by N Felts
he was standing upon moments ago.
“Think of it as a doorway between where you are and where you want to be. It’s sort of like teleporting in a way,” she admits, uncertain if her comparisons are helping.
“So you can teleport me anywhere? Why didn’t you say so before?” He asks, mildly annoyed.
“Wanted it to be a surprise,” she expresses mischievously. “I was too weak to pull it off until recently anyway.”
“Oh yeah,” he mumbles, recalling her fading away after saving him from his fall. Suddenly several things make a lot more sense, and Rift only grows more appreciative of Mai’s sacrifices.
“Okay,” she starts with more enthusiasm. “I’m trusting you with control of the portals. You can aim with your right hand, then just tell me when to open them. What do you think?”
“Really?” He states with a look of shock before glancing down at his hand. The spectral triangle emerges in a tranquil whirlwind the moment his thoughts shift to it. Indecipherable secrets brush past his ears while the infinite depths of the void pour in through his eyes, drowning his conscious mind.
“Want to give it a shot?” Mai asks, her upper body taking shape in it’s odd, translucent way and looking further ahead for a suitable testing ground.
“Y-yeah,” Rift agrees, shaking his thoughts free and turning his palm away from himself. A brief hallway ends in a sizeable room, littered with pools of water and twisting paths. The faint, red glow of the liquid combined with the dark walkways make the room seem hellish at first glance. Though the water is no more dangerous here than in his own world, Rift considers the pools to be every bit as treacherous as lava, his inability to swim making a misstep every bit as deadly. Making his way along one of many winding paths, the boy notices the water seems to be clinging to the ground, occasional droplets pulling free and falling upward just as the remaining liquid on his clothing. Reaching the center of the area, the paths all converge into a central, bowl-like depression, its circumference just high enough to prevent the plentiful bodies of water surrounding it from pouring in. Spotting a small chest resting on the far side of the room, Rift begins to pick up the pace when Mai suddenly stops him.
“Wait! Do you hear that?” She asks, listening more intently herself. Cocking his head to listen, the boy doesn’t notice the pair of humanoid water forms climb up and out of the pools behind him. Standing on the surface of the very water they were birthed from, the forms have slender frames, slowly dripping upward just as the rest of the room continues to. Walking onto solid ground, they make virtually no noise save the faint slushing of water through their extremities. “Behind you!” Mai calls, spinning Rift around in an assumed battle situation. His stance has slowly begun to evolve to compliment his developing style. With Mai’s assistance he’s learned shielding himself is essentially pointless, her advanced warnings centering his posture on evasion as opposed to defense or deflection. Standing southpaw, he lets his right fist hang just below his chin for counter strikes while his left hand floats in front of him around waist level. Crossing each other’s paths as they approach, the transparent forms begin to increase their movement speed as they draw closer.
“Left!” Mai calls just as one of the foes dashes into a roundhouse kick. “Jump!” She instructs before he’s even completed the evasive maneuver. The kick narrowly misses before the boy dives forward, eluding a sweeping kick meant to take his legs out from beneath him. Finding his feet once again, Rift attempts to study his adversary’s movements as they close in for another attack. “Ju—uh, right!” Mai stammers, the first strike a feigned leg kick as the liquid enemy’s fluid movements begin to disorient even Mai’s reflexes. Already prepared to jump, Rift promptly loses his balance as a hurricane of strikes pelt his head and torso mercilessly. The spinning assault results in a multitude of watery explosions, each strike causing the foe’s utilized limb to blast apart like a water balloon, then quickly re-form before striking again. Rapidly complementing the onslaught, a sudden charge from the aquatic antagonist’s comrade catches Rift reeling. Leveling the boy with a brutal shoulder check, the bully joins his ally in retreat, the attacks causing a dramatic loss in their body mass as the expended water rushes upward to reside on the ceiling. Now significantly smaller in size, they each dance across the surface of a nearby pool, absorbing all the liquid they need for another offensive.
“They’re faster than they let on,” Mai must admit, not expecting such a well-coordinated attack. “You okay?”
“I’m good. Payback time,” he boasts, though he isn’t at all sure if he can successfully counter either of them. The strikes hurt significantly less than being hit by a tangible being, but Rift knows he cannot endure too many, the impact comparable to passing beneath a waterfall. The dastardly duo move in again, their movements seemingly coordinated through a singular source. The first fakes a punch, but Mai expected as much, giving the boy no instruction just yet. The second dashes beneath the first’s mock strike, its hand transforming into a blade-like shape as it slashes diagonally.
“Right, then strike!” Mai commands, attempting to stay a step ahead of the challengers. Executing perfectly, Rift dodges the swing and instantly returns with a devastating cross. Hit far too many times to perceive, the boy is countered with an uppercut before his own counter can land. A barrage of hooks and powerful kicks batter his form from head to toe before a crescent kick to the head finally drops him flat on his stomach. Almost taunting in their mannerisms, the twins return to their water sources, drinking up the red pools through their legs before returning to the battle grounds. Climbing back to his feet with far less confidence, Rift feels as though he’s nearly reached his limit, each blow more painful than the one before. The marine twins clearly have no intention of hitting him with a knockout punch, but instead aim to wear him down until he cannot go on. He needs a new strategy, and soon.
“Any ideas?” He asks with a weak chuckle, the pair of fighters already closing in once again.
“They’re just too fast to counter,” Mai whines, unsure how Rift can best them. “Right, Right, then Left!” She commands as another barrage ensues. The vicious flurry of strikes hit nothing but air, and the twins grow fiercer by the minute. “Left, Down, then Left!” Another twirling display of aggression and the boy remains untouched. Opting to attack in unison instead of succession, both water forms dash outward before converging with their arms extended in spin attacks. “Block!” Mai is forced to instruct, their sudden change in strategy leaving no room for evasion. Raising his forearms on either side of his head, the rapid beating of water feels like a babbling brook against his gauntlets. Thrown into a panic, the foes quickly realize they must retreat, their barrage unable to disable the boy even temporarily. Realizing his advantage, Rift thrusts his right palm outward, holding his wrist steady with his left hand. Squinting through the transparent triangle on his palm, he squares up his target, desperate to return to its water source.
“Now!” He demands, having put up with this game long enough. Instantly realizing what he is up to, Mai opens a portal beneath Rift’s feet as well as directly in front of the fleeing foe. Only slightly disoriented by the fall, Rift can practically see the stunned look on the creature’s formless face as he rises in front of it. Contorting into a downward, back-fisted attack, he smashes the enemy’s head and chest, its depleted remains falling upward as the boy manages to right himself before gravity reclaims him.
“Well played,” Mai smugly admits, genuinely impressed by his growing ability to think on his feet. The remaining form has long since replenished its strength, circling behind Rift for a sneak attack. “Left!” Mai instructs as the boy ducks to the side, dodging the simple strike with ease. The remaining antagonist has grown significantly more cautious, strutting toward Rift with curious mannerisms. Another attempt to feign fails as Mai doesn’t lead the boy into a trap with a false warning. The enemy almost seems frustrated, its target now immune to
its tricks and tactics. “Block!” Mai encourages, delighted by the enemy’s unraveling stratagem. A ham-fisted haymaker punch soars at the boy’s head, but Rift manages to shield himself from the torrent of water that follows. Purposely failing to recoil for an extra second, the combatant almost dupes the boy into attempting a counter, but the vivid memory of the last attempt keeps his fists in check. Deciding it should refill before any further attacks, the form dashes away, not needing the water, but also not wanting to end up in a worst case scenario.
“Now!” Rift commands, already lining up his mark. Dropping through another portal he cuts off his fleeing foe, though he doesn’t attempt to attack just yet. Angered by the turning tides, the addled adversary throws a brutal leg kick just as Rift lands back on his feet. Unable to deflect the blow, the boy drops to a knee while the onslaught continues. A series of hammer-fists are mostly blocked as Rift cracks a smile, knowing his opponent has overplayed its hand. Not even giving it a chance to run, the boy dives forward, punching strait through the entity’s stomach with his right and rapidly following with a left uppercut,