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Chapter 22 - Part 1

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Aceh

Reece was worried. He had hardly touched his breakfast this morning and had barely eaten yesterday. The young drakes concern was obvious. It was the same reason I felt agitated and nervous, but I was much better at hiding it than he was. I tried to act as if everything was normal, pretend it was just another day. For him and for me. It wouldn't do any good to worry about something I had no control over.

Any day now Malakye would appear to make good on his challenge. I had been surprised at the at challenge. More so by the way he had delivered it in fluent old tongue*. The ease with which he had spoken it, I had understood what he had said in context, but his grasp of the language was far beyond my own. He used a dialect I was not familiar with. It had sounded old.

There were many dialects of old tongue. The Temple of Bal'tar* had dedicated themselves to learning the many dialects and learn the first tongue; the language of the gods. I had studied with one of the priests when I was young, and they had explained much about the mysteries of the old tongue. They believe that all languages originated from old tongue, which was derived from the first tongue. And the myths state that it was through words of power that the entire world, oceans and all species were born. This myth had lured many into the ranks of the Bal'tar, many others simply dismissed it as myth. But the temple was kept in power due to the following of the many clans and nobles that wanted to learn old tongue, as if knowing it made them better than those who did not know how to speak it.

Old tongue or not, the formality of the challenge had made this more than just a simple kinyar*. More than just a fight to feed his ego or to insult me. He followed the warriors code, a code handed down by the deity of war herself. An ancient right to allow a student to challenge his past masters and prove how they had surpassed them.

He had already succeeded in challenging the drakes here in Zangar who had taught him how to control his bending skills. He had not only defeated them, he had defeated them all at once! A most impressive feat, one which had garnered him the attention of warrior and non-warrior alike. The challenge there had been less formal and more implied, but the implication was essentially the same.

As Reece and I emerged from our living quarters at the back of the dojo Karnal and Barnus we already dealing with the first arrivals. There were more than usual. Nearly every student had appeared all at once, and there were more drakes lingering at the entrance.

It would seem that word of Malakye's challenge to me had spread throughout the populace. And many of them wanted to witness it first paw. I'm sure over the next few hours many of them would drift away, boredom or responsibilities taking them away. But in the mean time this was a good opportunity to show what we did here at the dojo. And while spaces available for new students were sparse at the moment, it would help to ensure the dojos future success.

Thanks to Karnal and Barnus I was able to ensure that every student was able to be supervised. Those two were a blessing. Barnus had used his prize from the tournament, a single request which Lord Anaris was honour bound to provide - provided the request was reasonable of course - and had requested that both he and Karnal were to be freed from their duties until such time as Malakye's challenge towards me was either stopped or completed. Kaldor had allowed the request and despite being battered and bruised from their fights at the tourney just two days previous, the pair had not left my side. They stayed here at the dojo, walked with me when ever I left to shop or bathe. The only respite I got from them was when I was with Reece in the living quarters.

Normally they would have slept in there with us, they had stayed the night on many occasions in the past. But they were honouring my relationship with Reece. I disclosed our relationship to them the first night. It seemed that they had already suspected that I was sleeping with Reece, but had not known that our relationship was more than just a master and student sleeping together. They had congratulated us, much to Reece's embarrassment, and promised to sleep in the meditation room for the duration of their stay.

After a couple of hours the crowd outside the dojo had grown significantly rather than shrink as I had expected it to do. The crowds eagerness to see the fight was greater than I'd imagined. So much so that several warriors had been posted as guards to ensure the crowd remained in check and a warlord - Chax he had introduced himself as - had remained in the area as well.

A rumbling from the crowd outside had been my first warning of Malakye's imminent arrival. The crowd cheered and whistled as he approached. All of the students in the dojo had stopped their drills and turned to watch as Malakye strode confidently through the entrance; Laguna and Kassandra following close behind.

A simple paw gesture from me and all my students cleared the sparring area. Karnal and Barnus stood either side of me. They had both recovered well since the tourney. They were not at full strength, but were strong enough not to use their current condition as an excuse.

They were both prideful drakes. Honourable and brave besides. They were not to be underestimated, and I was proud to be their teacher. But this was a fight I was doubtful they would win. I hoped that they would somehow over come the odds before them and beat an opponent stronger than them, but at the same time I wanted them to lose. I wanted to see if Malakye had truly matured into the potential I had seen within him. To see that he had found a path he could call his own, and gained the strength he felt he needed in order to protect those that he loved.

He stared at me with those intense green eyes of his. He wore nothing more than a pair of black pants that came down to his knees. His expression told me of his determination. He didn't seemed surprised that Karnal and Barnus stood next to me. Either he expected them to intervene or he just didn't care. He was strong but if he underestimated them...

He stepped into the sparring area, marked by the thin, padded mats that covered the hard stone floor. As he did this Karnal and Barnus walked forward to meet him. The trio stopped and stared at each other. The crowd outside the arena had now filtered in through the entrance, everyone eager to get a good spot to watch the fight from. The warriors stationed here had taken up positions around the sparring area and made sure no one got too close.

"Stand aside." Malakye said coldly, his gaze flicked between the two of them.

"We won't allow you to lay a paw on Master Aceh!" Barnus spat. "You may have returned from the dead but I won't forgive you for disrespecting him! If you want to fight him then you have to go through us!"

Karnal grunted and nodded in agreement.

"Very well then."

Malakye bowed his head, his paws together in front of his chest. The act caught the two off guard, but they returned the gesture. They bowed to their opponent, as per the rules of the dojo. Respect your opponent. It was surprising, but it pleased me that Malakye had not forgotten the traditions I had taught him.

There was no more talk. Barnus charged forward, Karnal followed his lead. Due to his superior speed Barnus reached Malakye two steps ahead of Karnal. Malakye side stepped Barnus's charge and spun round to the right. Unable to stop in time Barnus ran past Malakye, which allowed Malakye to engage Karnal.

Karnal had been caught by surprise, having expected Malakye to engage with Barnus first. The surprise was momentary, but allowed Malakye to strike him in the stomach with a strong punch before he could react. The punch had obviously winded him slightly, but he managed to raise his defence to block the next two punches, but couldn't react in time to stop the following kick to the side of his right knee. As he flinched from the kick Malakye struck him with an uppercut to the underside of his jaw.

The watching crowd cried out in sympathetic pain. He staggered backwards with a slight limp. He managed to remain standing but he was visibly shaken. In a normal match that would have spelt the end of the fight, but this was two on one. And Karnal's partner was now ready to enter the fight proper. Barnus attacked Malakye from behind and prevented any follow up attacks against Karnal.

Malakye spun round to engage Barnus. He blocked the leaping kick with his forearm and side stepped to his left to prevent himself from being knocked over. Barnus was fast to recover his footing, and threw several fast jabs at Malakye. He kept on attacking and forced Malakye onto the defensive.

As their red uniforms suggested, Karnal and Barnus were advanced students of the dojo, and as such they had developed their own unique fighting styles. That was the true beauty of Tigers Palm. It taught every student about the different aspects of fighting and how they could be used together, but also allowed the them to fight using the techniques they favoured, while at the same time ensuring they were able to deal with nearly any situation.

Malakye seemed to have learned this lesson as well. The techniques he used were derived from those taught using Tigers Palm, but he had adapted them to suit his own technique and style. It was too early for me to truly assess the style he was using, but in terms of technique it looked perfect. When one changes something about a style or move it runs the risk of creating a flaw or gap within the move itself. But the changes that I had witnessed so far I could find no fault with. He had obviously spent many hours perfecting his technique.

As the relentless assault of Barnus continued I continued to watch as Malakye flawlessly parried, blocked and dodged each and every attack Barnus threw at him. It was impressive, but how was he able to defend himself so effortless against someone who was obviously faster than himself? Malakye was fast, but not to the same extent as Barnus was. But anyone who watched this exchange could easily be mistaken by thinking as such!

You couldn't simply overcome a difference in speed to this extent through sheer effort. Malakye wasn't able to match Barnus's speed or agility. He was predicting it! I focused a little harder and I could see it. The way Malakye moved to intercept Barnus's following attack before the smaller drake even initiated it. It was hard to notice due to the speed of the exchange, I doubt Barnus would notice it before it was too late! This was beyond simple technique, this was technique forged through experience! Malakye was obviously used to fighting an opponent faster than himself.

Barnus's assault was halted as Malakye landed a single decisive jab to his muzzle. The blow wasn't overly powerful, but it was enough to stop any momentum the smaller drake had had, and a moment later he had Barnus on the defensive.

The smaller drake seemed to struggle to block Malakye's blows. After a few punches Malakye ducked low to deliver a wide sweep kick, which Barnus was forced to leap to avoid. He leapt backwards to create distance between himself and Malakye as he avoided the sweep. A wise move. As Malakye stepped forward to attack, Barnus attacked with a well timed reverse spin kick. Malakye narrowly avoided the kick and backed away.

Only Malakye didn't seem to notice that Karnal had now recovered and was only two steps behind him as he backed away from Barnus. I felt a surge of excitement rush through me as I knew that this could be a decisive moment in this fight for my students. This single oversight from Malakye could cost him this fight!

Karnal grabbed Malakye's shoulder and his other arm wrapped itself round his neck. Malakye managed to raise his right arm, bracing it between his body and Karnal's arm, and stopped him from locking in a choke hold. A move which might have saved him, but Karnal had already locked his paws together, his other arm now wrapped under Malakye's other arm. The hold was locked tight, and with his superior strength it was going to be a struggle to escape.

Barnus did not waste the opportunity his companion had provided and immediately began to lay into Malakye's mid-section with a barrage of punches. He landed a dozen punches unhindered, even with his lack of physical strength, due to his much smaller size, it couldn't have failed to have done some damage. He followed the barrage of punches with several powerful kicks. While his punches may have lacked serious power, his kicks were nothing to laugh at!

Barnus strode back and forth in front of Malakye, catching his breath and confident in their victory. Many of the crowd cheered them on, while others remained silent. A select few were visibly disappointed. Obviously they had expected more from the newly resurrected Malakye. I can't deny that I had expected more as well.

Almost in response to my disappointment Malakye sprang to life. As Barnus prepared to land yet another powerful kick to Malakye's mid-section Malakye lashed out and struck Barnus in the shin of the leg he was balancing on. The timing of the kick had been devastating, catching Barnus mid-kick. He had no way to catch his balance and fell on his side. He was relatively unhurt thanks to the padded mats they fought upon, but with him down for the moment it allowed Malakye to attempt to escape from the hold Karnal held him in.

He pushed back with all strength he could muster, his legs raised high off the ground. Karnal stepped back no more than a single step to catch his balance, but as he pushed his weight forwards to counter Malakye's move, Malakye threw himself forward. To his credit Karnal did not release his hold, but as a result was thrown over Malakye's shoulder, the hold now broken as Karnal flew over his opponent. He grunted audibly he landed, but immediately scrambled to get back up to his foot-paws. Before he could up off his knees, Malakye caught him across the muzzle with a roundhouse kick that sent the larger drake sprawled across the ground.

Barnus propelled himself at Malakye as his partner was sent sprawling from the kick. He threw a punch at Malakye, which was caught effortlessly by Malakye's right paw. He gripped Barnus's paw firmly, preventing the smaller drake from being able to pull his paw free. As Barnus struggled to free himself, he was caught in the stomach by an elbow, and was dragged forward by the grip Malakye had on his fist. Malakye finished the combination off by driving his knee into his mid-section. He released the grip on Barnus's paw and grappled the doubled over drake across the chest and shoulder, hooked his leg behind Barnus's leg, lifted him into the air, before slamming him hard into the ground.

The crowd winced and moaned in sympathy, it had been a particularly painful looking move, and the wheezing noises that Barnus was making confirmed it. The air had been driven from his lungs with that last attack. I had never seen a move like that before. I wondered if it was something Malakye himself had made up, Barnus wouldn't be getting up in hurry. Which left Karnal, who had just now managed to get back up onto his foot-paws. He spat a glob of bloody saliva from his maw and slipped into his fighting stance.

Malakye eyed the large drake with indifference. He wasn't intimidated by Karnal in the slightest. He calmly stepped over the wheezing form of Barnus and slipped into a low stance. It appeared to be a defensive stance, but that made little sense as Malakye would want to down this opponent before Barnus was able to recover.

I was right.

Malakye sprung forward, remained low and slipped past the grasping paws of Karnal. Karnal spun round to face Malakye and managed to block the punch Malakye had aimed for his mid-section, and quickly countered with a punch of his own. The attack narrowly missed as Malakye weaved his head to the side. However Karnal's punch had left his right side open. Malakye did not fail to seize the opportunity. He drove his fist into Karnal's side, followed quickly by another trio of punches to the larger drake's ribs.

Karnal was tough. Able to take a beating and come back for more. His strength and endurance were incredible. He was able to take a hell of a beating and get back up each and every time. This time was no different. In a move of desperation he shoved Malakye away with a burst of strength. The momentary pause was all Barnus needed to go back on the attack while Malakye was still staggered from the shove.

Karnal lashed out with a few jabs, but Malakye dodged them with ease, his body weaved round Karnal's attacks effortlessly, before he lashed out with a few jabs of his own. Karnal blocked and then attempted another punch, a heavy right, but he was careless in the execution. Malakye grabbed his wrist and twisted his arm. He then drove his knee into the exposed ribs of Barnus, the same ribs that Malakye had struck earlier. Malakye released the hold on his arm and delivered a spin kick to his chest.

I'll give Karnal his due, a lesser warrior would have been knocked down from such a kick, but he managed to remain standing. He staggered back a few steps before surprisingly he launched himself forward at Malakye.

He ran at Malakye and grabbed him. He hooked him under that arm and tossed him to the ground. But with an impressive display of agility Malakye caught himself. His didn't land on his back, but rather landed on his foot-paws, his paws grasping the arms of Karnal to maintain his balance. Karnal was dumbstruck at the display, as I was. Malakye was suspended from Karnal's arms, facing towards the ceiling, his knees bent and caught in a precarious position. He may have stopped himself from landing on his back, but he was in no position to be able to mount an offensive or even defend himself.

Before Karnal could react, Malakye did attack. His right leg shot upwards, struck Karnal between the eyes. Karnal staggered back, allowing Malakye the precious time to right himself. That last move had done little damage to Karnal, but it what it had done was make him angry! Karnal lunged forward to grab Malakye once more, however his anger had caused him to leave himself wise open. Malakye weaved round the clumsy grapple and drove his knee into Karnal's ribs. Again the same ribs that had absorbed the majority of Malakye's assault the last few minutes. The attack doubled the large drake over in pain. The damage had been done now, no doubt his ribs were undoubtedly bruised, of not fractured.

Surprisingly Malakye allowed Karnal to back away and gather himself. Something I hadn't expected. It had been the perfect opportunity for him to finish off his opponent, but he just stood there and waited. Barnus had now recovered enough to rise to his foot-paws and took his place next to Karnal.

Malakye had allowed both his opponents to ready themselves instead of taking them down individually. Why? If he had finished Karnal there then all he would have had was an already weakened Barnus to deal with.

They all stood motionless and stared at one another.

In that moment I looked at all three of them. Barnus and Karnal still stood determined, but their breathing was laboured and from the way they stood you could plainly see they were nursing a few injuries. Karnal was favouring his ribs. Barnus stood with a slight hunch, his back probably still hurt from that slam that had knocked the wind out of him. Malakye however stood firm and there was no sign of him being fatigued in anyway.

That was when I knew that Malakye had already won this fight.

Malakye dashed towards the exhausted duo. Karnal readied his defence while Barnus dashed forward to meet Malakye head on. As dashed forward he leapt into the air and attempted to catch Malakye with a well executed, leaping spin kick. Malakye dived across the ground below Barnus, and rolled towards Karnal. As he rolled forward to his foot-paws Karnal clamped his giant paw on Malakye's shoulder, held him firmly in place as he threw a heavy right punch right into Malakye's muzzle. There was an audible smack that echoed through the dojo as his fist connected, some of the younger students gasped and flinched at the sound, a rumble of chatter from the crowd betrayed their surprise. I almost gasped myself when I saw that Malakye was still standing. He had blocked the punch! He had raised his arm in time to stop it with his forearm.

I saw a grin creep onto Malakye's muzzle and Karnal quickly leapt back; creating some distance between them. I didn't blame him. That smile was not something you expected to see on an opponents muzzle mid fight. It wasn't a smile of excitement or satisfaction... I knew exactly what that smile was! I had seen it so many times in my life. It was the smile of someone who knew they had won.

Barnus and Karnal were fine warriors, capable and skilled enough to hold their own in a fight against a skilled opponent. But Malakye was on a whole other level! I should end this fight, prevent them from getting hurt because I knew that neither one would back down. Neither of them would be willing to give up this fight; and I had no right to stop them.

This was not some spar. This was a kinyar*! Just as Malakye had come here to challenge me, they had come here to challenge Malakye. To prove something to no-one else but themselves. I had no right to stop this fight as no-one had the right to stop me from accepting Malakye's challenge. This was their battle to lose.

They may lose this fight, but they would come out of it stronger for it.

All three of them readied themselves, Malakye now trapped between them. He faced Karnal, but glanced over his shoulder at Barnus before he locked eyes with me. I knew that he was going to end this fight now. I could only pray that he ended it without seriously injuring them.

Barnus and Karnal attacked at the same time. But even when being attacked from both sides Malakye didn't flinch. He stood his ground and calmly blocked their attacks and spun to the side to avoid the blows. The two of them didn't let up, both of them now set on a relentless last ditch assault in order to try and overwhelm Malakye.

They fought well, complimented each others technique with well timed attacks, forcing Malakye onto the defensive. Barnus managed to land a few punches, but I could tell that Malakye allowed them to slip through. Not because he couldn't block them, but because he more focused on blocking Karnal's attacks. Karnal was the powerhouse of the two and a single unexpected blow from him would be enough to end the fight.

The exchange lasted longer than I would have expected. But eventually the stalemate came to an end. Malakye struck Karnal in the snout and then delivered a a powerful kick to Barnus's stomach which blew the smaller dragons foot-paws from under him; he landed front first on the mat.

He returned his attention to Karnal. He shifted his head to the side to avoid the incoming punch, grabbed his arm and tossed him to the mat with an effortless hip toss. Karnal managed to roll through it and was back up on his foot-paws a second later. Before he could fully ready himself Malakye closed in and drove his fist into his injured ribs. Karnal fell to one knee instantly. But to his credit he immediately retaliated. He grabbed Malakye's wrist and yanked him towards him.

It was a good move. Malakye was momentarily off balance which allowed Karnal to grab him round the waist. He hefted Malakye off the ground and as he prepared to slam him to the ground Malakye twisted his body and managed to slip out of his grasp, but instead of falling to the ground, he grabbed hold of Karnal's right arm, spun his body round, planted his foot-paws and his right thigh and threw his entire bodyweight away from Barnus.

Karnal was helpless to prevent what came next. With Malakye's foot-paws planted on his thigh Malakye had all the leverage he needed and, also prevented Barnus from being able to use his leg to catch his balance. For a brief moment both of them were mid-air, and Malakye threw Barnus head over heel. The moment Malakye's back hit the ground he used his legs to kick Karnal over him. There was a collective gasp, and time seemed to slow, as the large drake flew through the air and landed awkwardly onto the mat. There was a resounding thud that echoed through the dojo.

Malakye sprung back up to his foot-paws, using the kip-up technique, a display of agility which enticed a gasp of awe from the crowd and students who watched the fight in wide-eyed amazement. An angry yell from Barnus silenced the crowd and grasped every ones attention.

Malakye turned and instantly dashed towards Barnus, who was also sprinting full speed towards Malakye. The pair collided less than a second later and not even I could see what exactly happened. But in a blink of an eye Barnus was knocked off the his foot-paws, back flipped through the air and landed front first on the ground. As his body bounced off the ground Malakye grabbed the collar of his red dojo uniform and yanked him upwards. He was hefted off the ground and was now vertical to the ground in mid-air, his foot-paws a clear foot off the ground.

Malakye's leg arced through the air, his foot-paw high in the air, his head nearly touched the ground, as he executed a perfect, and beautiful, roundhouse kick to his opponents chest. The fluidity of the move was beautiful, the extension on his leg perfect, and the speed of the move was stunning.

The kick connected as it began to arc downwards, the results of that caused Barnus to be kicked right into the ground. The rush of air as it left his lungs was clearly audible and could be heard by everyone in the dojo. His body convulsed, and he made painful sounding wheezes, as he desperately tried to suck air into his lungs.

The fight was over. Neither one of them were capable of continuing; not without serious risk of injury. He was going to be a real pawful, but I would happily give him the fight he came here for. My grandfather had taught me the old ways, taught me to respect them. It was as much my responsibility to honour the request as it was his right to demand it.

I motioned to Reece and the three dragons around him to go and help Karnal and Barnus. They did so without hesitation. Malakye stepped away from his fallen opponents to allow the students to move them to safety.

Once Barnus and Karnal were taken to safety I stepped towards him and came to a stop a short distance away from him. We stared at each other. He wasn't even out of breath after that fight. I would have to be careful not to underestimate him. This fight wouldn't be like the one he just had. A kinyar of this nature was not bound by the normal rules of the dojo. The use of kii was permitted. The use of weapons was permitted. The use of lethal force... permitted.

I was glad that Cody and the others were still away on a trade mission. I wouldn't want Cody to witness this fight. He wouldn't understand it. He couldn't. That was the beautiful ignorance that Cody had when it came to fighting. He was not a fighter by nature, and as such he would never be able to understand how warriors thought.

I hoped that Cody would get to see Malakye again, but right now it was best that he didn't. This wasn't the same Malakye that we all knew and loved. His eyes were hard, dangerous and threatening. I don't know where he has been or what he's been through, but I knew that look. A look of someone who had been through hell and come out the other side.

"Lu'jolar yu'kari su kinyar!" Malakye declared the challenge formally in old tongue.

"Nas wo crar." I formally accepted his challenge and bowed my head. He returned the gesture and I moved closer towards him and stopped five paces away from him. "It is good to see you again." I said as I slipped into a fighting stance. "I wish it was under better circumstances."

"I'm not here to talk." He said coldly.

"I know." I forced a smile. Hurt at how distant he was being, but I could understand the reason for it. "You've grown strong. But I've still got a couple of lessons to teach you."

"Jum'ulao hai!" He smirked. "Bak Cho!"

He was done talking, that much was clear. He wanted a fight, so I'd give him a fight! We paced round each other slowly, careful not to put a paw out of place. The air was electric, the fur on the back of my stood on end. A heavy silence settled atop everyone and everything within the dojo, only the crackle of the braziers and torches that lit the area made any audible noise. My students and the gathered crowd stood and watched me face off against my former student. All of them knew him. I can't imagine what they felt about this fight. Excitement? Fear? But I couldn't worry about that now. I needed to focus on this fight. If I didn't take this fight seriously then I would lose.

Malakye was using the third stance. It was strange he was only using the basic stances. But if he wanted to resort to the techniques of Tigers Palm then I would reciprocate in kind. If he believed he could defeat me with such techniques then I would would prove him wrong!

It was an offensive technique, one focused on breaking through defensive styles. The best way to shut him down was to go on the offensive. I would use the fourth stance, force my way through his offence!

We both stepped forward at the same time and exchanged blows. He began with a three hit combo. His punches were sharp, crisp and held a considerable amount of power behind them. I blocked them and then lashed out with two punches of my own. He blocked the first and dodged the second and stepped forward and attempted to wrap his forward leg around my own.

Not bad, perfectly executed but predictable.

As he moved to wrap his leg around my own I stepped forward with my back leg and reversed my stance. Having countered his attempt to knock me off balance I had positioned myself so I was easily able to grab hold of him. I hooked my arm under his and grabbed his neck. Before I could fully execute the grapple he struck my arm to weaken my hold on his neck and then spun away. I released my hold of his arm, it would do me no good at this point to try and keep a hold of him.

I had already broken his offensive, now it was time to see how well he could recover. Would he try and go back on the offensive or play defence?

I stepped after him and followed up with another two punches. He reverted to the first stance, it had always been his strongest stance. Now I had him on the defensive I needed to keep him there. At this point of the fight we were still trying to gain the advantage, and if I could prove my superiority then I could, at least psychologically, give myself the advantage going forward. I followed up with a roundhouse kick which made him retreat to a safe distance. I kept up my attack, using various combinations of punches and kicks, switching stances to counter his changes, but Malakye kept up his defence. He wasn't even trying to counter.

I expected better than this!

I switched to the third stance and and pushed forward and attempted to break through his defence. I used the same maneuver he had attempted to use on me. I stepped forward, lashed out at him with a couple of fast jabs to keep him on the defensive, then wrapped my leg round his. Once I had his leg caught I grabbed one of his arms and struck him in the gut. He grunted from the blow and I quickly followed up with a forearm across his snout. He staggered back, barely managing to stop himself from falling over. He scowled at me and readied himself once again.

I smiled at him and ceased my attack for the moment. He wiped his maw and checked for blood, before he smiled back. His technique wasn't bad, in fact it was damn near perfect, but it wasn't 'him'. He had moved beyond using the basic stances. I had witnessed some of what he is capable of during his fight with Barnus and Karnal.

Either he felt he was strong enough to defeat me like this, or more likely, he was trying to get into my head. But if he thought he could fluster me that easily then he was sadly mistaken.

He attacked with swift direct punches. They were easy to read, easy to avoid, I didn't even need to block. I simply weaved my body out of the way. I played defence. I would see just what he was capable of!

His technique was excellent. Very little wasted movement and each move flowed effortlessly into the next. His attacks fierce and unyielding. His speed and strength impressive. But while using nothing beyond basic Tigers Palm I could easily predict his next move. His own perfect technique worked against him here. He had always been a strong fighter, a smart fighter. That was why I had such high hopes for him. But by reverting to this fighting style had given me the clear advantage.

I deflected his next attack and struck him in the snout with an open palmed strike. As his head snapped back I struck him in the chest and then across the snout with a right hook. I finished it off with a reverse spin kick to his stomach.

There was an audible grunt from him as my kick connected. I hadn't held back. But he didn't fall. He staggered back and caught his balance. He clutched at his chest for a moment before glaring at me. He smirked and slipped back into a fighting stance. My attack hadn't hurt him, at least not enough to show. He knew how to take a hit.

He attacked again. He strode forwards and was within range in four strides. I had plenty of time to prepare myself. I avoided his blows with ease, he was still using direct, predictable attacks, but I was not going to go easy on him any more. I stepped round one of his punches, hooked my arm under his and dragged him to the ground. A collective gasp from the crowd made me take my attention off of Malakye for the first time. The crowd had grown further, the warriors were struggling to maintain order. Word of our fight must have spread like wild fire. More spectators were still pouring in, but there was no more room for them by the entrance.

I turned my attention back to Malakye who had now picked himself up off the mats. He attacked again. He used a different stance each time, this time he was using the sixth stance. He attacked with a speed and ferocity that rivalled Barnus. I was forced to back way from the tenacious onslaught and waited for my opportunity to strike.

I leapt back away from a powerful roundhouse kick, leant back to avoid the next kick which came almost instantly as he spun round and round with a relentless barrage of kicks, I felt the air rush past my whiskers, it had come so close to hitting me. He tried to sweep my legs but I leapt over his sweeping leg. I was tempted to attack then, but held back, which was a wise decision as he came at me with another roundhouse. Had I attacked it would have been difficult to avoid his kick. He was quick to follow up with a left hook before his foot-paw had even hit the ground. I caught his wrist and twisted.

With one foot-paw still off the ground he didn't have the balance to catch himself. As I twisted his arm he flipped forwards onto his back. I released my hold of his arm as he landed and backed away. With surprising grace he rolled through the landing and was back on his foot-paws in a flash.

He came at me again, a simple three punch combination, I avoided the first two, caught the third and brought my forearm up to meet his muzzle, he managed to dodge it, he ducked beneath my elbow. He tried to grab me, but I twisted away and created some distance between us. He was quick to pursue me and continue his assault.

That was enough!

He attacked with a simple combination of punches again. I blocked them then struck out with a single punch. He dodged it and backed away. I glared at him. I was tired of this pitiful display. He came here and challenged me, to prove that his ability had surpassed my own, but he hadn't used anything beyond basic Tigers Palm! He wasn't even using his kii!

If he wouldn't come at me seriously then I would have to force him to go all out!

I closed the distance between us in two strides, attacked him with an open palmed strike. He blocked it with his forearm and attempted to punch me, I spun round to the left and elbowed him across the snout. As he reeled from the blow I made to sweep his legs. He managed to leap away and avoid the sweep, but I wasn't going to allow him time to regroup.

I kept up my attack, but still he wouldn't go on the defensive. He stood his ground and we began to exchange blows. The exchange lasted longer than I expected it would. It had been fast and relentless. But I managed to land a number of punches, but none of them managed to rattle him or slow down his own assault. I managed to block or avoid all of his attacks, but it was only a matter of time before one managed to get through at this rate. I needed to break his momentum, to force him back and regain control over the pace of this fight!

I leant back to avoid a left hook, attacked with my right but he blocked it and came at me with a low kick which I blocked with one of my own. A stabbing pain from my shin after our exchange pulsed with each beat of my heart, it would take a few moments for the pain to fade, but at least Malakye would also be suffering that same pain. Now it was becoming a fight to endure the most punishment. Who ever wavered first would lose this exchange. While this one exchange was not going to decide this fight, it was a critical point in the fight where it would determine who was the true challenger in this fight!

While he had officially challenged me, so to many he was the challenger, but the truth was that one of us had to be the superior fighter. And that could easily turn out to be him! But right now this was a battle of technique more than anything, and if I couldn't defeat him in technique then how did I expect to be able to beat him when he brought his superior kii into play? The exchange continued. It had lasted well over a minute now, and while that was not generally a long time to a spectator, fights could begin and end in less.

I only managed to get single shots in, unable to break his through his offence. Suddenly I realised that I wasn't on the attack, I was playing defence! When had that happened? The transition had been so smooth I had barely noticed it until I was forced to start backing up. We kept exchanging blows and I realised that not only was I on defence but he was slowly over powering me! Was he getting faster? No... it wasn't that... his technique... he had stopped using basic Tigers Palm and was now fighting me earnestly! Using the same technique as he had used against the others. I narrowly avoided a punch to my muzzle and attempted a low kick but he spun round to avoid it and attacked with a series of punches.

Suddenly I realised that he had played me! He had waited for me to take the offensive and had fluidly, and effortlessly, switched from Tigers Palm to his own technique while simultaneously forcing me on the defensive.

I avoided a right hook and saw an opening...

It was small but each time he used that right hook he over extended himself, and as a result left a small gap in his guard. If he missed his right side would become exposed. That would be my opening. If I could land a strong enough blow to his ribs it would leave him open to a follow up strike, and from there I could take control of this fight once again!

He always used that right hook at the end of the three hit combination of punches before he followed on to that reverse spin kick. I just needed to wait for it.

He came at me with a straight right punch which I managed to block with my forearm, this was it! The next would be left hook; I blocked it. Now he would use that right hook, I'll weave and step to my left, that will leave him open to my attack. I leant back to avoid the blow and stepped to my left, but mid step I noticed a slight smirk curl at the corners of his muzzle.

He'd played me again!

It was too late to stop it, he shifted his weight, the last right hook had been a feint! He hadn't put any force into it at all and that allowed him to come at me with his left. I managed to block the punch but I couldn't stop the following right uppercut which caught me on the chin. My head snapped back and I felt him grab me and next thing I knew I was hitting the ground. The pain from the throw was minimal, the leather pads on the floor did their job. I quickly rolled away and into a crouched position.

The crowd were a mix of cheers and excited chatter. The gathering of my students who were watching wore expressions of concern and worry. I'm sure many of them thought it impossible for me to be beaten, but after that exchange I'm sure their confidence in my ability had been shaken. I was far from being beaten, but Malakye had played me not once but twice now.

I got up and stared at him, wiped my maw with the back of my paw to see a tinge of red on my white fur. He'd got me, and got me good. I had underestimated him and he had played me. He was smarter than I remember, but he had taken a fair number of blows to lure me into those traps. A heavy cost, and now that I was aware of his traps I wouldn't be falling for them again so quickly! But already it had had the desired effect. I could feel the niggle of self doubt in the back of my mind. I was able to suppress it for now, but if he managed to pull off another stunt like that I doubt I'd be able to stop doubting and second guessing myself entirely.

"Are you ready to get serious with me now?" He taunted. He was ready to step up his game. Now it was time to see what kind of fighter he had truly become!

He came at me and we exchanged blows once again. The exchange was fast, much faster than before. I could still see his movements but there was no time to think. This came down to instinct, reflexes and training. The exchange came to a brief halt as we both struck each other across the muzzle simultaneously.

We both locked eyes and time seemed to freeze.

His style was reminiscent of the Wilful Paw style, but it wasn't the same. It was less refined, rougher around the edges, but was a fine technique. It was obvious he had developed it himself with how comfortable he was using it. It was a comfort that came from someone who had practised for countless hours, but anyone who was trained in the Wilful Paw would never have allowed a student to develop the flaws he had to become so habitual, flaws he had nearly overcome with his impressive speed and slight adjustments to the technique. If he wasn't taught the technique then he had learned it for himself. He truly had discovered the secret behind Tigers Palm.

But I could exploit those gaps in his technique.

We both moved to attack at the same time. I blocked his first punch with my paw, deflected his next punch and side stepped to my left and aimed a punch at the end of his muzzle. He lent back to avoid my attack and then rushed me with another flurry of punches.

His attack were direct, arms held outward to keep his opponents at a distance. It was a sound technique; balanced in its approach, difficult to overwhelm. But the weakness of the technique was in it's directness. Attacks were easy to read but difficult to counter, but if you could flank them they would be left wide open to an attack.

I back stepped and he pursued me, his attacks never stopped. I managed to grab his wrist, twisted it and drove my knee into his side. I managed to strike him with me knee him three times before he managed to counter and strike me in the gut. It hurt, but was nothing I couldn't handle. He hit me two more times. He stopped my assault as I was forced to back away, but with my hold on his wrist still firmly locked in, he was couldn't stand up lest he risk breaking or dislocating his arm. He was trapped in a doubled over position. I somersaulted forwards, my leg caught him across the shoulder. He had no chance to remain standing as my entire bodyweight forced him muzzle first into the ground.

I didn't release my hold on his wrist as I spun my body over his and sat on his lower back, my knees on the mat either side of him. I grabbed the back of his neck and forced his muzzle into the mats. I was grateful that Malakye was the type of Zangarian to have ridges rather than spikes down the center of his back and neck or this maneuver would have gone badly for me.

Now he had two choices. Submit or escape. But escaping was not easy from this position.

He struggled, but he had no chance of moving me through sheer force without the use of his kii, but still he wouldn't draw on it. This was not a challenge that you could hold back in. Sooner or later he would use his kii, but until that point I must keep my own in reserve. I had no where near the reserves he did, and would become exhausted long before he would.

A sudden tightness wrapped round my throat and pulled me back. I grabbed it with one paw and realised that it was his tail! It was easy enough to pull away, his tail was not dexterous enough to strangle me, but with my paw no longer on the back of his neck, and the momentary distraction, it was enough for him to roll over onto his side. I couldn't hold on and was forced to roll away.

He lunged at me while I was still getting up. A surprisingly desperate move, but effective. He grabbed me and pulled me to the ground. We rolled across the mats in a desperate attempt to gain the upper paw over the other. I grabbed his arm again, but he wrenched it free from my grasp and then struck me in the chest.

I rolled away in an attempt to stand. As I stood he tackled me by the waist. I managed to brace myself and remain standing, my foot-paws skidded across the mats a few feet until he lost his momentum. I drove my elbow downwards into his back, once, twice, but then he hooked his arm behind my left knee and he hefted me up into the air. I shifted my weight and grabbed the back of his neck for leverage and I rolled over his shoulder.

As my foot-paws touched the mats I hooked my arm under his shoulder and dragged him over me to slam him into the ground. To my surprise he landed on his foot-paws, shrugged off my hold on him and lashed out with a punch that I only just managed to block.

I leapt back to create some distance, but he grabbed my wrist. His grip wasn't strong enough to stop me from escaping, but his talons dug into my flesh and a sharp flash of pain later I had a large gash several inches long down the length of my wrist.

The crowd gasped in horror as my blood spilled from my wrist and splattered on the mats below.

I watched as my white fur turned crimson as my blood flowed freely from the wound. He had caught an artery. I would lose a lot of blood if I didn't stop the bleeding, but I wouldn't die from it, not unless the fight continued.

I looked him in the eye and saw a glint of worry, but he still held the resolve to fight. I could see the internal battle in his eyes. I had agreed to this fight and I wouldn't force him to choose. But I was happy that somewhere in there he still cared about me. I would make this decision for him!

The blood poured from my wrist had formed a small puddle of crimson on the floor. I glanced at Reece who wore an expression of worry and concern. He looked from my eyes, to my wrist and back to my eyes. He took a step forward and I shook my head. He was going to run to my aid, but he stopped. I turned my attention back to Malakye who was still standing at the ready to fight, but he made no apparent move to attack me. He was waiting for my decision.

With my wrist in its current situation even a light spar would cause me to bleed out in a few minutes. A fight as fierce as this... I would need to end this in the next minute. I didn't favour my chances. I needed to use... 'that'.

I have never liked to use this ability, it was dangerous. It sent my father to an early grave as he over used it. During the attack where both he and Vivi died, he used the ability knowing that it was likely to kill him even if he won the fight. It took three days of suffering before he had finally passed. I swore that I would never use it again... I swore it on my fathers grave before I fled my home.

I didn't blame him... not ever. He had used the ability to save the lives of his family and loved ones. He had used it to save his family. And now I would do the same! Malakye needed this fight. I understood that he needed it, not the why. This wasn't a grudge match, it was something deeper than that, something that he felt he needed on some level. I don't know what had happened to Malakye since he disappeared... but he needed this fight and I would give it to him! If it meant he could move past what ever it was that haunted him then I would gladly risk my life for him, just as I would the rest of my family!

I pulled on my kii, drew on the well of energy deep inside me, the energy flowed through me and eased the pain and fatigue of my muscles. But this wasn't enough, I couldn't hold back, not this time! I focused on the well of energy and tugged on it, removed the mental barrier I had placed on it all those years ago. I pulled on it, willed it to break. After a moment I felt the barrier wane and with one last effort felt it break apart.

I gasped as the energy it had been holding back flowed through me. It was like a dam had burst and flooded my body with energy. I looked at the bloody wound on my wrist and watched as it began to close.

I could hear the shocked mumbling of the crowd as they watched. In a matter of seconds the wound was gone and I watched as the last effects of the ability took hold. I looked up and saw Malakye with eyes wide as he witnessed the change. I smirked in amusement and held my paws up to look at them.

This ability, the blessing of Asurmen, which had been passed down the generations from my ancestor; Ran'lar. He was the first k'tan* of my bloodline. The ability to heal any wound in a matter of moments. Those born with this gift are born with white fur. But when the ability was used their fur turned back to it's original colour; orange.

I locked eyes with him again.

"It's time to get serious!" I growled. "Stop holding back and fight me!"

His expression toughened and he nodded.

I felt him draw on his kii, slowly at first until it suddenly exploded into life. A wave of air washed over everyone in the dojo as his kii manifested, the crowd cried out in surprise and reeled from the constant ebb of the air. His kii was even more impressive than I remember! It flowed out from him freely and I realised the size of the task I had ahead of me! It was like I had to swim up a waterfall. An impossible task... but kii was not the key to winning a fight. I knew this and after a few moments I managed to steel my resolve. Kii gave an advantage, and while Malakye's advantage was immense, I still had a chance.

Slowly his kii stopped overflowing from his body. The winds that his kii caused began to ebb and dissipate. I remembered from before how his kii always seemed to form a bubble round him, but there was no sign of it. So he had full control over his kii now. Before he relied on the sheer power of his kii, but if he had learned to focus it... if I failed to to use my own kii to weaken the impact of a single critical blow... even my healing ability would be unable to save me.

We lunged at each other at the same time. He was much faster than before! With a single stride of his kii enhanced legs he covered a surprising distance. I was forced to swerve to avoid being knocked over. But what surprised me the most was how fast he was able to stop! He stopped and spun round, I barely managed to bring my arms up to block the following roundhouse kick. I was blown backwards by the force of the kick, my arms stung, as if my bones were still vibrating from the impact. If I hadn't used kii to block that blow there's no telling what damage he would have done to me. I hadn't even managed to catch my balance when I saw that he was already attacking me once again.

What was this speed!?!

I focused as much nen as I could into my right palm and caught the incoming punch. A sharp pain shot up the length of my arm as I stopped his attack, but I ignored it and slammed one foot-paw against the floor and sent myself into a spin as I pushed myself off the ground. I wrapped my legs around his arm and neck and dragged him up and over me.

I released my hold of him a split second before we hit the ground. I used the momentum to roll to my foot-paws and to launch myself after him. Just as I had he rolled on to his foot-paws with the momentum from the throw, but thanks to the momentum I carried I was able to attack him before he could do more than stand.

I attacked with a direct open palmed strike, as much of my kii focused into this attack as I could muster, he crossed his arms in front of him and took my attack. He took the full brunt of my kii enhanced strike, his foot-paws squeaked as he slid across the mats about a foot. I followed up with a blow to his exposed gut with my knee, his arms still positioned in front of his head, the attack had the desired effect. He grunted and doubled over slightly and I moved to drive my knee into his muzzle.

He blocked my knee with his paws and lashed out with a punch which I deflect with my left forearm and struck him in the side of his head with my right. His head snapped to his right, and his body followed, but I was forced to block his fist as he spun round full circle with a spinning punch. He continued his assault with two more direct punches which I was forced to block. I sensed him focus a large amount of kii into his right arm and readied myself to block the coming attack.

As I predicted he threw a right, I was already moving to dodge it as I didn't want to know what kind of damage a punch with that much kii would do to my body, even if I tried to block it with my own! His punch never came, it was another feint! He caught me in the stomach with a kick, he had shifted a considerable amount of kii into the attack at the last instant, and despite my best efforts to use my own kii to help defend myself I was blown off my foot-paws, and was sent tumbling across the ground. I managed to roll into a crouch, but I struggled to catch my breath as a result of his last attack.

The crowd was a buzz, the warriors barely able to keep control of the crowd. The entrance was choked full with more spectators trying to catch a glimpse of the fight.

I inhaled and immediately regretted it, stabbing pain shot through my chest and I had a coughing fit, the metallic tang of blood came to my tongue. He had broken my ribs with that last attack! Already I could feel my ribs grind against one another with each movement. I focused my kii around them, the pain dulled for a moment but a moment later I grunted as they snapped back into place. I may be able to heal quickly but that didn't mean that it didn't hurt. My kii fused the bones back together, my lungs burned slightly as they were also healed. I spat out the bloodied saliva and rose back up to a standing position; immediately taking a fighting stance.

His kii was fearsome! Even without focusing his kii, simply using the natural flow that coursed through his body, his attacks were not to be underestimated. Not to mention the natural effect of making him faster and stronger. My own kii was on par with most of the master level benders here in Zangar, but Malakye's was on a whole other level. This must be what a grand-masters kii was like. It seemed endless... no matter how much he used it felt like he was able to draw on an endless supply. If I did that my reserves would be used up in a matter of minutes, my own kii felt like a bucket of water compared to the literal ocean that Malakye possessed!

Even with my ability to heal I wouldn't be able to take too many hits like that from him. I may be able to heal fast but doing so uses up too much kii. But more than that, I'm not able to heal an attack that was instantly fatal! With his kii he was both faster and stronger than me, I would need to use yet another technique if I wanted to last long enough to find an opening. This ability was taught to me by my grandfather shortly before I left, I had spent some time mastering it over the years but it was a dangerous technique. A double edged sword that could only be used in the most dangerous of circumstances.

I leapt back the moment I saw him move. He launched himself at me like before, fearless and confident, and immediately I went on the defensive. I blocked his first punch with my forearm, I felt the bone crack under the sheer force of the attack, and again leapt back. There was no way I could outrun him, I knew that, but I just needed a couple of seconds to...

I inhaled deeply, as he once again propelled himself towards me, with is powerful kii enhanced strides, closed my eyes and cleared my mind, focused my kii in my mind and held my breath. I opened my eyes slowly to see Malakye seemingly move in slow motion. His fist reared back and slowly moving towards me. I reached up to grab his wrist, my own paws moved incredibly slowly as I attempted to intercept his attack.

This technique allowed me to slow down time. It was technique my grandfather had called chi'jum. He had learned it from a Tyrokian k'tan*. The k'tan of the Tyrok* minotaurs had a fearsome ability which allowed them to move at incredible speeds, so fast that they appeared as little more than a blur on the battlefield.

Of course not being a Tyrok minotaur my grandfather was unable to move as quickly as them, but he was able to learn the ability to make time seemingly slow down. It was an exhausting technique and was incredibly draining to use. Not only that, but I was only able to use the ability if I held my breath which meant I could only use it for short periods of time. If I held my breath for too long I would become winded and that would spell the end of the fight!

To be able to use this ability took an incredible amount of focus, but to use it in a fight took an incredible amount of practise! I only perceived the passing of time as slower, but my body still moved at the same speed. When moving it was as if the air was heavy, akin to the sensation of trying to run through deep water.

I grabbed his wrist and pulled the attack wide while, painfully slowly, forced my leg up towards his now exposed ribs. I watched as his expression changed, a flash of surprise which changed to expression of pain as he took my kick. His momentum halted and I released my grip on his wrist and lifted my leg up into the air as high as I could. It extended slowly into the air until I finally brought it down on him. He was already raising his arms in order to block the over head kick.

As my leg connected with his arms I pushed off the ground, and used the leg that was now braced against his arms to pull myself upwards, to drive my other knee into his exposed muzzle. He wasn't able to move fast enough to stop the attack, I saw his muzzle ripple with the force of the blow. Before he could regain his wits I grabbed his arms and spun my body round, and hooked the leg I had just used to strike him in the muzzle around the his arms as began to drag him up and over me.

As I began the painfully slow decent towards the ground I finally released the breath I had been holding and the flow of time immediately returned to normal. As Malakye came over me I released my hold of his arm and sent him crashing to the mat. I used the momentum of my move to immediately roll back to a standing position and lashed out with a round house kick. My kick caught Malakye in the side of the head as he attempted to get back up. His muzzle snapped to the side, and he fell motionless to the ground.