01 - Exile

Theo moved his body with an easy precision. Having trained for a hefty part of his life, his blocks and punches could flow and torque naturally. Over time, dodging, which seemed like a good idea years ago, went to the back of his mind when he fought. He instead found solace in deflecting and using the enemy’s momentum against them.

Double punches came in towards his head from the opponent in front of him. He blocked the second fist to the side and returned with his own fist to the opponent’s now-exposed ribs using all his hip tension. His hit landed with a slap, eliminating the opponent from the fight. Theo locked onto his other opponents. He blocked blows with his hands, elbows, forearms, knees, feet and sometimes even his shoulders. He had almost founded a new art with only his unorthodox blocking, where hostile blows would usually glance off and leave the opponents wide open to a counter-attack.

Theo performed a front kick and a sidekick to an opponent in front of him in rapid succession. His hits were so fast and fluid, the man blocked the first to realize a second was coming in right under his guard. Theo’s heel lightly touched his solar plexus.

The third opponent was trying to sneak up on him and exploit his blind spots, but Theo was simply too agile, especially when his instincts kicked in overdrive. Although he had to block an incoming flurry of blows, he still managed some light footwork, allowing him to gain an advantageous position and tripping the opponent to the ground. As the opponent fell, Theo dropped a punch to his back and connected with barely a tap.

His match of three against one was a daily occurrence. His opponents were the top students of the week, and sometimes there were more than three. Three was a general rule, however, since this style of martial arts was more of a toe-to-toe fighting style and anymore opponents would need to wait their turn for proper movement.

The sparring at an end, the students of the dojo returned to a lined up grid for the sensei to dismiss. Theo casually strode to the changing room to change out of his gi, a thick white martial garment, and into regular clothes. He attached his familiar chain around his neck. He had removed it prior to the session as per the rules of the dojo; someone could get hurt. Stories of torn earlobes could really make you obedient. At least it did for Theo.

Unlike his own odorless gym bag, the other bags in the room fostered a foul smell that pervaded every inch of pure air. More than ready to finish up changing when his nose started to cringe, Theo took his leave. A few minutes of walking lead him to his family’s truck in the parking lot outside. It had a dark blue paint, bulky wheels with chrome rims and although it looked fairly new, it was quite the weathered vehicle.

Theo lifted himself inside and put his bag on the passenger seat. His seat belt safely buckled, he stirred the engine and hit his way home.

The street lamps glowed along the road in the eerie darkness. The only sound was that of the truck’s engine humming. A few minutes had passed since Theo left the dojo but his hands were still throbbing from the blood pumping adrenaline. Shadows danced on the nearby houses as he drove by at a decent speed.

He wondered if his mother had left any supper for him. She might already be in bed so he should try and keep the noise down when he got home. He wouldn’t want his mother to wake up for nothing.

He passed in front of his old elementary school, and the church next to it. He went to a Christian school but he never cared for things like religion and God and whatnot. To him, technology and science made more sense but he did like the occasional moral the priest taught. When he “graduated” from the school three years ago, he was elated to not have to go sit in the church with his class for the annual Easter lecture, though the music was nice sometimes.

Suddenly, like a deer in the headlights, an old man was in the middle of the road and Theo was not able to stop the truck in time. The night diffused into bright colors as the vehicle came to a stop.

The branches of the trees swayed in the wind. A few rays of sunlight hit the forest floor. Exotic plants hung from the canopy of leaves and bark and wild mushrooms grew in abundance where the shadows and humidity dominated. From inside the stopped truck, Theo could only sit stock still as reality slowly hit him. The man had appeared out of nowhere. A moment he was driving on the highway to his house and the next he was mentally facing having murdered someone.

What have I done…? I-I wasn’t paying enough a-attention t-to the road...

Theo slowly returned to himself as the initial shock began to wear off. He looked for the man he had ran over, but he couldn’t see well from where he was. He eyed his surroundings before unlatching the truck door and exiting the vehicle.

However much he looked, the man was nowhere to be found.

He knew the dangers and the responsibilities of driving a car, but he never had any difficulty in driving or learning how to drive. To him, the rules and technicalities came off as simple logic so could it be he became too comfortable around risking his and other people’s lives?

As he was condemning himself, a small light blue glow appeared in his vision. To his disbelief, as he concentrated on it, he could make out an exclamation mark followed by a two in subscript.

He could only stare at it, stunned.

It clearly looks like a notification, he thought, squinting at it in confusion.

After a few seconds, a gray popup window expanded into his field of view. Caught off guard, it nearly knocked him on his ass. What he saw next nearly made his heart stop:

You have killed a monster of unknown origin. Learn its skill [Rift]? Yes No