Dimension shuffler

Chapter 4: Elemental

When Stephen awoke the following morning, he half expected to be home in bed like a bad dream. No, he was still in this weird other world. Contemplating just going back to sleep, Stephen ears were offended by the loud banging of metal. "Finally! What time do you call this?" Paz stood at the door of the room, holding a pan and spoon.

"Seven am" Stephen responded, "I like my sleep. You're lucky, I'm not usually up at this time."

"Just get up. I've been trying for two whole minutes."

"Two minutes? You're not very patient are you? Besides I only heard banging a couple of seconds ago."

"That's because I had to go get these to create the banging to wake you up. Now, come on! Don't you have something you need to do?" There was a moment of silence

"If I don't get up, you're going to dra-"

"Yes." She interrupted.

After breakfast, Chico led Stephen outside with Paz and Drez following shortly behind. "Where are we going?"

"The training grounds!" Chico replied cheerily. Just outside the shack, there was a large object covered in cloth. Drez pushed a button on a little remote he pulled out of who knows where and the object became a red and white quad bike but modified to have four seats.

"What do you think of my BIKE?"

"It's nice." Stephen responded, "I'd have thought it'd have an overly long name but 'bike' works."

"It DOES have an overly long name which is why BIKE is an acronym." Paz responded. "Drez made this thing able to travel across all kinds of terrain and is outfitted with four seats so we can execute rescue missions like for Chico. Hop on and hold on tight. I'm not coming back for you if you fall off." The four got on the BIKE with Paz assuming the role of driver. She then set off for the training grounds.

The journey was long but worth it. The desert quickly became a grassy area and the wreckages of houses became palm trees. They stopped at a small clearing that, while devoid of grass, was clearly well kept. To the side was a small rod, glowing blue. Flowers blossomed everywhere in blues, yellows, whites, purples, pinks and every other colour imaginable. It was truly a glorious haven that appeared to be untouched despite the atrocities occurring outside it. "Welcome to the Sanctuary!" Chico announced.

"This place is beautiful." Stephen got of the BIKE and gazed in awe at his surroundings.

"Isn't it?" Drez followed him. "We found this place a while ago and I developed that Force field generator to keep it safe. Only those who mean no ill-will to this place can enter it." He gestured to the glowing rod.

"This is also where I'm going to train you to use your powers." Chico added in her usual quiet voice. "First we need to find out what elements you might control."

"What elements are there to learn?" Stephen asked.

"Fire, lightning, snow, earth and water. Some elements haven't even been discovered so I'm not sure if you can learn those. There's also light and shadow but nobody has ever been able to manipulate them. How about we start with fire?"

"Ok, what first?"

"Uhhh... Try just thinking about starting a fire in your hand" Chico gestured to his hand.

"You're the boss." Stephen responded, slightly wary.

Fiery thoughts. That's all he had to think of. Fiery thoughts. He outstretched his hand, palm upwards and concentrated on starting a small fireball in his hand. Stephen felt rather awkward especially a few seconds later when...

Nothing. Not even a spark, not a glow. "I'm sorry. I guess I can't do it yet." Stephen sighed lowering his hand. Moments later, he heard snickers and laughter among his friends. "What's so funny?"

"Your boots are on fire, idiot!" Paz responded, trying to keep herself upright despite her laughter opposing her. Stephen looked down and, sure enough, his boots were engulfed in flames.

"Ah! Put it out! Put it out!" Stephen yelled doing what could only be described as the strangest dance ever, attempting to douse the flames with the dirt on the ground. Paz's legs finally gave way and she tumbled onto the ground in a fit of laughter. Even Drez, who had been trying his best to keep a straight face, couldn't resist snickering at the events unfolding before them.

Their laughter was short-lived however as the flames quickly went out much to Stephen's relief. "Well," Chico began, recovering from the laughter, "At least you managed to get rid of the fire."

That day was filled with a lot of 'practice' or at least that's what it was meant to be. Not only did Stephen gain control over fire, but he discovered an affinity for snow and water too. After getting used to each ability, Chico taught Stephen how to forge weapons out of them which was much simpler than it sounded.

The element of fire bestowed Stephen with Fire Bombs. They were small, easily held in one's hand and had the appearance of a cartoon-y bomb but glowed red and, instead of the usual fuse, a flame erupted from the top. Stephen could generate as many as he needed and they were very versatile. They didn't destroy much but left a small fire wherever they exploded and, as Paz unfortunately found out, hurt. Their main limit was Stephen's weak throwing arm which rendered their range below that of most thrown weapons but were key for balanced attack, speed and range.

The flow of water crafted a mallet glowed blue from it's head, which was twice the size of Stephen's own. It practically yelled 'obvious!' The hammer was heavy and limited Stephen's movement but created quite the impact when swung. This was also not a weapon that could be summoned in the heat of battle as it took immense concentration, as did most other water, to create. The Water Mallet truly embodied Risk versus Reward.

The final weapon, the Ice Shurikens were small throwing stars that could be easily concealed and weighed practically nothing. They each had four points and had a unique design emblazoned on each of them. Being historically a weapon of ninjas, they were perfect for speed and stealth. Rounds upon rounds of them could be fired quite a considerable distance for quick damage. Like the weapons before them, they had a detrimental flaw. They didn't exactly cause much impact or injury. Multiple shurikens had to be thrown to cause anything noteworthy.

Over the course of the afternoon, Stephen became further skilled with his new abilities both in and out of combat. Meanwhile, Chico had enjoyed seeing her "student" flourish and become more inventive with the abilities. Their fun was interrupted by Paz, "Alright, you two. It's getting late, time to head back."

On their way back, thoughts and questions began to enter Stephen's head. Particularly about Chico. He decided to get some answers, "Hey Chico?" he began, "I'm supposedly unique, being an inter-dimensional being, right?"

"Yes..." She responded.

"If so, how do you know so much about my abilities when yours are so radically different?"

"Well, uh..." she stuttered, "I, uhh... f-found out when I was reading your mind." Stephen decided this was fair enough but was still curious. Yes, he learned from the old man that he had these powers but not how to control them, which is what Chico taught him. Was she hiding something? Her stuttering seemed to implicate so. What could a psychic 12 year-old possibly want to hide?

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Elsewhere, a dark force loomed, keeping a close eye on the children from afar.

"Another?" It muttered to itself, "That old coot thinks of his abilities so highly, doesn't he?" It paused for a second before chuckling, "Perhaps I can use this to my advantage. Benson!" It yelled and a large creature appeared, the figure smiled, "Go play."