Kayode trailed a hand along the pitted wall of the ramshackle gymnasium, ignoring the greasy smears on the crumbling plaster. The sound of muffled grunts and clashing weapons drifted through the corridors—a half-dozen other raiders testing their skills behind curtained-off training rings. A low-hanging overhead lamp cast everything in a jaundiced light, giving the place a sickly glow, as though the entire building were on the brink of collapse.
He stepped into a wide chamber reeking of sweat and ashen smoke. Clusters of battered dummies stood in disarray, some missing arms or half-splintered torsos from earlier sessions. At the far end of the room, Riley ran her fingers along the length of a massive training polearm, testing the weight with a quiet focus. Her crimson Zelion skin glistened under the flicker of braziers that hissed with half-burnt ash.
