Echoes of the Past

Chapter Thirty Two - Part One

James stepped to the edge of the grid. Once he stepped onto it, he would only have three seconds before he set off the pressure alarm.

He burst forward, almost at a run, and began swinging his sword. At first he stuck to the three-strike combination Sam had taught him, then found himself improvising and doing what felt natural. He turned and kicked out, then spun and threw out a combination of swings. It felt like he was hesitating at first, but he soon found his momentum. He moved fiercely, driven by a powerful force, and pushed himself harder.

A panel turned red and a buzzer rang out.

He paused, panting, and turned towards Liana. He thought he had been doing so well.

"Don't over think it," she said. "Just keep moving and you'll get used to it. It can take time."

He nodded. A long beep signalled the grid becoming live again, and he moved. He was conscious of moving his hips and his feet, remembering what Liana had told him earlier. Now he was back in the room, in the same environment, his earlier lessons with her came back to him. It was different now, with a sword in hand, but the principles of always moving remained the same.

He lashed out with a succession of attacks and flowed into a backswing that brought him into another combination, adding in weaves and ducks as he pressed on. He imagined armoured enemies charging at him, and his sword knocking them back. When he came to a corner of the grid he jumped back, and surprised himself when his push turned into a back flip. He landed clumsily but managed to right himself without–

The floor panel lit and rang out angrily.

He remained standing there, his shoulders heaving, and took a moment before looking at Liana.

"Impressive, James," she said behind him. "It really is. You want to keep going?"

The automatic timer beeped and the floor became live again. James turned and moved around, finding his footing. He fell into a rhythm of sword swings, ducks, and kicks – nothing too fancy – and kept going.

The imaginary enemies he fought turned into tall creatures with spiked limbs. The beasts that had come at him from the darkness of the Grillock Caves. A flush of hot anger rippled through him, and he used it as fuel to swing harder and move faster. He promised himself he would never freeze with fear again in the middle of battle.

After what felt like several minutes, the floor panel turned red again.

James huffed. "That was less than three seconds," he grunted angrily, glaring at the panel as if he were scalding a child.

"It's okay, James. Let's take a break?"

"One more go," he said. The grid became live again and he burst forward. Several seconds later a panel lit up.

James blew out a harsh breath, wiping sweat from his face. His legs were beginning to weaken. "One more."

Liana remained silent. He no longer wanted to look at her. He went again.

Sword combinations went into spin kicks and dodges. He eventually realised he was capable of bigger moves, if he gave them a go. Some moves just flowed into another naturally. A backward roll along the ground flipped him up and sent him into a twisting kick. James's mind was a blur, but a renewed strength flowed through him.

A heavy grunt left him as he flipped back, spinning in the air, and followed it with another spin kick that sent him into a second back flip. James stumbled backwards and set the floor panel off, catching himself before he could fall.

The buzzer echoed around them as the room became silent, filled only with James's heavy panting. He realised he had been standing there for some time and eventually turned to Liana. She stood at the far end of the grid, still as a statue, a wide-eyed look on her face. Through James's sweaty and blurred vision, he thought she even looked frightened.