Vath stepped forward with nearly half the class, too many for the circles all at once. The teacher pulled out a die, and had them roll for who could go. Vath was unlucky, and ended up near the end of those who volunteered, but that was fine. He would get a chance to watch fights first. Kaser managed to secure a fight with the fast boy he’d been chatting with immediately, so Vath made sure to stick close to their circle. After a bow, they were told to start, and they charged.

  Kaser made the first move, throwing a strong straight punch just as he got into range. He was a bit taller than the other boy, so his reach gave him an advantage. The smaller boy, however, ducked the blow easily and retaliated with a hit towards Kaser’s ribs. Kaser managed to turn himself to the side enough to make it a glancing blow, and brought a hand from above hammering towards his opponent’s skull. The boy dodged by dropping and rolling out of range, avoiding a kick narrowly on his way. He rolled straight back to his feet, and both boys nodded at each other with wide grins before heading back in. They’d both proven that they could avoid the worst, and that wild heavy finishing blows weren’t going to land easily, so they settled in to soften each other up. They started trading blows, blocking or pushing off course what they could, punishing mistakes as they could. Both took blow after blow to their arms and torsos, but Kaser seemed to be slowly pulling ahead. The other boy was faster, and was landing more blows, but the difference in strength was enough that his blows were weathered, while every hit from Kaser had the boy wincing in pain. After less than a minute, the boy backed up with his hands up.

  “I give up. I could go further, but I’ve got others to fight today, and I’m not going to take you down anytime soon even if I manage. Good fight.” he said.

  Kaser grinned savagely and replied, “Good fight. We’ll have to have a full fight someday though. That was too fun.” At the boy’s answering nod, they stepped out of the circle to make room for the next combatants.

  And so it went. Vath, now joined by Kaser, watched fight after fight. Some ended quickly, and others dragged on forever. Each fighter was different. Fast, slow, durable, flexible, trained, and untrained. You had no idea what to expect unless you’d seen them fight at least once. Eventually, it was Vath’s turn, and he stepped into a circle opposite a boy bigger than himself. He was perhaps a few inches taller, and noticeably wider. Not to the level of Dornah, but still quite big. Vath knew he didn’t have any real fighting technique. He would have to rely on the little he knew, his strength, and what little he’d learned fighting animals or sparring with Kaser occasionally. They bowed, and as soon as a start was called, Vath sprinted at his opponent. He feinted a straight punch that Kaser had used, but pulled himself short and kicked savagely at the other boy’s leg. The towering boy shifted just barely enough to avoid the attack entirely and punched Vath in the chest, sending him stumbling backwards. Shit. The hit wasn’t hard, but the boy clearly knew what he was doing despite his size. He’d had much more training than Vath. There would be no easy victory here, but he was confident in his staying power. He’d take hits, but if he could do it long enough, he could find an opening. At least, that was his hope.

  They exchanged blows, punches, kicks, Vath even threw a few elbows. Every one of his hits was blocked, knocked to the side, or dodged with minimum effort; while he was pummeled. He grunted loudly and gave ground with every hit. His face was a mask of pain and fear, and to all outside observers it looked like he was about to lose, and knew it. His opponent saw the same thing, and began to smirk. He threw a few more hits, and then shouted loudly while pulling back for a large strike, fully expecting this last punch to finish the fight. Just as the fist started to come forward, Vath’s face changed from pain to a predatory grin. He spun to the side at a faster speed than he’d used all fight, and grabbed the arm as it flashed past his shoulder with both hands. He hauled on the arm as he bent his torso, and flung the bigger boy over himself onto the ground. The crash as the boy landed was loud enough students at other circles turned to look at what happened.

  Before the boy could recover his breath or wits, Vath twisted the arm, fully intending to use its leverage to force the boy into an unfavorable grapple, but the boy tapped on the ground, the universal symbol for giving up in a spar. Vath let go immediately, and put out a hand to pull the boy to his feet.

  The boy’s face was incredulous. “You were faking the damage?” he asked disbelievingly.

  “Only partly. It hurt, but I can take more than that. You were better. Had to get you to make a mistake somehow.” he answered with a shrug.

  “Won’t make that mistake again. No openings, no matter how pitiful the enemy looks. Thanks for the lesson.” he bowed and then walked off.

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  Vath went back to Kaser, who congratulated him on a good fight, and they continued to watch the others. The whole class went once, and then they were run through again with different opponents. Kaser and Vath both lost their second fights; Kaser to a boy who ignored his fast strikes to tackle him at the knees and quickly subdued him on the ground, and Vath to a boy much like the first. He was smaller and less skilled, but still knew far more than Vath, and worse, he’d been watching the first fight and didn’t make the same mistake as the first boy. It took ages, but Vath was worn down. Despite this, they were in high spirits. They had a lot to learn, but they were enjoying it anyway, and they were holding their own even with their disadvantages. They couldn’t wait to see what they’d be capable of in the future.

  The teacher had been watching everyone closely at the same time somehow, and at the end of the second fights he went over fighting styles with each person individually. Those who had one already, he pointed out where they were weak, and what they could do to work on it, from practicing certain things, to picking up a second style that would plug the hole their weaknesses left. For those who lacked formal training or a full style, he recommended styles to look at in the library when they had a chance. He knew that one day wasn’t enough to pick the perfect style for them, but he was certain that they would be a good place to start, and they could look at similar styles near them in the library to narrow down their choice.

  With that, the class was done, and the two headed home. They found food waiting for them when they got there, and barely took the time to clean their hands before descending on it like the wolves they were. When they were finished, they needed to decide what to do with the rest of their night.

  “I don’t know if you feel the same, but today made me even more determined.” Vath said, “We did well for a first day, but there’s so much room to improve. I’m going to use the courtyard to exercise and the formations to cultivate to recover until I’m too tired to continue.”

  “Bet I can do more than you.” Kaser responded.

  Vath snorted, “In your dreams, perhaps.”

  And thus began the competition. Vath would admit to himself later that they had almost certainly gone too far. But what was one to do when challenged by a brother? Not give it your full effort? Hours later, the two finished their last session of cultivation, still completely even in their bet, and too exhausted to continue. They slunk off to their bathrooms after a quick and tired goodnight. Vath was too tired to even enjoy his warm bath, but he wouldn’t get in his bed dripping with this much sweat. He finished as quickly as he could, and dropped face first into his pillow before turning over. Just before he drifted off, he decided to check his progress.

  It was small, but it was progress. He grinned as his eyes closed and he drifted off.