Confrontation

The sounds of clashing wooden swords filled the sparring grounds once more. Jorn stood still. He closed his eyes, mumbling something, then made the Prayer to Fa. Cain's eyes never left his bigger opponent. His left hand made the Prayer. He could feel the Blessing at his beck and call.

Cain had been long since planning for an eventual spar with Jorn. He knew that at some point they would have crossed blades, but never had he thought it would happen so soon. He would have liked to have spent another month or so practicing with Eleni before attempting such a stunt. While Cain didn't want to acknowledge it, he knew that he was greatly behind Jorn's level. Nine out of ten fights, Cain couldn't help but admitting he would lose. So he just had to make sure this was that one fight he would win.

There were a couple things about Jorn that made him an incredibly tough opponent. The most obvious advantage was his size. He was near two meters tall, with a large wingspan to match. It didn't make it easy that Jorn's head was far above Cain's. This meant that when attacking Jorn's head - probably Cain best bet at ending the fight in a decisive matter - he had to attack upwards. High to low strikes were going to be hard to pull off considering they would be well within Jorn's line of sight. Blocking such strikes would be child's play for the giant. That means that he would have to rely on low to high strikes in order to target the head. Cain would have to fight gravity itself. Jorn on the other hand would have gravity putting even more speed behind his attacks, a disadvantage Cain most definitely did not need. With his wingspan, Jorn could effectively keep Cain out of reach while landing his own attacks. For normal sized opponents, Cain would have tried to plan a way to get within his own range. With Jorn, that was guaranteed death. The closer Cain was to Jorn, the harder it would be dodge his strikes. Other than his height and reach was his weight. His weight posed enough of a problem for Cain. Blocking his attacks head on would be suicide. But what was even worse was the fact that most of his weight was muscle. First off, the strength of his attacks would increase even further. Secondly, his thick coat of muscle would prevent most of Cain's strikes from doing any real damage. He would have to target weak spots or somehow catch Jorn off guard in order to hurt him. Accumulated damage was another avenue that Cain was simply not willing to explore. He wouldn't want to linger near Jorn unless absolutely necessary. One might think that Cain would have the edge over Jorn in terms of speed. Cain had quickly scrapped that assumption long ago. While the average speed of Cain's movements would most likely be greater, the muscles in Jorn's lower body allowed for lighting-fast bursts of instantaneous movement. Being checked by Jorn's shoulder during a charge would result in instant death for the smaller more fragile man. Cain was essentially fighting an intelligent wild bull that stood on its hind legs and wielded a sword. This bull was also trying to kill him.

The only thing Cain held over Jorn was stamina. It takes a lot to move a body like Jorn's. Especially such a muscular specimen such as him. Extra skeletal muscle mass seemed to sap the energy of fighters over prolonged bouts. Cain had witnessed this exact phenomena watching Instructor Thorne spar with other Instructors during some of their lessons with Sir Bradforth. Of course, that could be remedied with cardiovascular exercise, but Cain had never seen Jorn train outside of their lessons. Now that Cain thought about it, Jorn always disappeared after dinner, only reappearing before they were required to sleep.

While the odds were immensely stacked against his favor, Cain believed he had the advantage when it came to technique. Cain trained every day with Eleni for a reason. She herself complimented his ability to learn, to not falter in the face of danger. He knew that in order to win, he couldn't hesitate. Even in the presence of a fighter like Jorn. He would have to use every technique in his arsenal to pull off a win. Cain was willing to sacrifice. He was ready.

Jorn and Cain both fell into their stances. They stood still for a moment. It was as if time stopped. The wind stopped blowing. Cain could see every pore on his face, he could count the number of hairs growing from his chin. Jorn's eyes were furrowed, his eyes filled with hungry malice. His mouth hung slightly open, his breath causing mist to form at his lips. Then the tendons in Jorn's neck drew taught. His shoulders rose, the thick muscles of his arms flexing. He lowered himself ever so slightly, sitting into his stance. His heels began to rise off the earth. Then he charged forwards.

He moved faster than Eleni ever had against Cain. He had raised his sword to point at his opponent, the hilt of his Jian next to his chest. He held his sword with two hands, arms tight raised high and bent. Almost faster than Cain could react, he combined his charge with a devastating two handed thrust. His muscles acted as a coiled spring, propelling his sword forward at an unimaginable speed. Cain didn't bother trying to block the attack, instead he rolled to the side, well under the attack. But Jorn wasn't finished. He instantly followed Cain's body with a one-handed slash. Cain was just barely out of range. Jorn then sent a two set salvo at Cain's torso. He ducked under one then just barely managed to deflect the other. Even though the attack had grazed Cain's sword, the impact caused his brain to rattle in his skull. If he hadn't twisted his body the last second, he would have lost then and there. But Cain knew that if he continued to stay on the defensive, Jorn would eventually catch a mistake and end Cain on the spot. So even though he was hurting, his mind yelling at him to retreat, Cain delivered his own attack at Jorn's front ankle. As Jorn had most of his weight on his lead foot from pressing the attack, he was unable to dodge his blow. Cain used the following lapse in attention to slip out of Jorn's range. Jorn's sword followed but didn't reach its target.

Once again, Cain and Jorn found themselves circling each other. That previous engagement had technically been Cain's victory. He had landed a clean hit, Jorn had not. Yet, Cain realized how grim his situation was looking. All it would take was one mistake. One loose pebble, one slip, one cramp. Cain was trying to think of a way to turn the tides when Jorn dashed in once again. This time, he didn't commit to a large opening attack, but slowly pressured Cain backwards. Cain found that he had no room to maneuver, his only option being to escape backwards. Any thought of retaliation was quickly swept from his mind as he scrambled to dodge or deflect Jorn's barrage of attacks. While Jorn had yet to land a clean hit on Cain, he could feel himself getting incredibly tired. His body was also taking an indirect beating, the mere aftershock of trying to deflect his attacks causing his hands to go numb. Sharp pains in Cain's wrists and shoulders broke his focus, causing Cain to make more mistakes. Now he was dodging less, deflecting more. Even while trying to stay low to the ground, away from Jorn's sword, he found himself unable to find an opening to attack. Cain couldn't afford to be pushed back any further. It was time to take a risk.

Cain dodged a diagonal slash and then barely deflected two overhanded strikes. There was a second of respite, and then Cain acted. While he had been attempting to maintain a certain distance from Jorn, he realized that with that mindset, he couldn't do shit. Whether he liked it or not, Cain would have to get close to the giant. Cain leaped forward with sudden speed. Jorn was surprised by Cain suddenly closing in on him after spending the entire spar trying to stay away. Jorn raised his sword instinctively to block a potential attack. But Cain didn't attack. He got close to the giant and then jumped to his side, rolled, then turned back around. All the ground Cain had lost was now suddenly his again. Jorn was baffled. But that confusion was soon replaced with anger.

"Fucking coward."

Cain didn't know why that pissed him off so much, but he didn't have time for unnecessary thoughts. Cain was surprised he had made it this far into the bout. There had been many opportunities for Jorn to finish Cain off. Yet he didn't. Slowly, Cain began to put the pieces together.

There was no real method to Jorn's attacks. Eleni's moves flowed into one another, each attack complementing the other. Every attack was intentional. Yet with Jorn, Cain realized it was all random. The giant simply swung his sword around. Yes, Jorn's form was incredible. But he fought as if he simply strung whatever attack he could think of in that moment. There was no thought behind his actions. It was all animalistic instinct.

Cain suppressed a scoff. This was what was beating him? Jorn's only redeeming feature was his physique. Everything else was not even worth mentioning. He was just a bigger and faster Conrad.

This helped remove some of the resignation from Cain's mind. And with that clarity came a spark of inspiration. Cain had been on the back foot the entire time. His original plan was to look for an opening and then commit to a singular powerful strike at a weak point. He hoped that this way, he could end the fight without having to expose himself to Jorn's brutal strength. But an opening never showed itself. He was reminded of Eleni's words. One must be willing to sacrifice. He must have forgot this during the course of his spar. He was trying to play it too safe.

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Find the middle ground.

Jorn could taste victory on his tongue. He slowly stalked Cain, willing his slippery opponent to make a mistake.

Cain took a couple deep breaths. Cain felt at peace. His breathing was more even. His mind more clear. He knew what had to be done. He strengthened his resolve. If he couldn't find an opening, he would simply have to make one.

Cain blinked forward, moving faster than the strike of a two-tailed viper. Jorn had expected some sort of a final gambit. He sneered. Jorn's sword rushed forwards to meet Cain before he entered his own reach. Just as his sword was to collide with the smaller man's head, Cain's sword rose and deflected the strike. Jorn expected for Cain to back off to attempt to find another opening. To his surprise, Cain continued pressing forward. Cain's sword flashed forwards, biting at Jorn's gut. Two quick thrusts punched Jorn hard enough to take a step back. His abdominal muscles and Blessing swallowed the damage. Enraged, he swung his Jian horizontally twice. Cain ducked so low his torso was near parallel to ground. Cain could feel the air resistance from Jorn's slashes rustle his hair.

Cain let a wild grin take root on his face. His heart was beating maniacally but his purpose was crystal clear. He felt as if he could physically grasp the flow of battle.

What do you do when uprooting an oak? You dig at its roots.

Staying extremely low to the floor, Cain delivered salvo after salvo of attacks to Jorn's legs, peeling apart his very foundation. He targeted where there was the least muscle, slashing and stabbing at Jorn's knees and ankles and feet. Jorn grunted in pain, sending his own barrage of attacks at Cain's lowered torso. Cain dodged his blows with grace, Jorn's blade only managing to graze his assailant. He roared in frustration, stabbing wildly towards Cain's direction. Cain rolled again, sticking close to Jorn's offhand while simultaneously continuing to eat away at Jorn's legs. Slowly but surely, Jorn began to slow. Cain could begin to see his opening.

Only a little more now.

Cain and Jorn were completely focused on their fight, oblivious to their surroundings. They hadn't noticed that Sir Bradforth had called the end of the five minutes, therefore ending the spar. No, it was never a spar to begin with. The two Inductees continued to fight, unbothered by their many spectators. None of the other Inductees or even Instructors had tried to stop them. They were too enamored by the clash of titans. They could feel the power of Jorn's every strike, each promising to deliver a brutal demise. But perhaps more impressive was Cain. He moved like a phantom, dodging or deflecting Jorn's lethal furor. His sword was a blur, buffeting Jorn's body with a hail of blows. They were locked in a dangerous dance, a single mistake meaning defeat for either fighter. Eleni in particular was watching intently. Cain had grown far beyond her expectations. He was now a true fighter.

Three more strikes to Jorn's left knee and the giant finally gave up any attempts on maintaining his form. He yelled while ferociously slashing at Cain. Cain was too tired to dodge all the blows: a hit finally struck his clean on his sword. He swear he heard his left shoulder pop out of its socket. But even in the face of overwhelming odds, he smiled. He finally saw his opening. Jorn had completely given up on defense. His sword was low to the ground, attempting to punish Cain as he continued to attack his legs.

Now!

Cain suddenly changed levels, extending his legs and shooting upwards. At the same time, he used his good arm and sent as much power as he could into a precisely aimed thrust. Directly towards Jorn's exposed throat. But Fa never let things go Cain's way. In that moment, Jorn made one last bet. Using all the remaining strength in his battered legs, he hunched over and pushed his body forwards towards Cain. Jorn's sudden acceleration caused Cain to lose his target. Instead of his sword striking Jorn's Adam apple, his blade missed, instead merely grazing the side of his throat. Cain bent to the side the last second, Jorn's shoulder clipping his. While he didn't take the brunt of the impact, it was enough to send him spinning. Cain managed to correct himself mid fall, stumbling over to the side. But Jorn wasn't going to let the opportunity go.

The giant spun, sword in hand, turning while striking at Cain with an exaggerated overhead strike. Cain was in no position to dodge, his feet had yet to find stable ground. As Cain saw the shadow of Jorn's sword fill his vision, he cried out in anger.

Fa give me strength.

With everything he had, Cain swung his sword to meet Jorn's. All his frustrations and resentment were imbued into his strike. Cain had enough of things not going his way. Then finally, the two swords met.

Over the course of the fight, both fighters had taken an incredible beating. Still they fought with all their might. While they were still willing to continue, their wooden training swords were not. Finally giving out from all the abuse, both fighter's Jians exploded in a shower of wooden splinters upon collision. For a moment, the fighters and spectators were all left dumbfounded. Cain had trouble processing what had happened. Jorn seemed to recover a split second faster. While Cain was distracted, Jorn threw a singular punch at his chest. The blow launched the smaller boy backwards. Cain landed hard on his back, his world spinning and stars in his eyes. Silence in the courtyard ensued. It was Sir Bradforth who broke it.

"Fine spar! A little too real for my tastes, but well done! Jorn wins! Wait, no Cain does! If his sword was real it would have torn out Jorn's jugular. You know what, I declare the bout a tie!"

The world was slowly going dark. Cain had trouble keeping his eyes open. Every breath he took caused sharp pains to shoot through his chest. His body refused to cooperate, his mind slowly shutting down. He had truly pulled out every stop. He fought with everything he had. The last thing Cain saw before losing consciousness was Horrow, Eleni, and Instructor Thorne standing over his collapsed body.

...

Cain had awoken to the familiar ceiling of the infirmary. He laid there, absorbing his surroundings. He was once again covered in the medicinal paste, but this time only the upper half of his training uniform was removed. It sat to the side, draped over a wooden chair. There Eleni sat, quietly picking at her nails. Instructor Bela was nowhere to be seen.

"What time is it?"

Eleni looked over, a myriad of emotions flashing in her eyes. Surprise, worry, intrigue, then finally pride. She stood up and walked over to Cain's prone body. He had attempted sitting up but immediately regretted it.

"It's just past dinner time. Instructor Bela told me to let you know of your condition. You have a bruised ribcage and other minor injuries. You should be back to normal in a few days."

She paused.

"You seem to have a habit of finding yourself in the infirmary."

Eleni smiled, patting him on the shoulder.

"Yeah, no thanks to you."

Her smile dissolved. She stared at him with hard eyes. Cain was confused by her sudden shift in expression.

"How did you do that back there? I have never seen you fight so well. Even against me. For a moment, you found your flow."

Cain sighed.

"I'm not too sure myself. Actually, it was only after I remembered you words that I managed to find my resolve. 'A great fighter must be willing to sacrifice!' was it? 'To find the middle ground'? Your lessons were the only reason I managed to get this far. To do so well against a monster like Jorn. Thank you, Eleni."

Eleni shifted her gaze to the floor.

Blessed be to Fa, is Eleni blushing? Have I finally learned game?

"No, thank you Cain. In all my years on Fa's land, I don't think I've ever met a harder worker than you. You truly gave it your all. And for that, I'm proud. I'm proud to be able to call you my sparring partner. My friend."

They were silent for a moment. But in no way was it uncomfortable. Eleni had a small smile on her face, but Cain could tell it was genuine. They truly had gotten much closer over the past month. But then her smile turned slightly evil.

"First off, you made a lot of mistakes. There were so many things you could have done to finish the fight within a minute. We'll be going over your fight in further detail soon enough. More importantly, I see that you've been holding back against me."

Cain's heart sunk in his bruised chest. He didn't know how to explain he never had, that in the heat of the moment he had found clarity. Eleni cracked her knuckles, a fire burning in her eyes.

"I guess I'm going to have to turn our spars up a notch."

Oh Fa.

...

Jorn sat in an empty storage room within the depths of the Rock. The storage room was seldom used by the workers, only accessed to retrieve rarely used miscellaneous tools. He rubbed his neck. It had been treated by Instructor Bela but was sore to the touch. If Cain had struck mere centimeters to the right, his strike might have crushed his windpipe.

Jorn's opinion of Cain had changed greatly over their spar. He could even say he respected the boy. Jorn had expected the boy to be much weaker. He still remembered first seeing the lankier Inductee right after induction. Cain had immediately turned away from Jorn's gaze. Jorn had then label Cain a coward. And there was nothing more in the world he hated.

Because it reminded him of what he used to be.

Jorn had sudden flashbacks. He grimaced at the memories that would refuse to leave him alone. The visions of the past and tormenting calls of former friends harrowed him on a daily basis.

Jorn shook his head and focused on his present task. He knew that tardiness was not excusable for his... employer. He dipped his quill and raised it above a small piece of parchment on the table in front of them. The Instructors allowed them to send monthly letters to friends and family members. They promised the letters would stay sealed, their contents unknown to the Instructors. While Jorn claimed his letters would be sent to his father at the blacksmith, they were in truth being sent somewhere else.

Jorn began writing, making sure his handwriting was as eligible as possible.

Dear Crow,

This is my first of many monthly updates to come regarding the task you bestowed upon me. I hope you are also progressing on your part of the deal. I have continued to take tabs on both the Inductees and Instructors within my company. So far, the Inductees seem to be training diligently. Regarding the current status of Horrow vir Fabii however...