The weapon almost tore itself from his grip as Skat slid across the rough stones of the sparring yard. Pain jolted through his head where the blaster had tipped his head and his vision slowly returned. His head throbbing and squinting against the bright light of the sparring yard, Skat clambered back to his feet. He reminded himself not to get blasted again. Though the weapon wouldn't leave a wound, it would bruise everything it touched for days to come. Glima towered over him, at least a head taller than Skat, he was the example of a Myln in his prime.
“Was that all you have to offer?” Glima's voice was filled with scorn, he turned around and strolled away from Skat. “What happens if you get separated from Gert, huh?
“What happens if you get separated.” Skat mimicked at Glima's back, then spat on the ground.
Despite his throbbing head, he readjusted the grip on his cadazor and clumsily spun it around. A burst of laughter from the crowd reached his ears, but he maintained the spin then brought the weapon in ready position. The practice mode of the weapon allowed the wielders to spar, without the chance of lethal damage. Had the fight been serious, his head would have been disintegrated by the blasters touch. Though it was only a sparring match, the outcome had a huge influence on the graduation grade of the battle-twin rankings. He did not want to let Gert down.
Glima his opponent whirled his weapon around, flowing from stance to stance to show off to the gathered crowd. Twirling the weapon around with ease, Glima spun around, striking at invisible enemies with incredible speed. Even though crowds gathered to laugh at Skat whenever he sparred, the crowds that Glima attracted were massive. Not for the first time, Skat wished that the battle master had chosen another opponent for him. Or that he was born with a strong physique and well developed motor skills. He had been a source of glee and vicarious shame for his peers as long as he remembered. Glima however, was everything a strong and young Myln could offer.
“That's not gonna change anything.” He dismissed his thoughts about strength. It was wishful thinking. When he finished the Battle-Twin academy, he intended to stay away from hand-to-hand combat as much as he could. But for now, a short though intense humiliation would have to do. Glima always grabbed every opportunity to make fun of him with both hands, so he could afford a short breather. As expected, Glima was still showing off. He pretended to spin the cadazor around awkwardly almost dropping it, which resulted in a roar of laughter that erupted from the crowd. Even though this was the usual course of things, Skat could feel his cheeks light up. His knuckles showed white holding the cadazor as tight as he could.
Gert turned towards him and glanced at Skat's red face. “Ignore them, Skat! Glima wants you angry. You know he likes to show how much stronger and better he is than you.” He shrugged.” You have a temper and he knows it”
Annoyed, Skat whirled the cadazor around again.
" I do not have..." He started heated as Gert slapped him gently on the back, laughing.
"Yes, yes you do."
He knew Gert was right, he was not going to admit it though. He gestured at Glima, who was still making fun of Skat. He strut around the sparring yard and dragged the cadazor behind him. How he wanted to wipe that self-indulgent smile of that perfect face. He really wanted to beat Glima just once. So far, he only managed to manage one out of three points in all the duels. He had never gotten close to winning an encounter.
“If only I could surprise him once.” Skat sighed. “I might win just once if I can surprise him. The entire crowd might faint from shock.”
Gert snorted. “I've shared several ideas to do so, but you keep insisting its cowardice. I have another idea, but it might not be necessarily... safe or comfortable for you. I am sure he will not expect it at all and some might call it cheating. But if you manage to hit him, who cares?” He snorted again, obviously trying to refrain from grinning.
"I'll throw you straight at him. Full power. He won't be able to dodge it. If you hit him hard, he might be disoriented and an easy target for the follow-up.” Gert smiled now, his face split open by feral smile. “Woert will not be able to respond on time, instead he will charge at me, hoping to overwhelm me. After all these years at the academy, he still charges in every situation.”
Skat stared at him in disbelief. Up to a few months ago, Gert always thought charges would solve everything, in every case. It had taken many beatings by smaller Murn for him to realize that the charge might not be the solution to every situation. He glanced back at Glima and considered his options. Horrendous as the idea was, continuing as always would lead to yet another humiliation. If he managed to land the hit, it might unnerve Glima enough for a chance of pace. He might be able to press his advantage this time. Tiring Glima wouldn't work, he would be worn down and tired before Glima even started sweating. He nodded.
“Alright, let's do this. But do it quick, before I lose my nerve. If this doesn't work, it's on you.” He readjusted his grip on the cadazor, the blaster at the tip of the weapon. “Let's get it over with.”
Gert turned towards Woert and Glima and lodged his cadazor loosely into the scabbard on his back. “Oi!” He shouted at them. “Let's get this over with right now.”
Skat braced himself as Gert lifted him up with a deep grunt. He didn't have time to question his own sanity. Gert launched him straight at Glima. He covered the distance faster than he imagined and twisted the cadazor so the blaster pointed straight at Glima's face. The crowd gasped as Skat soared straight at a wide-eyed Glima. The weapon tore from his hands as it impacted explosively on target and knocked Glima off his feet. Skat rolled forward to absorb the impact of his landing, while Woert jumped over him to engage Gert in a wild charge. He got up and a wave of insults and out roars of disgust from the crowd washed over him. Ignoring the verbal harassment, Skat scanned the yard for his cadazor. Glima stood again and with shaking hands he touched the scorched cheek.
“You'll pay for that!” Glima said, his face a mask of pure rage. He took a few steps forward towards Skat. “You think such low tricks will take me down? You dirty dirty rat.. you..”
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Glima stepped forward. He bumped the handle of the cadazor and almost tripped. He managed to stay upright by waving his arms. A demonic smile split his face in two as he realized Skat had lost his cadazor and it was laying at his feet. He charged.
With no time to think, Skat dropped himself on the ground. The basher of Glima's cadazor swooshed over his bead by inches. As soon as he hit the ground he rolled himself over and over to get out of Glima's reach before the blaster connected. He didn't allow himself time to see where Glima was, but instead got to his feet, to jump forward and roll again to increase the distance as much as he could. The intention was not enough, he jumped and crashed with his face onto the ground as he tried to roll. The crowd erupted with laughter as he planted his face heavily on the ground. He turned around and raised his arms to fend off any incoming attacks.
“Weak. So incredibly weak.. And lame to boot!” Glima sneered. The Myln along the sparring yard laughed and added their insults to Glima's. Disdain burned in Glima's eyes. He lowered his weapon and gestured with the basher at the cadazor that lay in the dust. “Pick up your weapon, rat and let's finish this. I'm not gonna try to chase a bunny hopping excuse of an opponent, cause he couldn't keep track of his weapon.”
As soon as Glima stepped backward, Skat sprinted towards the weapon and dove. He picked it up mid-air and rolled again to make sure he was out of distance. When he turned around to face Glima, he could barely whip the cadazor up to block a heavy sweep towards his head. The impact almost tore the weapon from his grip again, but he managed to hold on to it. Step by step, he staggered backwards under the pressure of Glima's attacks. The shuffling of feet and heavy breathing behind him could only mean he was getting closer to the fight between the Murn behind him and that would be disastrous. He needed to find some opening, or a way out before the hulking Murn trampled him. Desperate, he threw the cadazor in an arc over Glima who just initiated a broad swipe. He ducked to avoid the swipe, then rolled forward to catch the airborne cadazor. With luck he grabbed the cadazor mid-air, then stabbed backwards with all his power. Bent forward, striking with all his power, he hit nothing but air. The heavy cadazor and the force with which he intended to strike Glima pulled him backward. He tripped and landed heavily on his ass. The weapon was torn from his hand with a loud crack, Glima has knocked hit out his hands heavily. Skat looked up, Glima's face was contracted in a snarl, his eyes filled with contempt.
“Classy” Glima sneered. He smoothly spun the cadazor around, the whirring blaster aimed at Skat's face. “Given up already? After that dirty trick, I thought it might actually get interesting this time”
The crowd cheered in response to Glima's taunts. Skat's ears rung as the cadazor exploded when it touched his forehead. A stinging jolt of pain spread from his forehead through his spine, followed by a blunt hit on the back of his head as the explosion slammed him backward. Clouds of black drifted through his vision as he got up and his head seemed ready to explode as he shook his head to regain his vision. He ignored the crowd that continued to scream and cheer, instead he shook his head and stretched his arms and legs as if warming up. He grabbed the cadazor at his feet and almost seamlessly flowed through a few of the warm-up routines. Despite his pounding head, his mind raced in circles, trying to find a way to score points against all odds. Once his vision was cleared, he straightened his back and smiled his most charming smile at Glima.
“You should have seen your face when I flew at you.” He widened his smile to infuriate Glima. “If I didn't know better, I though you'd soil yourself on the spot. At least you didn't lose any arrogance in the process.”
Glima's cheeks reddened with rage and he visibly tightened his grip on the weapon in his hands. He opened his mouth to reply, but Skat forced the basher of his cadazor in a wide arc towards his head. He took one step back, dodged the basher and opened his mouth again. Before he could speak, the blaster whirled towards his head and he sidestepped that as well. Skat thrust the basher straight at Glima, who sidestepped it again and barked a laugh as he easily dodged three strikes in a row.
“Do you really..” Glima started, raising his cadazor.
Panting, Skat swung the cadazor again in a wide looping blow. He expected Glima to take the single step back again. Mid-strike, Skat loosened his grip on the weapon, it slid in his hand and extended the range of the strike. If he missed, it would be over. He'd lose balance and Glima would have an easy time to finish his off. With a loud clang, the bashed dug itself into Glima's helmet, denting the steel. Skat quickly pulled back the weapon in ready position. Glima staggered and then his knees buckled. The crowd subdued as Glima got back to his feet, his features contorted in rage and humiliation. He tore the helmet off his head and flung it at Skat, blood seeping down his face.
“You.. you maggot!” He shrieked, spittle flying from his lips in rage. “You low life rat with your dirty tricks and your complete lack of honor. You!” He gestured at Skat with a disgusted look on his face. “The acrobat, the tumbler and the staggerer. You have never bested me and you never will. Even with these tricks you resort to. I will crush you”
His face was crimson now, his eyes almost popping out of his head. Glima was breathing heavily in his rage and seemed ready to explode. Skat second-guessed his desire to slap the self-indulgence and arrogance of Glima's face, but didn't have much time. Glima exploded in a whirlwind, the cadazor a buzzing blur around him. Skat blocked the first strike and another with luck, randomly flinging his weapon in the way of an incoming blow. He gave ground fast, not willing to test his luck with random blocks. Instead, he rolled away as soon as Glima initiated a heavy overhead blow that he could not block. It didn't matter, anger and humiliation gave Glima wings and as soon as Skat got up, the basher knocked him on the side of his head. Another explosive thrust with the blaster knocked him off his feet and he fell sprawling on the ground. Slowly, his vision turned black and the sound of the crowd cheering and whistling faded in the background. Then everything went black.
He woke up from a heavy thud on the ground next to him, he could hear the whirring of the blaster next to his ears. For the third time in mere second, agonizing pain shot through his body as the cadazor scorched his chest and knocked the air from his lungs. Fighting for breath, he heard Glima's voice. He couldn't make out what he said, but the tone was full of scorn. It was over. He showed his teeth as never before, but a loss was a loss and he hated losing. He wheezed heavily, fighting for a draft of fresh breath while the rest of his body twitched. He coughed when finally, fresh air filled his lungs. He took another controlled breath and settled himself on the ground to see the battle between Gert and Woert come to an end.
“That was a ballsy move.” Gert giggled as he settled himself next to Skat on the ground. Giggling sounded weird for such a massive creature. “Too bad you landed on your backside. Next time, I suggest you check where your opponent is before putting all your power in such a move. You know, as soon as we have graduated, I think you should just stick to my shoulder, my tiny friend."
Skat wholeheartedly agreed with that suggestion. "Did you see how angry we got Glima? I'm not sure whether he will be able to let this one go."
"Only one way to find out." Gert chuckled.”Did you see Woert this time by the way? He is getting faster and stronger still, he almost had me cornered this time." He scratched his thigh where a scorched naked place indicated a connection with the blaster. "I hate it when I get hit twice on the same place."
"Are you complaining about a little pain? How can it be that such a huge creature can be such a little girl" Skat sniggered and slapped his huge friend on the back with his flat hand. "Let's visit the medical center before the bell rings."