20: Maiya vs Vir

Weeks of training had finally led to this moment: the first 'official' duel between Maiya and Vir.

Official, because the two had been training together daily, so this duel wasn’t the first time they'd fought each other, but it was their first match where Riyan would act more as a judge than an instructor. And if Vir knew anything about his best friend, it was that she hated to lose.

The upcoming battle would not be easy.

They stood ten paces apart in the training dome, with the rays of the early morning light filtering in. Riyan stood in the middle. He wore a black robe today instead of the usual white, as if he’d dressed for the occasion.

“For your first duel, you will fight unarmed,” their instructor explained. “The victor does not matter. Rather, I shall bear witness to the fruits of your efforts over these past three weeks. Give it your all and show me what you have learned.”

“Ready?” He looked at each of them in turn, receiving nods from both. “And fight!” Riyan commanded, swinging his arm down like an ax. He then Leaped out of the way, leaving the two contestants to do battle.

Maiya charged at Vir the instant Riyan announced the start of the match.

Unusual, thought Vir. This wasn’t like her.

They’d quickly discovered that both of them thought similarly; they both liked to plan and think through each step of the battle. While Vir’s instincts were far superior to Maiya’s, she usually planned further ahead than he did. Which meant that Maiya’s opening move must have been driven by a strategy of some sort.

Vir played it cautiously. He’d secretly scooped up two fistfuls of sand before the fight, which he threw at his opponent, forcing her to close her eyes and look away.

Maiya hated it when he used that tactic, but if it worked, it worked. And Vir wasn’t the type to forgo an advantage.

He ducked low and threw a straight punch at her stomach, hoping to leverage her own momentum to knock the wind out of her lungs.

But Maiya knew all of his tricks. She’d seen him fight a hundred times. The girl wrenched her body at the last minute and fell intentionally, slapping the ground before rolling away, preventing Vir from launching a follow up attack.

Their fights almost always went a certain way. If Maiya was feeling good that day, they’d engage in an honest duel, where Vir would swiftly win. But if she was grumpy, she’d draw the fight out, forcing Vir to exert himself. It only took a few minutes of that before he could no longer keep up, and Maiya would always win in that case.

This duel seemed like it’d be the latter. Vir had no hope of winning once she’d exhausted him—stamina was always his most precious commodity. He had to ration it like a desert traveler.

As a result, the efficiency of his movements had improved by leaps and bounds. He’d practiced tirelessly to eliminate any wasted actions that might sap his stamina, and he tried to use his opponent’s weight and momentum against them.

Vir decided this was one of those times where spending his stamina would be worth it. He spun around and sprinted after Maiya before she could recover.

The problem with rolling was that it deprived one of their situational awareness. Maiya would first have to regain her bearings before making any further moves. That would cost her a precious few seconds. A few seconds she didn’t have.

But what am I missing? Vir thought. He felt like he’d already lost… Like he was walking into one of her traps. It can’t be this easy…

Vir had little choice; he was already committed. He threw himself into a slide, tucking his rear leg and extending the other. His leg smashed into Maiya’s shin just as she’d righted herself, sending her falling on her butt.

This time, Vir was in the perfect position to capitalize on his advantage.

Mimicking what Riyan had done to the knight scout in the Godshollow, Vir attempted to pin Maiya under him, but she locked her legs around his back instead. He was now in a disadvantageous grappling position, with Maiya having leverage over him.

Maiya pulled him closer with her legs.

He knew how this would go. If he did nothing, she’d reach up and choke him out. But thanks to their endless practice, he’d figured out how to get out of this position.

Vir threw his weight forward to create some slack, then ducked, and pulled back, freeing himself from Maiya’s leg hold. He then grasped her ankles to restrict her movement before throwing his body on top of her.

Maiya grunted under the strain of his weight.

Now he had the dominant position.

They’d only just begun to learn ground fighting and grappling from Riyan, but Vir found he had a natural aptitude for it. Thanks to all the years he spent mastering his parkour, he simply understood his body better than the average person.

He held the advantage, but even so, he didn’t let his guard down, suspecting that Maiya would try something. He immediately locked her legs and pinned her hands, and with his entire body weight on top of her, prevented her from moving even an inch.

Vir then clasped her neck and applied pressure on her carotid arteries to choke her.

“I—I yield,” Maiya whispered as Vir ramped up the pressure.

“Uh, what?”

“I said I yield you brute! Stop choking me!”

Vir was so surprised that he’d completely forgotten to relieve the pressure on her neck. “Oh, shoot. Sorry. I just… didn’t you have something planned, Maiya? Isn’t that why you charged in?”

“Um, mind getting off of me first, Vir? You’re kinda heavy.”

“Oh, right,” Vir said, standing back up.

“Good,” boomed Riyan’s voice. “You are both as clumsy as newborn babies, but at least the boy remained calm and used tactics. But you, girl. What were you thinking?”

Maiya dusted herself off. “I tried something new. Just didn’t work. That’s all,” she huffed, blushing slightly.

So she panicked and charged in without a plan. Wasn’t expecting that, Vir thought.

“So you panicked and charged in without a plan,” Riyan said, startling Vir. Could the man read his mind!?

“I did not!” Maiya said, unable to meet his eyes, “Just that… nevermind. You don’t want to hear my excuses. What’s next?”

Riyan smirked, clearly happy that she’d swallowed her words. The Maiya of a month ago would’ve complained endlessly.

“Again. But this time, with katars.”

The two friends both groaned, but for different reasons. Vir was hoping Riyan would end things with a single round. The longer this went on, the worse the situation became for him. And Maiya didn’t appreciate being forced to use a katar when her weapon of choice was a spear.

Neither of them complained. They’d learned long ago that whining only led to punishment. Often cruel and unusual punishment, like triple chores.

Maiya picked up a wooden katar from the racks on the wall and handed another to Vir. They’d begun training with the weapons only a few days ago, so both were still clumsy. But even in his limited time with the weapon, Vir had steadily grown more proficient.

He had a shot at winning, if he ended things quickly.

Vir and Maiya again faced off at the center of the training dome, ten paces apart.

“Begin!” Riyan said, and this time it was Vir who charged Maiya.

He was lucky in that his motions from unarmed combat translated well to katar-based combat. The weapon’s design made it act like an extension of his arm, allowing him to carry over some of his existing skills, rather than learning them from scratch.

Vir swiped at Maiya’s legs, but she jumped and slashed at his face, forcing him to retreat. From then on, both sides exchanged a flurry of thrusts, slashes, and blocks in quick succession.

One benefit of katars was that they could block as well as attack, thanks to the handguards, which protected everything up to their forearms.

Both Vir and Maiya extensively used this feature, blocking and deflecting strikes that would’ve otherwise ended the fight.

That didn’t mean their attacks were graceful. Even Vir could tell that their exchange was amateurish and awkward, but that didn’t stop him from pressing on, pressuring Maiya with a relentless series of attacks.

She couldn’t keep defending forever—she’d eventually make a mistake, one that Vir could exploit. The only question was whether his stamina would run out first.

He was reluctant to leave the outcome of the battle to chance, and so he played his old trick again—throwing sand into Maiya’s eyes.

“Argh!” Maiya shrieked, instinctively raising her katar to shield herself from the sand.

That was a mistake. Vir closed the distance in an instant and launched an uppercut. He stopped the blade right as it touched her chin.

“The boy wins,” Riyan said, signaling the end of the fight.

Maiya stared at Vir with the same fury her mother had, forcing Vir to look away.

“Sorry, Maiya,” he said. “Couldn’t let you prolong the fight.”

“Really, Vir? Sand? Again? How many times are you going to use that stupid trick?”

Riyan walked up to them, his arms crossed and his face stern. “‘Stupid trick’ or not, the boy’s tactics were effective. Actual battles are never forgiving enough for concepts like honor and dignity. Actual fights are brutal, dirty, and quick. You must use every advantage you can get. Failing to do so may well cost you your life.

“A superior warrior understands his advantages as well as he understands his enemy. He understands that his surroundings can be made to work both for, or against, him. The boy recognizes that his stamina is his weakness, and so he took measures to counter it. That is all.”

“I guess. It’s just frustrating,” she then muttered something under her breath. “I’m stronger than he is. I should be able to win. Just wait until I get my magic…”

“What was that, Maiya?” Vir said, even though he’d heard every word.

“Oh, nothing. Good fight, Vir,” she replied with a tight smile. Vir couldn’t keep the smirk off of his face.

“You two are making good progress,” the Ghost of Godshollow said, prompting Vir and Maiya to do a double take. Their instructor had never complimented them. “The training room will be barred for several days. Use this time to practice your flexibility and meditate on your own.”

“What’s going on?” Vir asked.

“You will see when it is ready.”

Maiya cleared her throat. “So, about that magic instructor you mentioned. Tanya, right? Any word from her?”

“Patience, girl. These things take time. For now, build your foundation. The time for magic will come soon enough.”

Vir narrowed his eyes. Kalari was truly an incredible martial art. Vir’s combat potential had already shot through the roof, and he hadn’t even begun to master the art. But Kalari and magic together? That would be downright unstoppable. That would almost be cheating.

He shook his head. There wasn’t any point lamenting the hand fate had dealt him. All he could do now was work three times as hard to compensate. He only hoped it would be enough.

“Boy, I want you to practice with these,” Riyan said, handing Vir a set of bladed disks. Some were the diameter of a bracelet, while the larger ones were about three times that.

“The big ones are called Chakrams,” he explained. “The smaller ones are Chakris. They are ancient throwing weapons said to hail from the Age of Gods.”

“These are real?” Vir asked, eyeing the deadly disks’ deadly metal edges.

“Indeed. They are quite sharp, so take care not to cut yourself. Use these for now,” he said, handing Vir a pair of half finger leather gloves. “They will help to reduce injuries while you learn, though you will come to learn how to use the weapons without protection.”

Vir took the weapons and was surprised by their weight. These disks were made of solid steel. “Most warriors I’ve heard of either specialize in short or long range combat. You’re telling me to do both?” He asked.

Riyan scoffed. “Most warriors are part of an army. They have archer support. They have mejai support. You have none of these things. And even if you did, every warrior should know how to defend themselves against more distant threats. Practice with these until you can slice an apple at a hundred paces. Reliably.”

“What!? That’s impossible! No way I could throw these that far!” Vir replied. A hundred paces was almost the entire width of the training dome. He had a hard time imagining these heavy disks flying that far, let alone being able to hit anything with them accurately.

Riyan took one of the larger ones—a Chakram—and threw it at the far wall of the dome. The disk sailed through the air, almost as if it was flying, and cut the wick perfectly off of a candle set into an alcove, dousing it.

“Badrak’s Balls!” Maiya and Vir cried out in unison. Vir’s eyes nearly popped out of their sockets.

Riyan turned toward Vir, his black cape fluttering proudly. “Nothing is impossible.”