The Ranger (Book 1) (21 page)

“With you,” Silva answered. “You’ve made remarkable progress this week. It took me years to reach the level of control that you have with your token. And what’s more, Trent can’t keep up with his shadow knights anymore. That alone is accomplishment enough.”

“Fighting shadow knights is nothing like real combat,” Vincent mumbled.

“That’s beside the point,” Silva interjected. “It’s the practice. The movement is so ingrained in you now that you’ll be able to react without thinking.”

“So what does that mean?” Vincent asked as he finished his meat.

“It means,” Silva said, standing up, “that I think you are ready for something more intensive.” Vincent looked at him incredulously. “I told you that I would teach you to move faster than the Magi,” Silva had lowered his voice and seemed to be choosing his word carefully again. “There are ways of exceeding the natural limits of the body. Limits like speed, strength, and stamina.”

“So, how is it done,” Vincent asked, his voice almost a whisper.

“The token is the secret,” Silva smiled. “Many knights mistakenly view the token as a tool used solely to manipulate the elements. However, in their defense, for most knights that is all it will ever be.”

“I’m not following you,” Vincent was becoming confused.

“The token holds powers beyond your wildest dreams, Vincent.” Silva had taken a serious tone. “There are few knights that ever reach the level of control necessary to harness this power. Trent can do it, and Weston to a lesser extent, but I believe that you have the potential to truly master it.”

“Tell me what I have to do,” Vincent replied.

“That’s the spirit,” Silva said, ruffling Vincent’s hair as he stood. “Come, Lauren is waiting.”

“Lauren?”

“Yes,” Silva said slyly. “She will be training with us.”

The two of them left the Hall, heading toward the training field. The sun still hung low in the morning sky and a light breeze drifted across the field. Lauren was fully engaged in cart wheeling across the beam where she and Vincent trained.  She jumped down as Silva and Vincent approached.

“Good morning,” Silva said cheerfully. “Are you ready?”

“Yeah,” she answered. “But what’s he doing here?” She pointed at Vincent; her voice lacked the cold tone it usually held when referring to him.

“Vincent will be training with you,” Silva stated. “Is that a problem?”

“No,” she answered.

“Perfect,” Silva said as he rubbed his gloved hands together. “Now, embrace your tokens, both of you.”

They quickly obeyed. The familiar red glow engulfed Vincent’s hands, while a strange blue glow surrounded Lauren’s.

“What token is,” Vincent started, but Lauren quickly cut him off.

“Water,” she said impatiently.

“Now,” Silva interrupted, “the principle for what I am about to teach you is simple enough but there are very few who can actually do it.” Silva’s hands took a soft red glow. “It involves channeling your token through your entire body. This will allow you to move with greater speed. It’s called Furtivos. Observe.”

Silva took a step forward and was gone. A hand on Vincent’s shoulder startled him. He turned to see Silva, now standing behind him.

“To have any hope of confronting a Magi, and subsequently surviving that confrontation, you will need to master this ability for they too can move with lightning speed.” Silva’s tone was serious once again. “You’ll have to think back to the basics of using a token. What did you have to do to manipulate it?”

Vincent thought hard, trying to remember how it had been. Only a few months had passed, but it felt like an eternity since Auna had explained how it was done.

“You summon power from the source and draw it to your hands,” Lauren replied, beating Vincent to the answer.

“Exactly,” Silva said excitedly, a glint in his red eyes. “The principle here is essentially the same. The power must be drawn from your token and spread through your entire body.”

“But it sounds too easy,” Vincent said skeptically. “If it’s that simple, why can’t everyone do it?”

“Sounds easy dose it?” Silva smiled. “Why don’t you try it then, and see just how easy it is.”

Vincent snorted before focusing on his token. To his surprise, the power that had flowed so easily to his hands now felt thin and stretched as he tried to expand it to the rest of his body. Exerting everything he had, he finally managed to pull it through his whole body. He smiled triumphantly as the world around him seemed to slow down, but his focus wavered and the power coursing through his body snapped back to his token. Vincent’s head spun wildly as he struggled to maintain his balance before falling to his hands and knees. He vomited forcefully on the ground.

“Not as easy as it sounds, is it,” Lauren said smugly.

“Still,” Silva cut in, “the fact that he managed to do it on his first try is a feat in and of itself, even if it was only for a second.” Silva nodded approvingly. “It took me well over a week before I could do that. Then again, Vincent is much more powerful than I ever was.”

“Why am I so dizzy,” Vincent asked. He was now lying on the ground, covering his eyes with his arms. “I’ve never felt anything like this before.”

“This ability is taxing on the body, Vincent,” Silva explained. “Yes, it allows you exceed the limits of your body, but the body pays a price.” He paused and thought for a moment. “As you practice more you feel less strain, to a point.”

“So there’s a catch,” Lauren put in.

“Not exactly,” Silva continued. “It’s the same as any other training. Your muscles are not used to the new strain, and thus fatigue easily. With time, strength develops and the task seems easier. It’s not that the task itself has gotten any easier, you’ve just developed increased ability to perform it.”

“Then there’s nothing to worry about,” Vincent said, managing to regain his footing.

“I wouldn’t say that,” Silva said with his usual sly smile. “There is one caution I must give you both. You must know your limits. While using Furtivos you will not notice the fatigue building or the stress on your body. Once you release your token, it will all come crashing down on you. If you push yourself too far, it could kill you.”

“No problem,” Vincent said as he embraced his token again.

“Well,” Silva said, patting Vincent on the back, “There’s no time like the present. Let’s get to work.”

Vincent focused once more on his token and slowly expanded the power through his body. The world slowed around him for a second longer than it had the time before. The power snapped back, sending Vincent tumbling to the ground.

He spent the remainder of the day practicing under Silva’s watchful eye. With each attempt Vincent managed to hold it a little longer. However, he required at least a half hour of rest between each attempt. By the end of the day Vincent was able to hold it for a few minutes. Lauren, on the other hand, was not having as easy of a time with it. When the sun started to fall over the mountains, she had not even managed to hold it for a second.

They both ate quickly that night and went to bed. The next few days seemed to fly by as Vincent dedicated all his time to mastering this new ability. Progress came slowly, but after the fourth day he could maintain Furtivos for nearly half an hour with minimal fatigue afterward.

Lauren, however, had taken three days just to be able to hold it fleetingly for a few seconds. Once she learned to hold Furtivos, she progresses with incredible speed, matching Vincent’s endurance in only one day.

“You have both done extremely well,” Silva said around mid-day of day five. “Your progress is unprecedented. However, it is one thing to be able to hold Furtivos. It’s another thing entirely to move with it.”

“How so,” Vincent asked curiously.

“Let me show you,” Silva said, with his customary smile, a smile which was starting to make Vincent feel uncomfortable. “Attack me using Furtivos. And don’t worry; I’ll go easy on you.”

Vincent cautiously embraced his token and its power flowed through his body. The world slowed around him, and yet he continued to move at regular speed. This feeling, which only five days earlier had seemed strange and surreal, now felt second nature to him. Silva took a step toward Vincent; he too seemed to be moving at normal speed.

“Now attack me,” Silva commanded.

Vincent did as commanded and charged at his master, hands already moving through the forms for unarmed combat. To Vincent’s great surprise, his hands seemed to move in slow motion. Silva easily blocked the blows before giving Vincent a sharp kick to the chest, sending him flying several feet. Vincent released his token as he desperately fought to regain the breath that had been knocked from him.

“I don’t understand,” Vincent panted as Silva came and stood over him. “Why couldn’t I move?”

“It’s simple,” Silva replied, still smiling, “your mind has sped up, but your body has not. It’s not used to moving that fast.”

“So how do we fix it,” Lauren asked as she moved to join them.

“Practice,” Silva shrugged. “The more you practice, the easier it gets.”

“Let’s get started then,” Vincent sighed as he pulled himself to his feet. “No sense wasting daylight.”

“I couldn’t agree more,” Silva laughed. “The two of you will spar together to add a level of difficulty to the training and to hone your other skills at the same time. I recommend continuing your agility training.”

“I like that idea,” Lauren said, smiling mischievously.

Vincent, however, did not like the idea. He had yet to win a spar against Lauren, and it wasn’t looking like that was about to change.

“I’ll leave you to it then,” Silva said, patting them both on the back. “Call me if you need me. I’ll be in my cabin.” Lauren continued to smile as Silva walked away.

“Shall we?” The kindness in her voice was almost sadistic as she jumped up onto the beam.

“If we must,” Vincent groaned as he too jumped up onto the beam. He embraced his token and the world slowed as Furtivos took effect.

Lauren stood across the beam from him. Vincent cautiously walked out to meet her in the middle. It no longer took any effort for him to balance himself on the narrow bar, and jumping and dodging was easy. Despite his confidence in his skills, Lauren was still far superior.

She attacked first. Vincent was quick to defend, but his movements still felt like they were in slow motion. Fortunately for him, Lauren seemed to be having the same problem.

Their movements meshed perfectly. Each strike was met by a block before a counter blow was returned. Vincent’s hands and feet seemed to be moving of their own accord. He performed every form he had ever learned perfectly, and a few forms he did not recognize.

After thirty minutes of combat they were both still standing on the beam. Lauren drew back.

“That’s enough for now,” she panted as she jumped from the beam. “It’s time for a rest.”

Vincent also jumped from the beam and released his token. The fatigue hit him hard and he collapsed, gasping for air.

“You’ve improved a lot Vincent,” Lauren said, glancing at him suspiciously. “What were you up to while I was gone?”

“Nothing special,” Vincent said as he finally managed to sit up, “just my normal training.”

“Right,” Lauren said incredulously, “well, as soon as you’re ready, we’ll start again.”

They continued their sparing for the rest of the day, and most of the next. Their speed increased rapidly until it was almost impossible for someone who couldn’t use Furtivos to see them.

The remaining Rangers in the encampment slowly started gathering in awe as they watched the spectacle. Even Silva was drawn to watch, but neither Vincent nor Lauren noticed. They were too engaged in their combat.

The forms continued to flow perfectly, but Vincent was starting to gain the advantage as more and more forms that he didn’t recognize continued to flow through his body. He had no idea where the forms were coming from, yet he had a strange sensation that he had seen them somewhere before.

Suddenly his mind flashed. He was no longer standing on the beam fighting with all his might, no longer a Ranger training on a field. He was a five year old child, standing in the warm firelight of his home, watching in awe as his father went through impressive forms with a tiny wooden sword.

His mind flashed again. He was back on the beam, his hands following the same movements he had seen his father do just seconds before. Lauren was now fully on the defensive, frantically trying the block these new attacks. Vincent effortlessly continued with the forms, looking for the perfect opening. Then it came.

Acting quickly, Vincent kicked Lauren’s legs out from under her. A look of shock was etched on her face as she started to fall, but Vincent wasn’t finished. With his open palm, he struck her hard in the chest as she fell, sending her rocketing across the field.

“Vincent!” Silva’s angry voice startled him and he fell from the beam, releasing his token as he landed. Silva picked him up roughly as he rubbed his head where it had just hit the ground.

“Come with me,” Silva commanded gruffly, leading Vincent along. “Trent, see to Lauren,” he snapped as the hurried through the crowd of Rangers. “And the rest of you, back to work!” The small group of Rangers quickly dispersed.

Vincent was led through the encampment to Silva’s cabin. Silva opened the door and pushed him in. The cabin was as disorderly as it had been the last time Vincent had been there, but now a large map covered the table in the middle of the room. Black and red rocks were scattered across the map along with two large gold coins. One gold coin marked the Grand Abbey, the other the Ranger’s camp.

“Sit,” Silva commanded, pointing at a chair. Vincent obeyed. Silva sat across from him and stared silently, scrutinizing Vincent closely. After what seemed like an hour to Vincent, he spoke.

“Where did you learn those techniques,” Silva asked quietly.

“What techniques?”

“Don’t play games with me,” Silva growled threateningly. “The techniques you just used against Lauren. They are not part of the traditional Giocapugni techniques. Who taught them to you?”

“No one,” Vincent replied, very confused.