.
As promised, that evening’s training was far from boring. To practice using my power in defensive situations, Marrow and the doctor suggested fighting one-on-one to get used to different styles and gain experience.
First, I subdued Teal and Tungsten with little effort, as they struggled to avoid my sneak attacks. Being able to communicate in their heads wasn’t a big advantage if they couldn’t see me anyway.
Fighting Mercury was like fighting something slippery and amorphous. He had named his power ‘Tesser’ and could instantly move his body anywhere in a hundred-foot radius. Like me, he was hard to catch and find. After ten minutes of appearing and reappearing, we were both exhausted, but neither of us had even touched.
Marrow was not shy to give advice. His tone was fatherly, and maybe a little too gentle, compensating for the rough state of his appearance. “When you find yourself evenly matched, take your time to think about your advantages, and the disadvantages of your opponent. Did you know Mercury has a limit to how many times he can do that, like your own limit? Neither of you even tried to exploit that.”
Mercury exchanged a guilty glance with me.
“And Badger,” he continued. “Do what you can to interact with the souls you're fighting. The Divine Pantheon has more advantages than you realize.”
I wiped the sweat from my forehead and sighed. “I’ll do my best.”
Next was Olivine. She had thick strong arms, tattooed with subtle spirals that were only visible if the light hit her dark skin at a certain angle. Gold-and-Silver gave her these, as they were crucial in maintaining precise control when performing surgery. After she sat for the mastery test in the coming education season, she too would be called ‘Doctor’.
Our fight started. I disappeared before she had a chance to grab me. Her green soul moved around the room with a deliberate and cautious pace. I inched close enough to feel its aggressive heat. When she moved near the orange light of Ivory, her closest friend and leader, it burned less like a fire and more like a sunbeam.
I reached out and touched it without being burned. “You can trust me,” I said aloud, even though no one could hear me. “Stop moving. Stay still.”
She hesitated. I reached where I thought her arms would be, but in the split second before I returned, the soul blazed hot again. As soon as I attempted to grab her, I was pulled into the air.
“Damn it!” I cursed. My power didn’t work in that state.
She smiled apologetically and put me back down. “Almost. I let my guard down for a second. Did you do that?”
“Not really,” I said. “Ivory’s influence calmed you and lowered the temperature of your soul light. I tried to take advantage of it.”
Marrow patted me on the back with a rough hand. “You’re already learning. The more we practice, the more you can explore the nuances of your power and hone your instincts. Take a break, and then it's my turn.”
‘Wound’ was the name of Marrow’s Variety. Not only could he survive the most gruesome bodily trauma, but he could perceive me with all senses in both dimensions, dissolving my advantage. When it came to a test of physical strength, he overpowered me in less than a minute.
“Get it together Badgey!” blurted Willow, sitting cross-legged in a patch of sunshine at the end of the Meadow. “You’re the Reaper!”
I gave him a weak thumbs up, face down in the grass. Marrow lifted me off the ground, mumbling an apology.
Sharp, as always, had opinions about my performance. “In battle, you must always understand your advantages and disadvantages. That's just how it is. Start training with a weapon if you can't be evasive in every fight.”
I looked at my feet. “I’d rather run away than hurt anyone.”
“Weapons aren't always for hurting,” she asserted, drumming a melody on her armored skirt with the dull sides of her bone-blades.
Not for hurting? A new cog turned in my mind. I would have to ask Olivine if she could make it for me.
Marrow pointed a crooked finger at my Warrior friend. “You ought to fight him next, City girl. It would be a great privilege to learn from your expertise.”
“Was taking her blade to your heart a privilege too?” Willow dared to joke. Mercury gave him a sour look, but Marrow only laughed. It was a rough sound but pleasing to the ear.
Undaunted, Sharp moved to the center of the Meadow and assumed a fighting stance. “This won't be the first time we fought, but it could be the first time you win.”
I glared. Maybe my new power could turn the tide, but my instincts screamed otherwise. Sharp was the only one in our group who wasn’t born with a natural power, and yet she was the scariest in a fight. Especially now, after the doctor confirmed the Wild Fruit granted her a rare side effect called Divine Ear, making her even stronger against my stealth. She could hear my footsteps, even in the Unseen.
Sharp smirked and twirled her blades, hitting the sides of her armor to create an eerie tune. “Ready when you are, little chameleon.”
Catchherbysurprise, I thought. I ran headlong, but she was stone-still, ready to strike. I disappeared just out of range of her weapons, then retreated at once. My plan was to keep my distance but make her think I was nearby. If I could make her frustrated, she’d lose focus enough to give me an opening.
In the Unseen Dimension, the blades took the shape of beams of light, moving in sync with their real counterparts, allowing me to tell where Sharp was facing. She remained motionless, listening.
“You can trust me. I won't hurt you. Just go to sleep,” I said aloud, feeling idiotic. When my hand touched her light, there was no heat to burn me, only soothing coolness. Could this be because I had known her for so long? There was nothing she had to hide from me, and when things were real, she was the closest thing I had to a sister.
But this wasn't real, it was training. The cool light became so boiling hot that I leapt backward, instincts returning me to the real dimension. I hit the dirt, and felt the cold, cruel metal of her blade flat against my sternum.
