AS SHE WAITED FOR THE STUDENTS TO EXIT A MEMORY CAME TO MIND FOR ZA'FIRA KNEW THAT HAVING VISIONS HELPED WHEN SHE HAD TO DEFEND HERSELF. SHE HAD BECOME ALMOST PERFECT IN HER STUDY OF A HAND ONLY DEFENCE CALLED KAMAG. KAMAG ENCOURAGES STUDENTS TO AVOID CONFRONTATION WHERE POSSIBLE, IF THIS IS IMPOSSIBLE IT PROMOTES FINISHING A FIGHT AS QUICKLY AND AS BRUTALLY AS POSSIBLE. ATTACKS ARE AIMED AT THE MOST VULNERABLE PARTS OF THE BODY, WHICH AS A HEALER ZA'FIRA KNEW EXCEPTIONALLY WELL.

Although healers were unable to kill as it impacted their balance, the training of KaMag for healers was not limited to techniques that avoided severe injury. Bells and bells of endless drills provide maximum safety to students. Wrapped and sheltered by the use of protective equipment and the use of increased reasonable force as a student’s skills developed.

All the training of KaMag was for one purpose she remembered from her trainer to avoid conflict if possible but not be frightened of punishing those who want to harm you. She recalled her final test where she had to fight three sets of three attackers.

Her first group were some of the female tutors of KaMag, they attacked in a triangle formation. Quickly Za'fira raised her hands and took a calming breath, she knew they would not back away so she had to end this quickly. Unable to line them all Za'fira used her Magji gift to send a sharp gust of wind across the arena temporally obscuring everybody in a dust storm. As the dust rushed past her she charged into the first tutor. Hitting the tutors raised hands away she kneed her twice in quick succession between the legs, then hammered her on the nerve cluster at the top of her right leg.

The tutor already in agony from the double kneeing fell to the ground as her right leg crumpled, as it stopped responding to instructions. As she collapsed to the floor Za'fira followed her down, using an open hand rather than the hammer she hit the tutor’s temple. Rising swiftly Za'fira watched the light leave the tutors eyes. In less than three heart beats Za'fira had taken out one tutor and she now looked for any disturbance in the dust cloud for the other two.

Hearing coughing from her right Za'fira looked for the other tutor, it was only her intuition that saved her from being hit. She sinuously swayed her head to the left watching as a foot swirled past the space her head had just occupied, stirring the dust cloud. Za'fira continued her movement as she pivoted on her left foot, her body leaning horizontally to the ground. Her body pivoted on her planted foot, with her spinning momentum she raised her right leg, catching the second tutor neatly in the side of her trunk. The move was made easier as the tutor had over reached from the missed strike.

The impact threw the tutor off her feet into the path of the final tutor who had to leap aside or collide with her falling colleague. Grasping the initiative Za'fira leapt onto the fallen tutor just as she was turning to rise, stomping one foot squarely into her back, slamming the tutor back down into the dirt, while her other foot ground hard onto the woman’s behind. Stunned the tutor groaned then became still as the dust settled around her, defeated. Za'fira stepped off the stunned tutor in preparation to attack the now visible last tutor.

Snarling in anger the tutor seemed to forget her form as she took several quick strides then leapt feet first at her. Za'fira moved with confidence as the woman began her run, she stepped backwards away from the stunned tutor, bracing her knees firmly. When the tutor’s feet left the ground Za'fira crouched low. With the tutor’s jump reaching its apex Za'fira pushed up with her legs, her open hands grabbed the woman’s hips.

Making an improvised pivot point, the tutor changed directions as she was hurled forcefully backward then down to the ground, smashing head first into the now rising tutor. Their heads came together with a resounding crash, like eggs breaking, as they tumbled into a combined heap. The second tutor having being rendered unconscious lay at Za'fira’s feet, the final tutor groaned. The noise triggered a swiftly delivered and vicious hammer blow to the base of her neck.

Za'fira was victorious as the tutor’s awareness was snuffed out. Healer Magji rushed on to the arena as Za'fira exited for a half bell rest before the next bout. As she entered the arena Za'fira thought, half a bell is not enough time to get my composure back. Her next bout was against three more experienced male tutors, they approached her in a pair about two strides apart the other single tutor was around fifteen strides behind them. Although they had not watched the last bout Za'fira knew they would likely not fall for the dust trick.

Za'fira had sparred with the tutor at the back on previous occasions, she knew it would be a hard contest especially against him as he would hold nothing back. She decided to wait for them to make the first move as she moved steadily rearward toward the wall of the arena. Gauging her gait, she used her right foot to draw a meandering line in the arena floor; she hoped the men didn’t understand what she was doing. She knew the line would come into its own when the men who looked to be the only brothers currently at Kepzohely, one having dark hair while the other had sandy brown. She faced them as they stood on opposite side of the line she had drawn.

As she moved Za'fira felt the presence of the wall grow closer and she began to move around to her right, still drawing with her foot. Creating what she hoped was a meandering trap. A vision flashed across her mind in less than a heartbeat. In response she quickly tucked herself into a ball then rolled to her left. As she rolled near the line she stretched out and placed her right hand upon it. This took place almost at the same time like simultaneous heart beats after the two Magji who were brothers rushed to attack her.

The dark haired one who had moved more toward the arena wall began his attack by running up part of its surface to launch a diving attack on her. While the sandy haired brother skip stepped then moved in for a follow through chest kick. If I’d have been caught between them it would have all been over, she thought, as her hand hit the line and she willed it into life. Energy responded with her thoughts as it flowed through the line, it rose up into the air snatching the dark haired brother as he’d taken three strides on the arena wall.

Pinning him immobile, stuck like a fly to a spider’s web. Continuing her roll Za'fira came to her feet and hammered the sandy haired brother as he recovered from his missed attack and follow through. Her fists simultaneously hit two points, one the left side of his neck with her right hand, while the main hammer of her left hand hit him twice in succession above his right kidney. As he began roll with, then to sway away from the punches, Za'fira stamped on his left ankle to pin him in place, but she heard the grinding then splintering of his ankle.

She watched as he raised his hands in surrender, as he fell to his knees a huge smile on his now pale pain stricken face. Za'fira looked into his eyes and noticed movement behind her, reaching beyond the man’s raised hands she clamped his shoulders and used him as a fulcrum as she launched her body over his head. In the air Za'fira tucked and spun on her length putting the arena wall to her back. The other man missed his attack, yet his momentum allowed him to spin around the sandy haired brother. They faced off with opposite sides against the arena wall.

The man moved first, throwing a hammer at Za'fira’s left side hoping to knock her against the wall. Strengthening her muscles Za'fira took the hit grunting under its impact. As he threw a repeat hammer she bent her knees slightly, then as the punch landed she clamped down on his arm on her left side pinning it up and under her arm pit. Raising on her toes to look him in the eyes she aimed what he’d think was an open hand attack at the pinned elbow.

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Even though he was held he turned his body to intercept the hand strike, his left arm was nearly in position as he blinked. He missed the hands path as it changed course and smashed into his forehead just as his eyes were opening. Still keeping his arm pinned Za'fira quickly changed the open hand into a hold. She jammed her index and middle finger of her right hand up his nose then lifted him onto his toes.

As he was forced onto his toes Za'fira kneed him in between his legs causing a painful wheeze to escape, then she hammered his nerve centre at the solar –plexus; this was followed by a huge exhale of breath from his body. The man went instantly limp and would have fallen to the floor but was held up by his nose and pinned arm. I’ve done it, only one more bout and I’ll be rated as a master KaMag fighter, an excellent position for a healer, Za'fira thought.

As before the healers can into the arena and helped the defeated trio while Za'fira made her way to the baths, first to wash her fingers then take a quick soak in the bell she had before the final bout. Untying her pinned up hair after her soak, releasing her long braid before as she’d finished her drying Za'fira donned a clean and fresh fighting robe. Relaxed she moved out of the room just as the two-chime bell sounded so she made for the arena to face the final three.

This was the hardest of the tests as she knew these were experienced battle tested Magji warriors. These three would be attacking using any combination of staffs, swords, whips along with their Magji gifts, beating any one would be an achievement, she thought. She entered the arena and noticed the three were well separated, the one who held a whip was a woman who had a huge grin on her face.

The man had a vindictive look on his face held a half-staff one end planted in the arena floor, while the other woman's hands looked empty; just like her face was void of any emotion. Perhaps they need the room to use their gifts, she thought as the start bell sounded. The grinning woman with the whip rushed toward Za'fira, her whip trailing across the ground in her wake. Around fifteen strides from her the woman flicked her right arm forward bringing the length of the whip into play.

Having fought a whip user before Za'fira knelt and placed her left hand on the ground, a column of earth thirty hands tall erupted from the ground intercepting the path of the whip.

Any normal whip would have been stopped by the pillar, yet this whip Za'fira detected was an elemental fire whip, as it punched a fist sized hole through the column where her head would have been. Still knelt, Za'fira heard the voice and reacted instantly as she turned the earthen column into water geyser. Much of the geyser was turned to steam as it doused the full length of the whip when it collapsed. Za'fira thought the woman was cursing her as she spoke in the courier language saying, “tricher, faire face à ces si vous le pouvez.” Dropping the distance weapon, the woman pulled two small batons from her sash as she closed the distance while Za'fira stood and made ready to react to her short range attack.

It was then Za'fira understood this woman was one of the expert couriers, they often worked alone or as part of a two-person team delivering urgent news. She heard the Power speak to her and she quickly made an oblong curving shield for each forearm. Stepping into the attack Za'fira surprised the woman as she caught the aimed flurry of blows on the Magji shields. Returning each hit of a baton for a hammer or open hand strike, the attacker was soon distracted.

Distracted to the point that she failed to notice Za'fira as she leant just a little backwards. She lifted her right foot nearly vertically threading it between the baton strikes, while still returning as good as she was receiving. Her foot caught the woman squarely under her chin, the force of the impact lifted her a good stride off the ground. She followed through with a double hammer strike to the descending woman’s solar plexus. For good measure she smashed her shielded right forearm into the woman’s face.

That will take the grin off your face, Za'fira thought as she took a check of the other two’s positions. Za'fira left the unconscious woman as an obstacle to the woman whose hands were still empty, and moved toward the staff wielder. Cross your arms, roll to your right, came the voice from the Power in her head. Za'fira moved as instructed her arms were crossed before she started to roll. Her instinct made her increase the size of the shields by a factor of two before the first pulse hit. Her shields deflected a near unremitting barrage of energy pulses sent from the staff.

She rolled in a haphazard fashion around the arena floor until the staff suddenly depleted its charge, keeping her shields between her and the head of the staff was part of her plan. A constant series of small grit and compacted earth explosions cascaded from the arena floor, thrown up by the impact of missed and reflected strikes. Za'fira rolled around evading a debilitating hit, the combined detritus was caught in her short-lived movement.

What the staff wielder did not notice was her haphazard rolls were anything but as she was rapidly drawing closer. Za'fira had closed the distance to nearly a third by the time the staff had expended its stored energy. Throwing out the staff with his right arm it snapped open another quarter length becoming a full staff. Spinning it in a close defence figure of eight pattern he took a measured stride toward Za'fira. He paused in his stride as Za'fira had disappeared, the dust was still moving in a curved line yet there was no sign of the woman.

Standing still he kept moving the staff while he tried to fathom what had happened. There was no flash of light, nor was there anything for her to hide behind, even the moving dust was transparent and gradually settling to the ground, or so he assumed. Za’fira noticed the staff was about to stop firing so she cast the mirror spell at the end of her roll and came to her feet. Waiting until the dust turned past her position still caught as it was in her previous roll she stepped closer and to the side of the warrior.

Just as she was about to kick him from the side he changed how he moved the staff. He grasped the end then spun it outward and around his body making a large circle, raising up the settling dust from the arena floor. As the sweeping staff came near Za’fira strengthened her leg muscles, silently jumping almost thirty hands high. As the warrior made a second sweep he noticed some of the dust was moving up. He glanced up just in time to see nothing, it was as his eyes darted back to check on the dust again Za’fira descended behind him. Using her elbows, she crashed them into his shoulders, driving him to the ground. Stunned he tried to roll with the attack but the descending force and speed Za'fira used prevented him from lessening the impact.

Dumbfounded and now bent from the impact he was powerless to stop the knee to his kidney, or the open handed strike to the side of his face. How he hated the arena floor, he thought, as the dust filled his mouth. He held up his hands in surrender. Releasing him Za'fira turned to face the final Magji who now sat on a rug on the ground. Pointing to a spot opposite her Za'fira warily cross the distance while feeling out with her senses and Magji gift. Sitting two strides from the woman on a spot of her choosing she waited for her to act.

What seemed like several chimes had passed before the woman spoke, “It is a shame that we are unable to kill and then still use this skill of healing,” she said holding up a hand to stop her protests. “Perhaps in future generations healers will not be so restricted and will be able to do both. You have fought exceptionally well and there is no need to fight me, not because you cannot win, but because you would best me easily. My name is Liavisha, I seldom return to Kepzohely, but I’d heard of your skill and I wanted to see for myself the person behind the tales.

You have gained the rank of master, use your Magji gifts and the KaMag skill well, for I know you will need them both. Come let us go and join the others for a celebratory drink, Za'fira, perhaps you can tell me about Ricard?” They both stood leaving the empty arena, Za'fira had not noticed the staff tucked under the rug as they exited the arena. Overworked healers took care of the two vanquished fighters while Za'fira looked forward to making a new acquaintance with Liavisha as they left the arena.