Nevermore: The Secret Order

Chapter 6 - The Grind

After the orientation, Raven immediately got a grasp on the organization's line of work. Especially the words utmost discretion. A field agent is meant to accomplish a task without so much as drawing attention from an unsuspecting populace. Somehow, he had that down at this point. The Director also set proper expectations. He shouldn't expect special treatment. She wasn't kidding about the nature of the training environment. Day one, they let him have a go at target range. His prior training with Al somehow served him. That was day one. Now, he was about to step into a ring with a senior agent as a sparring partner.

<Your opponent stands at six feet and four inches. By the looks of it, he weighs at least 220 pounds.> said Thanatos.

<I can see that.> said Raven. <This guy would have stuffed me in a locker if we were in high school and if I wasn't trained.>

He took his black cut-off top off which exposed the glyphs along his spine. His black compression shorts felt skin-tight and he clenched his first which are now under a pair of competition regulation MMA gloves. His sparring mask felt a bit tight but it did little to stifle him.

"Give him hell." said Neve while standing on his corner.

She was wearing a white tank top and silver leggings along with white running shoes. Raven found that a far cry from her usual attire. Director Maia also swapped her office attire for a blue tracksuit. This time around, she took her glove off, exposing her prosthetic hand. She held her tablet as she kept track of the session.

Another agent also acted as the referee. Raven and his sparring partner were both visibly warming up. He could remember Al's words.

"Mind your footwork, control your breathing, and read his body language. This is no different from a debate or a dialogue. Read it right and respond, you will come out on top. Control the outcome." said Al's voice inside his head.

He could hear it as clear as day reminding him to take the upper hand in every given situation.

"Sullivan" said the de-facto referee as he signaled for Raven to come closer.

"Kershaw." he added as the agent complied.

"You boys know what to do. No head butts, no groin shots. Strikes and grapples are fair game. I want a nice and clean fight." said the referee.

Both fighters nodded in acknowledgement, touched gloves, and backed up again. The bell went off. Now it begins.

Kershaw made an advance and tried to land a fast left jab. Raven was quick to slip the jab and before he could connect with a right straight, Raven managed to dodge it as well. He kept his distance as he read Kershaw's footwork. He has a habit of keeping a wide stance. But he had to make sure he has a clean shot. Kershaw let out a right roundhouse that he was able to move out of. He later spun around for a left spinning heel kick. Raven tried to move out of its way and he barely got out as it almost grazed him. Kershaw had a longer reach and if he was going to take this risk, he had to time it exactly as the he turned back around.

<Now.>Thanatos said as soon as Kershaw got back in position.

Raven let out a left inside leg kick which cleanly connected with Kershaw's left inner thigh. He later followed up by swinging his right shin against the opposite of Kershaw's left thigh which sent the larger fighter down on one knee. He created some distance as he saw Kershaw getting back up. He landed two clean shots. But he can't get too eager given that his sparring partner is built like a muscle car. Kershaw had a foot of reach over him and could easily hit him with little effort if he got too cocky.

Kershaw oddly positioned himself for a sprint before lunging for a speed takedown. Raven quickly responded with a sprawl and went on to create distance. If there's one thing he can't afford with a bigger opponent, or for most fights for that matter, it's letting a fight get into clinch range. Despite being a compentent striker, he always struggled in terms in extremely tight spaces where grappling would be a necessity. Despite managing to sprawl, he felt the force that Kershaw put into that takedown. It blew the wind out of him.