Arther looked me in the eyes, obviously questioning whether I would let him do it or not- either that or he was measuring my mental stability. I simply nodded and covered my eyes with my right hand. It wasn't to hide myself from seeing the damage, but to show him that I wasn't going to retract my hand.
"Do it," Penny said to Arther, his voice as quiet yet stern as I remember. Arther muttered a curse under his breath before he slammed both of his wooden swords down onto my wrist. I winced slightly, but managed to ignore the warm blood trickling down my fingers.
'It's poking out,' I thought as I looked at my bone stabbing through my skin. It was a clean break, thankfully. 'Shouldn't take too long to heal up.'
"There you go," I coughed, clearing the scream that wanted to come out from my throat. "Now none of you can be angry if I win," I said as I ripped a piece of cloth from one of the banners on the wall and wrapped it around my wrist as a makeshift tourniquet.
"You're insane," Farren said, his eyes as wide as saucers as an uncontrollable smile took over his face. "I like it. I'll fight you. Anyone who butts in is dead."
"Fine by me," I said, seeing Suzi ready her feet to pounce out of the corner of my eyes. I barely managed to avoid a chop at my neck by ducking. If I hadn't been watching her closely, I may have been eating dirt on my first day in the class. I countered her by leaping up and driving the top of my head into her chin. She lifted off of the ground slightly, and I maintained enough momentum to go into the air too.
The White Sky God's techniques weren't extravagant. It was simply a move-set that allowed you to adapt to any situation. I used the Seventh Technique: Wingless Descent to drive my heel into her solar plexus, slamming her to the ground with a small amount of added qi for good measure.
Suzi's eyes rolled back, which gave me enough confidence that she had been taken care of. I turned to Farren, who was even more excited to face me now that I had taken out his biggest opponent. Big and strong couldn't catch small and fast, but small and fast could only take a few hits. That was why balance was necessary.
Farren charged at me, using the Crumbling Earth Style. It was a style that combined offensive and illusory techniques to make the victim feel as though the strikes were unavoidable. Farren's fist grew huge, almost twice the size of my body. I could have disarmed the illusion aspect if I focused qi in my eyes, but it wouldn't be any fun.
I leapt into the air, dodging the enormous fist and landing behind Farren. I swung my body around and lifted my right hand to avoid a heavy hook. If I hadn't focused half of my qi into it, I wouldn't have withstood it. That wouldn't have been a clean break.
My arm was pushed away by the weight of his strike, spinning me around on the spot. I used the momentum he had given me and slung my leg up, aiming it at his jaw. I had imbued it with all the qi I could muster, but he blocked it. I managed to send him skidding slightly as he let both of his arms to fall to his side.
"You're fun," he told me, charging again. This time I decided I had seen enough from him. Farren was strong, and definitely worthwhile investing in, so I would, but I knew he wouldn't respect someone he saw as weaker than him.
I waited for him to attack again. He brought both of his hands above his head and clasped them, ready to hammer them down on my shoulder or head- I couldn't quite tell. I took the opening and imbued my hand with all of the qi from my secondary core before ramming it into his chin. His hands unclasped, his body lifted, and a quiet gasp escaped his lungs as I knocked him out.
I heard another thud from behind me, and turned to see Penny lying on the floor, clutching his sides. Arther stood over him, sweat trickling down his cheeks. He was just as ahead of his peers as I remembered.
"Are you ready, or do you need a minute to catch your breath?" I asked, swiping a piece of my white hair that had fallen into my eyes. I had never known, nor questioned, why I had white hair. Nobody else did either, so it had never been a problem. "I'm willing to wait."
"I've already broken your wrist, but you're enough of a gentleman to wait?" Arther asked, smiling slightly. He didn't ask for time to get his composure back, but I gave him it. By the time he had managed to get his breathing under control, Farren and Suzi had regained consciousness but were sitting at the side of the class silently, watching, analysing.
We both took up our stances and stared each other down for a few seconds, though it felt like hours. Would I really have to go against someone who could rival me at my peak whilst we were just children? Could I change the Academy if I lost this fight and was dubbed as the second in the class?
My head was filled with thoughts that had no place in a fight. It wasn't like me, but knowing I had a mission made me want to accomplish it without fail, and without flaw.
"Can I use a sword too?" I asked Arther, breaking the intense quiet and focus. "I think it's only fair that I use my all against someone such as yourself," I said with a smile. I wasn't lying. I meant it, but I also wanted to show off that I was more than just a hand-to-hand fighter.
"Go and get one," Arther replied, easing his stance. He placed too much faith in his opponents, a trait that he would never quite rid himself of in the future either. I wandered over to the barrel containing the training swords and picked one out.
'Good condition, good heft, good handle,' I thought as I swung it in an x motion. I returned to the ring and stood off against Arther once more, using the breathing technique that Manju taught me. He never told me its name, so I decided then and there to dub it 'Drunken Nomad Breathing Technique'.
"Begin!" Arther yelled, dashing at me with his swords held behind him at either side as he held his body low. A fast and variable stance that allowed for quick reactions and easy alternations between stances. A pro duel-wielder's choice, even at his young age.
"Let's," I replied, holding my sword with the tip aimed at his forehead as I waited for him to get within reach.