The Road Ahead
A question remains unanswered
This is a continuation of Fightful Fantasy: A Choose Your Own Adventure Martial Arts Saga. Go to the beginning here. Head back to the previous chapter: ‘Out of the Past’ or ‘Return.’
“Did you maintain your practice?”
They’re the first words spoken since you joined Boss in her mini van. Admittedly, it’s not the car you envisioned her driving. Mini van might be too harsh. It’s more like an old work truck that rattles whenever it goes over 25.
Boss never shared where you were going, for how long, or any other details. You simply joined. Be Faithful.
“I kept it up for a while,” you say as she turns onto a dirt road off the highway. “It wasn’t the same, though.”
You sense her picking apart every syllable of what you said.
“You’re disappointed,” you say.
“No. But I am finding it hard to imagine what you did with yourself instead.”
It’s a fair point, and one you find difficult to answer. You realize that you don’t really know much about Boss outside of the dojo, and how little she probably knows about you.
All you shared was combat.
“How did you get involved in the tournament?” you ask as you gaze out the window. The van creaks and sways through a field populated by weeds and invasive shrubs along with the occasional tree — those strange bits of open land not fit for anything besides traveling through.
“Unfortunately, it didn’t take many calls in my network to procure a slot in the tournament.”
“Was it hard?”
“We’re seeded in a preferred bracket.”
“That’s not what I meant.”
You glance over and catch the slightest sneer at the corner of Boss’ lips, like she bit into a particularly sour lemon. She pulls over and kills the engine.
“What do you say we see how rusty you are?”
What do you say?
- Nothing would delight me more.
- You don’t need to worry about me. Keep going.
