Hubris
The hologram's recreation of the members of the Renegades was spot on; Adam could almost reach out and touch them if he dared, which he did. But, his hands casually passed through, as usual.
"Can you understand the words I'm saying?" He asked, waving a hand over the face of the hologram.
[YES, WOULD YOU LIKE A DEMONSTRATION OF MY UNDERSTANDING ABILITIES?]
Well, it has reverted to its old ways.
"S, speak to me normally, and no, I don't want a demonstration of your abilities. It was a rhetorical question; you know what those are, right?" Adam was becoming a tad frustrated.
"Okay, instructions received," S spoke, and even though it wasn't exactly what Adam was expecting, it was still better than earlier.
"Stop playing with yourself and help us get ready for the day," the cheeky voice of Gilgamesh spoke from the mouth of the cave, and Adam almost jerked in fear.
"Don't do that, man. You scared me." It was evident in the way his heart raced.
"I know; I have to keep you on your toes. Crystal told me to get you that you look like you lost your dog. Her words, not mine," Gilgamesh said, holding up his hands in surrender.
"So, she snitched to you, eh?" Adam asked, his voice teasing.
"It's from a place of care. And no, Crystal doesn't need to snitch, not when she can beat you with her eyes closed and one hand tied behind her back. Even with a severe handicap like that, you're still nowhere close to her in strength or abilities."
Gilgamesh looked pretty pleased with himself, grinning from ear to ear.
"Of course, leave it to Gilgamesh to state the obvious and ruin the mood," Adam grumbled and dispelled the hologram for the time being.
"That's what I'm here for. If I don't do it, who will?" Adam couldn't fault that logic, even though he'd much rather not be subject to a fickle person like Gilgamesh's will.
"You're pretty annoying, you know that, right?" But Adam sometimes appreciated Gilgamesh's total disregard for reality.
"Your strength lies in moments like this. I've watched you flounder, and honestly, it was pathetic at first. But you decided to learn about us, and I can see it in your actions. Darkus might not recognize all you do yet, but I do. And that's what counts, I think" Gilgamesh trailed off as though he'd just remembered he was supposed to be a comic relief and nothing more.
"Thanks for seeing the work I put in. I was starting to feel like everyone was blind to it," Adam said, not unkindly. Gilgamesh gave one of his rare genuine smiles, and Adam mirrored it perfectly.
"If you care so much about our validation, you may never get it. Don't waste your life that way," Gilgamesh said flippantly, and even though there was a lot of sense in his words, Adam didn't want to admit it.
"I don't care, now go away," Adam felt like he didn't belong, but there was no way Gilgamesh could know; he hadn't been in Adam's position. The Renegades were like cogs working together, supporting one another.
Cincinnati was powerful by her rights, but Adam knew nothing about Darkus. Esme still watched him from afar, and Crystal still babied everyone.
Stupid, I believed I was falling in love.
But that wasn't to be, especially once Adam saw how Crystal treated those in her care. She was caring and kind, able to decipher what was wrong with them without saying a word. Adam wondered how she reached into their hearts and made a home in a place where despair lived.
I want to be able to do that someday, too.
But someday seemed a long way off, and Adam needed to find a way to stop leeching off Crystal. Even if she took her role as a leader a bit too seriously, Adam didn't want to put too much on her and risk her failing where it counts.
"Let's do something," Gilgamesh said, his voice wistful. Adam was confused but also intrigued.
"What's that?" He asked.
"Fight me. If you can make me fall even once, then I'll bring Darkus to you. If you can beat me, you'll officially be accepted by everyone in The Renegades."
Adam felt insulted because Gilgamesh was a rag doll compared to Crystal. Also, he could blow Crystal away, even if it was just once.
"Deal. You'll eat your words." Adam said, his words resolute.
"Ready when you are," Gilgamesh said in a singsong voice, totally unperturbed.
I'll make you regret looking down on me.
"How about now?" Adam said, and his fist flew at Gilgamesh's face, eyes fixated on the foe before him. His anger had morphed into an inferno and was consuming him from within.
"Your anger blinds you; you'd be dead out there," Gilgamesh sidestepped Adam, using the flat of his palm to hit Adam upside the head.
"Stop fucking with me!" Adam screamed and lunged again, going for a tackle, but Gilgamesh was nimble and pirouetted out of the way with minimal effort.
"You believe too much in your skills; you never seek to become better; you never consider the fact that you need to have a full view of your surroundings. If you were meant to protect someone, they'd be dead by now. And it'd be your fault," Gilgamesh's words hit with the force of a sledgehammer, and Adam saw red.
I will make you acknowledge me.
"S, it's time." And the hologram flared to life in the form of Gilgamesh, maintaining the same stance.
"What do you have for me?" Adam asked the hologram under his breath while pretending to catch his breath as Gilgamesh watched him, emotionless in his expression.
"Fighting pattern analyzed. Scanning database. Capoeira." Adam didn't know much about it, but he knew it was a fighting pattern used by dancers.
Pathetic.
"Okay, I'm coming for you now," Adam ran towards Gilgamesh, and when Gilgamesh evaded, Adam made a feint, sending Gilgamesh the wrong way. Adam struck with the full force of his elbow, the battle song within him chanting in his ears.
All that mattered was winning, nothing else.
Adam saw himself staring at the cave ceiling and ultimately crashing to the floor.
"What was that?" He asked no one in particular, and Gilgamesh stood over him, a disapproving look on his face.
"You aren't ready. Your rage blinds you, and you let assumptions define your existence. You're so sloppy it's laughable. You fight for yourself; you have no idea what it means to fight for a cause. You think of taking down your opponent, even if it leaves you open. You somehow believe that you can bridge the gap and that your opponent is an idiot," Gilgamesh's eyes went cold, the jovial tone he was known for disappearing like it never existed.
"You're the idiot. If you don't fix yourself, you will die. And I won't lift a finger." Gilgamesh didn't elaborate after that; he just walked out of the cave, and a few minutes later, Adam followed.
"What happened to your face?" Crystal asked in concern as she gave him a bowl of soup made with mushrooms and grubs. He turned his nose at it, but beggars can't be choosers.
"I tripped and fell," Adam replied, staring at Gilgamesh, who was whistling and eating the abominable food like it was the tastiest dish in the world.
"Hmm, be more careful next time," Crystal replied, clearly skeptical but not wanting to push it, which Adam was grateful for. He'd just had his ass handed to him in the most insulting way, and he wasn't sure he could recover from that.
"There you go, hubris again," he scolded himself out loud, and Esme turned in his direction. She was tugging at Crystal's sleeves.
"That weird man is talking to himself again," Esme complained, pointing at him as though he wasn't even there.
"Don't point; it's rude to do that. And sometimes, we talk to ourselves to make sense of things in our heads." Esme nodded as though that explained everything. Then she returned to eating her food like it was the most natural thing in the world.
The Renegades hadn't accepted him yet, but it was only a matter of time. He didn't get so far without resilience; he'd relied on himself, his wits, and his ability to escape any situation.
He didn't want to fail himself now. The sky darkened to black, and Crystal looked up in alarm.
"It's not midday yet," she said, her voice filled with worry.
"What does that mean?" Adam asked, staring at the others and seeing the look of uneasiness mirror on their faces.
"It's about to rain." That's all Crystal said, but he felt goosebumps creep up his spine.
"Rain? Isn't rain normal?" He asked as the others packed their things and ran into the cave for shelter.
"You'll see," Gilgamesh replied, and Adam turned away. He wasn't petty, but he didn't want to be in any communication with Gilgamesh after the whole debacle in the cave.
He'd much rather be alone. Then, the sound of the wind picked up, and Gilgamesh screamed at him, but the wind carried his words away.
"What are you saying?" Adam screamed back, but he couldn't even hear himself. The wind was getting pretty fierce, and Adam tried to scout a place he could stay until the wind passed.
Then, all hell broke loose.