Marcus took a deep breath, centering himself. Then, with a controlled surge of energy, he activated his transformation. A burst of white smoke and hot steam erupted around him, swirling and filling the clearing. When it cleared, Marcus stood in his humanoid monstrous form, the armored gray plates gleaming faintly under the light, his size solid and imposing but still balanced for mobility.
Marcus, still in his monstrous form, turned his gaze toward Kara. His voice came out rougher, deeper, though still recognizably his own.
"So… what do you think?"
Kara stepped closer, her hand rising to her chin as she studied him intently.
"Your form is impressive," she said after of minute, her voice calm but firm. "The mass is well-distributed, solid and firm, with excellent balance. Each plate is placed strategically, allowing mobility while still offering protection. Your posture is confident, and your weight is perfectly aligned—you could move rapidly without compromising stability. In general… it's quite a solid form."
She stepped closer, gesturing subtly as if mapping invisible lines across his body. "But you lack
weapons, many others of your kind can summon weapons: swords, spears, even ranged energy blades. You don't have that advantage, so your attacks are purely close-range. That forces you to get in the thick of it every time, exposing yourself to counterattacks. And those gaps between your plates? Small, but they exist. Any opponent aware of them could target them and exploit your openings. You're strong, yes—but these are serious weaknesses you'll have to manage if you want to survive in real combat."
Marcus, still in his monstrous form, was surprised by how quickly he had completed his analysis, though deep down he had more or less suspected the same about the gaps between his plates and his limited reach. Then he asked "Do you have any way to cover my weaknesses?"
Kara's lips curved slightly, a hint of approval in her expression. "Yes," she said calmly, taking a step closer. "First, can minimize these vulnerabilities that you have between your plates, but it's not about making yourself invincible—it's about forcing your opponent to react instead of act. Here's how."
She raised a hand and began outlining the strategy. "First, maintain constant pressure. Move with rhythm, throw short, rapid attacks. Keep your opponent on the defensive, reacting to you instead of aiming for your gaps. Second, reduce the need for precision in your strikes—use elbows, shoulders, pushes, short uppercuts. Keep them close, deny them the chance to target your openings. Third, close the angles: move to their sides so the small gaps between your plates are harder to reach. Fourth, use clinch and torso control whenever possible to neutralize ranged weapons or attacks aimed at your vulnerable zones. That constant pressure will either defeat your opponent outright or wear them down, which works to your advantage in both scenarios."
"By doing this," she added, "you'll take full advantage of your natural armor and incredible stamina, turning your endurance into a real tactical advantage."
Marcus nodded slowly, absorbing the advice and accepting that he will have to adapt his style. "So… be aggressive, control the space, and make them react."
"Exactly," Kara said, her gaze sharp. "Your offense is your best defense."
Kara nodded. "Good. Then this week we work that—relentless pressure, closing the windows they need to aim." She walked a slow circle around him as she spoke, as if already picturing drills and rounds. "We'll drill movement, bursts, clinch entries, plate manipulation on the fly. All of it."
Marcus considered that for a moment, then asked the question that had been ticking at the back of his mind. "Okay… and my reach? How do I deal with fighting unarmed against armed transformers?"
Kara didn't hesitate. "There are ways to blunt that problem," she said. "You can thicken your forearms and fists—use your ether to concentrate more mass there, make those strikes harder to ignore. Think of it as turning your close‑range hits into wrecking tools: shoulder charges, short bashes, powered uppercuts that don't need a lot of space to land." She tapped his chest lightly, as if punctuating the point. "But understand this: making your limbs heavier helps your impact, not your range. You'll still have to close the distance to land those blows, and that vulnerability — having to get in close — won't disappear. It just changes how you survive while you're in that danger zone."
Kara paused, then added with steady emphasis, "You'll also need to train your ether manipulation relentlessly to take advantageous your trait. In the middle of a fight you may not be able to block every blow; when a strike is aimed where you can't take it, you must be able to shift ether on the fly—thicken a plate, bulk an arm, or close a gap as a last‑ditch defense. That reaction has to be instinctive, so we'll drill it until it is."
Marcus hesitated, then blurted the question he'd been turning over in his head. "Wouldn't the academy be able to issue me a weapon? Something to extend my reach?"
Kara let out a short, almost rueful sound—no condescension, just practical impatience. "I get why you ask," she said. "It makes sense on the surface. But think it through: if you had a sword while you're human, it helps—until you transform. In your monstrous form the scale and dynamics change; a human‑sized blade won't behave the same way, it'll feel small and awkward, and you'd lose the advantage you hoped it would give you."
She paused, watching him consider it, then continued, blunt. "And even if a weapon helped in human form, it creates a predictable pattern. If an opponent sees you rely on a sword, they'll force the issue by switching into their monstrous form first—dragging the fight onto their terms. You'd have to transform too, and the weapon that helped you as a human would be useless then. In short—carrying a weapon doesn't solve your core problems; it can make you predictable. We're better off training you to make your body and your tactics the weapon.
"That's also why reaching Warden is so important for unarmed fighters like you. It allows you to bond with an etheric weapon, making it usable in both human and monstrous forms, without losing your edge or versatility.
Marcus frowned slightly. "So my biggest weakness is still my range. Close combat only, right?"
Kara nodded. "Exactly. Many Transformers like you, unarmed, try to cover that gap with firearms, energy pistols, or short-range projectiles. The problem is, relying on weapons creates a predictable pattern. But I have a better method."
Kara crouched slightly, scanning the ground. She picked up a stone, measuring it with a practiced eye. With a swift, fluid motion, she hurled it at a distant tree. The rock struck with such force that the bark cracked and splintered, sending fragments flying.
Marcus's eyes widened as he observed the impact. Almost instantly, he understood what Kara had just done—it was an ether technique. A concept he learned during the intensive training.
An ether technique is a skill all Transformers can use, regardless of their monstrous form or traits. Each technique is the result of careful, precise manipulation of ether, an internal energy that flows through their bodies. With enough practice, any Transformer can learn to apply these techniques effectively. There are countless techniques, each crafted for a specific purpose, and their effects can be subtle, surprising, or even esoteric. Many Transformers rely on them to cover weaknesses, adapt to unexpected situations, or gain tactical advantages.
Kara nodded, her expression serious. "The technique has two main parts," she explained. "First, you infiltrate ether into the object, in this case the stone, to reinforce it—make it harder, stronger, more resistant than it naturally is. That alone is tricky, but manageable."
She paused, letting him absorb it. "The second part—the truly difficult part—is manipulating the ether at the tip of your finger just before release. That's what channels all the energy into the impact and gives the throw its power. Timing, precision, and subtle control are critical. If you get even a little bit wrong, the stone either won't fly properly or won't hit with full force."
Kara gave him a small nod, a hint of a smile appearing. "Don't think about that now. You'll practice this technique tomorrow. For now…" She paused, her gaze sharpening. "Let's do a sparring session."