On the other side… was Vir. Poor, scrawny little Vir. Barely a man. No martial arts training whatsoever. And who could hardly run thirty paces without keeling over.
Hang in there, Vir, Maiya thought, idly stroking Neel’s back. The bandy whimpered in delight, oblivious to the stakes of the duel taking place.
Maiya began regretting how she’d treated Vir this past week. He’d deserved her ire, but even so…
Vir lunged at the big man. Maybe he was trying to take Riyan by surprise? Vir certainly moved faster than Riyan did, which surprised her.
Maiya saw a faint glimmer of hope for her friend. He’s exploiting his advantages!
Not that he had many of those, but being smaller and more agile meant he could move around faster… And she’d witnessed his agility time and time again. It was at a level where most adults couldn’t even hope to match him. Until he grew tired, that was.
At least, that was what should have happened. But then Riyan up and disappeared. When Maiya caught sight of him again, he’d already delivered a devastating punch to Vir’s stomach, sending him tumbling across the sand.
That’s so unfair… He could at least refrain from using his Talents! she thought. Not like he needs those to win, anyway.
Vir retched upon the sand, trying desperately to regain his breath.
“He’s suffocating!” Maiya shrieked, ready to rush over to defend her friend. But a gesture of Riyan’s hand stopped her in her tracks.
He said nothing, merely watching as Vir vomited, retched, and gasped. Her friend looked up at Riyan with hate—no, not hate. Determination. Slowly, agonizingly, he picked himself back up and stabilized his breathing.
He’s smiling at him? She could hardly believe Vir’s tenacity.
“Is that all you got—!”
“Too slow.”
Riyan Leaped to Vir, delivering a catastrophic hook to his ribs. Maiya heard something crack, and Vir went tumbling once again.
“Agh!” Vir screamed, eating mouthfuls of sand.
And yet, he’d scarcely come to a stop in a sprawling heap before he picked himself up again.
Riyan once again charged… Except this time, the man received a fistful of sand in his eyes. Vir used the distraction to lunge to the side, narrowly dodging his attack.
Yess! Maiya cheered. Using sand is a stroke of brilliance!
Vir continued to bob, weave, duck, and roll around Riyan, narrowly avoiding his attacks, throwing sand whenever it seemed like he was in danger.
Riyan’s movements weren’t as fast, but even to Maiya’s untrained eyes, they showed an elegance she couldn’t quite place. Like flowing water, he was graceful, whereas Vir was erratic.
How?
Her friend had reached the limits of his stamina long ago. His ribs were cracked. He must have been in extreme pain. How’s he able to move like that? He looked so bright to her eyes, shining like the brightest star.
Vir wasn’t a prodigy. Though ever since they were little, he’d been the hardest worker in the entire village. Riyan didn’t know about his diligent acrobatic practice, or the hours he spent perfecting the art of pebble throwing. Vir learned quickly, and he worked hard. How could she possibly compete with someone like that?
And yet, despite his efforts, he still couldn’t hold a candle to Riyan.
Vir finally slowed, unable to maintain his exertion. Riyan took the opportunity to kick him halfway across the dome. Vir tumbled and tumbled… and this time, he didn’t get back up.
“Your technique would make a warrior weep. Your stamina is worse than a child’s,” the Ghost of Godshollow said, stroking his beard.
“But you move well. You instinctively understand your strengths and your weaknesses, and you exploit them.” Riyan held up a finger. “Most importantly, you show the soul of a warrior. When the warrior loses, he grows. When he is beaten to the brink of death, he stares the Reaper in the eyes and says ‘No.’ The warrior is relentless. The warrior does not give up. Ever. Until he is dead.”
Vir huffed and heaved, spreadeagle on the sand. Maiya wasn’t sure whether he’d heard the man’s oddly poetic speech.
“Now pick a weapon. Let us see how you fare in armed combat.”
Maiya could no longer keep quiet. “Vir’s never held anything other than a knife his whole life! You can’t possibly ask him to fight you like that. Just look at the state he’s in! He’s proven his worth, hasn’t he? Leave him be!”
Maiya fully expected her plea to go ignored.
“Life is never so kind, girl. The moment you believe you’ve succeeded, when you think you’ve finally grown strong, life will be there to slap you in the face. Those who have tasted success know that the path is long and full of suffering. The boy must struggle. He must endure the pain. He must fail. Only then will his growth have meaning. Only then will he have the strength to survive.”
Maiya wondered what kind of Ash-forsaken life Riyan must have led to have such a sad outlook. She hurried out to the grotto to procure a bucket of water and cloth. Vir wouldn’t stand a chance in the upcoming fight, and though she couldn’t heal him with magic, she could at least ease his suffering.
She returned just in time to see Vir rise like a corpse from its grave, clawing himself to his feet. Without uttering a single word, he shambled over to the line of weapons arranged against the wall, only half alive.
Maiya waited with bated breath. She had to admit, as much as she wanted him to stop, she was a little curious what weapon he’d choose. It had to be a knife or a dagger, since that was what Vir was most familiar with. She only hoped he didn’t pick a talwar. She’d seen the way he’d eyed the seric sword Knight Captain Vastav had carried. Either way, he had no training in swordplay. The duel would be a disaster.
Vir stood in front of a smallish weapon, eyeing it for several seconds, and Maiya breathed a sigh of relief when he picked it up. She didn’t know what it was, but at least it suited to Vir’s size.
“A katar,” Riyan remarked. “A punch dagger. An interesting choice. Katars offer less maneuverability than a traditional dagger, but their thrusting and slashing force is unparalleled, making them effective against even lighter armor. They are also quite easy to conceal. Not a terrible choice, given your compact frame. I’ve not fought a katar wielder in ages. I hope you will give me a good show, boy.”
Riyan cracked his neck as he approached the weapons rack and picked up a wooden talwar. Vir’s blade was made of real steel, so Maiya was relieved he wasn’t going to use a steel-bladed weapon himself.
Giant faced off against mouse, and this time, Riyan was the first to move. He began with a diagonal upward slash that barely missed Vir’s face. Her friend had wrenched his body back at the last possible moment.
Forced to take a step back, Vir ducked low, anticipating Riyan’s next attack.
His forethought saved him, as Riyan’s strike sailed high.
Vir took the opening, leveraging his position to lunge, slashing his katar at Riyan’s torso. But Vir’s attack hit nothing but air.
The Ghost of Godshollow had jumped… Except he jumped far higher than any human ever could. Vir looked around, confused about where he’d gone.
“Look up!” Maiya shrieked. Vir saw the falling man and dodged just in the nick of time, rolling away to safety.
“Impressive,” Riyan said as his talwar sank into the sand.
Both Vir and Maiya paled. If that had hit him…
Riyan fired off a flurry of attacks at Vir, who desperately tried to parry, but it was hopeless. He took hit after hit. At least able to take the hits on his arms and legs, shielding his vitals.