Trial Rain

With the toll of the bell, Rain’s stance quickly shifted from casual to martial. One leg forward, his knees bent slightly, his hands up by his face. Rain clenched his fists and thin pointy purple red blades formed and hovered just above his fists. The blades were about fifteen centimeters long and were made of swirling plasma, the hot air fleeing from the blades caused anything viewed through their prism to be rippled and distorted.

Rain focused on his first target, the metal armored Velop forty meters away from him. Rain focused his mind and envisioned himself in that space. At the speed of thought, an emissive gray bubble formed around Rain, then just as quickly collapsed, leaving nothing but a small electric pop. In the same instant a gray Rain sized effusive orb appeared in front of the Velop dummy depositing his form.

Rain was too focused on his task to hear the crowd erupt with gasps and cheers as he rematerialized in his new location. To most of the entities in the arena the ability to teleport was something they had never heard of or even considered, since no Anthro had ever demonstrated it before. With the dual exception of Noir and one other, every being in attendance witnessed a completely novel phenomenon.

Rain’s slender frame looked tiny next to the rotund Velop dummy that appeared to loom over him. In one fluid movement Rain jumped a meter into the air and brought his plasma blades down onto the dummy. The metal was cheap and thin and his blades encountered less resistance than he expected as he sliced the Metal Velop from neck to torso. After landing facing his now disintegrating target, Rain crouched and prepared to strike again.

It took Rain one more quick slash of his plasma blade to find his prize. He spotted a glint of metal belonging to the Red Key and grabbed it, hooking the key ring on his belt.

Rain turned and directed all of his attention on a distant spot near his next target. After a second of concentration Rain once again evaporated into his gray glowing orb then was instantly delivered to his new destination. Rain appeared midair above the Leather Velop dummy and let gravity do the work as he fell impaling the Leather Velop with his blades.

Rain was alerted by the sound of something small and metal hitting wood. He looked over in time to see the Red Key, which had fallen out of the dummy and was now bouncing towards the edge of the tower. Rain, not knowing if he had any teleports to spare, jumped to grab the key before it fell. His fingers found the metal of the key ring just before it tried to drop off the side of the tower.

Rain stood up and attached the Red Key to his belt while removing the blue one. Blue Key in hand Rain looked over towards the net covered raised pool in the distance. From his position atop the tower Rain could see the cage at the bottom of the pool at least forty meters away. This time before teleporting, Rain took a deep breath before shifting reality around himself.

Rain reappeared; he was two meters below the surface of water with a net above his head preventing any conventional escape. The pocket of air Rain teleported in with was immediately filled with water, which slammed against Rain from all sides. Rain had never teleported directly into a fluid before and thus wasn’t prepared for the rush of water, which felt like a punch to the gut. Somehow Rain managed to hold his breath through the tumult but the key in his hand was ripped away. For a few frantic moments Rain panicked, unable to tell which way was up let alone find the key he flailed trying to steady himself. Once the bubbles cleared Rain was able to right himself and begin his search for the dropped key. Rain spotted the Blue Key on the bottom of the pool not far from the cage and swam as fast as he could down to retrieve it. He grabbed the key and reunited it with the lock of the cage. Rain felt the lock on the cage click open and he rescued his key reattaching it to his belt before trying to pull the cage door open.

Even with all of his effort Rain could barely get the door to move. The cage door had evidently been bent over the course of the trials, surely none more so than in Rodney’s. Rain considered for a moment teleporting inside the cage but it didn’t look like there was quite enough space for him to do so, and he was also concerned that he might not have enough Mana to jump more than once.

Rain positioned himself so he could use his arms to pull and his legs to push against the cage hoping the leverage would force the door open. The small cat Anthro heaved as hard as he could and the cage door creaked as it started to move. The door gave way to Rain’s efforts causing his hand to slip on a jagged bit of cage, cutting it open. The pain in his hand seemed unimportant next to his other concerns, and Rain ignored the injury and kept pulling.

Finally Rain got the cage door open enough for him to squeeze inside. Although the cut on his hand was deep and jagged, little blood escaped from the wound as he used both hands to propel him towards his objective.

All this effort was far more than Rain had anticipated and his lungs were starting to complain about the lack of respiration. When Rain reached Wolfey he hugged the mannequin to his body, unable to fully wrap his arms around it. Rain looked through the side of the pool towards the starting area. The water clouded his vision and he was unable to teleport by sight. Rain had planned for this eventuality and he tried to calm himself as he closed his eyes and tried to focus on the starting area. He pictured the starting area in his head and tried to teleport and then…nothing happened.

Fear crept up Rain’s spine as he realized the severity of the situation he had put himself in. He was underwater with a cage and a net between him and being able to breathe. His eyes shot open in fear and his mind flooded with thoughts.

Should he swim to the surface and try to cut a hole in the net so he can take another breath and try again? Could he even ignite his plasma blades underwater? Should he try teleporting Wolfey just above the net and risk having to drag it back to the starting area? No. He had to prove himself to the judges and he had no time for any of that if he wanted to beat Rodney.

Rain’s powers were relatively new to him, and he didn’t have anyone else to learn from, so he wasn’t always sure why his teleports failed. The easiest to identify was when he was low on Mana, that was a feeling he was familiar with, and that sensation wasn’t present now. He had been able to teleport with things with similar dimensions and mass as Wolfey, so he didn’t think that was it either. Rain had figured out that it was harder to teleport, and that he couldn’t go as far, if he was in a brand new place, but that feeling usually dissipated in minutes. Rain re-encountered an earlier thought that wondered if water might block his ability to teleport. He shoved that notion away and told himself he just needed to concentrate harder.

Years ago Rain had accidentally learned the hard way he could teleport incredibly long distances. The first time happened when he had been alone with Noir in a Mana testing facility that was actually just a glorified fireproof gymnasium. He had been going through a particularly acute case of homesickness at the time, and he had been remembering his old home. He had pictured his old room, his bed, the old floorboards, the smell of antiques that permeated his childhood. Not knowing it was even possible, Rain wished he was there and in a flash he was.

He had been startled by his sudden transportation and shocked it was even possible then saddened by the state of his old room. The room in his memory had been colorful and warm but this room was ash black and cold. A half broken window was letting snow and wind invade the room which now smelled of mold and rotting wood. The once beautiful carpentry of his father was scorched and ruined.

The horror of his razed surroundings had mixed with the fear of getting caught. Rain had desperately tried to picture the Mana training gym and teleport back there, but the old gym was a new place to him and blurry in his mind’s eye and when he had tried to teleport nothing happened.

Rain thought about leaving the ruin and finding someone to help him get home, but then he realized that even if he could find a way home he would surely bring down all sorts of suspicion on himself. The thought finally occurred to him that he should try and go somewhere he was more familiar with. Rain had been living in a group home for almost a year at this point and had spent much of his time in his small room. It was more of a closet really, barely big enough for a bed and a dresser, but it had a window. Rain would spend much of his time sitting on his bed reading in the light of that window. Occasionally a squirrel outside would grab his attention as it scampered up one of the large pine trees that formed the perimeter of his view. Rain pictured his room and his simple wooden bed with well-worn sheets and wished himself there and in a flash he found himself in that place.

Rain should have gotten into trouble for a long list of infractions, including leaving a Mana testing area without his collar and not officially reporting his ability to teleport, but Noir’s skill at obfuscation saved him. Noir hadn’t panicked at all. He had fraudulently signed Rain out of the Mana testing facility and into his group home trusting Rain would show up eventually with no one being the wiser.

Now, Rain wished he had spent more time picture-porting as he thought of it. His body spasmed demanding air and Rain knew he couldn’t hold his breath much longer. He resolved to try again and closed his eyes as he refocused on the starting area. The composition of the dirt and how it felt beneath his feet, the smell of the air, the swirl of the wood grain of the small oak table…

With a muffled gurgling crack, Rain, Wolfey, and an orb of water surrounding them, materialized in the middle of the starting area. They all came crashing down onto the oak table below and the furniture buckled under the weight of their combined mass. The kinetic force of the collision sent Rain’s Null Collar, which had been innocently resting on the table, bouncing towards the judges box.

Rain was too busy gasping for air to think straight but after his first set of sobering breaths filled his lungs, he realized his Null Collar was gone. The crowd shouted instructions at Rain but the competing words formed an incomprehensible cypher. Rain slipped in the muddy pool he had created then righted himself and sprang to his feet, his clothes and fur now heavy with mud. Rain looked around frantically for his Null Collar, finding nothing but mud and sand near him. As he scanned the ground further away he spotted a glint of sun touched metal peeking out from the sand. It was his Null Collar, the only thing he needed to end his trial. It had apparently rolled some four meters away to the inside edge of the starting area. Rain, surprised that he had the Mana to do so, reflexively teleported to his Null Collar and in one quick motion snapped it on. The bell sounded and Rain’s trial was over.

With the trial concluded and his breath regained, Rain’s ears stopped tuning out the crowd around him. Waves of cheers and applause came crashing down on him as he looked back at the enormous crowd. Unsure of how to proceed or what to do with his hands, Rain decided to wave to the crowd which caused a pop of recognition. Rain watched the Anthro mouse assistant climb up the ladder above the judges’ box and write down his name on the final line. Rain waited and watched wondering what time he had gotten. If he was honest he had no idea. The beginning had gone fast but it felt like he had spent a lifetime underwater. In large block letters that seemed more bold than the others, the mouse wrote the time 46”.

The crowd screamed and cheered. A chant of his name took root in a corner of the stadium and grew to engulf the whole crowd. Rain beamed and raised his fists in the air. He hadn’t allowed himself to be this happy for the last third of his life. It was only a stepping-stone but it was on an important path that he had been traveling on for years.

After basking in glory for what was to Rain an unspecifiable amount of time, his attention was summoned by a brown Anthro wolf in a Shader University uniform next to a set of wide doors. Once he saw that he had Rain’s attention, he beckoned Rain over with a gesture.

As Rain walked towards the wolf he heard Dean Noir’s voice as it struggled to overcome the noise of the crowd. “Thank you, that concludes our trials for this year. A special thanks to all of our donors that make this event possible. And to those of you joining us for the first time please consider donating Citizenship Credits to Shader University and the Shadernauts program. Won’t you help us continue to uplift and train Mana Professionals and bring you events like the one here today. I will now take my leave to make way for our guest announcer for today’s Mana Games: Reginald Stilspek ”

The crowd gave a cheer of recognition for the name “Stilspek” while Rain contributed only a scowl. “I bet he is a better announcer than a father,” Rain thought as he sloped in his wet shoes towards the Anthro that had summoned him.

Rain felt sapped; he had expected his Mana to be taxed by the event, but his energy level was drained more than he would have expected going into the trial. Rain flexed his hand as he remembered the cut from the cage reasoning that it was the culprit for his lethargy. Rain took a casual glance at the wound on his palm. The cut on his hand was completely scabbed over and it looked like it would heal okay on its own.

It had been like that ever since the accident. Unlike other Mana healers he seemed to have no control over it and he couldn’t use them on others. The reason Noir said it had to be a secret was it was unaffected by his Null Collar. It was an amazing ability that had made him rather brave with his physiology especially when it came to gymnastics, even though it didn’t blunt the pain of bruising and breaking bones. Rain, well practiced at hiding injury, kept his hurt hand in a fist so the wound would remain unseen.

Rain managed to flick some of the larger globs of mud off of his legs, arms, and tail before reaching the dark-furred Anthro standing in front of the doors to the interior of the stadium.

“For as fast as you were on the course it took you long enough to get here.” The wolf who appeared to be about nineteen said hurriedly. Rain, cognition dulled by how drained he was, had to tilt his head back to look into the wolf’s hazel eyes. A confused “Uh sorry?” was all he could manage. It sounded more dismissive than Rain intended but he was too tired to correct his mistake.

“Hello Rain,” the wolf said in a slow, deliberate way that Rain didn’t care for. “I’m Ansel Oort and I’m the docent in charge of trial applicants today. Are you injured?”

Rain, again reminded of the cut, flexed his hand and felt the injury. The minor pain reported was that of a wound that had scabbed over days ago and was now giving way to healed skin. Rain not wanting any more medical scrutiny in his life said, “No, I’m fine. Why…” Rain’s question was cut off.

“Just standard procedure,” the wolf said quickly then resumed his slow deliberate speech. “You will need to get cleaned up, follow me.” The Anthro didn’t wait for Rain to respond and turned and walked through the door behind him.

Rain followed the wolf docent through the doors and into a long hallway with clean concrete floors that led to glass encased displays of trophies and awards the university had collected. Once again Rain saw the name Stilspek and saw a picture of Rodney’s kin holding the same trophy that was in the case. The trophy read; Lower Mana League 1st Place.

Ansel led Rain into one of the first doors attached to the hallway that opened up into a locker room. The room smelled strongly of bleach and was lit by fluorescent light fixtures in the ceiling. Rain was always unnerved by the uncanny frequency of the light, being more accustomed to the natural flicker of flame and gas illumination.

Ansel went over to one of the first lockers in the row and opened it up revealing neatly folded clothing. “Headmaster Trillion wanted you to be presentable at your meeting tonight. This was the smallest size we have,” Ansel said in an uncaring tone. “It’s made to fit mice so you should be able to make it work.” Rain was on the lookout for insults but detected none.

Careful to wipe his muddy hands on his clothes, Rain grabbed the sturdy canvas of the Shader University jacket. Rain held the garment up to himself appraising its fit. The uniform sparked a happiness in him that he hadn’t anticipated.

Here was a garment that potentially symbolized his acceptance into the Shader University, the first step to being enrolled in the Shadernaut program. To Rain; it was as precious as any trophy. Sure the jacket was a bit too big for him but that could be overcome by a cinch of the waist and a roll of a sleeve. “Oversized garments are something I have grown accustomed to,” Rain said not realizing his pun until it was too late.

Ansel didn’t notice or care to react to what Rain said, instead he walked towards the exit and turned around and pointed over Rain’s shoulder, “Showers are there behind you. When you’re dressed and ready you may watch the Mana Games or eat in the mess hall. Report to the Administration building, the large building across from the stadium entrance, at 17:00 for your trial review. Do you understand?” The wolf who had been looking over Rain’s shoulder for the duration of his speech now looked down at Rain staring him in the eyes to judge his response.

“Yeah, I got it,” Rain said, ready for their interaction to be over.

He had little else to do on the train ride to Shader than to study the pamphlet for the day’s events, so he was comfortable with the location and schedule. “Are you sure you don’t need any help? Do you know your way around?” This time the wolf’s words seemed sincere but Rain still begrudged the perceived condescension.

“Yeah, I’m fine. I know I don’t look it but I’m almost sixteen.” Rain exaggerated slightly. “And I have been here before so I know my way around. I don’t need you to babysit me or anything.”

Even though Rain’s words and tone were meant to be abrasive, Ansel looked relieved. When Ansel spoke again it was with a new casual demeanor that was completely different than his previous formalities, “Really? Oh sorry Thro I didn’t know what was up with you at all. I heard you did well in the trial, I wish I got to see them. Speaking of which, I would really like to go and watch the Mana Games and you’re my last responsibility of the day, sooo if you’re sure you’re going to be all right, I’d like to go watch…?” His words trailed off into what Rain assumed was meant to be a question.

“Go ahead. I’m looking forward to watching them too,” Rain said, preferring the way the wolf had just spoken to him. “I officially relieve you of your duties,” Rain added with a dramatic flourish of his hand. Ansel, who had probably stopped listening after Rain said “go ahead,” gave a polite chuckle.

“Nice! I’ll be seeing you around then,” Ansel said, already backing out the door.

“Yeah, I hope so,” Rain wished aloud to no one.