Chapter 267: Where It Lands

The following evening, Jin wrote the distances directly on the tape: the intended end of each burst, then a separate marker for where Glitch actually came to rest.

Glitch inspected the writing, decided it was beneath his attention, and waited for Jin to move out of the way.

They practiced in short sets with recovery between them. Jin varied the distance gradually and recorded the finish, checking whether Glitch could hold the line and stop with his feet under him. He wanted a result they could repeat when something was trying to bite them.

The improvement was satisfying. Glitch began lowering his weight at the end of the burst without being reminded, and the long, uncontrolled skids shortened into a series of hard braking steps.

Jin took the tape home afterward. He was getting attached to having a practice yard they could leave under their own power.

The second evening was for moving targets.

Jin borrowed a weighted drill sled, rolled it across Glitch’s path, and had him aim for an interception rather than the place where it had started. Later he fitted a spring line with an adjustable release delay, so the target would move without Jin standing anywhere near the burst route.

Glitch’s first attempt went behind it. His second went ahead, leaving him to watch the sled cross the line after he had already finished braking.

"You can’t fix it after you leave," Jin said. "Wait until you have the movement."

Glitch looked at the sled with considerable dislike.

They left it there while he recovered. Jin sat beside him with the next opponent’s recordings open on his phone.

[Third-Class Rank 23 — Nadia Sorrel]

[Contracted Beast: Vesper — Duskstripe Panther]

[Quality: Silver (Middle)]

[Combat Rank: Rank 1 Novice]

[Star Level: 8-Star]

Vesper had one Star over Glitch. Glitch had the higher Quality, the heavier frame, and considerably more power than when Jin had first looked beyond the lower rankings. Neither advantage made the panther easy to catch.

It fought through explosive sideways bounds, loading a hind leg and moving three or four meters before pivoting into a flank attack. Against a heavy opponent, that could leave it striking while the other beast was still turning.

Jin watched one exchange twice. A broad-backed defender turned after Vesper, missed, and exposed the opposite flank as the panther changed direction again.

"We aren’t doing that," Jin told Glitch.

Glitch rested his chin on Jin’s shoe.

"Yes, very reassuring."

Chasing Vesper’s present position with Faultline Rush would make the same mistake faster. Glitch would commit to an empty line and offer the panther a moving flank he couldn’t turn to protect.

But the takeoff interested Jin.

Before each sideways bound, Vesper loaded one hind leg. Its body angled toward the intended movement, then its feet left the floor. The details varied, but there was a brief interval after launch when another sharp change of direction would be difficult.

Jin slowed the recording and followed the arc with his finger.

There. If I can read that before she lands.

Tremor Sense could give Glitch the weight transfer while the panther touched the ground. Once it left, Jin and Glitch would need their eyes. Takeoff direction and the length of previous bounds gave them an estimate of the landing, not a guarantee.

He watched another recording to test the idea. Vesper made a shorter bound that would have spoiled his first estimate. Jin marked it, then went back to compare how much the hind leg had compressed before launch.

That was something they could practice reading. Whether they could read it quickly enough against Vesper was another question.

On the third day, with ten days remaining before the cutoff, Doyen checked Glitch after the morning walk. His gait and forelimb readings remained stable. The scan also confirmed the advancement Jin had already felt through the bond.

"Seven-Star," she said, checking the result against his file. "You’ve had a busy week."

"He’s been eating like it."

"That much I believe." She entered the reading and renewed his clearance for ranked competition. Full-power Acid Breath remained restricted, and the claw was still limited to one use until the next review.

Jin showed her Nadia’s profile.

"A panther," Doyen said. "At least you’ll find out whether he can turn."

"I’m planning around him not having to."

She handed the tablet back. "Then make sure your plan survives her having one too."

Jin had been thinking about that all morning.

The renewed clearance was useful, but he wanted one more private test before filing. He returned to the yard that evening and adjusted the sled’s route so its release would carry it across a marked landing area.

The rig could not reproduce a panther’s leap. It could test whether Glitch could wait for movement, choose an interception line, and finish somewhere safe if he missed.

Jin set the delayed release, moved clear, and watched Glitch settle against the ground. The sled’s wheels rattled as it began to move.

"Hold."

Glitch held. By the time Jin gave the launch command, the sled had passed the point he meant to intercept.

The burst was clean, and Glitch braked into the empty runout with the target rolling behind him.

Jin rubbed his forehead.

"Mine. That one was mine."

Glitch turned to look at him, plainly glad they had established that.

During the rest interval Jin shortened the line. He checked the predicted arrival against the recording of their attempt, then reset the rig. He needed to call while the target’s movement still left time for Glitch to reach it.

On the next trial, the sled moved, Jin saw the line, and Glitch launched.

He met it beside the landing marker. The padded front struck squarely against his shoulder and tore loose from one mounting. The sled spun across the empty lane while Glitch continued into the runout and braked with room left before the wall.

Jin walked over to the target. A bolt lay beside the detached pad.

"That was equipment," he said.

Glitch looked pleased with himself.

Jin picked up the pad and checked the frame. Repairable, fortunately. He logged the damage before the equipment store could discover it for him.

The interception had worked once. It would need more practice, and Vesper would be less cooperative than a sled. Still, Glitch had reached the intended point and stopped in the space Jin had allowed. He could build a match plan around that.

The updated profile showed seven Stars that evening. Anyone studying Jin could see the advancement, just as they could replay the Varro match and prepare for Glitch’s pressure effect and claw.

Faultline Rush had stayed inside private practice. The recordings offered no reason to expect the heavy lizard to cover a short distance that quickly.

[Ranking cutoff: 10 days]

Jin opened the ladder. His name sat at 28, five positions below Nadia Sorrel. The challenge was within the permitted range.

He reviewed his notes once more: watch the loaded hind leg, track the bound, intercept the landing. Leave enough room to stop if the estimate failed. He had marked two of Vesper’s shorter movements to study again before the match.

Glitch lay beside him with his chin across Jin’s boot, making it difficult to get up. Jin left him there and submitted the challenge.

[Challenge submitted.]

[Challenger: Jin Astor — Rank 28]

[Target: Third-Class Rank 23 — Nadia Sorrel]

[The targeted student has been notified.]

Nadia would probably begin with the Varro recording. Vesper had punished plenty of opponents for trying to follow her, and Jin expected Nadia to use that mobility to stay outside Glitch’s reach.

He saved the panther’s shortest bound to the top of his notes.

All right. Let’s see if we can catch you.