Wake up! Shang startled awake. The only thing he hated about his new training schedule was Rue waking him up in the middle of the night. It was happening more and more frequently. Shang could feel the growing weight of fatigue settle over him at the thought of another training session with Rue.
You’ve slept enough. We have a few hours before the others start their day.
Why do we have to do this in the dead of night.
Because you have other lessons to learn during the day. The old man is an acceptable teacher. But at night, you get exposed to pure genius.
It’s hard for me to appreciate pure genius when it wakes me up by screaming inside my head.
The longer you dawdle, the more painful it will be!
Shang heeded the threat and slowed his breathing. He visualized the spot above his navel, the location of their shared soul. When he opened his eyes, he was in a cavernous hall. The walls glistened with ornate carvings wrought in gold. A sadistic sable with a fluffy white head greeted him. Today, Rue was seated belly up on a huge red throne. The throne would have made any man look small. It made weasel-sized Rue look ridiculous, like a toy playing at emperor.
“Good, you’re getting faster and faster at that,” Rue said. Unlike Rue’s disembodied voice inside his head, the sound emanated from the sable when Shang entered his soul space.
“I guess the practice helps.”
“That’s the spirit. Repetition is the key to success, they say.”
“Who said that?”
“What? I bet a bunch of people said it. It’s not a unique sentence. I just said it. Aren’t you paying attention?”
Shang massaged his temples. His body felt just like it did in the real world. Unfortunately, that meant he suffered much as he did outside of this space, both physically and mentally. “The usual today, Master Rue?”
“Yes, my young disciple. The same, only a notch harder.”
Shang turned towards the testing field. The granite floor sunk away to reveal a forest of wooden pillars. Some did not reach above ground level while others extended high into the air, higher than an elder pine. The pit filled with a dark pool of water to catch him if he fell. As Shang approached the field, the pillars began moving. Steel arms jutted from the pillars at random intervals as the they rotated and shifted.
Shang leaped onto the first pillar. It took immense concentration to just balance on top of the pillars as they bobbed up and down on the water at his weight. He managed to dodge the first steel arm and jump further into the field. Now, completely surrounded by murderous poles, Shang had to extend his physical and spiritual senses.
When attacks were coming from all sides, the timing was crucial. Shang dove to the side, deflecting an attack from his right, a steel pole just barely grazed his stomach. He loosened his grip and slid down to perch on a steel rod. He crouched down and waited, carefully observing the pattern in the next section of the trial. When he was sure he understood the timing. He cycled qi to his limbs and leaped as high as he could—right into a pillar of flame. Shang fell into the bone-chilling water. For the first time, he was grateful for the water. It managed to put out his burning robes. Fire. He would have appreciated a warning.
“In my defense, I did tell you it was going to be harder,” Rue yelled into the pool. Shang pushed to the surface, limbs stinging from a fresh burn. He was too annoyed to even look at Rue. Wordlessly he started the trial again, from the beginning.
Shang awoke drenched in a cold sweat. They were close enough to the cave entrance that a faint blue light cut through the darkness alerting them of sunrise.
“You okay kid? You were groaning in your sleep. Must have been a pretty nasty nightmare,” Nio said.
"I’m fine. It’s just been hard getting used to sleeping in this place,” Shang’s voice croaked. He tried to clear his throat, but his body was still getting past the sensation of drowning after being burned alive. Nio went to fetch a cup of water. Shang had never been more thankful for anyone in his whole life.
“Good, you’re awake. I thought I should get some exercise today. Things have been pretty quiet lately, and I need to keep in shape.” Bataa’s sharpened canines gleamed ominously in the morning light. “What’s with that worried expression? I won’t bite.”
“Somehow, I just don’t believe you,” he groaned. Despite the promise of impending pain, Shang was excited by the offer. Bataa had never offered to spar with him before, usually preferring to sleep in and nap after his patrols.
“Ha! I never lie, don’t worry. Now that I’m fully healed, I’m itching to work out this new arm.” He flexed his freshly grown forearm for emphasis. “Let’s make it fists only, and I won’t use any techniques.”
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“Just let me catch my breath.” He knew Bataa was testing him. If he really wanted a workout, he would have asked Koyo. Shang gulped down the rest of his water and stretched his tense shoulders. It really was not easy sleeping on the cold hard ground. Despite the pain of Rue’s training, he could tell he was improving. His reflexes were getting faster, and he was gaining a sense for the rhythm of battle. He hoped it would translate to a real-life opponent.
Shang faced Bataa in the clearing closest to the cave mouth. Koyo was sitting up, lounging against the wall, attention focused on Shang. Nio stood off to the side wringing his hands as though he was the one fighting.
“Careful now, I can’t count how many times I’ve seen serious injuries result from a friendly brawl,” Nio warned.
Bataa gave a toothy grin. “No worries Nio, I’ll go easy on the boy.” He shot Shang a playful wink. “Ready?” He asked. His hands were at his side, his stance relaxed.
Shang nodded, bringing his shoulders forward and planting his feet on the stone floor. He would stay on the defensive until he got a better read on Bataa's fighting style.
“Prudence in the face of an unknown enemy is not a bad plan my friend. But, in the face of overwhelming odds, it’s best to attack first.” Despite his warning, Bataa did not give him a chance to attack.
Shang sensed the punch before his eyes could catch up. The right side of his chest tingled in warning. He had just enough time to divert the direction of the punch with an open fist. Bataa's knuckles barely managed to graze his side. Even so, Shang lost his footing. Bataa took advantage of his imbalance with a follow-up kick at his shins. Shang’s body moved without thinking. He twisted back, landing on his hands. Both feet lifted from the ground to evade the kick, but he was too slow to transition from the handstand. Bataa’s other leg caught him in the stomach, and he flew a few feet in the air before slamming into the hard ground. He turned to the side clutching his stomach and began dry heaving.
“Good thing I didn’t give you a chance to eat, eh?” Bataa’s toothy grin only grew larger. His predatory eyes were gleaming with battle fervor. “I wasn’t expecting you to dodge that first punch let alone the second. I apologize for underestimating you.”
Shang gave himself only a few breaths to recover before going on the offensive. He threw a faint expulsion to distract Bataa from his approach. Bataa deflected the attack with a sweep of his hand. Shang dashed to his left, trying to approach him in his blind spot. Bataa was too fast, stepping away from the punch before it ever had the chance of landing.
“Very good! Be aggressive!”
He didn’t perceive him as a threat and dodged with only the smallest movements, still leaving him within striking range. Shang took advantage and followed up every attack with a second and sometimes third strike. He was beginning to spot a pattern in his dodges. He favored dodging left using his right leg to pivot. Shang was quickly growing tired. He was too engaged in the fight to cycle more qi into his tired limbs, and he could perceive his movements growing slower.
Bataa wasn’t even breathing heavily. He boomed out another boisterous laugh, wasting precious air.
Shang’s agitation steadily mounted. He was constantly being reminded, harshly, how powerless he was. The mild expression of surprise and giddiness on Bataa’s face only fueled his frustration. He was being treated like a talented monkey, there just to amuse. Shang’s head spun as it made impact with the cavern wall.
“Hey, let’s keep the sounds to a minimum here. We don’t want to attract unwanted guests,” Koyo called out.
Bataa chuckled. “It’s taking a bit more force than I expected to get him off me.”
Shang slowly stood, his vision still spotty.
You need to relax. You’re thinking too much.
What? So, I shouldn’t think? That’s your sage advice?
Shang spat out a mouthful of blood.
Thinking is important but it slows down your movements. You can analyze his movements, or you can feel them. Your subconscious can see the moves better than your eyes. Do not hold back your body with unnecessary thoughts. Rue’s voice was soothing like a shower of cool mist in his addled brain.
Shang closed his eyes and took a deep, shaky breath.
“Alright, I think we’ve had enough,” Bataa began. Shang did not give him the chance to finish. He ran at Bataa at a full sprint. He bombarded him with a relentless series of strikes, each at a different cadence. Shang was pushing himself to his limit. His shoulders ached as he extended his punches. Still, he was too slow. He didn’t have enough reach. Bataa was no longer making offensive strikes, unwilling to cause further damage to Shang. His previous impact with the wall left a deep cut on his scalp, and his face was caked with fresh blood. He was going to take full advantage of Bataa’s mercy.
Shang’s lungs heaved as he pushed his legs to follow Bataa’s deceptively light steps. He was waiting for the right moment. All he wanted was one hit to land, no matter how faint. After a quick jab to Bataa’s right shoulder, he twisted his body to follow Bataa’s sidestep. He could almost hear his knees groaning in protest, but he followed through with a left-handed strike. It was so close that he could almost taste the impact. His fists just grazed the back of Bataa’s robes, but he deftly pushed away with his alternate foot. His body was so close that the sudden movement buffeted Shang with a gust of wind. Shang’s step faltered as his head grew light. Maybe the blood loss was finally getting to him. He felt the weightlessness that often preceded a fall into unconsciousness.
No, just a little longer. He was close, if only he was just a little faster.
Breathe. Feel the qi around you. The veins of energy that permeate the whole world.
Rue was right, Shang had forgotten to breathe. Shang exhaled. The air left his lungs in a burst, leaving him empty. He took a step towards Bataa and was surprised that his tired body still obeyed him. Another step and he was running again. His feet danced across the damp stone floors. The sound of his feet slapping stone was barely noticeable to Shang’s ears. He felt lighter with each step, and suddenly he was in the air looking down at Bataa. Shang twisted his body in midair to gain momentum and slammed his foot at Bataa’s left flank. Bataa’s expression blazed with something indiscernible, and he moved his left hand down to block the strike. That was a victory in itself. Thus far, he had only dodged.
Bataa positioned his hand at the precise location to catch Shang’s ankle, and he did just that. His grip was iron and surprisingly hot on Shang’s bare skin. He was about to prepare for a counterstrike when a long gash appeared in Bataa’s robes just beyond the reach of Shang’s foot. A thin line of blood peaked through the cut robes.
He'd cut him. He'd landed a strike.
Shang was too shocked to follow up with his next attack. Before he could twist out of Bataa’s grip, a thin pillar of stone erupted from the ground, nailing him under the chin. He felt a sense of untarnished elation before the world faded to darkness.